Second Chance at Love (Love Conquers All)

Other Titles by

Victoria Wells

♥♥♥

A Special Summer

When Love Comes Around

Key To My Heart

Caliente Nights

This book is dedicated to my mother Mildred Riddick. Mommy I bet you didn’t know that staying up until the wee hours of the morning reading
Gone With The Wind
and love story magazines, while I grew in your womb, you were nurturing my love for romance? Thank you for that wonderful gift!

Love you always with all my heart!

Your Pride and Joy

Acknowledgments

God is good! And I thank Him because He knows
me
and loves
me
not because of who I am, but because of who
He
is!

To all of the readers – Thank you so much for your continued support. God truly is awesome. Each time I’ve been down, feeling like giving up, He sent me a ray of hope in the form of an email, Facebook message or guestbook message on my website from a reader! I cherish every word of encouragement you send my way. God bless you!

Renee Williams and Yasmin Coleman (APOOO Book Club) – I can’t find the words to describe you ladies. But one thing I do know, you ladies have the true spirit of sisterhood. You have been a tremendous blessing to me along this journey. Thank you!

Anna Berry, Darlene Mitchell and Sharon Russum – You sistahs are the best moderators ever! Thank you so much for all you do. I appreciate you!

Members of Victoria Wells’ Reading Nook Yahoo Group – Thank you ladies so much for joining the Nook! Your love and support is priceless!

DeShonna Anderson-Johnson – I really enjoyed working with you on this project as my editor. Thank you for putting up with me.

Victoria Wells
resides in Philadelphia with her husband and three children. She has a Master’s Degree in Nursing and works as an adult nurse practitioner caring for adults with sickle cell disease. She is an active member of Theta Chapter, Chi Eta Phi, Sorority, Inc. Victoria enjoys reading, writing, knitting, crocheting, volunteering, and hanging out with family and friends. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at
[email protected]
. Please take a moment to visit her website at
www.victoria-wells.com
where you can join Victoria’s Yahoo group and subscribe to her newsletter.

“I can’t believe this traffic.” Karen Johnston grumbled as she glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard in her Honda Civic. She had been sitting in traffic on Henry Avenue for nearly 15 minutes. It seemed every section in Philly was undergoing construction. What was up with all this construction on a Saturday morning anyway? Wasn’t it bad enough traffic was gridlock Monday through Friday? Karen let out a frustrated huff.
Apparently not.

The traffic moving at a snail’s pace made Karen regret she had agreed to water Ava’s plants while she was in Washington, D.C. spending the weekend with her daughter Zoe. What was she supposed to do? Refuse? Neither Starr nor Summer could do it, with both running after rambunctious toddlers. And Ava’s parents were on a fourteen day Mediterranean cruise. So that left Karen to water all two of Ava’s plants - a heartleaf philodendron that needed some serious cutting back and a bushy spider plant.
Why didn’t she get those self-watering pots?
Karen wondered. The way Ava carried on about her plants, one would have thought she had a greenhouse full of exotic foliage.

She had a million and one things to do. She had to get back home by nine to get Ashley and her classmate, Marcy, off to dance class. Then she had to get Kyle off to soccer by ten, go grocery shopping, and pick up a new pair of tap shoes for Ashley and a new pair of sneakers for Kyle. After running those errands, she had to get back home to do laundry, dust, clean the bathrooms, and vacuum. Thank goodness Marcy’s mother had offered to bring Ashley and Kyle home after their respective practices. Otherwise, something was bound to be left undone.

Karen blew out a frustrated sigh. Although she worked part-time as a dental hygienist three days a week, she hardly had any time for herself. When was the last time she was able to blow off everything and just have some
me
time? With the spring temperature going up to eighty-two degrees, making it feel more like summer, this would have been the perfect day for Karen to just sit around and do…well, nothing. Karen’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
Not in this lifetime.

The crawling traffic finally sped up as the cars eased past the construction. Karen looked at the clock again. If she didn’t get in and out of Ava’s place in the next ten minutes and take the long way home to avoid the crawling traffic the children would be late for practice. And Lord knows that couldn’t happen. Both of her children would drive her crazy with a bunch of whining and complaining, “Why we can’t get to practice early like the other kids?”

