Second Chances

by H. M. Ward

  After just a few more circuits of his thumb, I'm spiraling over the edge, clenching him tightly inside me and bringing him to his own climax. He shouts my name and finds his release, collapsing on top of me. We're both breathing hard, our bodies slick with sweat.

  After a few minutes, he raises himself up on his hands and slides out of me. He kisses me softly before getting off the bed and walking to the bathroom, completely naked and comfortable with it. It's the first time I've seen his naked ass, and oh my god, what a nice butt it is. I stare until he shuts the bathroom door, then lay back down to stare at the ceiling.

  Chapter 22

  Daniel comes back to bed, laying down beside me and tugging me close, cradling me in his arms. He laces our hands together on my stomach and kisses my shoulder softly. I relax into his embrace, and he murmurs, "Are you okay, Baby?"

  I smile. "I'm so much better than okay, Daniel." I feel his chuckle against my skin as he huffs out a breath.

  "Good." We're both quiet, enjoying just being together, something I didn't think would ever happen again. I realize just how much I missed this, and it was so much more than I remembered. Being in his embrace makes me feel safe, which is something I need after tonight’s event. I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.

  "Daniel?" I ask timidly, afraid to disrupt the happiness I'm feeling, but needing to know. I need to know why he kept us apart when he didn't need to. If he'd only given me a chance, I could have ended all the pain we were both feeling.

  "Hmm?" He sounds completely content, and maybe even halfway to sleep, but when I turn in his arms to face him, his eyes fly open and he stares down at me, his eyes full of concern.

  Biting my lip, I study his sleepy face. "Why didn't you let me explain? You kept pushing me away, but I don't understand." My voice is small, and trembles slightly. I'm terrified of what his answer might be, and I instantly wish I'd left it alone.

  Daniel sighs deeply, his eyes filling with regret. "I was afraid, Genevieve, and hurt.” He's not looking at me anymore, instead he's playing with my fingers, and it's so endearing. "You already know that I grew up with my dad, and that my mom left when I was little. My dad wasn't really the touchy-feely kind of dad when he was in a good mood, and I already told you what he did when I caught the tail end of his bad mood. He didn't tell me when I did something good, he only focused on what I did wrong, telling me constantly what I needed to do in order to be better.” As I listen to him talk, tears are tracking down my cheeks and into my hair.

  “When your husband hired me, I was just a stupid kid. I was taking care of my sister all the time, and resentful of my father. I wanted to get away from him as fast as possible. Cade recognized that in me and spent a lot of time talking to me." He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes as he confesses, "The first time I met you, I couldn't take my eyes off you. You were so beautiful. When Cade introduced us, you smiled at me and shook my hand like I was a man instead of a kid, and after that day, you always brought me a drink or a snack when I was working. I fell in love with you a little more each time you spoke."

  “Being around you and Cade was so different from what I was used to. I think in some ways, I loved you just because of how obvious it was that you loved Cade. You never hesitated to tell him. There were times when you would come outside to talk to us and you would just lay a hand on his arm, or wrap your arm around his waist. It was something completely natural for you, and when I saw how he was with you, I wanted to have that too. And, I wanted to have it with you."

  He offers a deprecating smile, "Cade knew how I felt about you." This is a side of Cade that I didn't even know about. I can't speak, the knot in my throat is entirely too big.

  Daniel keeps talking, telling me things I’d never noticed. "One day, Cade was showing me how to do something, I don't remember what it was, but you came out in another pair of tiny shorts and a tight t-shirt to bring us cold drinks. My tongue practically fell out of my mouth. Cade started laughing, and I was sure he was going to kick my ass. He didn't though, he just said, 'She's beautiful isn't she? I've been in love with that girl my whole life and I'm going to love her forever.' I envied him so much right then, not just for being so sure about his future, but because he was going to get to have you in it."

