Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel (31 page)

“Can you do me a favor?” I asked him.

“Sure, what do ya need?”

“I want you to ask around and see if anyone saw Skylar drug me. There’s no way she could’ve carried me to the bedroom by herself.”

“Good point. I’ll see if I can track down everyone who was there.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Now give that hot chick of yours a kiss for me.”

Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of shit on my end. I don’t need any coaching from you.”

Chuckling, he said his goodbyes and I glanced over at Lara, who couldn’t hide her smile. “He’s something else, isn’t he?”

I stood and helped her up. “You have no idea. He’s a good guy though. He’d do anything for me, or you.”

“I’m glad you have friends who’ll go to such lengths for you. Evan is definitely one of them too.”

If it wasn’t for Evan and his family, I wouldn’t be who I was today. “He’s more than my best friend, he’s like a brother.”

We headed into the woods, and I kept hold of her hand. It still amazed me that she was with me. When I thought I’d lost her the other day, there were no words to describe how utterly miserable I was.

There was a path I’d made through the woods, so we followed it down to the pond. The sky was slowly turning pink, but we still had a little bit of time.

Lara stopped and looked out at the pond. “It’s so beautiful out here.”

We sat down on the grass and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. “
You’re
so
beautiful,” I murmured.

Her face beamed and I wished she’d break down and tell me she loved me. I’d been waiting to hear it from her lips, but knew I had to be patient. “Are you excited about the race Saturday?”

“Very,” I replied. “In a couple of weeks, I’ll be going to the finals in Vegas. With everything going on, I forgot to tell you about it. Want to go?”

“Um,
yeah
,” she answered incredulously. “I’m ready to watch you race in person.”

“Speaking of races, we need to leave around two on Saturday.”

Her face fell and she groaned. “I don’t think I’ll be able to go with you that early. Summer asked if I’d work the lunch shift. I think I’m going to have to meet you at the coliseum. Is that okay?”

I was hoping she’d be able to drive there with me, but I knew she had other responsibilities. “No worries. I’ll just get you a parking pass, and when you get to the door, tell them you’re name and they’ll let you in. I’ll get you a seat in the front.”

She squealed and pushed me to the ground, her legs straddling my waist. “Now I’m really excited.”

My dick twitched and I grinned. “So am I.”

“You want to know what else I’m happy about?” she asked.

Grabbing the back of her neck, I pulled her down and kissed her. “Tell me.”

“I think I’m starting to remember things. It’s like flashes here and there.”

“Lara, that’s amazing. When did this start?”

She giggled and I loved the sound. “Just this past weekend. We were over at Chance’s house and I got this sense of déjà vu. When we walked around his yard, I felt like I’d been there before. I knew exactly where to go.”

“It’s because you
have
walked it before. That night we were together, we went there for a party and I got angry at him for taking you away. We left after I found you. You were so pissed at me for being an ass.”

She smacked my arm. “Probably because you deserved it. Chance is a nice guy, but I would never choose him over you.”

“That’s good to know. But more importantly, it’s great you’re starting to remember. Life would be a lot easier if you did.”

She kissed me again and rubbed her hips against mine. “I’m working on it. I want them back more than anything. It’d be nice to remember our past, my friends and family; especially when Emma-Grace was born.”

A slow smile spread across my face at the reminder. She’d just messed up.

Her gaze narrowed and she pulled back. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

I grabbed her waist and flipped her onto her back, covering her with my body. “Because you owe me, cupcake. I seem to recall a bet we made not too long ago. I think it’s about time to collect.” Her eyes went wide and I nodded. “Tomorrow.”

T
wo days had passed and the only time I’d left Luke’s house was to get more clothes from mine. I could barely walk after I’d fulfilled my debt. I never knew how insatiable Luke was, until I had to prance around his house naked and give in to his every whim. Next time, I was going to make sure Emma-Grace threw her food on him.

Jason had come by the other day and we gave him a copy of the drug test results. He said it could take a couple of days to get everything rolling, so we expected to hear from him soon. Chance hadn’t heard anything yet from the people he questioned from the party. There were still plenty more for him to ask. It was a waiting game.

