Second Chances: Pleasant Grove Series Book 2

by Lee, Tara

  "That's it, baby, make some noise. Let me hear you," he says between licking and sucking me. I'm so close my body arches off the couch, making his mouth close over me further.

  He's so skilled at this. No man should enjoy eating pussy this much, but Eli craves it. He loves making me come this way.

  I erupt when he sucks my clit between his lips, his teeth grazing me at the same time. The sensations are too much, and I lose all ability to speak or move once my orgasm starts.

  My body shakes with my release, and it feels never ending. Eli continues his torture and doesn't let up, never once stopping for air.

  My body is coming back from the high when I feel his hard length at my entrance. He pushes in, making me stretch.

  I cry out, grabbing his shoulders for support.

  "Fuck, baby. So, fucking tight," Eli grunts, thrusting in and out, never letting up. His strokes are fast and powerful, claiming me.

  He places his hand between us, rubbing my swollen clit with his thumb. His actions don't let up. He slams into me, making my body shake.

  This isn't making love. This is fucking. It’s what Eli does best, and my body can never get enough.

  Eli lifts my hips from the couch, driving himself deeper. From this angle I feel fuller. His cock stretches me, pulling everything I have from inside me. I scream his name as another powerful orgasm tears through my body, making my toes curl.,

  "Fuck," he roars, then he lets everything go. His seed fills me, claiming me again and again.

  Eli finally collapses on top of me. He's panting hard while he's still inside me. He twitches, making me smile. I love feeling him inside him. Having his cock dominate me is the most powerful need I could ever feel.

  "I fucking love you, baby," Eli says, placing a kiss on my lips.

  I kiss him back until we both need air.

  "I love you too," I say, wrapping my arms around him.

  17

  Eli

  CHARLI IS WRAPPED AROUND my body. Naked.

  God this sight never gets old. My fingers make small circles along her back. She shivers as I tickle her. I chuckle and place a kiss on her head.

  "Eli?" she asks, hesitantly

  "Yeah, baby?" I say, looking down at her. She lifts her head. She’s biting her bottom lip. It’s what she does when she's nervous.

  I brush the hair that's fallen down in her face and kiss her forehead.

  "What is it, baby? You can tell me anything, you know that?"

  "I've been thinking?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Do you think… that?" She sighs.

  " Never mind, it’s stupid."

  She moves to sit up, but I catch her, stopping her movements. I'm not ready for her to leave me yet. I'm enjoying having her body wrapped around mine.

  I nod for her to go on.

  She doesn't leave the couch but sits up, twisting her hands in her lap. Even though her tits are on display for me right now, I need to concentrate on what she has to say. I lean up on my elbow. Her eyes are downcast, but I can tell she has something on her mind.

  I rest my hand over her thigh. She looks over at me, and I give her a smirk.

  She shakes her head, more at herself than me. I think.

  "It’s stupid. You'll think I'm stupid."

  I sit up, wrapping my arms around her. "Charli, nothing you could ever say would be stupid, nor would I ever think you're stupid. Tell me what’s on your mind."

  She takes a deep breath. "Okay. Here goes."

  I lace my fingers with hers and give them a squeeze.

  "Do you think Harley is with my parents? That they’re taking care of him?"

  I smile at her. This is what she’s afraid of asking me? I kiss her soft lips, and place my forehead against her, needing her to know it's not stupid one little bit.

  "I think if heaven does exist, then our precious boy has to be there. I think he's having the time of his life up there with them. "

  "Really?" She asks her eyes filling with tears.

  I kiss her again and nod.

  "Yeah, I do. You know me. I'm not a big believer in that stuff, but I do believe they’re watching over him for us. Making sure he's okay."

  She lies back and places her head on my chest. I wrap both my arms around her, bringing her as close to me as I physically can.

  We snuggle in silence for a while. I know she’s been struggling with this. Losing Harley was the most heartbreaking thing, biggest obstacle we’ve ever gone through. Now, I know what losing a part of myself feels like. Charli and I will forever walk around with a small piece of our hearts missing, because they went to Heaven with our baby.

  It's times like these, I'm thankful for the people around us. They never gave up on us, never made us feel like we needed to just move on and forget him. And though Charli struggled for months and wasn't coping at all, now I can see the difference in her. She's smiling again.

  I really should tell her about what happened at the hospital. But I don’t want to upset her. She’s been so happy. I don’t want to fuck it all up again. But the thought runs over and over in my mind. I take a deep breath.

  “Angel,” I say. It comes out as a whisper. Charli lifts her head off my chest and grins at me. God that smile. She’s a fucking goddess.

  She waits for me to speak again, but my throat closes up. Just man up and tell her.

  I grit my teeth and get on with it, “I need to tell you something. But I don’t want to upset you.” I swallow the lump in my throat.

  “Eli, what is it?” Charli asks.

  I run my hand through my hair and kiss her nose. She closes her eyes at my touch. She couldn’t be more perfect. She doesn’t realize just what I would do to keep her pain-free. Will this send her back into despair again?

  Her big beautiful eyes stare up at me with wonder, and I know I have to tell her this.

