Second Chances: Pleasant Grove Series Book 2

by Lee, Tara

  The girl he bumped into earlier steps out with her friends and notices him.

  She sweeps her long, blonde hair to the side and steps towards him.

  He’s calmer now than he was, which is good. At least the police won’t be called.

  When she gets next to him, she squats down in front of him.

  “Are you okay?” she asks him in the sweetest voice. There’s a southern twang to her voice.

  He smirks at her.

  “Yeah, I’m fine, just having a shitty night,” he replies and dips his head between his knees.

  “Ex-girlfriend?” she asks him.

  He chuckles. “Fuck no. That bitch is fucking insane.”

  She smiles at him, and I can see his wheels turning.

  This chick is different, well different from what Tyler usually goes for.

  “Well, maybe I’ll see you around, handsome,” she says as she slides her hand down his arm, then gets up and walks away. Tyler stares after her with a dumbfounded look on his face.

  He whistles. “Damn.”

  “Who was that chick?” Lucas asks him, pointing his thumb over his shoulder towards her.

  Tyler shrugs. “Don’t know, but fucking hell, she was breathtaking.”

  We all laugh. Yeah, this chick is going to get to him. He doesn’t even know her name.

  We go back to Tyler’s place and drink beers there. He’s distracted. That chick is playing on his mind. It’s funny as shit.

  * * *

  The next day my head hurts so badly I can barely open my eyes.

  Fuck how much did I have to drink? I can’t remember anything. I groan and roll over in bed.

  I smell like a brewery and vomit. Yuck. I must have thrown up last night. Why don’t I remember that?

  My head is pounding, and I feel like someone dropped a ton of bricks on me.

  “Fuck,” I mumble holding my head.

  Some water and Aspirin rest on the table next to me. Charli must have put them there.

  I guzzle down the water and pills, then head to the bathroom for some more. My throat is dry, and there’s a bad taste in my mouth. After drinking my third glass of water, I brush my teeth and down a heap of mouthwash.

  I don’t want to kiss Charli with that bad taste in my mouth.

  I should shower before I go search for her. I don’t smell the best I most likely will make her vomit.

  After my shower, I head back into our room and change. Once I’m more presentable, I go hunting for Charli. The smell of bacon fills my nose and makes my stomach churn.

  When I get to the kitchen, Charli’s standing over the stove. She looks back at me and smiles.

  “Morning sunshine. You feel okay?”

  I groan and flop down on the sofa, ready to die. My head is fucking killing me. Charli’s lips press to my forehead, making me smile. She straddles my legs and places her hands on my chest.

  “So, how was your night?” she asks with the biggest smirk on her face.

  “Oh, you think this is funny, don’t you?” I roll my eyes at her

  She giggles and kisses my lips. “Hilarious actually.”

  “Hardy ha, ha.”

  “Come on, baby. I throw up every morning, and I’m fine,” she says, running her hands over my chest.

  I stare at her blankly. She’s really funny today.

  “Baby, I feel like I’m dying. I can’t remember shit from last night. And my head feels like it’s going to cave in any minute.”

  “Oh, my poor baby. Can I make it feel better?”

  “I don’t think anything will. I'll just wait to die.”

  She laughs this time, out loud with her head thrown back. She is actually laughing at me. I can't believe she thinks this shit is funny.

  “You boys have to remember you’re not that young anymore.”

  “We’re not old either thanks, babe,” I say, offended.

  “Well, you’re also not eighteen-year-olds who can do all-nighters and then feel fine the next day either.”

  That was true. I mean we’re only twenty-six. But those extra years, boy do they not help.

  I'd hate to see us at thirty. I wonder how the other guys are feeling.

  I text them in a group message. Hey, how are everyone's heads?

  A reply comes instantly.

  Jensen: What the fuck, bro? Leave me to die in peace.

  I smile at his response.

  Christian: I think I’m dying. Can you call an ambulance?

  I chuckle because I’m so glad I’m not the only one.

  Max: Feeling fine boys. You guys are just soft.

  Jensen: fuck you, Max.

