Second Chances (sequel to Over You)

by Christine Kersey

  “Come join me,” Ellen said as Jessica walked out the front door.

  Sinking into the chair next to her aunt, Jessica sighed.

  “I saw Kyle leave a few minutes ago,” Ellen said. “I’ll admit, I was a little surprised you weren’t going with him.”

  She grimaced. “He and Melanie are meeting with an adoption attorney over lunch.”

  “Oh.”

  “But that’s not the only bad news I have. I just got an email from my boss that someone embezzled from the company, and now they have to close their doors.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  “Not only am I out of a job, but they can’t even pay me my last paycheck.” She threw her arms up in a gesture of frustration and anger.

  “Oh, Jessica. I’m so sorry to hear that.” She paused. “You know you can stay here as long as you need to.”

  Her aunt’s kindness made her feel fractionally better. “I really appreciate that, but I’ve got to find another job. I don’t want to lose my apartment.”

  “Of course.” She gazed at the wide front yard, then looked at Jessica. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ll apply for jobs online, but there’s a good chance I’ll have to go back home soon. That’s where the work is.”

  Ellen frowned. “That’s really too bad. I’ve so enjoyed having you here.” Her frown turned into a look of hopefulness. “Do you think you’ll find another job that lets you work from home?”

  “I don’t know. I guess we’ll see.”

  After Jessica finished stewing in self-pity, she headed to her room and updated her resume, then spent the rest of the afternoon applying for several jobs. As the afternoon wore on, she received a text from Kyle.

  Kyle: I’m looking forward to spending the evening with you, Jess. I’ll pick you up at 6

  During her stress-induced job hunt, she’d almost forgotten about Kyle, but his text reminded her of the challenges she was having on that front. Not able to put any energy into thinking about him and Melanie, she replied that she would see him then, and left it at that.

  By the time six o’clock rolled around, she’d applied for half a dozen jobs that she felt qualified for. None of them mentioned working from home, but she knew that could always be negotiated. At least she hoped so.

  Ellen knocked on her door, then let herself in. “How’s it going, sweetie?”

  Setting her laptop on the bed, she smiled. “Not too bad. I’ve found some promising leads.”

  “You’re good at what you do. I’m sure you’ll find something.”

  “There’s always a demand for software developers, but I’m more concerned about the location. I know there are companies near home, but I’m not sure how many will allow me to work remotely.”

  “I’m sure things will work out.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “In any case, Kyle is waiting for you downstairs.”

  “Oh. I didn’t hear the door.”

  “Have a good time, dear.”

  “Thanks, Ellen.” Jessica quickly freshened up, then walked down the stairs to find Kyle sitting in the living room.

  He stood when she entered the room, and her eyes skimmed over the button-down shirt that was tucked into his jeans. He looked good, and she felt some of her earlier tension over her job situation melt away, but when she thought of him having lunch with Melanie and an adoption attorney, a different sort of tension crashed over her.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he approached her.

  “Let’s talk about it over dinner.”

  He looked concerned, but nodded. “Whatever you’d like.”

  They were quiet as Kyle drove to a restaurant in town, but he took her hand as they walked inside. With her hand tucked securely in his, she felt that somehow everything would be all right.

  Once they were seated at a table for two, and had ordered their meal, she began. “I lost my job today.”

  His eyes widened. “What?”

  In the hours since she’d gotten the email, she’d come to accept her predicament and was over her own shock, and after explaining the circumstances surrounding her job loss to Kyle, she thought about what that meant for their relationship. It was unavoidable that she would have to go home soon, and her biggest fear was that her absence would clear the way for Melanie to step into the void.

  She frowned as she prepared to break her next bit of news. “I’m probably going to have to head back to my apartment in a few days so that I can look for a job in that area.”

  “What about around here? What about working remotely?”

  Pleased that he seemed as distressed at the idea of her leaving as she did, she smiled. “Number one, around here it’s just small businesses, and I’m not sure they have a need for a full-time software developer. Number two, I haven’t found any openings for remote positions yet, but I’m still looking.”

