My Way to You: A Second Chance Romance (Love in Everton Book 7)

by Fabiola Francisco

  “That’s the one.” Although a lot of places here have wooden structures, imitating cabins and barns.

  “Fun! Who are you going with?” She leans back in her seat.

  “I’m not sure if you remember them. Finn Cooper, Averly Cooper, Poppy, Abbie, Faith. They were all friends. Knox Bentley and his wife will be there, too. Eli. You may not remember him since he’s older.”

  “I’m still stuck on Knox Bentley. I can’t believe we technically grew up with him. How is he? Cool? A jerk? Didn’t he move back there not too long ago?” Here we go again with all her questions.

  “He’s cool, always has been. And you’re right, he moved back like 3 years ago or so.”

  “So, Faith is going tonight, huh?” Her eyebrows waggle, and she’s back to the topic of Faith.

  “Yes,” I breathe out. “We’ll see how it goes.” My plan is that the flowers I sent her made her smile enough that when she sees me and I ask her out again, she won’t be able to turn me down.

  “You better let me know! When do you start work?” Her interrogation is giving me whiplash, but I wouldn’t trade my sister in for the world.

  I update Allyson on work and the rest of town. When she starts yawning, I tell her to go to bed, and I get dressed to head out to Clarke’s. I’ve got a woman to see. Scratch that, I’ve got a woman to win over.

  …

  Faith is the first person I see when I walk into the bar. She’s standing at the far end with her friends, sipping a glass of wine. A smile lights up her face, oblivious to my presence, so I drink her in as I make my way toward them.

  My feet falter when I get a better look at her. Fuck me and that sweater that shows off her skin. She laughs at something, and when she turns her head and sees me, her breath catches, and her eyes stare into mine.

  It doesn’t take long before Poppy, Averly, and Abbie turn toward me and smile. I look at the rest of the crowd and grin when I see Gavin and his wife, Sutton. I met her briefly after church, and she seems to be perfect for him.

  “Hey, man, I thought you’d stay home.” I shake Gavin’s hand and slap his shoulder.

  “Heard you were coming out, so I figured we could use some adult time,” Gavin smirks.

  I say hello to Sutton and greet everyone else. When I stop at Faith, my smile widens. She’s stunning—her long brown hair falls over her shoulders, and her blue eyes twinkle.

  “Hey,” I say, hating that we have an audience.

  “Hi,” Faith pinches her lips in a smile before taking a drink of wine.

  It’s awkward as hell with everyone watching, and all I want to do is ask her if she liked the flowers. Instead, I order a beer and reply to Finn’s question about the horses we saw this week. I get pulled into the conversation, sneaking side glances at Faith in the meantime.

  “Stop talking about work, and let’s go dance,” Abbie interrupts us, reaching for Finn’s hand.

  “What the lady wants, the lady gets,” he winks and moves with her toward the crowd of people already dancing. I chuckle as I watch them, still surprised that those two ended up together.

  It takes less than thirty seconds before everyone else is dancing, leaving Faith and me alone by the bar.

  “How are you?” I turn to look at her.

  “Good. Thank you for the flowers,” she smiles. “They’re beautiful.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m glad you liked them. I was banking on daisies still being your favorite.” I take a pull of my beer.

  “You were correct.” I inwardly high-five myself. “How’s the furniture shopping coming along?” She rolls the stem of her wineglass between her fingers as she speaks.

  “Great, all done.”

  “Really?” Her eyebrows shoot up.

  “Yup,” I smile. “I need to make the place mine again. Allyson helped me pick out a few things and made sure the house decor flowed instead of a bachelor pad,” I chuckle.

  “Oh, my goodness, how is she? Is she here?” Faith’s eyes pop open.

  “No, she’s actually in Spain for work. Her company opened an office there, and they sent her over for a year to start it up.”

  “Oh, wow… Spain.” Faith nods slowly. “That must be incredible. Wait, does she speak Spanish?” Her nose scrunches up.

  “She’s learning,” I laugh.

  “It must be one hell of an experience,” Faith comments.

