One More Chance: A Second Chance Romance

by Sinclaire, Roxy

  I smiled. Chateau was my all-time favorite restaurant. It remained elegant, without being over the top, and served a wide variety of international cuisine I adored. It was usually difficult to get a table booked there, as in recent years it had gained a lot of popularity due to some celebrity filming a cooking show there. I turned to face Ethan.

  “Hmm…sounds great. What’s the occasion?” I asked him playfully.

  He smiled at me and cocked his head to the side. “I didn’t know that I needed a reason to spoil the most beautiful woman in the world,” he told me.

  I couldn’t help but laugh as warmth flooded me. I couldn’t wait till Friday. Due to both of us working more often than not, we weren’t able to go out as often as we’d like. My shifts would often get hectic, and we preferred to make a nice and quiet candlelit dinner at home.

  Neither of us complained about this state of affairs, but we did enjoy meals out, on our own or with friends. I’d developed some level of a social life with my work colleagues, and I was seriously wondering whether Martin and Mia were sweet on each other. I smiled a bit at the concept. On Friday, both Ethan and I came home from work early, and, for the first time since I’d known him, he put up no resistance to a suit.

  I’d asked him to wear something formal, as I wanted both of us to look our best. I decided to wear a dress I’d treated myself to earlier on in the week. I began to feel anxious, as Ethan was even quieter than he had been of late.

  He kept triple checking himself in the mirror and adjusting himself in a variety of ways as if he were nervous. I took a deep breath and suppressed the wave of anxiety that filled me as my mind raced through the millions of scenarios that would make him nervous. Instead, I cleared my throat.

  “Are Martin and Mia meeting us there, or are we heading there together?” I asked, trying to focus on one minute at a time.

  He glanced at me as if I’d startled him with my question. “They’re meeting us there; Mia messaged me to tell me they’re running late,” he replied after clearing his throat.

  I frowned, then decided to focus on putting my makeup on. As I started applying my eye shadow, I could feel him staring at me. I glanced over my shoulder to find him standing there with a smile on his face.

  I smiled back. For some reason I could never understand, he loved watching me get ready to go out. This time his eyes lit up with affection and desire as he stared at me in silence. He stepped toward me and gently put his hand on my shoulder. I kissed his knuckles and smiled.

  “You’re breathtaking, you know that?” he whispered, sending a shiver down my spine.

  I dropped my gaze as I felt myself blushing. It was funny how he could still bring butterflies to my stomach every time he complimented me, no matter how many times he did. I looked up at him sheepishly.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  Finally, we were both ready. We chatted about work and day-to-day, mundane things as we waited for our cab. As soon as we settled in the back seat, however, Ethan looked at me for a long while.

  “I don’t want us to talk about work anymore. I don’t want to talk about the leaky sink or the screechy gate. I want us to forget about work, home improvements, and everything else for tonight. Just enjoy the evening with each other and our closest friends,” he told me, breaking the silence.

  I smiled at him and nodded. “Deal, but only if you can keep talk of your coworker’s adventures with the copy machine to yourself, as well,” I told him teasingly.

  He kissed the tip of my nose and laughed softly. “I promise not to mention Joe’s genitals till tomorrow,” he told me, pressing his hand to his chest. He took my hand into his, and we spent the rest of the journey enjoying the view of the city through the car window.

  Mia and Martin were already sitting at the table when we arrived, both dressed formally as we’d all agreed beforehand. I frowned as I realized that they both seemed to be shifting nervously.

  As we ordered our drinks and food, the conversation flowed easy, and we all seemed to have relaxed considerably, but I still couldn’t shake the persistent feeling that something was out of place. Still, we enjoyed a very pleasant meal and the night was nothing out of the ordinary. That was, until the dessert. Ethan raised his glass and looked at the three of us. We all fell silent and fixed our gaze on him. He cleared his throat.