  Tyler: What’s going on? You boys sick?

  Smart asses. I bet they are too just trying to be tough.

  Lucas: Fuck guys. Can you leave me the fuck alone? This light is hurting my eyes.

  Carter: Fuck. How much did we drink last night? My head is fucked.

  I reply: Back to bed boys and sleep it off. And fuck you Max and Tyler for being perky bastards.

  They send through a series of emojis

  I chuckle. It hurts my head. Then Charli places a wet cloth over my head.

  "Thanks, baby. You take good care of me.”

  “Well, I guess I can let you have this one. At least before the baby comes.”

  I smirk, and my eyes close with heaviness.

  I really do love this woman. How the fuck I ever got to keep her is beyond me sometimes.

  5

  Charli

  OUR WEDDING DAY IS right around the corner, and my nerves are in overdrive. The girls have had to calm me down numerous times. I’m in panic mode. I just want everything to be perfect. I’ve wanted to marry Eli forever. And even though it’s not going to be big and fancy, I still want our day to be perfect.

  Eli strolls in while I’m stressing over my dress for the hundredth time today. Leaning over, he kisses my shoulder

  “Baby, stop stressing. Everything will be perfect. You’ve done an amazing job. Nothing will go wrong. You’re going to be beautiful. Just relax. “

  “I can’t help it. What if my dress doesn’t fit? And what if it looks stupid? Or makes me look fatter than I am?”

  Eli smiles and kisses my cheek while rubbing my back.

  “Baby, first of all, you’re pregnant, and you look fucking unbelievably gorgeous. How many times do I have to tell you that? Secondly, I don’t care what your dress looks like, I just want to make you my wife. I feel like I’ve been waiting an eternity to claim you as mine.”

  “I’ve always been yours, Eli,” I say, looking up at him and smiling because he’s such a dork.

  He chuckles and cups my face. He plants one of those magical kisses on my lips. I groan around his smile.

  “Yeah, that may be the case, baby, but this will make you really mine. As my wife. I want nothing more than to be your husband. I want you to have my last name. To finally be officially mine.”

  “If you say so, Mr. King.”

  He slips an arm around my waist, squeezing me gently but still firmly enough to make me squirm.

  “I do say, Mrs. King.” He nips my earlobe, making me giggle.

  I turn around and face him, kissing his chin. His stubble is very sexy. He has a few days’ growth, but he couldn’t look more handsome.

  “So, I’m already Mrs. King, huh?” I tease him

  “You will always be Mrs. King to me, angel. Even if I haven’t put that ring on your finger, your mine, baby. And no one, I mean no one, will ever take that away from me.” He kisses me, making me lose my train of thought. He lifts me up with little effort and carries me to our room. I know I’m in for some Eli loving, which I won’t be complaining about. This man knows how to drive me completely wild, and it only takes something as small as his tongue on my body.

  My fears drift away as Eli places small kisses across my skin, making goosebumps break out. He continues to torture me slowly with every kiss. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the way Eli worships me in
everything he does. It may have taken him some time to come to terms with how he truly felt about me, but there’s no denying the depth of his love for me.

  By the time he’s done with me, thoughts of dresses and weddings and looking fat are erased from my mind. All that remains is blissful floating off to sleep.

  * * *

  Eli has become more overprotective of me since I’m showing more now. He won’t let me do anything he thinks is dangerous for the baby. I’m not too far from giving birth. Time is flying. Everything is organized, and his room is ready.

  I’ve been having a few cramps and small pains. The doctors say it’s normal, and it’s just my body preparing for giving birth. Braxton hicks is what they say they are. Practice contractions. If this is just practice, then I’m going to be in trouble when I go into labor.

  “Baby, where are you?” Eli’s voice calls out to me.

  I’m soaking in a bath because my back is killing me.

  “In here,” I call out to him.

  His footsteps clomp on the stairs. He slowly opens the door and smiles at me. I’m covered in bubbles.

  “Do you have enough bubbles, baby?” he teases me.