  “It is,” I nod. “Do you want another one?” I point to her empty glass.

  “Sure, thanks.” She looks at everyone dancing. “It doesn’t seem like I’m leaving anytime soon.”

  I order us both another round and pay the bartender before I stand next to Faith again. I could ask her to dance, but I much rather talk to her right now, learn anything I can about this version of Faith.

  “Tell me what you’ve been up to. Everything I’ve missed,” I tell her, wanting to hear it all.

  “The same as everyone, I guess. College, work, life…” she trails off. “Honestly, I don’t know that much has changed in my life, which sounds kind of sad.” Her eyes avert mine, looking into her wineglass.

  “Or comforting,” I add.

  She smiles up at me. “I guess. I did end up going to University of Wyoming and got my degree there. Poppy, Abbie, and Averly went as well, so it was nice to have them there. After, I moved back and had a few jobs before the administrative assistant position opened at the school, and I applied. It’s probably the best opportunity in town. I get benefits from the county and almost a month’s vacation…. God, I can’t believe I’m talking about my work benefits,” she chuckles and shakes her head, her cheeks turning pink.

  I smile and swipe my thumb across her cheek. Faith freezes, her mouth parting as she looks at me.

  After a beat, she collects herself and asks, “What about you? Mr. Big-Shot Lawyer.”

  “Like I told you, I took some pre-law classes and liked it,” I shrug.

  “What kind of law do you practice?”

  “Civil law.”

  “That’s cool,” she nods slowly. “Although, I’ll confess I don’t know much about the law, so for all I know, you could tell me street law, and I’d believe you.” I throw my head back, laughing at her statement.

  “You’re something else, Faith.” I shake my head, smiling wide.

  “Tell it like it is,” she shrugs.

  “That hasn’t changed,” I say, glad to see she’s still the same person. More beautiful, curvier, but the same Faith who stole my heart at that Labor Day Festival.

  “I don’t know about you, though…” She shakes her head, lips pursed. For a second, I believe her disappointed expression. “Wearing suits and driving a Porsche. I always expected to see you on a motorcycle wearing jeans and flannel.” She frowns and shrugs, but one side of her lips turns up.

  “Well, would you believe that my old bike was in the barn?” A slow smile spreads across my lips.

  “No. Way.” She says slowly as her eyes widen. “Does it run?”

  “I haven’t tried yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t.” I place my bottle on the bar top.

  “I can’t believe the Prewitts never got rid of it,” she states.

  “Me either. I was sure it’d be in a grave somewhere.”

  “Me, too. That thing was old,” she emphasizes the word old.

  “But fun,” I point at her.

  “That it was, even if you scared me half to death by the way you rode.”

  I lean in a bit and whisper, “I’d do that so you’d hold on tighter to me.” I wink and stand tall again.

  Faith’s chest rises and falls quickly. “I knew that.” She tries to act as if she were unaffected, but I see the way her eyes darken, and her face turns red.

  After a few minutes, some of our friends join us, grabbing fresh drinks and talking with us. I’m glad I had this alone time with Faith, but I’m going to need more. A lot more.

  By the time we leave, I ask Faith if she wants me to drop her off at her place, overhearing that she
got to Clarke’s with Poppy and Harris.

  Before Faith could respond, Poppy says, “That would be great, Easton. Thank you.” She pats my shoulder and winks, walking away.

  Faith glares at her and rolls her eyes. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it.” I place my hand on her lower back and lead her out of the bar and toward my new pickup.

  “So, new truck, huh?” She bites her lower lip as we stand by the passenger door and looks up at me through her long lashes. I suspect she had avoided bringing it up all night because of what it means.

  “Yup, and I expect you to make good on your promise,” I raise an eyebrow.

  “Even after I turned you down two…three times?” She scrunches her nose.

