Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel (28 page)

I broke down and cried against his chest. “I found him with another girl.”

His body tensed. “Please tell me you’re fucking joking.” He let me go so he could look at me.

“I’m not,” I cried. “I can’t believe he’d do that to me. We were at a party and he left me to get a beer and talk to his friends. An hour later, he still hadn’t come back, so I went to look for him . . .” I shook my head, unable to say anymore.

Sighing, he brushed the tears off my face. “I’m so sorry, Lara. I know you love him.”

“
Did
,” I corrected him. “I can’t love someone who’s going to do that to me.” I still loved him, but it felt better to refer to it as past tense.

“I wish there was something I could do. Want me to kick his ass?” His face lit up and I knew he’d find enjoyment in that.

A sad chuckle escaped my lips. “No, it’s okay. Listening to me cry about him has to be burden enough.” I knew how he felt about me, and hearing me cry over another man wasn’t something he’d want to hear.

“Grayson,” Summer called. “I didn’t know you were stopping by.”

He slowly let me go and we turned to face her. Emma-Grace was in her arms, wearing her bathing suit. “I first went by Lara’s and when she wasn’t there, I came here. When I saw her in the pool, I had to surprise her.”

“More like attack me,” I added.

He nudged me in the side. “At least it made you laugh. I’ve missed the sound of it.” By the look in his eyes, he still wanted me back. It made me wonder if he was going to try harder now that Luke and I weren’t together.

Summer bounced Emma-Grace on her side and passed her to me. “This little one wants some auntie time.” She passed her to me and we got back in the pool. Emma-Grace loved to throw food on me almost as much as she loved splashing water in my face. “I’ll cook dinner after this,” Summer offered.

Grayson got back in and played peek-a-boo with Emma-Grace. “Sounds good,” I said. “But I need to go home and get my toiletry bag. In my fog this morning, I completely forgot it.”

Summer nodded. “Okay, I can take you in a few minutes.”

“Nah, I got her,” Grayson cut in. “I can take her on my way to the tavern.”

Summer lifted her brows at me, waiting for me to choose. “It’s fine. Grayson can take me.”

They both seemed happy with my choice, but I wasn’t about to start dating again. After what Luke did, I wanted to swear off men.

“Thanks for driving me home,” I said to Grayson.

He reached over and squeezed my hand. It didn’t take much effort, since we were close together in his little sports car. It scared me being in something so small, but I didn’t say anything about it. “No problem. I know you’re going through a tough time right now.”

We arrived at my house and he followed me inside, his shorts were still soaking wet from the pool. “Do you have a change of clothes with you?”

He shook his head. “I’m probably just going to head home in a bit and get some new ones.”

“Won’t you be pushed for time?”

“Maybe a little, but it’ll be okay,” he said with a shrug.

Rolling my eyes, I set my purse down on the coffee table and walked into the laundry room. “Take them off and I’ll throw them in the dryer.” There was a stack of fresh towels on top of the dryer so I grabbed one and hurried back out into the living room. But he was already naked, holding out his wet clothes. I gasped. “Oh my God, I totally wasn’t expecting to see all of that.” Averting my gaze, I held out the towel.

A sly smirk spread across his face. “You’ve seen me naked plenty of times before.” He handed me his shorts, then took the towel and wrapped it around his waist.

“Yeah, but I don’t remember any of it.” Without looking at him, I rushed back into the laundry room to throw his clothes in the dryer. There was no way I could sit in a room with him while he sat with just a towel covering his junk. It felt wrong. But then again, it was my fault because I told him I’d dry his clothes.

Grayson patted the spot beside him on the couch. “Wanna talk?”

“Actually,” I said, pointing up the stairs, “I think I’m going to take a quick shower. Do you mind?”

His smile slightly faded, but he nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll wait here.”

“Thanks.” My phone was in my back pocket and it vibrated. A rush flooded my body. Was it Luke? Turning on my heel, I flew up the stairs into my room. I didn’t want to look at my phone, but curiosity got the best of me.

Summer: I’m fixing a meatloaf. Hope you’re hungry.

I couldn’t deny the disappointment I felt. I thought Luke would at least attempt to plead his case, but I guess when you’re guilty, there was nothing you could do. Taking off my clothes, I stood in the bathroom, waiting for the water to heat. I looked at myself in the mirror and didn’t even recognize the girl staring back at me. My heart was broken and I felt shattered. I was lost.

