The Do Over

by A. L. Zaun

  "I think it worked out perfectly. See, I figured out the problem with the sunset scenario."

  "Oh yeah?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Tell me."

  We went back to the spot where I'd dropped everything before running into his arms.

  "Easy. We're all about the sunrise—beginnings, a fresh start, and a new day."

  I slung my purse over my shoulder and then laced my hands in his. We walked toward our cars.

  "You weren't serious about the whole skydiving thing, right?"

  "Actually, I was," he responded casually.

  "Liam. Seriously? Come on. You want me to jump out of an airplane? What sane person does that? I get on an airplane and buckle up to make sure I stay safely in my seat."

  "You agreed. You're a woman of your word. Or is this a bait and switch?"

  I stopped in my tracks. "You know I wouldn't do that, but I know that you would say something like that, playing around. But I did agree to do it." I sighed deeply. "Come on, you know I'm afraid of heights."

  "You're afraid of a lot of things." He turned to me, tilting up my chin. "I want you to trust me, really trust me, with everything." His voice was soft, and his eyes were tender. He brought our laced hands between us. "We do everything together, including jumping out of an airplane."

  "Do you really think that throwing me out of an airplane to my death is the most effective way of achieving your goal."

  "I'll be with you, and I have every intention of keeping you alive for a very long time."

  "Thank you for giving me a second chance even if you want to kill me. You do realize that if the fall doesn't do it, my heart attack will."

  His hand gently stroked my collarbone. Then, his fingers grazed down my necklace, following the chain down to my pendant. The sensation alone sent a shiver through me.

  "I know CPR, baby. I'm taking care of your heart, and I'm making sure you know that my heart belongs to you. Always did and always will. We're going to do things right this time. I guess you can call it a do-over."

  I leaned against the doorway, watching him in the dimly lit room. Even in the dark, I could make out the features I knew so well. His blonde hair was cropped short, and his unshaven face had just the perfect five o'clock shadow. He propped his head against his arm and stretched his long legs out on the ottoman. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I was smiling from ear to ear. The game he was watching offered the only light in the room.

  Last night had been the most wonderful and memorable night of my life. We'd spent most of the day together in bed, making love and snuggling. I was madly in love with him.

  He shifted on the couch and looked over at me with a boyish grin. When he stretched out his arm in invitation, I went to him and crawled into his lap.

  "Baby, what were you doing standing in the dark?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me.

  "Just watching you," I replied sheepishly, "And maybe I was thinking about last night."

  His hands drew circles across my back. "You know you don't have to stalk me anymore. I'm a sure thing."

  "Pfft, I never stalked you." I mockingly rolled my eyes. "What I've been doing is fighting for you. You tell me this after I've become an expert love warrior?"

  His lips gently grazed mine. "It was fight for me, not with me." He chuckled softly.

  The last six months had been wonderful but not always easy.

  That night on the beach, he told me to fight for him, so I did. We fought all the time. He thought we were fighting over the stupidest things, but he was wrong. There was a method to my madness. With each fight, we learned how to reconcile, and boy, we were good at that.

  Our reconciliation was both bitter and very sweet. He caged me against the door as he was unlocking it and kissing me at the same time. We were both breathless as the door slid open, and we stumbled in.

  When I spun around to turn on the light, I saw a box across the room sitting on the dining room table. It had my name on it. I pulled away from Liam, but he brought me back in closer and buried his head in my neck. He released me to lock the door as I walked to the table. Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed with shame and regret.

  I'd been momentarily lost in the fantasy that forgiveness meant forgetting, but that was impossible when the hurt and betrayal was staring me in the face. As I looked at it, I felt lightheaded and a bit nauseous. I ran my fingers over my name written with a black Sharpie.

  After locking the front door, it took Liam mere seconds to turn around and find me frozen in a stoic pose. I refused to feel sorry for myself. I gave a damn about him and us. This was not about a pity party. I was not going to turn everything around as though I was a victim.