  “After your c-section, um… the nurses took impressions of Harley’s feet and hands for us. And they took some photos of him. There’s even one of the three of us together. It’s beautiful. I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you about it.” I take a peek at her. The unshed tears in her eyes make me believe I’ve made a mistake. Maybe it’s too soon. Maybe I should’ve waited.

  I continue even though I feel like she’s going to burst into tears any minute, “I held him. Gave him some cuddles after I bathed him. I wanted him to be clean before we had…” I trail off. Charli’s tears roll down her cheeks, and I wipe them away with my thumb.

  “I can stop. “

  She shakes her head. “No, keep going. I want to hear all about him.”

  I sigh and kiss her forehead. God she’s so strong. I’m in awe of her.

  “I kissed his little head. God, he was so tiny, Charli. But I didn’t want to leave him alone. I wanted him to know how much we loved him… How much we adored him before we had to say goodbye.” I sneak a glance at her. She’s hugging me as tightly as she can while tears run down her cheeks. My chest tightens as I cradle her in my arms.

  “I’m sorry, baby. I shouldn’t have told you yet. I should’ve waited. You aren’t ready. I just…”

  She shakes her head, wiping her face. A small smile plays on her lips, and I can’t help but feel like an asshole. How much more can she take?

  “Charli, angel, I’m really sorry. I didn’t what to make you cry. I just wanted you to know. I wanted—”

  She cuts me off with a kiss. It’s a soul wrenching kiss that leaves me breathless when she pulls back.

  “I’m so glad he had you, Eli. I wouldn’t want our boy to be alone. It’s heartbreaking to know I wasn’t there to hold him. But I’m glad one of us got to. He deserved that much. I’m just sad we’ll never get to watch him grow up.” She sniffles, and I hold her tighter against me

  “I love you so much, Charli. You are the strongest person I know. I’m in awe of you, angel.”

  “I love you too, Eli. Thank you for telling me. I know how hard that was for you.”

  I smile because I�
��m glad I told her, even if I was scared for a second or two that it was the wrong thing to do.

  * * *

  Today Charli is out wedding dress shopping with the girls. I've driven out to see Jensen. Charli told me the last time they talked he’d found a letter addressed to him. He was too scared to open it. What the letter contains, I have no idea, but maybe it has answers. I know he worked last night. but I’m still getting his ass up.

  I arrive with pastries and coffee in hand.

  I knock loud enough to wake him. He needs to face this, and I'm going to help him just like he helped me.

  The door swings open with an angry-looking Jensen on the other side. He glares at me.

  "What the fuck dude? I got home two hours ago." I push past him and make my way to his kitchen. I place the goodies I brought to bribe him with on the counter.

  "If you don't get out of my kitchen so I can go back to sleep, I may just kill you," he says, crossing his arms over his chest.

  "We need to talk," I say bluntly.

  He rolls his eyes. "About what?"

  "The letter."

  "I'm going back to bed," he says and makes his way to his room.

  I follow him, not letting him avoid this.

  He shuts his door in my face, and I grin.

  The fucker.

  I open it, and he yells at me, "Eli, I swear to God, if you don't get the fuck out and let me sleep, you’re leaving in a body bag."

  I plop down on his bed, and he growls.

  "Not happening dude. You need to face this."

  "Fine, I will. After my sleep," he says, pulling the blankets over his shoulders.

  I yank the blanket down, uncovering him.

  He rolls his head and scowls at me. The murderous look on his face tells me he isn't kidding about the body bag.

  "I have coffee and sweets. We are doing this. Get your ass up, or I will carry you out of here."

  "I'm not as light as Charli. You'd throw your back out, then because I'm a doctor I'd be obligated to help your ass."

  "Dude, you have to face this. We can do it together."

  "Together." He chuckles and shakes his head. "What does that have to do with anything? Your life isn't the one that’s going to change after a life-altering event, is it?"

  His face falls when he realizes what he's just said.

  "Shit. Eli, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." He sighs and places his arms on his knees. "I can be a real jerk. What you and Charli went through is way worse than what's in some stupid letter."

  I nod but don't say anything.

  "Listen thanks for caring… But really, I'm fine. Actually, I'm okay if I never read the letter."

  "Jens," I argue.

  "Eli, it's probably nothing."

  "If it's nothing, then open it."

  He sighs, knowing I'm not going to let up.

  He gets up and shoves some pants and a t-shirt on.

  We head to the kitchen, and I hand him his coffee. He takes a long sip then picks up one of the pastries I brought.

  I give him time, but if he wants to go back to sleep, he needs to hurry up and stop dragging this out.

  He opens a drawer in his kitchen and grabs the letter. He takes a deep breath and slides his fingers under the flap to open it.

  It’s a one-page letter. His eyes scan down the letter, reading it. He scrunches up his face and lets out a deep breath. He places it down and stares ahead, not saying anything.

  "What did it say?"

  He pushes it towards me to read. I pick it up and read it while Jensen places his head on his arms.

  To our darling boy,

  Today should be your eighteenth birthday.

  We’re so sorry we never got the chance to see you grow up. We had our reasons for giving you up. We’re sure you have questions about it.

