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

by Fabiola Francisco

  Although I’m pumped for our escape, it means I won’t see Easton until Sunday night when we return. A little spa R&R is exactly what I need, since the last two weeks have been emotionally overwhelming.

  “Are you ready?” Poppy pops her head into my office, her eyes bright and her smile wide. “I can’t freaking wait!” She exclaims.

  “Shutting down, and I’ll be ready.” Sutton, Ainsley, Averly, Abbie, Poppy, and I are all heading north to a spa resort about two hours away. Lia will be staying home with her newborn, but we promised to send her pictures throughout the weekend. I predict we’ll be drinking a lot of champagne, getting massages and facials, and playing some fun games.

  Poppy plops down on a chair across from my desk. “I can’t believe I’m getting married in a few weeks,” she sighs dreamily.

  “I know. You and Averly married, and Abbie engaged. It’s crazy.” I take a seat, letting our life changes settle around me.

  “And you and Easton…” she trails off, not asking the question she’s dying to speak out loud.

  “I don’t know yet,” I shrug. “Our date last weekend was great, and we’ve talked almost every day this week, but it’s still new.”

  “Do I need to remind you that you dated for almost three years when we were in high school?” Poppy narrows her eyes, not buying my excuse.

  “When we were teens. Anyway, this weekend is about you,” I point out. “We’ll talk about my love life later on.”

  “Okay, but I’m holding you to that.” She points at me.

  “That teacher glare only works with your students.” I raise an eyebrow.

  “Damn,” she mumbles, shaking her head. “Worth a shot.”

  I chuckle at her comment and stand, grabbing my bag. “Let’s go celebrate you and Harris by drinking a lot, getting pampered, and playing raunchy games.” I place my arm around her shoulder and lean my head to hers.

  “It’s thanks to you I’m where I am with Harris,” Poppy says softly, standing tall to look at me.

  “No way,” I shake my head.

  “Yeah, you listened to him back when I wouldn’t. You called that intervention and trapped me with Averly and Abbie in that mess of a bed and breakfast.”

  “You make it sound like a kidnapping,” I chuckle.

  “More like a wake-up call,” she smiles. “Thank you. I don’t think I ever told you that.” Her blue eyes shine with tears, and I hug her.

  “You don’t need to thank me. You and Harris are made for each other, and I believe it would’ve worked out regardless of my meddling.” Poppy squeezes me back and nods against my shoulder.

  “Okay,” she sighs, wiping under her eyes. “Let’s get this party started. Or at least, let’s get to Averly’s house to drop off our cars.”

  Laughing, we leave work and make it to Averly’s house right as Ainsley is pulling up with Sutton. It doesn’t take long before we’re driving up to the resort, singing old boy band songs, and laughing way too hard.

  …

  “This place is amazing,” Abbie says as she looks around our suite, which has one wall that’s floor to ceiling windows looking out at the snowy mountains and setting sun. “I can imagine taking amazing pictures here,” she says, letting her photographer side come out.

  “It really is,” Ainsley agrees, dropping her weekender bag on the floor and walking over to the windows. “This is perfect,” she turns around with a smile, looking at Poppy.

  “I know,” Poppy claps, her body tense with excitement. “I can’t wait to check out the entire resort. Thanks for picking this out,” she looks over at Averly.

  “It’s what I do best,” Averly smiles.

  “Okay, so what’s first on the agenda?” Sutton asks.

  “I’m thinking we shower and have dinner. There’s a bar on site we can go to after,” Averly suggests.

  “Perfect. Is there one bathroom or two?” Ainsley asks.

  “Two, one is the master, and another is here,” Averly walks over to a small hall where we see a door.

  “Great, we’ll take turns and figure out sleeping arrangements,” I say, and everyone agrees.

  As we each take showers and get ready for dinner, we decide who will sleep where. In order for all of us to stay in one suite, we’ll have to pair up, but we all agreed on this while planning the trip, so no one felt left out.