  “As you all know, it has been an eventful couple of years for all of us, some more than others,” he began.

  From the corner of my eye, I noticed Martin and Mia exchanging glances. I focused my attention on Ethan and what he was saying. After a brief pause, he carried on.

  “My life has been flipped upside down and landed back on its feet in a completely different location than I ever expected it to be. I am very grateful for that fact, as it made me realize what is most important in life.” He glanced at each of us and took my hand for a moment, then put his glass down. “It also made me re-evaluate what I want from life and where I see myself in the future.

  “And, the truth is, I can’t see myself without you guys, but, most of all, I can’t imagine my future without Opal.”

  Breath caught in my lungs as he slowly got down on his knee. The world spun before my eyes. I felt as if my heart was going to leap out of my chest. He took my hand into his and reached into his suit jacket pocket. He looked into my eyes for a moment, then spoke directly to me, making me feel as if I were a giddy teenage girl all over again.

  “Opal Evans, you are the light of my life, and I don’t know how I could have survived the last two years without you. I lost you once, and I never want to lose you again, and this is why I would like to ask, will you marry me and give me the honor and pleasure to be yours for the rest of our lives?” He opened a small box in his hand and revealed the most beautiful ring I have ever seen in my life.

  I sat there frozen and unable to speak as I stared at the diamond framed by an antique- looking ring made out of an intricate combination of what appeared to be white and red gold. I opened my mouth, but wasn’t able to get a single word out as my voice caught in my throat and I felt tears of joy fill my eyes.

  “Don’t keep the poor man wondering!” Mia nudged me in the ribs.

  I took a deep breath and looked straight into Ethan’s beautiful eyes. “Yes, I will marry you,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice as level as I could.

  He slid the ring onto my finger. As Ethan returned to his seat, things became much clearer in my mind. I glanced at Mia and Martin, neither of them seemed particularly surprised.

  As soon as I got full control of my body and vocal chords, I glanced at them both. “You were in on it!” I realized.

  Martin and Mia exchanged sheepish glances.

  “That’s why you brought up the subject of marriage a few weeks ago! I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out!” I glared at Mia, who nodded.

  “Ethan insisted that he wanted it to be perfect, so I had to snoop out what you would consider perfect,” she told me.

  I laughed in relief as the recent weeks of Ethan being preoccupied made sense in my mind. I glanced at the ring on my finger once more.

  “It’s beautiful!” I muttered.

  Ethan smiled as he kissed my knuckles. “It belonged to my grandmother, and, since my mom didn’t have a chance to wear it, I thought that it would be the only ring that could ever be good enough for you,” he told me.

  I looked at it, and then something clicked in my mind. “I thought Claire never returned it?” I said slowly as I glanced suspiciously at Ethan.

  He shrugged. “She didn’t,” he told me as he inclined his head toward Martin, who gave us a wide, cheeky grin.

  “You better make me the best man for my troubles,” he told us and took a long sip of his wine.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “How the hell did you get it back?” I exclaimed.

  Martin winced as if he were in pain. Mia opened her mouth, presumably to give us an explanation, but he shook his head and silenced her with a gesture.

  �
��You probably don’t want to know,” he told me shortly.

  I glanced at the ring, then at Ethan, and, finally, at Martin. I opened my mouth to protest, then realized that most likely he was right. I didn’t want to know what lengths the poor man had to go to, to get the ring back for me.

  “Thank you,” I said instead.

  Martin sipped his drink and smiled. “It was worth it,” he assured me.

  Ethan kissed me as we sat down to our dessert and let our emotions settle. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was.

  Later, I realized I didn't want anything more than to have the man that I'd loved all my life by my side. I fell asleep feeling like I was the happiest woman on the planet or maybe even in the universe.

  Epilogue

  Ethan

  I nervously adjusted the sleeves of my shirt and checked whether my shoes were polished properly for what felt like the thousandth time. I was fucking nervous and my heart was beating out of control. At this rate, I was going to look like a groom ready to jilt his bride at the altar, when that was the furthest thing from my mind.