  Raising his eyes to mine, he reaches a hand up to wipe the tears from my cheeks. "Now, I understand completely how it feels to be loved like that. I never thought I would ever have this—I never thought I’d have it with you, Genevieve. I'll never take you for granted. If you'll let me, I'll spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you and CJ. Not seeing him for the past few weeks has been hell. I adore him every bit as much as I adore you. I can’t stand being away from him…or you."

  His voice and gaze are full of sincerity, and I throw my arms around his neck, burying my head in his throat. "I love you too Daniel, so, so much!" I can't stop the sobs now. I thought CJ and I would be alone forever. I never thought there would be someone to comfort us and share our lives with. And now that it’s happened, it feels unreal.

  "I love you, Genevieve," he says tenderly. Then he pulls back, searching my eyes intensely. "But, are you sure about this, about me? You don’t feel like I’m trying to take Cade’s place, do you? Because I wouldn’t want that. I can’t imagine how hard this has been for you, I just want to be with you—however you’ll have me.”

  He looks so worried. Placing a hand on his cheek, I stroke his jaw. "I'm absolutely sure, Daniel. And you're right, I did love Cade, and I will always love Cade—he was my first love and the father of my child—but he's not here anymore.

  “I don't love you because you knew my husband. I love you because of you, because of who you are. You're a good man and you've been there for me when I felt like I had no one. You never pushed me for anything, you never pressured me. You’ve always helped, and when I realized I had feelings for you, I was terrified. You’re so much younger than I am. I was worried you wouldn’t think I was good enough, but you make me feel beautiful everyday, every time I see you. You and Cade are completely different people, and I know that. I love you... for you."

  Daniel's eyes mist over before he closes them. He leans in quickly and touches his lips to mine. Just like every other time we've kissed, it escalates quickly and soon he's rolled me over again, settling his body on top of mine.

  Chapter 23

  It's much later when we finally settle down to go to sleep. Using Daniel’s phone, I send a quick text to my mother letting her know that I'm not coming home tonight, and that I'm safe. I know when I go home in the morning I'll have a ton of explaining to do, not just about Daniel.

  "Would you please turn your brain off and go to sleep?" Daniel's low voice is full of laughter and I can feel the rumble of it as I lie next to him with my head on his chest.

  My eyes are already closed, but I pinch him in retaliation, causing him to flinch. "I am." He really does laugh out loud now. But, even as he's laughing, he pulls me closer to him, determined to hold me tight. Shutting off my thoughts is much easier said than done though. All I can think about is what's going to happen next. I'm worried about how my mom is going to react at the news that we are really together, and I'm worried about what other people are going to say.

  No one seems to have a problem if it's the guy who's ten years older, but when it's a woman? She's called a cougar and made to feel like she's paying a younger guy to be with her. People can be harsh, and very unforgiving.

  "Seriously, Genevieve," Daniel groans beside me, "I can practically hear you thinking. What's going on in that head of yours?" He yawns, obviously ready to go to sleep, and I love that even though he's tired he won't go to sleep until he's sure I’m ready to drift off too.

  I bite my bottom lip, unsure how to bring it up. He doesn't say anything, choosing to let me work up to it instead, and that gives me the courage to say what I'm thinking. "I'm worried about tomorrow."

  "What about it?" I can feel the words rumble through his chest as he speaks. I'm tryin
g to avoid looking at him, so I start making small circles on his left pec, staring at the path my fingers are taking instead of looking directly at him.

  I take a deep breath, deciding it's better to just blurt it out and have it be said than trying to soften the blow. "I'm worried about how the conversation with my mom is going to go. She already broke us up once, already. What happens if she tries to do it again? She’s the kind of person who will throw out an ultimatum if she feels she has to. I don’t want to be in that spot. I can’t lose either of you."

  "Baby," Daniel says with a sigh, "no matter what she says, I'm not going to leave you. It might make me an asshole, but I really don't care what your mom thinks about our relationship, or me. What's going on between us is just that, between us. Her opinion on it doesn't matter."