  As his arms came around me, he whispered under his breath, "Fuck, I forgot about the box."

  As the months passed by, we had faced it together, and we had found the forgiveness, peace, and love we had both needed.

  "I have yet to hear you complain when we're making up." I pursed my lips, tapping his nose gently with my finger.

  He curled his lips into an impish grin. "Silence. Exactly. I know what I'm doing." He turned me over on the couch, pinning me under him. "I feel a fight brewing," he said.

  He lowered his face and brushed his lips over mine. My mouth reached up, trying to deepen the kiss, but he pulled back, teasing me.

  "Are you going to give me a hard time?" he asked, his blue eyes twinkling.

  I rubbed my leg slowly against his growing hard-on. "Me?" I asked innocently. "Not at all. I can't say the same for you though." My face burst into a goofy wide smile.

  He had a way of bringing out that smile, and frankly, it felt amazing.

  At the forefront of my thoughts though was last night.

  I was getting ready in the bathroom. We had plans to take the boat to the no-name island where we were going to have dinner.

  It had been a stressful week. We welcomed the chance to escape to a little slice of paradise. I was looking forward to relaxing under the stars while listening to the lapping waves and chirping crickets.

  As I was pulling the brush through my hair in one hand with the other holding the hair dryer, out of the corner of my eye, I caught Liam holding on to the doorjamb. Setting the hair dryer down on the sink, I turned to him and smiled.

  "You look beautiful," he said. His eyes sparkled like sapphires, warming my heart. "Now, come on, baby. Can you hurry it up a little?"

  I shook my head and sighed softly. "Patience. I'm almost done."

  He didn't budge.

  "Go away and let me finish." Playfully, I waved him away. "If you just stand there, we'll never leave." I blew a kiss and then picked up the hair dryer to continue taming my wild locks.

  He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. Our eyes met in the reflection from the mirror.

  "Go away? Never." He swept my hair back and kissed my neck.

  My heart fluttered, and goose bumps prickled my skin.

  "But I'll wait for you as long as it takes." He stepped back and smacked my ass. "Don't make me wait too long though. I want to get on the water before it gets dark."

  He knew it irritated me when he rushed me, not that he had done it often since I would generally be early or on time. But he had offset his offense with the sweetest gesture of affection, so I couldn't stay annoyed for long. It was true. Liam's punctuality was rivaled by no one, not even Macy with her internal clock. He detested being late more than I disliked to be hurried. But tonight was about chilling out after a rough week, so I didn't understand what the big deal was.

  When I finished with my hair, I changed out of his T-shirt.

  He called out, "Dani, how much longer?"

  "Five more minutes," I huffed.

  I was convinced that he wanted to fight. Why else would he be pressuring me? I quickly changed into shorts and a cute top and slipped on my sandals. I made my way to the living room, ready to rumble, when I saw him sitting on the couch. He was mumbling something as he stared at a CD. My heart melted, su
rrendering before the first shot was fired.

  "What are you looking at, Lieutenant?" I asked in a sultry voice.

  He leaned his head back, smiling, and waved the disk. "I'm so proud of you for doing this. For a while, I thought you were going to use a loophole to get out of skydiving."

  I traipsed over to him and sat on his lap. I brought my arms around his neck. "And which loophole would that be? Not that it matters because I'm a woman of my word." I grazed my lips over his.

  "The one where you know I wouldn't make you do anything that you felt uncomfortable with."

  "You didn't make me do it. This was important for both of us. You were right about me needing to trust you completely. I want you to gently push me out of my comfort zone." My fingers played with the fringes of his hair. "I was with you, so what was there to be afraid of?"

  We both knew that I was sort of full of shit. I had been scared out of my mind, but I'd given him my word. When all had been said and done, I'd known that he would never put me at risk, and that had been the deciding factor. I'd trusted him. That didn't mean that my hand hadn't been shaking as I'd signed my life away. My imagination had gotten the best of me, and I'd worried about all the possible scenarios that could happen. I hadn't wanted to become roadkill. Splattered wasn't my best look. I'd dismissed those thoughts and focused on my man standing next to me. And I had done it. I'd faced my fears that afternoon, and damn, it had been the most thrilling experience of my life.

