Second Chance with Love
Read Second Chance with Love Online
Authors: Alana Hart,Ruth Tyler Philips
Second Chance with Love
A Second Chance Romance
By
Alana Hart & Ruth Tyler Philips
Copyright © 2015 Alana Hart & Ruth Tyler Philips
All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.
Published by Hartfelt Books
Cover Design by Resplendent Media
Editing by Rearing Horse Editing
Sneak Peek!
Nathan spied the red hair of a petite woman walking with a small man. There was something about her that provoked his attention. The red hair perhaps? Without being able to say how, the color of her hair had a unique quality, distinguishing it from other redheads he had seen. He never saw the profile of her face, since her back was turned to an angle. Her hair was shoulder length, but looked as if it should be longer. From where he stood it looked like she was walking away from the man, gesturing to the far end of the building. She pulled an iPhone from her backpack. The man was talking to her, but her attention seemed fixated on her iPhone. Another couple came to join them, and Nathan watched as the man's shoulders slumped and he huffed in frustration at being interrupted. At this point, the woman took this opportunity to put a little distance between her and the man. Nathan shook his head, and wondered if some guy would ever crack the code to how women thought.
"Hey Scott, thanks for the pep-talk, I'll make sure to stop by on my return." Nathan watched the redheaded woman stand apart, impossible not to stand out in the crowd. He was forced to stare.
"Okay bud, have a safe journey." Scott hung up.
Nathan kept his attention on the woman; it felt odd that he could not look away. When her companion approached her, Nathan almost broke his gaze, but then the woman turned to the man abruptly to say something.
Nothing prepared Nathan for the blow.
It was her. She was here, after all these years.
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Prologue
Angel Hilda,
I am truly sorry that I will not see you grow into the beautiful woman you shall one day become. For the brief time I held you, I want you to know that I loved you with all my heart, and we could not have asked God for a greater gift. Please don't be upset that I'm not here in the flesh; instead, carry me in your heart. Don't blame people or the world for this. All our lives are in God's hands. I pray for the Lord to give you strength during the hard times when I am not there to support you. Have faith and God will sustain you. Sometimes my faith is weak and wish I didn't have to suffer with this illness. I wish things were different, but they are not.
Not even one year old and you are so talkative. we've had a lot of talks even though I sometimes fail to understand what you are trying to tell me. Every time I'm with you I pray to have more time for us to chat, to hear your voice as a toddler, to listen to your liveliness as a adolescent, and to hear your complaints as a teenager.
I believe it's the hope of every father to have decades to grow with his daughter, to chat around the dinner table, to dish out advice. To worry as you go off to school. To take comfort and be proud that God has blessed me with a beautiful daughter.
I am sorry I have succumbed to my illness, and I pray that God gives you light in the darkness.
The dark
Do not be afraid of the dark. God's light shines brightest even when you can't see it. There may come a time when you are scared because it is so dark; we all get scared of the dark sometimes. Even though it's hard for me to accept that I won't be there to hold you, pray if you are scared and God will keep you safe. And you don't have to pray for yourself, you can pray for anyone else who may be scared of the dark and be too scared to pray.
School
Yes it is important to work hard at school, but all I want from you is to do your best. There is no such thing as failure if you continue to learn from your mistakes. Do not let pressure get to you.
Boys
Let's get straight to the topic that will have every father in maximum security mode. By the time you're reading this, I very much hope you are at the stage where daddy's words are akin to the Law. You are so young that I can't imagine you changing, growing up. But Hilda, as you get older you will make friends, girls and boys, whereas you might learn to understand girls better and even find kinship. Boys, on the other hand, will become different, opposite, and as you get older you probably go from finding them pesky, annoying, and stinky to eventually finding out that they can be quite nice.
Boyfriends
Well even know I'm wracking my brain trying to imagine a Christian boy worthy enough for my little girl's heart, and falling short, I can say what the bible teaches us about giving our affections. Guard your heart, keep good company, and choose a boy who is well mannered and shows you respect.
A harsh reality that comes with relationships is the possibility of heart break, no matter how perfect things may seem. Don't worry, have faith and trust in God to guide you toward finding that special man.
Marriage
Your mother and I often spoke about our wedding. Sarah's eyes always filled with tears when remembering how wonderful that day had been. It is one of many happy moments in our life. Now hopefully, you shall be equally as happy on your special day.You will find a good man to make you happy, and even though I'll not be there to walk you down the aisle in the flesh, I'll keep me in your heart.
Mom
Your mother had a look in her eye as if she were an artist. She looked at things as if she wanted to transform them.
Love
They say you fall in love. I’ve never known whether or not that was true. I’ve always seen things a little differently. Love has always been with us. God is love. When I first saw you in the hospital, you were so beautiful. A true gift from God. You touched a part of me that I never nurtured myself, and you brought love out of me. You don't fall in love, you rise in love.
When there is love between two people, they nurture and grow together. Each person brings love from the other, love that they never knew existed, perhaps from neglect or simply because they have never been told.
You
I can see you as a woman, flowing red hair warmed by the sun, held in the strong arms of a good man. Both of you together in the grace of God. You will find love, have patience. Let love warm your heart. Sometimes the heart turns cold when you've suffered. Don't dwell in suffering. If love lets you down, give love a second chance.
There is a saying that wherever you go, there you are, and if you love someone, wherever you are they will be there.
- Your father
Hilda folded the letter, placed it on the dresser, and walked to the window.
For Hilda Borja, their love was a roller coaster of pleasure and pain.
She had to leave him. She let her gaze sweep across the Tuscaloosa lakefront from the balcony, and tears obscured her view of the azure waters spread below her. If she'd known a year ago that their relationship would have been like this, she might have reconsidered his offer to sit at her table that day.
The lengths they'd taken to hide their sin were extreme. The pain, intense. The pleasure, equally so. Their parents and friends never stopped to question where they disappeared to. Friends and family where not even aware they were a couple. Condos, rentals, long drives to different cities. Anywhere, to avoid being caught. It freed them from the nagging guilt about their secret affair.
The faded-denim blue sky hung over the area decked with greenery. Usually, such a vibrant spring scene would have her rushing for her camera with joy. But she felt nothing like that. Only guilt. And the more she looked out, the more everything before her looked flat, as if the excessive sky bore down with an intolerable weight, pressing the essence out of everything.
She toyed with a red curl. She'd leave. He would not follow. Pursuing her would risk exposure. Surely he'd never go to such lengths?
Hilda scanned the bedroom, and looked at the half-naked man asleep in the bed. He who'd convinced her to risk her faith to be with him. She felt weak. Pathetic and alone.
All the pleasure he promised her from her first time was never delivered. And at that point, Hilda got to her knees and spoke to God.
Please forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I have fornicated, lost my faith, and lied to my mother and my church. I am weak and easily swayed by a man I consider too handsome to resist. Please forgive me, Father. Give me strength to leave him and start a new life.
Hilda got to her feet, collected her belongings,, then whispered in his ear, “Goodbye Nathan.”
The beginning - A year ago
"Don't look up!"
Interrupted from her reading, Hilda Borja wanted desperately to look up. The command yanked her away from her book. The chirps of melodious chatter turned to comprehensive speech patterns that rang out joyously throughout the room. She was back in the bar.
"What's the matter, Mel?" Hilda snapped her book shut.
"Hilda, your nose is always in a book. Now more than ever it shouldn't be, not at a singles bar. We’re likely to meet the perfect guy. Maybe someone we’re destined to be with, and you're not even paying attention.”