  As I wait for the rest of the girls to get ready, I stare out the big windows onto the dark sky with the half-lit moon. I check my phone, hoping I’ve heard from Easton, but he hasn’t responded to my last text message. As I stand here, ready to celebrate my best friend’s happily ever after, I can’t help but think about him and what he said the other night. He was so sure we would’ve stayed together, but a part of me can’t help but feel that this is all too good to be true. As if at any moment he’ll tell me he’s leaving again, and I’ll be reliving saying goodbye to him. When it comes to Easton, all I know is temporary. Now that I have this chance again, I don’t think I can have just a glimpse of him and survive it. He was my person, and losing that was painful. Losing him twice would break me.

  Taking a deep breath, I turn around and find Averly standing in the kitchenette. She holds up a bottle and smiles. “Champagne?”

  “Please,” I exhale, practically begging for some.

  “You looked like you needed some,” her voice fills with concern.

  I shake my head and smile. “I’m okay, even better once you fill up that glass,” I joke, nodding toward the flute.

  She laughs and fills the glasses the resort provided for us. Averly thought of everything, including non-alcoholic cider for Ainsley.

  “You look beautiful,” I tell Poppy, who walks out of the bedroom in a short, ivory dress with a high neckline and long chiffon sleeves that cuff at the wrists.

  “Thanks! Look at the back,” she spins around, exposing a triangle cut back, the neckline held with a small button.

  “It’s beautiful,” I compliment. It’s a dress only she could pull off with her dark hair contrasting the light dress and her blue eyes popping.

  “It’s a bit much, but I loved it when I saw it,” Poppy gushes.

  “Nothing is ever too much for your bachelorette party,” I tell her.

  “True.”

  “You need your sash,” Averly grabs the white sash with gold lettering that says Bride to Be, and Poppy slides it over her body.

  Before we toast, Averly calls the rest of the girls over. When we each have a glass in hand, we raise them and toast to Poppy and Harris.

  “And lifelong sex,” Averly adds, causing us all to burst out laughing.

  “Cheers to that,” Ainsley and Sutton both call out.

  I take a sip of the bubbly drink, letting it tickle the back of my throat as I swallow.

  “I love your boots,” Averly looks at my black, thigh-high boots.

  “Thanks! I bought them for this trip. I was feeling kinda weird about wearing them, but I love them.”

  “They look great, especially with the dress.”

  “Thank you,” I smile at Averly and take another sip of champagne.

  Checking my phone, I frown when I see I still haven’t heard from Easton. He should be done with work by now, and the small part of me that fears this is nothing more than a dream takes over as I overthink everything, knowing how silly it is.

  I put my phone in my purse and focus on spending time with my friends. This weekend is about Poppy, not about getting down because Easton hasn’t text messaged me. I’m an adult, an independent woman, for goodness sake.

  “Let’s take a picture,” Averly says when we’re all ready.

  “Wait!” Ainsley calls out and jogs to the other room. “Look what I brought,” she comes back, waving a cutout of Lia’s face, glued to a popsicle stick. We all laugh, getting ready for our picture as Poppy holds the picture of Lia’s face next to her. Having a newborn couldn’t stop her from being here in spirit.

  Focusing on the moment, I laugh with my friends and drin
k more champagne before we walk down to the restaurant.

  After dinner, I finally check my phone, and my heart stops when I see I have a couple messages from Easton. Smiling, I swipe my screen and begin reading.

  Easton: Hey, sorry… my phone died and I didn’t have a charger at work.

  Easton: Hope you have fun this weekend. Dinner Sunday?

  My smile widens as butterflies fly rampant in my belly. He gives me all sorts of feels, and I realize how unnecessary it was to stress over this.

  Faith: Dinner sounds perfect. We’re going for drinks now.

  Then, doing something I’ve never done, I snap a picture of my outfit, holding the phone up and capture a photo, showing off my boots. I hit send before thinking twice and hold my breath while I wait for Easton to respond.

  Easton: God babe that’s hot. Wear that on Sunday.

  I giggle at his comment and shake my head. “Is that Easton?” Abbie walks next to me, her eyebrows dancing.

  “Yes,” I whisper. “Gah, I can’t even…” I hug my phone, my cheeks flush as I think about him.