  "That's right, baby. You were with me and felt safe." He gave me a soft peck on the lips. "You're one sexy badass." He squeezed me tight. "Now, let's go."

  He pulled back and directed me to the door with his hand. My purse was magically waiting for me—no doubt a result of one Mr. In-a-rush. Taking my hand, he led me to the car, and we drove down to the marina.

  The sun was shining bright on this late July afternoon. I shielded my eyes from the glare as I got out of the car. The marina was busy, and the bay's traffic was heavy with boaters returning from a day out on the water. Who could've blamed anyone for being out here today? The day was gorgeous without a cloud in the bright blue sky, and the water looked like aquamarine glass.

  I reached in my purse for a hair tie, and then I pulled my hair up on top of my head. Liam crossed his arms, shaking his head, as he laughed. After all, I'd made him wait while I'd blow-dried my hair.

  I was slightly offended. "Excuse me, none of that," I said with an eye roll. When I caught his gaze, a smile spread across my face.

  "Baby," he said affectionately, reaching for me and pulling me into a warm embrace, "this is how you had your hair the day I met you. I'm still not sure which look I prefer."

  I burst into a goofy grin, remembering that first night on the beach.

  "I love your smile," he said.

  His lips swept over mine as his tongue gently teased my lower lip. Our kiss deepened against the backdrop of the marina.

  He rested his forehead against mine. "You're amazing. Now, let's go before it gets late."

  I didn't know why he was in such a hurry, but I took the strong hand he extended and laced my fingers with his. We walked down to the Blazing Fire and set out on our evening cruise.

  As we approached our destination, Liam slowed down and docked on the southeast side of the island. A light breeze from the south cooled down the otherwise hot afternoon. The sun began its slow descent on the early evening sky.

  Liam disembarked first. He reached his hand out toward me, and I took it. Hand in hand, we started walking along the dock.

  He leaned his head toward me, smiling. "I want to show you something."

  We'd never really explored this little island. Typically, we'd spent our time on the beach, which was a short walking distance from the dock. There was a gleam in his eyes and a flicker of excitement in his steps.

  "Hmmm, the last time you told me that, you took me from one beach to another. By the looks of it, you're doing the same thing now." I eyed him suspiciously. "Are you taking me to a secret hideaway?"

  He stopped abruptly and stood in front of me. With his free hand, he tilted up my chin. His eyes sobered, locking on mine. "That night, I opened my heart to you, and it's been yours ever since. I laid my treasures at your feet."

  My heart began to beat wildly at the sincere and deliberate nature of his words. He lowered his mouth over mine and kissed me hungrily, leaving me weak in the knees. He pulled back and steadied his gaze on me. The moment was intense and overwhelming. He curled his lip and winked. "Come on, there's more."

  I'm not sure I can handle more. I'm about to go into cardiac arrest.

  As we continued along the tree-lined path with our hands laced together, he slowed down as we were nearing the end. The colors of the sky were fading from a brilliant blue to an amber glow.

  "I almost didn't bring you here," he said lovingly. "This place is my sanctuary. In fact, nothing that happened that day was supposed to happen. I had a really hard shift, so I wanted to come here. Instead, I covered for a CPR class where this beautiful girl sat in the back, ignoring me because she was reading a book. As quickly as she came into my life, she was gone, and I kicked myself in the ass for letting her slip away. I almost canceled on Chris that night, but he was relentless. And then, in a crowded nightclub, I saw her again and got my do-over."

  "It was the best day of my life," I whispered, glancing over at him tenderly.

  Liam and I now talked about everything. He had his moments when he was a sap or, as he liked to say, romantic. But this was different, and I felt myself overcome with emotion as my eyes pooled with tears while my heart stammered.