  “I’d ask a fourth and fifth time if I needed to.” Faith’s eyebrows lift. “I’ve thought about you so much, wishing things didn’t go the way they did,” I confess. “No matter how much time passed, I always wondered what if. I don’t want to wonder anymore, especially that I’m here now. We could go out on one date and realize we no longer have a future, or we could…” I shake my head and take a deep breath. “We could realize that no matter how much time passed and how many miles separated us, there was never anyone else for either of us.”

  “Easton…” Faith breathes out my name like a prayer.

  “Say yes,” I lean in and whisper. “Go out with me, see if this thing between us is still as strong as it was. If it’s not, we remain friends.”

  “We weren’t ever really friends,” she counters.

  “We could be.”

  “Could we, though?” She leans back to look into my eyes.

  “If you have to ask that, it’s because you know there’s more here between us. If neither of us felt something more than nostalgia, we’d be able to have a normal friendship.”

  “I’m having a hard time accepting that you’re really here,” she admits through clattering teeth.

  “Let’s get in the truck and talk with the heater on,” I suggest, opening the door for her and making my way around to the driver’s side.

  “Okay, where were we?” I ask as I put the heater at full blast. “I’m here, Faith, for a lot of reasons, and one of them is you.” There’s no point in denying it or hiding that from her.

  “Really?” Her blue eyes widen in shock.

  “Yes,” I reach for her hand, wishing we weren’t wearing thick gloves so I could feel her skin. “No one ever came close to you.”

  Faith inhales sharply, breathing in my confession. “It’s been the same for me.” She looks down at her lap where our hands rest. When her eyes meet mine again, they shimmer.

  “Do you think we could… That we’d still…” she fumbles over her words and I interrupt her.

  “I do think so. Seeing you had only confirmed what I’d been feeling.”

  A huge smile brightens her face, and I want to cradle it and kiss her, make up for all the lost kisses we’ve missed.

  “When are you taking me out?” Her smile turns wicked.

  “Tomorrow,” I say, not wanting to wait any longer.

  “It’s a date,” she winks and settles in her seat, pulling her seatbelt over her body.

  One point for me. It’s time to win her over completely because I’m certain as hell that this isn’t a walk down memory lane but a new path for us to take.

  Faith

  If I could have stayed in bed all day, I would have. I spent a better part of the morning cuddled, hugging a pillow, and replaying every detail from last night with Easton. He didn’t hold back or play it cool when talking about us. He laid it all out for me, and I’d be a fool not to grab it. Everything he said about this being more than old memories resurfacing is exactly how I feel. For years, I’ve been trying to replace him. And no one could ever replace the way I felt…and feel about Easton.

  Now that he’s back in Everton, I don’t have to wonder what would’ve been. We can try again, see where this goes and if we’re still as compatible as we were back then.

  Smiling, I finish fixing my hair and get dressed. The high school basketball team has their first game in a tournament today, and we’re all going to support them. After it’s over, I’ll have enough time to come home, change, touch up my makeup, and be ready for Easton to pick me up for our date.

  A date with Easton Locke! I never guessed I would have another one of those.

  I put on my parka and wrap a scarf around my neck before pulling my gloves on. With the hood of my coat over my head to keep my hair as tamed as possible in the wind, I head out of my apartment and to the high school, ready to cheer on the Everton Stallions.

  “Hey!” Poppy and Abbie greet me by the entrance in the gym that leads to the court where the bleachers are.

  “Guess who’s here,” Poppy’s eyebrows dance on her forehead.

  “Who?” I widen my eyes, guessing she might be talking about Easton by her secret smile.

  Poppy leans in and whispers, ”Easton. He’s sitting with us.”

  I lean forward as well and lower my voice just like Poppy’s. “I’m going on a date with him tonight.” I bite down my laughter as I watch her expression turn from excited to surprised and back to excited.

  “How did I not know this?!” she screeches.

  “Shhh…” I wave at her. “He asked me last night when you insisted he take me home.”

  “My plan worked then,” she smiles triumphantly, rubbing her hands together.

  “Did you plan to meet here, then?” Abbie asks.

  “No, I had no idea he’d be here.”

  “Well, it looks like your date is starting early.” Poppy loops her arm in mine and smiles, leading us toward where everyone is sitting—my heart races, part nervous and part excited to see Easton.