  “I think it’s great.” Abbie smiles as we make our way to the bar.

  I respond to Easton quickly.

  Faith: No way… too fancy for Everton

  Easton: Not too fancy for me. We’ll stay in *winky face*

  Faith: You’re impossible. I’ll think about it. Getting drinks now. We’ll talk tomorrow?

  Easton: Yes, have fun. Harris invited me to hang out with them, so I won’t be eating dinner alone

  Faith: Good, have fun *kiss emoji*

  I put my phone away, my smile wider than Niagara Falls, and catch up on the current conversation. This weekend is going to be great, and it will end with some one-on-one time with Easton. A girl couldn’t ask for anything better.

  Drinking away my anxiety about Easton leaving again, I tell myself nothing can go wrong this time around if we’re getting a second chance.

  …

  “Hey!” Easton calls out when I step out of my car. He stands with the door cracked behind him, wearing grey joggers and a University of Virginia hoody. He smiles widely, his hair mussed.

  I smirk and walk up to him with lifted eyebrows, my mouth falling open when I hear a bark. “Is that the surprise?” I ask, eyes wide.

  “Yes,” Easton says excitedly before wrapping his arm around my waist and kissing me. I sigh and lean into him, pecking his lips again.

  “Come in, or she’ll run out, and I’ll never catch her.”

  “Speak from experience?” I arch an eyebrow.

  “I fell ass first in the snow. She finally came to lick my face when she saw me on the ground, which was the only way I could grab her.”

  I laugh and shake my head. “Let me see that puppy.” When Easton wrote me a message yesterday afternoon telling me he had a surprise, the last thing I expected was a puppy.

  After a relaxing weekend at the resort—courtesy of my full body massage and rejuvenating facial along with drinks—I was ready to head back to Everton and spend the evening with Easton before another work week begins.

  As soon as I walk into his house, the cutest puppy leaps up to my legs. I bend down to pet her when she catches me off-guard, and I fall back, landing on my butt as the puppy licks my chin. Her white coat is sprinkled with brown markings. Giggling, I reach out for her and place her on my lap, snuggling her.

  “She’s adorable.” I look up at Easton, finding a huge smile spread across his lips.

  “I know, I had to get her.” Easton sits next to me on the floor by the front door and pets the top of her head. “Her name is Cali.”

  “Hi, Cali, you sweet girl,” I coo as the hyper puppy jumps from my lap to Easton’s, licking his face.

  I laugh and shake my head, watching the cuteness overload.

  “She wants all my attention. You might have some competition,” he winks my way.

  “Well, I can’t compete with this cutie.” I rub the side of her belly.

  “No competition,” Easton says quietly. When I look up at him, his eyes are on me, burning into my soul.

  A slow smile creeps on my lips, and I bite down my bottom lip.

  “I missed you this weekend, but I’m glad you had fun.”

  “I missed you, too.” I kiss his cheek. “So, you bought Cali before going out last night?”

  “Yeah, the plan was to wait to get her until after the weekend because I didn’t want to sell Harris out or leave her in the cage all night, but when I saw her, I knew there was no way I’d wait. I went out for a bit with the guys and came home pretty early to let her out and make sure she was okay.” Easton stands, helping me up.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with having dinner here instead of going out?” He eyes me.

  “Positive. I was out all weekend, and spending the evening in sounds perfect.” I lean into him, taking his lips in mine in a slow kiss.

  Easton groans, and I giggle against his lips when we feel scratching on our legs. I look down at Cali and smile. “You want some love, too, girl?” I rub her head.

  “Maybe I’m on the one with the stiff competition,” Easton comments, slapping my butt with a wink.

  I bite down a moan and shake my head. Nothing can compete with the way he makes me feel or the desire to spend time with him. Maybe all the worries and concerns I’ve been feeling are pointless. Being with him like this, I don’t see how anything can take this away from us now.

  Easton

  A week was too long to wait to see Faith. I’m greedy when it comes to her, and knowing she’s nearby, and we can’t get together is the worst kind of torture. She’s more perfect than I remembered, making my memories of her seem muted and mundane.