  "When my dad died," he said, his voice hitching slightly, "I was angry and hurt. Then, I met my coach and my captain. They've been like fathers to me. It was like my dad made sure that there would be people in my life, not to replace him, but to step in for him. I've never talked about my dad to people who didn't know him…until you." He paused.

  I let go of his hand, and my arms reached around him, wrapping him in my embrace.

  "I didn't talk about him with Natalie. Obviously, she knew that he had passed, but it was the don't-go-there topic. Then, out of nowhere, there you were under the moonlight, and the words just started coming out. I'm no stranger to loss." He shook his head. "Natalie was my best friend and first love, and her death was devastating. My mom and I bonded over the loss of love. She told me that people come into our lives for a season or a lifetime but always for a reason. I was Natalie's lifetime, but she was my season. When the time was right, my lifetime would come."

  His arms tightened around me as tears welled in my eyes. There were so many things I wanted to say to him during his grand declaration. When I looked up at him, his lip curled softly. Taking my hand, he led me out of the path and straight into a burst of orange hues from the now setting sun.

  "Dani, you're my lifetime." As he got down on one knee, he pulled out a box from his pocket. "I love you with everything that I am. Let me be your happily ever after. Marry me and be my wife."

  I nodded, bringing my hands over my mouth as the tears streamed down my face. "Yes. Yes, I'll be your wife," I cried. "Yes. Yes."

  He took my trembling hand and slid the ring on my finger. When I wrapped my arms around his neck, he picked me up and spun me around as I squealed.

  "I love you," I said.

  For nine months, I had been kissing my prince. He was an amazing man and a loving partner. Neither one of us was perfect, but we were just right for each other. Together, we had a connection that was deep and electric.

  After he grabbed the remote and muted the TV, he turned back to me, and our eyes met.

  "I plan on giving you the world," he promised.

  When his tongue slowly swept along my collarbone, I gasped, and I moaned softly.

  "You were made for me, and I was made for you."

  My body relaxed at the sound of his words, and a shiver coursed through my body.

  "Last night was just the beginning," he said
.

  Our entire relationship flashed before my eyes, the good and the painful. We had both chosen to fight for each other. We had been unwilling to give up. We loved each other. It wasn't just the Hallmark card gooey love. It was also the real kind that overcame our inadequacies and imperfections.

  Relishing the memory of last night, I closed my eyes, pinned under him. He had given me a sunrise and a sunset. He was the love of my life, the man of my dreams, and every one of my book boyfriends wrapped into one.

  After I slowly opened my eyes, I stared into his blue ones as I seared this love into my memory. My heart beat wildly in my chest. When I fisted his shirt, I admired my sparkling ring as I brought him closer to me.

  "It's just the beginning." I bit my lower lip. "I love you, Liam, always and forever."

  I'd like to thank God for not only giving me a vivid imagination, a flare for the dramatic, and occasionally, a way with words but also for the humility to know that writing a novel doesn't happen in solitude. I found myself surrounded by people who I can only refer to as angels. Those angels came in and sometimes out of my journey. They blessed me as they were a source of encouragement and motivation to be the best that I could be. I learned a great deal from every one of them.

  Thank you, Crysti Perry and the Kindle Buddies, for a prologue contest—which I lost—for stirring the fire, and for encouraging me to finish what I started.

  To Claire Contreras: You pulled out your red pen and gently showed me the way. I will forever be grateful to you for your encouragement, pep talks, and honesty. You're a great writer and friend. Thank you so much.

  To Lisa Harley and Megan Hand, THWC: You ladies have been my constant. I appreciate the daily chats, kicks in the butt, laughter, and most of all, your love and support. You ladies totally rock. I am so blessed to call you my friends.

  To Daisy Esquenazi, Jennifer Rached, Lily Yanes, and Ana Torres.: You put up with talking about my story every single day at work. I appreciate you for letting me bounce ideas off of you, for sharing in my excitement, and for wallowing in my self-pity with minimal to no eye rolls. You ladies are great! And, of course, to Michelle Machin who was the first person to read the first six chapters.