  That, right there. That's one of the many, many reasons I fell in love with him. Daniel is who he is, regardless of what others think. He's honest and caring, but unlike me, he doesn't let people walk all over him. I wish I could be more like him – maybe I can learn by osmosis? I slide an arm around his waist, hugging him tightly and burying my face in his chest. "Thank you," I tell him, my voice muffled by his skin. "I hate fighting with you."

  "I hate fighting with you, too. But, I do have to say that I like making up with you. That was awesome." I don't even have to look up at him to know that he's smirking down at me. I'm sure it's an adorable smirk, too. I laugh lightly before finally settling down to sleep, content with the knowledge that no matter what happens tomorrow, he'll be with me and he won't leave me.

  "Goodnight, Daniel," I say, my voice already sounding drowsy.

  He kisses the top of my head before saying, “‘Night, Baby. Sweet dreams." A small smile curves my lips because I know that being here, in his arms, pretty much guarantees I'm going to have sweet dreams.

  Chapter 24

  When I wake the following morning, Daniel has one arm beneath me while using his other hand to stroke my arm with the tips of his fingers. Goosebumps raise along the trail and I can feel his erection against my bottom. He presses a kiss to my neck, "Good morning, baby." His voice is still husky from sleep, so he hasn't been awake very long.

  "Mmm, morning," I mutter as I stretch, feeling sore thanks to muscles that haven't been used in awhile.

  Daniel moves my hair away from my face so that he can place a soft kiss in the spot where my neck meets my shoulder and I tremble slightly. Chuckling against me, he says, "I should probably get you home, huh?"

  Oh man. I don't even want to think about how that's going to go. "Yeah, I should probably get home. I'm sure Mom is ready to hand CJ off."

  When we leave Daniel's apartment, he links our fingers together, tugging me close to him as we walk down to his truck. The only time he lets go of my hand is after he helps me into the seat. He closes my door and heads over to the driver's side. As soon as he climbs in, he takes my hand again and I scoot over to cuddle up to his side. Having a relationship with someone is strange after more than two years of being alone. I don't want to be far from him.

  He doesn't say much on the drive, but the closer we get, the tenser he becomes. I know he's worrying about how I'm going to react to what Mom will say, but I don’t know how to reassure him. I just know that I have to at least try.

  "Hey," I say, tipping my head up to look at him. "She can't say anything that will change how I feel about you, okay? I know you, and I know the truth. Whatever she thinks doesn't matter."

  Daniel sighs, shaking his head. "Genevieve, you know that's not true. She's your mom, and no matter what, her opinion does matter to you. She's the only family you have left and I won't be responsible for taking that away from you."

  My heart swells in my chest at his words. He really does understand me. Leaning my head against his shoulder, I enjoy the closeness we have and pray that my mother doesn't try to take this away from us.

  When we pull up outside of my house, I watch my mother pull the curtains to the side, and her reaction at seeing Daniel help me out of his truck is everything I thought it would be. Her eyes narrow and she drops the curtain. Ten seconds later, she comes storming out the front door, a pissed-off expression on her face.

  Rushing forward, I meet her on the walkway before she can get to Daniel. "Mom," I implore, "please, can we go inside and talk about this? I don't want the neighbors to hear all of this."

  "Hmpf. Yes, let's go inside. When you left last night, I had no idea you were going to see him." She says with such disdain, and I can't figure out what he ever did to her. "If I'd known you were going to meet up with him, I would never have agreed to watch CJ. I'm so disappointed in you, Genny Prior."

  I tip my head to the side and feel the person I’ve become finally emerge. I’m not taking this anymore. Hands on my hips, I spurt out, "Yeah, well, I'm disappointed in you too, Mom."

  Her eyes flash up to mine, surprise and disbelief prominently displayed on her face. I'm expecting her to completely fly off the handle, but instead she just turns on her heel and walks back into the house, saying nothing to Daniel or me.

  Turning, I motion to Daniel to come on and he walks up to meet me. Taking his hand, I lead him into the house, intent on having this out with my mother. She needs to understand that Daniel isn't going anywhere and that I won’t let her influence my relationship, no matter how much I love her.