  In the flesh, Faith is an oasis, and I’m the man desperate to drink her in. She’s beauty and fucking rainbows adding so much color to this space, to my life. Watching her face transform from curiosity to excitement when she heard Cali barking was pure joy. Having her here with me is everything I could’ve dreamed of.

  No matter how many women I met and dated, I never found eyes as blue as hers staring back at me. It’s as if I was searching for her in everyone I came across, trying to settle for second best because I no longer had a chance with the one woman I always dreamed of.

  I’ll forever be grateful to my dad for his final words of wisdom. Shaking my head, I release a heavy breath and close my eyes. God, I miss him.

  “Are you okay?” Faith’s soft touch lands on my arm.

  I blink my eyes open and smile. “More than okay.” I hold her waist, pulling her to me. “I was thinking about my dad.” My lips press together in a sad smile.

  “I can’t believe he’s gone,” she whispers, then stares up at me apologetically.

  “Me neither.” I kiss her forehead and look into her eyes. “But I was just thinking about the way he told me to live without regrets and go for the life I want.” I squeeze her hips. “Thanks to him, I’m here.” My throat clogs with my words as I look around the house, remembering what it was like growing up here, working outside with my dad, running this ranch back when it was a working one.

  Faith brings her arms around my neck and tilts her head. “He knows you’re grateful.” Her smile takes me back to all the times we comforted each other when we were kids. Back then, it was high school drama and bad grades. This time, it’s loss and grief.

  “I know.” I nod, brushing my lips against hers. Cali is at my feet, clawing for attention. I smile down at her and lift her in my arms. Faith reaches out to pet her, giggling as the puppy licks her hand.

  “Now, I can attempt to cook spaghetti, or we can order food.”

  A throaty laugh leaves Faith’s lips, and my dick takes notice. Being around her is enough to get a reaction out of me, but hearing her laughter and having her hold me makes my entire body aware of her warmth.

  “Let’s cook.” She drops her hand from Cali’s head and walks toward the kitchen. “Something more than spaghetti,” she tosses over her shoulder.
/>   God, I love her confidence.

  “As long as you manage the stove and not me, we’ll be okay,” I throw back, placing Cali on the floor. Long nights working in a law firm left little time for cooking dinner and practicing my skills in the kitchen. It was usually ordering food after an exhausting day or eating in the office while preparing for a big case.

  “Sounds like a plan. What do you have stocked here?” I take a moment to stare at her in my kitchen, a quick vision of her living here with me shooting to the forefront of my mind.

  I show her my limited food supply and sigh in relief when she nods in approval. “We can make shepherd’s pie. You do know how to peel potatoes, right?” Faith teases.

  “Har, har,” I say sarcastically. “Yes, I can do that.”

  Faith giggles and hands me the sack full of potatoes from my pantry. “I’m only teasing you,” she winks.

  I grab a cutting board and set it on the counter before pulling the potato peeler from a drawer. I begin peeling potatoes while she chops them into chunks and moves them into a pot beside her. We work side by side until all the potatoes are cut.

  “I assume you can also cut onion and garlic?” Her eyes glimmer teasingly.

  “I’m sure I can handle it. I’m not a total lost cause in the kitchen.” I grab the onion and garlic from the fridge, getting to work on them. Distracted by her backside as she fills the pot with water and places it over the stove, I almost clip my thumb with the knife.

  “Crap,” I mumble, and Cali looks up at me from her spot next to me. She’s been quietly sniffing around the house, getting acquainted with her new home.

  “Are you okay?” Faith turns around with wide eyes.

  “Yup, all my fingers are still here,” I joke, waving my fingers in the air. She holds her belly and laughs loudly before coming next to me.

  “Want me to help?” Fuck, her breath tickles my neck, and I have a different type of meal in mind.

  “Here, let me show you,” she interrupts my dirty thoughts. I hand her the knife, and she stands where I was, saying something about keeping the tip of the knife on the cutting board. I’m too distracted to listen, standing behind her and bringing my arms to either side of her, looking over her shoulder.