  I turned to Martin, who was leaning against the wall. “How do I look?” I asked him as I straightened my tux jacket again.

  He took a sip of his drink. “Like a nervous penguin,” he said with a grin. "Don't worry, Opal will love it!"

  I was sure my wife-to-be picked out the most uncomfortable and over-the-top Victorian tuxedo she could find. I sighed and shook my head.

  “Do you have…” I began, but Martin silenced me with a gesture.

  “I have the rings, you look great, the flower is in straight, Opal will be impressed, and today will be perfect for her,” he reeled off.

  I realized that I must have asked him about those things at least three hundred times. I let out a long breath and checked the time. “Should we head to the chapel, then?” I suggested.

  Martin looked at his watch and took a painfully slow sip of his drink. “So we can stand there like a pair of overdressed church decorations for another twenty-five minutes?” he responded.

  I sighed in frustration. The wait made me more and more nervous. What if Opal changed her mind? What if we were late, or someone forgot something important? I sat down and stood up again a few times as Martin watched me with an amused look on his face.

  Finally, after what felt like years, we made our way to the chapel. It was Opal who chose the place. The chapel was small and old, in the middle of the countryside near the woods in which we’d vacationed as teenagers.

  As I took my place by the altar, I realized what a good choice it was. The wooden interior caught the colorful rays of light coming through the stained-glass windows, and they danced around us. Candles burned on the altar.

  The entire place smelled of incense and holy water. I felt anxious and nervous, but, at the same time, excited beyond words. I couldn’t wait to begin the new chapter of my life with Opal, and I couldn’t wait to see her in her wedding dress. She, Olivia, and Mia followed the customs, making sure that I didn’t catch so much as a glimpse of the dress, let alone Opal wearing it.

  I shifted nervously, trying to focus my mind on the future we were both looking forward to. I was pretty sure my hands were shaking, and my legs were about to give out under me when the Bridal Chorus snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked toward the entrance, my eyes focusing entirely on the breathtaking sight of Opal.

  She seemed to flow above the ground with her slow and smooth glide. Her dress was nothing like one of those horrific images in bridal catalogs, it was simple and flowy, decorated with subtle flowers that seemed to reflect the light in the most unexpected and beautiful of ways. Her hands were clad in white gloves, borrowed from Olivia to follow the custom, and a sapphire and white gold necklace glimmered, emphasizing her stunning, creamy skin. I could not breathe as I watched her approach me.

  Finally, she stood opposite me at the altar. As she lifted her veil, I didn’t even bother trying to hide the tears of joy that filled my eyes. My nervousness disappeared as I took the hand of the most amazing woman in the world and faced the altar.

  I could barely remember anything that was said during the ceremony due to nerves and the overwhelming urge to fix my gaze on Opal, which I was unable to resist.

  Finally, we’d gotten the happy future we both deserved.

  * * *

  Check out the rest of the One More series!

  Book 1 - One More Kiss

  Book 2 - One More Turn

  Book 3 - One More Chance

  About Roxy Sinclaire

  Roxy Sinclaire writes steamy, suspenseful romantic stories as the main genre, and this includes a variety of different topics. Some of these include dark romances, action packed romances, mafia romances, and many more. She currently works in customer relations in New York City, but is trying to fulfill her passion in writing and eventually have her dream job become a reality

  Please see her Author Central Account on Amazon for a full list of her titles.

  Sign up for her mailing list and find out about her latest releases, giveaways, and more. Plus, get a FREE book! Click here!

