Another Chance With Love (Chance Series Book 2)

by Blake Allwood

  Doris appeared shocked and more tears fell from her eyes. “He might’ve been told to go away and never come back,” Doris said as she buried her head in her hands.

  Mom went over and sat next to her. “Oh, honey, he’ll understand, the pressure here was intense.”

  “I agree,” I told her. “He’s texted me almost every day since Luka was kidnapped. Did you know he stopped all work on the project until now?”

  Trevor looked at me. “He did what?”

  “Yeah, he was so overcome with concern, he stopped the project dead in its tracks until Luka was found.”

  “Has he started back up yet?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I think he’d have told me if he had.”

  Trevor sighed. “Can you invite him over for dinner tomorrow, Peter? He needs some closure around this as well.”

  I nodded. “I’ll text him now and see.”

  The next day, Leonardo showed up with wine. He’d clearly lost some weight since the last time we’d seen him. He walked in, and when he saw Luka lying in the bassinet, he caught his breath and turned. “I don’t deserve to be here,” he said.

  Doris caught him and pulled him into a hug. “It isn’t your fault. I’m sorry I blamed you,” she said.

  Trevor picked Luka up and walked over to Leonardo. “Sit down, Leonardo,” he commanded, and the big man did as he was told.

  Trevor put Luka in his arms. “It’s about time you held your nephew,” he said, then looked meaningfully at his aunt.

  The older man blushed and appeared to be the most uncomfortable person on the planet as he held Luka. The baby was content as could be and snuggled comfortably into the big man’s arms. As Leonardo stared down at the infant, the fear on his face was quickly replaced with the same joy any loving adult had when seeing a little one.

  When Leonardo looked back up, he asked, “How can you want me to be his uncle when I’m the reason you were all distracted?”

  Trevor smiled. “If it hadn’t been then, it’d have been another time. Besides, Luka needs family, and anyone who loves him enough to put his life on hold while we searched for him loves him enough to be family.”

  The man sucked in a breath, clearly trying not to let his emotions get the best of him.

  “Now, you and Doris have baby duty while the rest of us get dinner finished.”

  He glanced at Trevor then over at Doris, who was blushing like a virgin on her wedding day.

  When we came back in, Doris and Leonardo were sitting on the antique sofa. Doris held Luka, and Leonardo had his arm around her. Both were staring at the baby like they were the only three people in the world.

  Mom tapped Trevor’s shoulder and whispered, “You are a smart one. You know that man will be gaga over that little one for the rest of his life, don’t you?”

  “I’m hoping that’s true. Family is important, and Luka deserves people who love him.”

  Mom smiled at him then over at me, giving me a meaningful look. “That’s my belief as well.”

  After we’d eaten, Trevor turned to Leonardo. “I want you to start the project again. I also want the damned reporters to stop asking questions every time any of us go outside the house.”

  “At least they aren’t camped outside on the front lawn any longer,” Doris chimed in.

  We all nodded. “Well, they aren’t going away until we give them what they want. So, here’s my idea. Leonardo, let’s get your project going again. We can hold a press conference and be there with Luka to show the world we are all okay, and everything is back the way it’s supposed to be.”

  Leonardo turned toward me and shrugged. “I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news on that front.” He looked over at the rest of the folks in the room. “I fired my architectural firm. The person I wanted to run my project was fired from the firm just a few weeks after starting. Until I hire another architect, I’m afraid the project is on hold.” Leonardo brought his gaze back to me in what appeared to be a question.

  “I can help you find someone, but I’m afraid even though I was fired, they still have a two year, two hundred mile non-compete that appears to be ironclad.”

  Leonardo nodded. “Yes, I’ve had my attorneys looking into that as well, but in my contract, I specifically said you were the lead architect on the project, and I wouldn’t work with anyone else. Since they fired you, it was in direct breach of our contract. My attorneys have already sent them notice that I intend to file a breach of contract lawsuit with them.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not sure what that means, Leonardo.”

  He laughed a little too loudly and quickly caught himself, glancing over at the sleeping baby before continuing. “It means if they don’t want to be sued for a three million dollar breach of contract lawsuit that’s cost me several million more in delays on projects outside of the Atlanta one, then they’ll have to negotiate.”

  “Do you think they’ll do that?” I asked. “Do you really want to work with me after all that chaos?”

  “Frankly, you are the only architect I want to work with. The other people I talked to at your old firm were totally incompetent and had no idea what I wanted. I hired your firm because of your past projects and because you understand the mix of old and new that’s needed for my stores to be successful. So, what do you say, are you willing to come to work for me again?”

  I smiled. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

  Mom leaned over and playfully tapped the back of my head. “The answer is yes, dear.”

  “Yes, dear,” I said to Leonardo, and we all laughed before checking our noise level.

  “Now, if I can talk a certain couture shop owner into merging her shop with mine, I’ll have exactly what I need to make this thing a success.”

  Trevor looked over at his aunt. “He wants to combine couture with Steampunk?”

  Doris blushed. “Well, it really is a good fit, even dad would’ve been proud to work with him. It’s kitschy and modern...”