  As we make our way up the bleachers, Easton’s eyes catch mine, and an easy smile tilts his lips up. Whatever Gavin was telling him is forgotten as he looks at me.

  My heart thumps harder in the base of my throat as I take in his dark sweater, pushed up on his arms, his strong muscles visible. His hair is disheveled, probably from wearing a beanie, and it reminds me of the days he’d wear a helmet and take me for a ride on his motorcycle.

  Saying hi to everyone, I take a seat next to Easton, after Poppy and Abbie’s obvious strategic planning and telling Harris to move so I could sit.

  “Hey,” Easton laughs at my friends.

  I shake my head and roll my eyes. “Hi, ignore them. Seriously, it’d be best for everyone if we didn’t pay attention to their shenanigans.”

  “I’m all in for their shenanigans. It got you next to me, so…” He gives me a crooked smile, those green eyes piercing into mine.

  “Smooth.” I can’t help the smile that appears.

  “But you liked it,” he winks.

  I chuckle, taking my lower lip between my teeth, and look out at the court. Some players are warming up while others talk to their coaches. The entire town has been excited about this tournament. It’s the first time in three years that Everton participates in it, and Wellington is a tough rival.

  “I love basketball,” Easton says, his statement laced with nostalgia.

  “Yeah, Mr. Hot Shot Star,” I tease, bumping my shoulder to his.

  “It was the only way a weird cowboy could make friends with city kids.” He shrugs as if it’s no big deal, but being part of his high school team was what helped him adjust to living in Virginia. I remember his first few emails saying how unhappy he was.

  “You turned out just fine,” I comment.

  “Did you say I’m fine? I couldn’t hear you clearly over the whistle,” he teases with a wink.

  “You’re impossible.” I look out at the court, my cheeks heating at his comment. Of course, I think Easton is fine, hot, sexy, whatever word people are using nowadays to describe men they think are attractive.

  “But regardless, you’re going out with me tonight.” His breath tickles my ear when he leans in, and I shiver as his hand lands on mine.

&nbs
p; My breath rattles through me unevenly, and I look at him. I read his expression, look at his eyes to take in whatever he’s not saying. I know Easton, and he may seem confident, but I pinpoint the slight uncertainty in the way his jaw ticks.

  Easing his nerves and mine, I smile and turn my hand over, letting his palm land on mine. A boyish smile frames his lips, and he relaxes.

  “Well, you did trade in that car for a truck, so it’s the least I can do,” I tease.

  “It’s been way too long since I’ve touched you, yet you still make my heart stop.” I suck in his confession and bite my lower lip.

  All teasing is gone as all the memories of Easton touching me hit me like a tidal wave. If he made my heart race back then, I can just imagine what his touch as a man would do to me. Scorch me, I’m sure.

  The sound of a voice over the speakers interrupts our moment, and we both look at the court as the announcer asks us to stand for the National Anthem. Men hold their cowboy hats over their hearts as we all begin singing.

  Before long, the game begins, and the entire gym is cheering and watching as the teams play their hearts out.

  Easton and I have been playing the hand-holding game as if we’re in elementary school, yet the feel of his fingers brushing against my palm ignites something in me. Every so often, I glance at him to find him smiling happily. I take in this moment, processing the reality of being here with him, and get swept away in the way he makes me feel.

  Unfortunately, our team loses by four points, but we still have three more chances in the tournament. On Monday, they’ll play Sunset Hills’s team, and I think we have a good chance of winning that game. After the game, we all gather outside of the court. As our friends make plans for the evening, Easton and I are silent.

  “Well…Faith and Easton won’t be joining us,” Poppy winks and opens her mouth awkwardly as she does so.

  I laugh at her ridiculous attempt to be smooth.

  “You don’t say?” Gavin smirks, crossing his arms over his chest. “Date?”

  My cheeks flush, and before I can answer, Ainsley cheers, “This is awesome!”

  Some people nearby turn toward us, and I widen my eyes.