  “Actually, I could go for some more,” I joke, and Eli lets out a laugh.

  He kneels beside me and leans over, placing a soft kiss on my lips.

  “You okay?” he asks worriedly.

  “Fine, just sore. Everything hurts.”

  “Well, why don’t you get out of the tub, and I’ll give you a massage?”

  I smile at Eli. He knows how to push my buttons.

  With strong arms, he helps me out of the tub. My giant belly is in between us. Eli’s eyes travel down my body taking me in. His gaze stops at my stomach, and he leans down placing a kiss there.

  “Can’t wait to meet you, little man,” he says to our son. My fingers curl in his hair as he talks to our son. It’s the moments like these when my heart feels extra full. Every moment we get together is a blessing, because I know better than anyone that time can be taken away in a flash.

  Once I’m comfortable on the bed, Eli goes about rubbing my body with an oil. It feels so good. A soft moan escapes my lips. Eli’s fingers brush my inner thigh, and I want him to inch closer, to just move his fingers slightly. He doesn’t. He keeps his fingers away from my opening. If he knows how turned on I am, he doesn’t show it.

  I feel like jelly once he’s done. Gentle fingers brush over my cheeks then slip between my legs. His fingers graze my pussy, and I let out a gasp.

  He chuckles and does it again, teasing me over and over. At this point, I’m pretty sure I’m dripping. Eli can barely touch me, and I’m always wet. Add pregnancy hormones, and I’m a goner.

  His finger slips into me, causing me to groan. He adds a second, then a third finger, and I nearly convulse right there. I look down at him, and he grins at me, knowing he has me right where he wants me.

  “Please.” I moan as my eyes roll to the back of my head.

  “Please what, baby?” Eli says. His thumb brushes over my clit, and I feel the build-up rising. He pumps his fingers into me faster as his thumb teases and taunts me. I grab the sheets holding them tightly as my orgasm tears through me. I cry out, screaming Eli’s name. His fingers don’t let up as he tries to coax another orgasm out of me. He succeeds. Inside, everything starts to wind tighter and tighter. I know it’s coming. I squeeze my legs together trying to stop the sensations crawling through my body.

  Eli’s hand pries my legs open. He slips his fingers out and then back in again.

  I crash.

  My body shutters as the orgasm ripples through me. Eli withdraws his fingers. Then he positions himself at my entrance and pushes in, his thumb still moving over me. My orgasm rolls into another wave as he pumps into me with his thick cock.

  I cry out when Eli finally grunts, emptying his seed into me. He places soft kisses all over my tender skin.

  His lips find mine as I wrap my hands around his neck, bringing him closer to me.

  “That was amazing,” I say breathlessly.

  He chuckles. “It was pretty good, wasn’t it?”

  I nod because my breath is gone again.

  We lay cuddled together, basking in the afterglow of our lovemaking and those amazing orgasms.

  While we lie there, we discuss boy names. We haven’t really settled on a name yet. But time is running out. Our son will be here soon, so we have to lock down a name.

  “What about Liam?” I say. Eli scrunches up his face

  “Okay. What about Jack, simple but cute?”

  “Not digging those names, babe. What about Axel?”

  “Um, no.” I laugh. Eli can’t help it, he follows me and laughs out loud.

  “Okay well, we have to agree on a name or our son will be nameless,” Eli states. He’s right. Why is it so hard to agree on a name?

  We both think for a while. I can’t seem to come up with a name I think Eli will love. I’m about to give up altogether when Eli says. “I’ve got it.” He clicks his fingers for effect as he smiles at me.

  “Well, are you going to tell me or keep it to yourself?” I ask while laughing

  “Harley,” Eli says, waiting for my reaction.

  “Hhmmm.,” I say, thinking about it. I can tell Eli is nervous for my answer. I smile and kiss his cheek.

  “I love it. Our son finally has a name.”

  So, our little boy will be called Harley. I love the way that sounds.

  Harley King.

  * * *

  Something wakes me. I’m hot. Eli is wrapped around me like a python. His legs are tangled in mine, and I can barely move. Slowly, I unwrap his limbs from my body. I need to pee, and he’s making it awfully hard.