  Doris seemed to notice she’d pretty much begun trying to sell me on the idea when she stopped herself. “What do you think, Trevor? The shop was meant to go to you if I didn’t want it… Dad didn’t want me to push you into it, and you’ve never shown interest.”

  “Would you like it more if it was aligned with Leonardo’s shop?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t like the stuff coming out of Italy. It doesn’t seem to match the flow of the city today. Dad’s customers are slowly growing too old, or they’re dying, so if we don’t do something it’ll probably fail in a few years anyway. Besides, the movie industry in Atlanta is really steaming up. This type of design would be right down their alley.

  Trevor got up and hugged his aunt. “You have my blessing. Besides, after it goes through, can I start calling Leonardo, Uncle Leo?’”

  Doris stared at him as if he’d slapped her. Her mouth was agape. Leonardo blushed as well, and when neither responded, Trevor said, “You know, they say a business merger is like a marriage, so it stands to reason if you two, merge, he’d be an uncle to me as well as Luka!”

  Doris stood up and went into the kitchen, calling out behind her, “I’m getting more wine, and Trevor, you have trash duty for the next month… no, make that the next year!

  When she disappeared, the group laughed out loud again. No one needed to worry since Luka was awake and playing with his feet.

  Mom reached over and picked him up. “Hello, beautiful, were you enjoying the show?” she asked, and Luka babbled in her arms.

  Trevor

  “Peter, can you come with me up to the Attic?” I asked. I hadn’t been up there since Luka was taken and I wanted to talk to Peter alone.

  He turned toward me, concern clearly visible on his face, but nodded before standing. I wanted to ask Matilda to watch Luka, but I also wanted to show that I could just trust that he’d be okay. I knew it was going to be a long time before I didn’t have to force myself to trust, but at least I could be away from him without having a
panic attack.

  When we got to the door leading into the attic, I reached over and grabbed Peter’s hand. As I drew in a deep breath, Peter asked if this was my first time up there since it happened.

  I nodded. “Okay, let’s get this over with,” I said and pushed the door open.

  Nothing had changed since that night. The nanny’s knitting was still on the floor where she’d dropped it. The sight of that alone would have been enough to force me back down the stairs, never to return. Instead, I drew in another deep breath and forced myself to continue forward.

  The rest of the room was less ominous. And as I’d hoped, it reminded me more of the comfortable place it had been rather than the place where Luka had been taken.

  I walked over to the makeshift sitting room and asked Peter to sit across from me.

  “Peter,” I began. “How long has it been since you slept in your own condo?”

  Peter glanced over at me in surprise. “Um…” he said. “I’m not sure, maybe a few weeks. Why? Are you ready for me… us to get out of your hair?”

  I looked at him for a long moment. “No, I’m asking you to move in.”

  Peter gulped. “Um… Trevor, I don’t know. That’s a huge commitment for two men who just started… um… you know.”

  I chuckled. “I’m not asking you to move in as my lover. I’m asking you to move in as someone who loves Luka.”

  “But,” he said, still obviously struggling with the concept. “We… we are lovers, or at least we used to be.”

  “I’m aware of that,” I admitted. “But, I’m also aware of the fact that during this whole mess, you’ve been steadfast even when I was telling you to go. I can’t take care of Luka by myself. At least not the way I want to. If I’d been more diligent, then it’s unlikely the person caring for him would’ve let someone like my father into this room. Even though she was drugged, the nanny could’ve called for help that night. She didn’t know us well enough to know my father was dangerous. It was only natural that she’d let a baby’s grandfather in. I’ve been thinking a lot about it. I’ve talked to Aunt Doris about it too. The house is mostly paid for. We don’t have to pay much to keep the lights on and water running, and it would never hurt to have an architect on site to keep the old lady up to par. If you’d be willing to help with Luka, we’d only charge you your share of the utilities.”

  “Bullshit,” he said. “If I move in, I’ll pay rent like any decent human being. I’ll help with Luka cause I care about him. Not because I want to save money.”

  I’ll admit, seeing Peter become indignant made me feel better. I was hoping he cared about Luka like he was family, but I wasn’t sure.

  “Then, tell me what you think about this space,” I said.

  Peter looked around. “You already know I think this is one of the best spaces in the house. The huge ceilings, open concept, geez,” he said while spinning around. “It’s almost the size of the entire second floor.”

  “Then, I’d like to offer this space to you as your own private apartment.”

  Peter thought for a few moments. Then he stood up and walked over to sit across from me. “The truth is that could be a big problem. I’m in love with you, Trevor. I’d love to live in the same home as you, but I want you in my arms. While you’ve been going through hell, I’ve mourned for you, watched you suffer, and I haven’t been able to take it away, but through it all, I just wanted to hold you, comfort you… It wasn’t appropriate, and I couldn’t do it when you were so angry, but I wanted it, nonetheless. If I move in, I won’t be moving in as a roommate, I’ll be moving in as your partner. I know that might not be what you want to hear, but for me, it’s all or nothing.”

  After all the tears I’d shed this past month, none had come because I was feeling loved or wanted… most came as the inner voice of criticism seeped into my brain, telling me how worthless I was as a parent… but these tears flowed because this incredible man was sitting across from me, telling me he wouldn’t compromise.