Karen always had to slowly count to ten when the whining and complaining started. This is what children did. Exploding at them wasn’t going to make the situation any better. She’d already tried that. At the end of the day, she was still a single mom, juggling a hundred things at one time. Depending on if they caught her on a good day they’d get her best mommy smile. “I need you guys to work with me. Mommy is only one person, okay?” But if it was a bad day, they’d got a look that said, “If you don’t shut up right now I’m going to lock you in the basement for a month.”

Pulling into a parking space, Karen wished her kids’ dedication to cleaning their rooms, loading the dishwasher, and putting away the dishes was met with the same eagerness as being on time to practice. If that were the case, she wouldn’t have to spend most days being the proverbial bad guy. Karen tried not to let being the bad guy get her down. But with the way Kyle had been acting out lately, she had to put her foot down and let both her children know she demanded respect from them.

Taking her keys from the ignition, Karen prayed Mrs. Virginia wasn’t out front. She really didn’t have time to hold a conversation with the elderly woman. Getting out of the vehicle, Karen hurried up the walkway as she searched for the keys to the screen and front doors.

“Whew, that was close,” Karen whispered, thrilled Mrs. Virginia wasn’t peeking out the window. Closing the door, she set her keys and purse down on the table in the vestibule and rushed off to the kitchen.

In her haste Karen dropped the glass she’d just filled to water the plants in the living room. “Oh shoot! Now I have to clean up this mess. I don’t have time for this,” she groaned, going to the shed in the kitchen to retrieve the mop, broom, and dustpan.

Just as Dominic Peretti, Jr. turned off the water and stepped out the shower he heard a crashing sound.
I know some fool is not breaking up in here in broad daylight.
Snatching a thick white towel from its holder, Dom didn’t bother to dry off as he wrapped the towel around his waist.

Slowly opening the bathroom door, he stealthily made his way into Ava’s bedroom to get the golf club she kept propped up against the wall for protection. Gripping the handle tight, Dom raised the golf club high up over his left shoulder as he made his way into the kitchen. As he turned entering into the kitchen, he stopped cold in his tracks.

He couldn’t tell who the lovely specimen was as she was bending over grumbling something about kids being late. It didn’t matter who she was at that moment. All Dom cared about was the shapely derriere, curvy hips, and shapely legs that he was able to feast his eyes on thanks to the denim shorts she wore. He was further turned on by the smooth milk chocolate coloring of her exposed back, courtesy of the lemon yellow halter top she wore.

Dom tried to fight it, but he just couldn’t. What was a man to do? Any red blooded man’s body would respond the same way his was doing right now. The best thing to do would be to ease out of the room before he embarrassed the lovely specimen.

He didn’t know if it was fate or what. But before he could slip out of the room unnoticed as easily as he had slipped in, the lovely specimen stood and swiftly spun around as if she knew someone was watching her.

Karen let out a blood curdling scream as she looked up and locked eyes with the tall, bronze, half naked, glistening, aroused –
yes aroused! –
beauty of a man. She had never seen so many rippling muscles in all her life.

She didn’t know if she should throw the shards of glass in his face and run for her life, or if she should stay and confront him. Right now she couldn’t figure out which to do because the man was taking her breath away.

Run fool run!
The voice in her head screamed. But Karen was helpless to do so. She was cemented to the floor in a trance.

Dropping the golf club, Dom held his hands up in surrender. “Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Coming out of her trance, jutting the glass-filled dustpan at Dom, Karen demanded in what she hoped was a stern voice, “Who are you?”

“Whoa, watch it lady, Dom growled as he jumped back to avoid a piece of flying glass heading straight toward the family jewels.

Karen eyes widened in horror as she watched the direction the airborne glass took. Covering her mouth with her free hand she stifled another scream. What if she had cut him down
there
? When she dared chance looking up at him, she wished she hadn’t. If looks could kill she’d be dead, dead, dead!

Clearing her throat, Karen lifted her chin. Who was he to look at her that way? What did he expect her to do? She had to protect herself. After all, he
was
half-naked in
her
sister’s house that she just happened to be renting to her friend Ava. It wasn’t her fault that the piece of glass had a mind of its own and nearly maimed him. It wasn’t like she’d done it on purpose.

Holding the dustpan handle tight like a weapon, Karen demanded again, “Who are you?”

“I’m Dom. Ava’s brother,” he gritted out between clenched teeth.