  He groans when I slip from beneath him. I glance over my shoulder to see if he’s still asleep. Tiptoeing to the bathroom, I try my best not to wake him. He’s been working extra shifts to prepare for the arrival of our son.

  With a gasp, I bend over, clutching my stomach. The sudden pain doesn’t feel right. Something isn’t right.

  I hold my stomach as I slide down the wall. I try to find my voice to call out to Eli. But it’s a lost cause. Nothing comes out as I try to scream.

  I squeeze my eyes shut tightly as I hold my breath, begging for this to end. Is this labor?

  Am I having the baby right now?

  I try to call out to Eli again, but only a squeak comes out.

  I try to get up. It’s the only way I can get to Eli. I need him.

  I fall over as another pain slices through me. This time liquid trickles between my legs.

  “Charli?”

  “Eli,” I whisper. The pain is so bad I blackout.

  6

  Eli

  CHARLI’S BEEN ASLEEP FOR two days now. She lost a lot of blood. I thought I was going to lose her. When I found her unconscious in the bathroom and blood everywhere, fear gripped me. Something was wrong with the baby. She was losing him. We were losing him. And there was nothing I could do but call for help, then cradle her head in my lap while I mourned our precious boy.

  I haven’t moved from her bedside since they wheeled her into this room. She’s hooked up to machines that taunt me with every beep. I grip her hand tighter as my tears continue to fall. I’m grieving the loss of our son. I don’t want to lose her too. I can’t.

  I cannot possibly lose Charli. The love I feel for her is deeper than the ocean, wider than the galaxy and brighter than the stars.

  The door opens, but I don’t look up.

  “Eli,” Jensen’s voice drifts over the room. I wipe my eyes and look up.

  “I need her to wake up,” I say as a lump catches in my throat. “What if she doesn’t wake up?”

  “It isn’t her time yet. She’ll come back. You just wait and see,” he says as his hand grips my shoulder, his eyes never leaving his sister. I'm not as certain as he is that she’ll wake up.

  I clear my throat, Jensen catches my eye, and I know my face resembles his b
ecause his eyes are filled with tears.

  “I hate she went through that, and I was a fucking asleep. How did I not hear her sooner?” I hate she was in so much pain, and I wasn’t there to hold her. She was losing our son, and I was a-fucking-sleep.

  “Don’t be so damn hard on yourself, E. Her doctor said she would’ve been in so much pain, she wouldn’t have been able to call out to you. I’m sure she tried. You need to forgive yourself. There was nothing you could’ve done regardless. The doctor explained it to you, right? What happened?”

  I nod. Yeah, he explained alright. Something about the placenta tearing, cutting off the baby’s oxygen. He said it was nothing either of us did wrong. I still feel responsible somehow. I mean I was a little vigorous in our lovemaking the night we lost him. Maybe I was too rough.

  They performed an emergency c-section on Charli since it was too dangerous for her to deliver our son. She’s still out of it and has no idea what’s going on. Breaking the news to her is going to be the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do. How do I tell her?

  When they first brought her in, I sat there hoping the test results were wrong. But my worst fear wasn’t a dream at all. It’s my reality. Charli lost our son. The tears fall down my cheeks as I wait for them to bring Charli back to me. I hold my head in my hands as my entire body shakes. This isn’t what I had in mind when I pictured becoming a father. Now, I’d never watch my son grow up. Never see him go on his first date. Never get married or have his own children. God, I’d never see Charli cradle him or become the mother I know she was destined to become. This is just one more thing piled on top of my shit storm of a life. I thought Charli’s and my luck had turned around, but maybe we weren’t destined for greatness. Maybe our lives would forever be one train wreck after the other.

  She’s so pale. Her lips are dry and cracked. She doesn’t look like my angel. She looks like a ghost of herself.

  Jensen leaves me to go check with her doctor. They think she may need a blood transfusion. Since siblings are usually a good potential match, Jensen is waiting to see if he can donate to her.