  I lowered my face. “Peter, it’s too early. I know it is, but I don’t want you to go back to your condo, I’m willing for you to move in as my lover… my companion, if you are.”

  Peter came up and pulled me into his arms. “Yes, I’ll do it. I don’t want to live without you either.”

  Epilogue

  Trevor

  The wedding was going to be incredible. The entire store was covered in steampunk-themed décor. Aunt Doris was beautiful in her gown that was incidentally designed by her soon to be husband. I’m not sure what the good luck rule was on the husband designing the dress, but if the last two years were any indication, their relationship was only likely to get better with time.

  Luka drooled on my tux. He had every ounce of the terrible twos, but unfortunately, for everyone involved, it hit at around eighteen months. He was everywhere and could move faster than any little person should be able to move. It usually required every set of available eyes to keep him from disappearing.

  Leonardo came up to us, and Luka spotted him and screamed, “Uncle Weo!” Without a moment of hesitation, Leonardo grabbed him up, kissing him and causing him to squeal. Since he’d been declared an honorary uncle, the two had been almost inseparable.

  I’d started calling him Uncle Leo after that night, and it was the source of a lot of embarrassment for my aunt, which caused me to behave worse than ever.

  Peter had gone to work for Leonardo after that night as well. Peter’s old firm quickly settled by making an exception for this project. Peter had been the lead architect on all the shops that now spanned both the East and West coasts of the US and Canada.

  When Luka was a little over a year, he’d started calling Leonardo Uncle Weo, and the name had stuck. Peter tended to call him that all the time. A couple of magazine spreads had even caught word of it and asked if Leonardo and Luka could pose for the article they were doing on Leonardo’s new family.

  It was a big shock to the world that the infamous bachelor had decided to settle down, but Aunt Doris had come into the public limelight like the regal queen she was.

  The two were in love. In fact, if I weren’t so in love myself, I’d say it was a disgusting amount of love. But whenever Peter was around, I couldn’t keep my hands off him. I was still surprised someone like me could catch a beautiful man like him.

  And the press had homed in on him as well. There were several spreads about Leonardo’s designs that featured the increasingly popular and mysterious architect, Peter Reed.

  Joshua had become a member of the family, and shortly after all the crap went down with Lisa’s and my parents, we declared him Luka’s official godparent. There was even a big ceremony to celebrate. Luka loved Joshua, and the two would get together at least once a week to play with the homemade blocks Joshua brought him.

  I continued my work as a PI. After nearly losing Luka, I knew firsthand how important it was for people to have a resource to keep track of anyone who was acting weird or strange. I focused my career on helping those in trouble, those who couldn’t protect themselves, and as a result, I’d become pretty familiar with the Atlanta PD.

  The investigator on Luka’s case checked in frequently about cases he either couldn’t pursue or didn’t have the resources that my firm did. My boss was exceptionally sympathetic to my work and let me get away with working pro bono from time to time. When confronted, she’d shrug and say, “You brought us into a working relationship with the Atlanta Police Department. That’s worth more than the few bucks a client would bring in. Just remember, we still have to pay for the lights, though.” Then she’d chuckle since we both knew the woman wasn’t short of money.

  Leonardo had Peter redesign the shop to include upstairs offices, saying he could use the revenue to offset the costs of the building. However, I know he did it to give Peter his own space to work from.

  When Aunt Doris moved in with Leonardo, a year before they got married, it opened the house up to our growing family. Matilda hadn’t sold her home i
n Austin, but she spent a good portion of the year with us. The house was so big, though, we didn’t get in each other’s way much.

  Peter had turned the attic into a luxury master bedroom. It maximized the large living space, giving us a small kitchenette, a detached nursery, and a massive en suite bath and master closet. He also built in an elevator that utilized the old butler’s closet and delivered Matilda to her bedroom on the second floor. With Luka becoming a squirming monster, trying to haul him up and down the stairs had quickly become precarious, to say the least, so the elevator helped to keep him at bay and allowed us to secure the stairs in a way that prevented him from accidentally going down them.

  I know you wouldn’t think a two-year-old could get in and out of a room, but trust me, the boy was a master escape artist. He could open any door that hadn’t been designed specifically to keep him out.

  When Lisa was discharged from the hospital, Peter and I were there to pick her up. After losing her parents, she really didn’t have anyone left. Her parents had alienated everyone in her life, including her grandparents. And since she’d been the one to shoot her father, even though it was the right thing, she would unlikely ever have a relationship with them.

  I was determined to recruit her to be a part of Luka’s life, but the truth was I missed her too. We’d been best friends since elementary school. Just like how my family, Peter and Matilda, had stood up for me when I needed them, I was going to be that for Lisa.

  She was not an easy code to crack, though. The trauma of what happened weighed heavily. After she sold her parents’ estate and inherited their savings, she put herself in a program that helped people overcome post-traumatic stress disorder.

  She stayed with us off and on, but just as we began to get close, she’d end up running away, and every time she’d have to spend time in the program again.