  Once we are all inside, she turns to face us, crossing her arms over her chest and staring us both down. "Well, Genevieve, do you have anything to say for yourself?" Her tone is caustic, but I can hear an undertone of hurt there as well.

  Pinching the bridge of my nose, I try to figure out a way to have this conversation with her without it starting a huge fight. I can feel Daniel at my back, he's trying to support me, to show my mom that we are a united front, although I'm not sure it's going to do any good. "What would you like me to say Mother? I asked you over here last night because I needed to go talk to Daniel. If I told you my plans, you wouldn’t have come."

  "You're right," she agrees with a nod, "I wouldn't have. I also wouldn't have volunteered to be your babysitter so you could go act like a teenage girl instead of the thirty-three-year-old woman you really are—you’re too old for him." She has her hands on her hips as she reads me the riot act and I'm trying hard not to let her words bother me. I can feel Daniel's body tighten with anger as his hand grips mine.

  Looking back at him, I give him what I hope is a reassuring smile before turning back to my mom. "Mom, I love you, you know that I do, but you're wrong about him! I don't understand why you're so against this. He's been making sure things around this house have been taken care of since before Cade left on his deployment. He's been nothing but respectful to you and to me. I just don't get it!"

  "When are you going to realize that he's only here because he thinks you will be his sugar mama?" She says the last two words like she walks around talking street, day and night. Then she deflates right in front of me, her eyes sad instead of angry. "I just don't want to see you get hurt. I didn't think you would ever get over Cade, and now, you've moved on to this young man who doesn't know the first thing about living in the real world—"

  Daniel's control has come to an end. He steps in front of me protectively, ending her tirade. "First of all, how dare you think that the only reason I would be with your daughter is because she has money. How dare you!" My mom's eyes widen at his words, and truthfully, so do mine. "I don't need Gen's money. I have a trust fund of my own. And yeah, I could have had it very easy by going to work for my father, but I'm not interested in his business, and, frankly, I don’t want anything to do with him. As soon as I can pull my sister out of his house, I will.

  “Do you see this?” He jerks up the leg of his pants, tugging his jeans high enough to reveal the scars. “The man you admire so much whipped his own seven-year-old. I don’t want to be like him. I don’t want anything to do with him. There’s a reason my mother left, and I don’t blame her.”

  Daniel watches my mother�
��s face as it shifts from anger to horror. He pauses for a second, shaking his jeans back down to his ankle. “Listen, I want to make my own way, my own fortune. I want to sink or swim on my own, not succeed just because of who my father is, and if my business went under tomorrow, I'd still be able to take care of Genevieve and your grandson without touching her money at all. I have more money than I could ever spend, invested in more stocks and bonds than you could count. This isn’t about money, so stop acting like it is." He stops to take a breath, and my mother looks on in shock, still speechless at everything he's saying.

  "With all due respect, Mrs. Howlett, I love your daughter and your grandson. I respected Cade when he was alive, and I'm damn sure not going to disrespect him now by taking advantage of his widow." He's standing tall in front of me when he finishes, and when I look around him at my mother; she has tears in her eyes and is looking at him with grudging respect.

  Daniel pulls me to him, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into his side. He's staring my mother down, but her face says she finally understands what I see in him. She is realizing she doesn’t know everything about him—that Daniel isn’t who she thought he was.

  She walks over to us, taking my face in her hands and kissing my cheek before hugging me tightly. "I’m wrong and I'm sorry,” she says softly into my hair. I nod, and she pulls away to do the same to him. I can feel him stiffen when she motions for him to bend over because he's too tall for her to grab his cheeks. I don't know what she says into his ear, but whatever it is must've been good since he relaxes against me.

  My mom looks like a huge weight has been taken off her shoulders and I suddenly realize how hard watching me grieve for Cade has been on her. It explains why she was always pushing me towards guys that she thought could take care of me, and why she was so against Daniel in the beginning. To someone who doesn't know him, he must look like a young kid who's just experimenting. I know now that she was just trying to protect me, even if she went about it wrong.