  For more information, be sure to check out the links below!

  roxysinclaire.com

  roxy@roxysinclaire.com

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  Also by Roxy Sinclaire

  Romance Sampler Bundles:

  Book Boyfriends

  Pass To Win Series:

  Touchdown: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 1)

  Line of Scrimmage: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Book 2)

  Between The Tackles: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 3)

  Fourth and Goal: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 4)

  Game Winning Catch: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Book 5)

  Mafia Romance Series:

  Dirty Indiscretions: A Dark Mafia Romance (Book 1)

  Her Protection: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Book 2)

  Deadly Ink: A Dark Mafia Romance (Book 3)

  His Revenge: A Mafia Revenge Romance (Book 4)

  His Betrayal: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Book 5)

  Romantic Secret Agents Series:

  Lethal Seduction (Book 1)

  Deadly Seduction (Book 2)

  Toxic Seduction (Book 3)

  Deadly Passion Series:

  High Stakes (Book 1)

  Double or Nothing (Book 2)

  Triple Threat (Book 3)

  City Bad Boys Series:

  Object Me: A Bad Boy Lawyer Romance (Book 1)

  Entitled: A Bad Boy Romance (Book 2)

  Tempting Me: A Bad Boy Romance (Book 3)

  Fast And Loaded: A Bad Boy Romance (Book 4)

  One More Series:

  One More Kiss (Book 1)

  One More Turn (Book 2)

  One More Chance (Book 3)

  Standalone Novels

  One Night With The Tycoon: A Billionaire Romance

  Dirty Fighter: A Bad Boy MMA Romance

  The Devil’s Dream: A Dark Romance

  Trapped In His World: A Dark Romance

  Dirty Money: A Dark Mafia Romance

  Deceived By The Hitman: A Bad Boy Hitman Romance

  Excerpt From Touchdown

  Excerpt from Touchdown: A Bad Boy Sports Romance

  My head was still buzzing from the weekend’s excitement on Monday morning. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that I saw a vulnerable side to Alexa Hall. She tries to appear so perfect, but it was nice to see that she’s human too.

  I was excited to see her in Sociology class. I couldn’t sleep last night because I was thinking about what I would say to her.

  She always sat directly in front of me, so maybe I would lean down and whisper something in her ear. It would be like an inside joke between us. Or, I could just flash her a seductive, knowing smile and watch her blush. I don’t mean to brag, but it’s too easy for me to make girls blush.

  Maybe I’d just go for it and ask her out. Say something about how I want to spend another night with he
r that ends with both of us being conscious. I was nervous, but it was the perfect moment. I really felt like we made a special connection Saturday night.

  I got to the classroom a little earlier than normal to make sure I had enough time to talk to her before the lecture started. I was feeling a bit anxious, but ready. It was now or never.

  A few minutes passed. She was usually in her seat by now, with her notebook and pen out, ready to take notes. Her hair always draped over the back of her chair. Sometimes, a few locks would fall onto my knees and I would carefully brush them away with my finger.

  The professor entered and began the lecture. No Alexa. I figured she must be sick. Maybe her hangover was so bad that she was still not feeling well today. I was a little concerned. I pulled out my phone and texted her.

  Are you sick? Do you want me to take notes for you? We can meet up later and I’ll fill you in on what you missed in class.

  I hit send. This was just as good. It would give me a perfect reason to see her again. Because it had to do with school, she would never accuse me of trying any funny business with her.

  I checked my phone a few minutes later. No response. Poor girl, maybe she was really sick. Would it be weird if I showed up at her dorm later? Maybe with flowers or chicken soup and apologize to her for getting her so drunk?

  I tried to take good notes, but I kept getting distracted. I was daydreaming a hundred different scenarios where I approached Alexa and she was so thankful that I took care of her that she wanted to show her appreciation. Any possibility from a nice dinner, to a kiss, to a night in my bed—I thought of them all.

  Before I knew it, class was over. I followed the herd of students exiting through the door in the back of the classroom. That’s when I saw Alexa, quickly stuffing her books in her bag. She never sits in the back row of classrooms. That’s where the slackers sit, and she was definitely not that. I called out to her, but she was already lost in the crowd.