Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel (7 page)

Three Months Later

I
felt like I was in the twilight zone. One day, Lara was crying, and the next, she was walking around as if nothing had happened. It’d been three months since our night together, and I’d even brought different girls into her bar to get a rise out of her, yet still, nothing.

Pulling out my phone, I texted her.

Me: Congratulations on the magazine article. Will you please come out and talk to me? I’m in the parking lot.

Me: Please, Lara. I’m so sorry for everything I did. I want to work this out.

Heart racing, I stared at the back door of the restaurant, willing it to open. When it did, I had hoped the blonde walking out to greet me was Lara, but it was Summer.

“Let me guess, she didn’t want to talk to me?” I asked, leaning against my truck.

Summer shook her head, her gaze sad. “Can you blame her? You’ve flaunted around here with a different girl every week for the past three months, basically throwing it in her face.”

I threw my hands up in the air. “I only did that to see how she truly felt. She hasn’t said anything, so I figured she was over it. Why is she pretending everything’s fine when it’s not?”

Dropping the tailgate on my truck, I sat down and Summer joined me. Seeing her face only made my heartache worse; it was as if Lara was sitting there with me. She placed a hand on my shoulder, showing me sympathy I didn’t deserve.

“It’s her way of coping with it all,” she murmured.

“Will she ever talk to me again?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know, Luke. For now, you’re just going to have to live with the consequences.”

“Please let me go in there. I won’t cause a scene. I just want to tell her I’m sorry, that I fell for her and it scared me.”

The door to the restaurant slammed shut and Evan marched over. “You can’t,” he answered harshly.

Summer gasped and slid off the tailgate. “I didn’t know you were coming out here.”

His jaw tensed. “Lara told me where you were. I thought you might need some help.” Evan hadn’t talked to me much over the past couple of days; especially after he found out Lara and I had slept together. He was protective of those he cared about, and Lara was one of them.

I slid off the tailgate and faced him. “Why can’t I go in there and tell her I’m sorry? She needs to hear it from me.”

“No, she doesn’t because she won’t believe it. You need to do a lot more than tell her you’re sorry. Actions speak louder than words. And until you can show everyone you’ve changed, it’s best you stay away from her. It’ll only make things worse.”

“What if I go in there anyway?” I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest. I didn’t want to fight Evan, but I was getting desperate. I needed her forgiveness, for her to know I never meant to hurt her.

Evan huffed and closed his eyes. “You’ll have to go through me first. Lara doesn’t want to see you. She’s with someone else now.”

It was as if someone had sucker punched me in the gut, the air being ripped out of my lungs as I took the hit. Summer groaned and I glared at her. “Is that true?”

“Yes, but I don’t see how that is any of your business. She’s happy, so leave her be.”

“Fuck that,” I shouted. “I’m going inside.” I tried to push past Evan, but he blocked me. We faced off with each other, the tension rising.

Summer stepped between us with a hand on each of our chests. “Guys, this is stupid. You’re friends.”

I scoffed and backed away. “That’s where I beg to differ,” I said, glaring at Evan. “If our situations were reversed and it was Summer inside, I’d let you go to her. I would give you the benefit of the doubt and accept that you’ve changed. But you’re not going to do that, are you?”

Evan’s face softened and he sighed. “I would, brother, but this night is special for Summer and Lara. The last thing they need is you and Grayson battling it out. I have no doubt he’ll come after you if you go in there.”

I faltered, the anger welling in my chest. “Fucking
Grayson
? That’s who she’s with?”

“Can you blame her? He was there for her, after everything you put her through,” Summer said.

Peering down at her, I hoped she could see the determination in my face. “You tell her it’s not over. I’m not going to give up.” With those final words, I jumped in my truck and sped out of the parking lot. The thought of Grayson touching her made me so goddamn furious. I didn’t care if she was with him . . . I wasn’t going to give up.

One Year Later

“Y
ou have to stop this,” Evan warned.

I could see Lara through the window, standing behind the bar of Carolina Tavern, with her golden blonde hair pulled back and her face just as beautiful as ever. Grayson stood beside her, drying off glasses, smiling like a cat that got the canary.

I took a step forward. “I can’t. When I told you I wasn’t going to give up, I meant it.” Lara wasn’t going to push me away anymore. She’d managed to evade me time and again, but I refused to let anyone stand in my way.

Grabbing my shoulder, Evan jerked me back. “Summer will never forgive me if I let you rush in there and cause a scene. It’s been over a year now. It’s time for you to move on.”

Evan Townsend was my best friend, star wide receiver for the Carolina Cougars, and most importantly, he was now married to Lara’s twin sister, Summer. “Move on?” I growled, clenching my teeth together. “Would you be able to just walk away from Summer?”

He stiffened. “Probably not, but I’m not the one who fucked shit up.” His words stung, but they were true. Releasing a heavy sigh, I backed away. Evan placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sorry, brother. I shouldn’t have said it like that. But it’s just a little too late, you know?”

I shook my head, my gaze still on Lara. Her head lifted and she spotted me through the window, her eyes telling me everything I needed to know. She glanced quickly at Grayson and then down at the bar. The second her head lifted and our eyes locked, my mind was set.

“It’s never too late. I’m not giving up.” Pushing past Evan, I marched to the door. Even if I had to throw her over my shoulder and steal her away, I would do it—no matter the consequences.

“He’s going to ask her to marry him,” Evan called out.

I froze mid-step and watched Lara retreat to the back of the restaurant. She knew I was coming for her. Only now, it felt like a knife had been wedged in my heart, flaying every shred of hope I had.

Closing my eyes, I stood there helpless. “How do you know?”

He sighed. “There’s a surprise party for Lara tonight, here at the tavern. He wanted everyone to be there.”

Opening my eyes, I could feel the anger welling up. I was a smart man, and knew my anger was misplaced, but I didn’t care. “Except me.” I jerked around, my fists clenched so tight my fingers were going numb. “When were you going to say something?”

He shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. It’s not something I looked forward to telling you.”

“Fuck!” I growled, pushing my hands through my hair. Time was running out. Summer pulled into the parking lot and I knew I had to go. She didn’t hate me anymore, but her tolerance was thin at best. She glanced warily at us and slowly got out of the car. I turned back to Evan, hoping like hell he could hear the urgency in my voice. “You have to let me see her, Evan.”

Evan shook his head. “I can’t. Lara doesn’t want to see you. She’s made that perfectly clear.” Summer started toward us and the desperation took over.

“Figure out a way,” I pleaded. “When Grayson proposes tonight, look at her eyes. I can’t be the only one who sees she’s not happy.”

“Hey, guys,” Summer announced. “What’s going on?”

Evan held out an arm and she fit into his side. Looking at her made everything worse. She looked exactly like her sister. “Nothing much,” Evan lied. “Just talking to Luke about his next race.” I did have a motocross race coming up, but it wasn’t the battle I was focused on winning.

“Awesome,” Summer exclaimed. “I’m sure you’ll kick ass.”

Plastering on a fake smile, I nodded. “I hope so.”

Summer kissed Evan’s cheek and let him go. “All right, you two, I need to get to work. I’ll see you inside,” she said to Evan. He nodded and watched her walk away, his gaze never leaving her backside.

“Imagine being close to her and never being able to touch her, to tell her how you feel. Can you see how hard that would be?” I asked.

He huffed. “Fine, I’ll keep my eyes open tonight. If I get any inclination Lara isn’t happy, I’ll help you.”