I
drove around for a while to clear my head, and I still felt fucked up from the drugs. The last thing I wanted to do was go home and sit there. Evan told me to give Lara space, but I couldn’t do that. She might not believe a word I said, but I had to at least try.

Picking up my phone, I called Evan’s number.

“Hey man,” he said.

“Is Lara there?” I blurted out.

He sighed. “No, she went home to grab more of her things.”

“That’s all I needed to know.”

“Luke, no. Wait!” he shouted, but I hung up before he could try to stop me. I wasn’t far from her house, but when I turned down her street, I realized why Evan wanted to stop me. Grayson was there.
Motherfucker.
My whole body shook with rage as I slammed down on the brakes, tires screeching to a halt.

Fists clenched, I was ready for a fight. I knew Grayson would pounce on Lara the second he knew she wasn’t with me. I beat on the door as hard as I could, the frame shaking from impact. Being the bastard that he was, Grayson answered the door with a sneer on his face … in only a fucking towel.

“Where’s Lara?” I growled.

He nodded upstairs. “In the shower. We had a busy afternoon, if you know what I mean.”

“You lying son of a bitch. She’d never run back to you.”

He scoffed. “After what you did to her, she needed a friend. I can’t believe you’d fucking cheat on her. That’s some messed up shit.”

All I could see was red. “I didn’t cheat on her, asshole. And if you don’t step out of my goddamn way, I’ll show you what messed up looks like.” I didn’t even give him a second to think before my fist reared back, connecting with his jaw. His head snapped to the side and it gave me the opening I needed to rush inside.

“Son of a bitch,” Grayson snarled.

Hurrying up the stairs, I slammed the door to Lara’s room behind me and locked it.

“What the hell? Grayson, is that you?” Lara called from the bathroom.

The thought of Grayson being with her made me so damn furious I couldn’t see straight. I growled, storming into the bathroom. Lara was in the shower, her body glistening with water, but the doors were too steamy to get a clear view.

When she saw me, she covered her body with her hands. “What the hell? Grayson, get out of here,” she demanded.

At least now I knew that douchebag lied. I marched over to her shower doors and she backed into the corner. “It’s not Grayson,” I said, opening the shower doors.

At first, she looked nervous, but when she got a good look at me, her eyes turned into venom. “Get the hell out of here.”

“I didn’t sleep with Skylar. You have to believe me,” I pleaded.

She shut off the water and pushed me out of the way. “You expect me to trust you? I saw you naked in the bed,” she cried, tears already spilling from her eyes. She hurried over to her towel and wrapped it around her body.

I wanted to hold her, but she backed away from me. “I was
drugged
, Lara. Skylar wanted to tear us apart. She was jealous.”

Shaking her head, Lara held her face in her hands. “Stop it! I don’t want to hear anymore.”

Grayson kicked down the bedroom door and I knew my time was done. Lara gasped and backed out of the way as Grayson barreled into the bathroom.

I was ready for him. Ducking out of the way, I grabbed him around his waist, hurling him into Lara’s bedroom. He elbowed me in the side, as I punched him again and again. Grayson was a trained fighter, but I had my will and anger driving me.

“Luke, stop!” Lara screamed. Grayson punched me back, but it was Lara’s hands on my arm that made me stop. “That’s enough!”

I let her pull me back and Grayson got to his feet, a triumphant smile on his face. To him, he’d won, but I was nowhere near done. Lara might be pissed at me now, but once the test results came in, she’d have no choice but to listen to reason.

Holding up my hands, I backed away. Lara’s lips trembled and I hated that I’d given her any reason to doubt me. I couldn’t blame her, but it hurt all the same. “I’ll leave,” I said to her, “but this isn’t over. One way or another, you have to listen to me.”

Grayson wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand. “She’s done listening to you. All you’ve ever done is hurt her.”

“And all you ever do is lie.” Turning on my heel, I marched down the stairs and out the door, even though it killed me to do it. Kate said the test results could take twenty-four to forty-eight hours. I just prayed it was sooner than later. The faster I could give Lara the truth, the quicker I could get her away from Grayson.