  Just know, that not a day went by that we didn't think of you, the young man you've grown into, what your personality would be like.

  We found the best family we could to take care of you. We know they’ve done an amazing job raising you as their own. We would never take that away from them, but we would love to get to know you if you’d give us the chance.

  Every decision we made was tough when it came time to hand you over. We didn't want to, but we knew it was what was best for you. You deserved a better life. One we couldn’t give you at the time. Having you so young made it hard. But giving you up was the hardest decision we ever had to make. We hope you don't hate us or your parents for keeping this from you until now. We wanted to wait until you were old enough to make this decision on your own. If we don't hear from you, we know you’ve made the choice to never contact us. We're okay with that too. It's your life, your choice, no pressure.

  We hope you enjoy every moment of life. That you find someone special and settle down one day.

  We wish you the best of luck wherever your life takes you.

  We love you so much, and we never will stop loving you.

  With all our love,

  Mom and Dad.

  XXXX

  Our address should you wish to visit.

  2346 Glenridge Ave.

  Strathaven, Missouri 12345

  Wow. I mean shit. I don't even know what to say.

  "So, this letter was…"

  "Holding the answers this whole time, " he says, grabbing the letter and going over the words again.

  "Shit, bro. I'm sorry. I really am. If you want, I can go out there with you. We could check out this town. Find them?"

  He shakes his head. "What's the point, Eli? They wrote this letter for me to get when I was eighteen. I'm twenty-six now. They probably don't want to see me.”

  I smirk at him. He's being serious right now.

  "Dude your parents—"

  "They're not my parents."

  "Okay, the people who gave you life."

  He rolls his eyes at me.

  "They wrote that to reach out to you. It's obvious they wanted to connect with you. I'm sure your parents would’ve given this to you, but they never got the chance."

  "If Mom and Dad wanted me to have that letter, they would’ve given it to me on my eighteenth birthday, Eli. Face it. They didn't want me knowing about this."

  I nod my head. He's right. They died after his eighteenth birthday. If they wanted him to know he was adopted, they would’ve told him. If they hadn't been taken, I wonder if they would’ve ever told him.

  "I'm going back to bed, okay? I'm fucked, and my head hurts from all this. I just want to forget about it."

  "Okay, I understand. But I'm here if you need to talk. Anytime, man. You know that."

  He nods and heads back to his room.

  I stay for a few minutes, trying to understand all this. There was no phone number. I wonder if I could find one? No, I should just let it be. Jensen would be pissed if I meddled.

  18

  Charli

  ELI TOLD ME ABOUT the letter. I can’t believe Jensen is adopted.

  He hasn’t said a word to me yet. I’ve been waiting, but if he doesn’t come to me soon, I’m going to him.

  Eli says my brother seemed pretty upset but was trying to hide it. Typical Jensen—he always wanted to seem tough, be the bigger man, not show emotion. But I know this has to be eating at him. He probably has a hundred questions running through his mind right now. I’m almost tempted to travel to Missouri and give these people a piece of my mind. But Eli says we need to butt out unless Jensen asks for our help. He won’t. I know that much.

  Our wedding day is getting closer and closer, I bought my dress yesterday with the girls. It’s a princess style with so much tulle, I look like a big marshmallow. Or a cloud as Isla told me.

  My dress is now hanging in our wardrobe, hidden in the big white dress cover. I know Eli would never take a peek, but I’m not taking any chances.

  I’m looking up flower options when my phone rings.

  "Hello."

  "Come down to the beach."

  "Eli?"

&n
bsp; "Meet me at the beach."

  Confused, I hang up and make my way to the beach. What is Eli up to?

  Parking at the beach takes longer than I expected. It’s crowded for this time of year. Pleasant Grove has been getting more and more touristy lately.

  Walking down to the beach, I take in the fresh air. Waves are crashing on the beach, and kids play in the sand. Their laughter makes me smile.

  I spot Eli to the side. He has a blanket laid out and is looking around nervously.

  He spots me and smiles. His smile is infectious. Those dimples get me every time.

  "Hey, beautiful," he says, grabbing my face when I get closer to him. He plants a heavy kiss on my lips. I moan into his mouth, causing him to grip my face as he deepens the kiss.

  He finally pulls back, taking my breath with him.

  "Wow, that's some greeting," I say breathlessly.

  "I just missed you today."

  I smile, and he kisses me again.

  "God, I can never get enough of these lips," he whispers

  "What’s with the picnic?" I ask, looking down at the spread he has laid out.

  "Just wanted to spoil you," he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me down next to him.

  What is he up to?

  We eat the food he brought, and it’s delicious. I'm so full.

  He lies on his back and wraps me in his arms. I always feel safe in Eli's arms. He truly is my hero.

  "So," Eli says while his fingers stroke my back.

  I move my head off his chest and look at him.

  "I've been thinking… but only if you're ready?"

  "What?" I ask softly, unsure about whatever he’s talking about.

  "I want to try for another baby"

  I sit up. I’m hurt he's bringing this up. It’s too soon. Maybe one day. But I'm not ready now. I know that much.