After Luke trained for the day, he decided to work on his bike, while I worked on his marketing; or at least,
tried
to work on it. It was nearly impossible to focus on work, when Luke’s whole body was marked up with grease and sweat. My afternoon consisted of making phone calls and watching him.

“Working hard?” he asked.

I held up my phone. “Yep. I have two other magazines interested in running stories on you. Shelby had given me their names.”

“Did you set up a time for us to fly out to San Francisco yet?”

Grinning from ear to ear, I scrolled through the calendar on my phone, until I found the marked off dates. “Yes, I did. The first weekend in October is what I have. She’s going to let us stay in one of the houses she rents out.”

“Sweet. I can’t wait. It’s going to be fucking epic to see my face on the cover of
Physique.
”

That it would, and I was happy I’d get to experience it with him.

A car door slammed out front and my phone beeped with an incoming text.

Summer: I’m here at Luke’s.

“It’s Summer,” I said, getting to my feet. “She’s here. I’ll get the door.”

Luke slid out from under his bike, as I rushed inside to answer the front door. I hadn’t spoken to her much in the last couple of days, but I knew Evan told her about the test results.

Summer waved when I opened the door. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just wanted to stop by and see you.” Luke appeared at my side and Summer smiled at him. “To see both of you actually,” she added. “Evan and I want you to come over for dinner on Friday.”

Luke held a hand over his chest. “Me too?”

Summer rolled her eyes and laughed. “Yes, you too. I’m sorry for everything that’s happened. I know it’s been a rollercoaster ride from hell. I’m just glad you two found your way back to each other.”

Tears sprung to my eyes. “You mean that?”

She held out her arms and I rushed into them. It was nice having her support, and not constantly on Grayson’s side. “Of course I do. It’s not so easy to think of Luke as the bad guy.”

Luke laughed. “Thanks.”

Summer pulled back and winked at him. “You’re welcome. I know Evan’s looking forward to more time with you.”

“What about Grayson? Does he know Luke and I are back together?”

Her smile faded. “Yes. He wanted to see you, but with you being here, he knew it would be unwise. In time, he’ll get over it.”

“I doubt it,” Luke growled. “He tried to make me think he and Lara were fucking the other day, when I caught him in a towel at her house.”

Summer and I both gaped at him in shock. “
What?
” He’d never told me that.

Luke rubbed a hand down his face and sighed. “So much has happened since then, I didn’t want to say anything. But when he answered the door in that damn towel, he knew what was going through my mind. He played up on it, then I got pissed and hit him. That’s when I ran up to your bathroom.”

My chest ached, and it wasn’t because I was sad . . . I was furious. “I can’t believe he did that.”

Summer shook her head. “Me either. That’s messed up.”

Luke grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him. My mind was in shock, but then again, desperate people could say and do almost anything. “I know he’s your friend, ex—whatever you want to call him—but you need to stay away from him. Because if he comes anywhere near me
or
you, I won’t be able to control myself.”

Summer placed a hand on my arm. “I hate to say this, but I think he’s right, sis. I don’t like the things I’m hearing. It’s best if you two stay apart.”

“What about Saturday? Will he be there when I’m working?” I asked.

“No, he’s working the night shift. From now on, I’ll keep you two separated.”

“Does he know the whole story about Luke being drugged?”

She shook her head. “He only knows you two are together. Once he heard that, he stormed away. I haven’t talked to him since.”

He probably thought I took Luke back, still believing he cheated on me. It didn’t matter what he thought though. I had no plans on talking to him anytime soon. “Thanks for coming over, Sum. We’ll see you on Friday.”

She hugged Luke and I knew it’s what he’d been waiting on. Summer and I were protective of each other, and it would make things easier now he had her trust.

Once she was gone, Luke leaned against the door, his gaze on fire. “Tell me you’ll stay away from Grayson.”

Placing my hands on both sides of his face, I leaned up and kissed him. “You have nothing to worry about. He wouldn’t want to see me anyway. It wouldn’t end well for him.”

“Good, because I don’t want him filling your head with lies.”

Neither did I. And now I was wondering what else he had lied about.