  He was quiet, like he didn’t know what the ramification of this would be, but Jessica was scared. To death. Scared that as soon as Melanie found out that Jessica had left town, she would race to Kyle’s side, and Jessica would soon be forgotten. But how could she let him know of her fears without sounding completely pathetic and needy?

  “My mom’s coming to town,” he said.

  A change of subject, she thought. Good. “When?”

  “On Wednesday. I wanted to take the two of you out to dinner that night. Will you still be around?”

  “Yes. I don’t have any interviews scheduled yet, so I don’t have to leave yet.”

  He smiled. “Good.”

  The server set their food in front of them, and after eating a few bites of her salad, Jessica decided to ask about his meeting with the adoption attorney. “So, what did you find out at lunch today?” She tried not to think about the fact that Melanie had probably been sitting next to him holding his hand the whole time.

  He set his fork down. “Evidently our situation is a little unusual. It’s not too often that an unrelated man, who’s not married to the mother, wants to adopt.”

  Maybe that will stop him, she thought, as a new feeling of hope began to fill her. “What happens now?”

  He cleared his throat. “That’s one thing I need to talk to you about.”

  At the look on his face, any hope she’d begun to feel, began to seep away. “What?”

  He shifted uncomfortably. “The attorney said my chances of being allowed to adopt Avery would be greatest if I was in a relationship with Melanie.”

  Jessica’s mouth fell open, and the words flew from her mouth before she could stop them. “You’re not seriously considering getting into a relationship with her just so you can adopt her child, are you?”

  His expression seemed to close down. “Maybe this isn’t the right time to discuss this with you.”

  “No, you don’t get to stop that easily. Not now.” Staring at him with intensity, she said, “I thought you loved me, Kyle.”

  “I do,” he said, clearly miserable.

  “Then why do you want to adopt Avery so badly?”

  “It’s just that I can’t bear the thought of abandoning her. It makes me feel like a horrible person.”

  You didn’t seem to have any trouble abandoning me five years ago, she wanted to point out, but bit her tongue. “Can I be honest with you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Can you see what’s going to happen if you move forward with this?” Not waiting for him to answer, she went on. “You’re going to end up marrying Melanie.” It hurt to say the words out loud, but apparently he needed to have them spelled out.

  “You don’t know that.”

  It was so clear to her, why couldn’t he see it? Was he just deluding himself? “Okay, fine. Whatever. You believe what you want. But like I told you before, you need to figure out what you want, Kyle. Do you want to be with me, or do you want to be with Melanie?”

  “I want to be with you,” he said.

  His voice didn’t carry the conviction Jessica wanted to
hear. But at least him saying it out loud was a start. “And I want to be with you.”

  “To be honest, Jess, I don’t know what’s going to happen.” He looked down, then met her gaze. “Just be patient with me while I figure this out. Okay?”

  She didn’t know how much patience she had for this roller-coaster of emotions, but if she had any hope of being with him—and he was the only man she’d loved like this—then she had no choice but to agree. Nodding, she sighed.

  They ate the rest of their meal without discussing her job, or Melanie, and by the time he brought her back to Ellen’s house, her inherent optimism had returned. As she lay in bed that night, a new thought occurred to her. The whole adoption thing had been Melanie’s idea to begin with—Kyle had told her that himself. Was she pushing him to adopt when he wasn’t really sure about it? Or did he really want to be Avery’s father? She knew she could ask him, but from what he’d said so far, she doubted he would admit it if Melanie was behind the whole thing. For some reason he seemed to have a deep-seated belief that not adopting Avery would be the equivalent of abandoning her.

  Confused about what was going on in his head, she finally managed to fall asleep.

  The next day she resumed her job search, finding a few more promising job opportunities. She even heard back from one of the places she’d applied to the day before. After calling the contact person, she scheduled an in-person interview for the following Tuesday.

  Kyle didn’t suggest they get together for dinner that night, and she wondered if he had made plans with Melanie, but she wasn’t about to ask him. The next day, Wednesday, Jessica and Ellen met Kyle and his mother for dinner.

  “Donna,” Jessica said as she gave her a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “It’s been ages,” Donna said, then she hugged Ellen. “And it’s wonderful to see you.”

  “You, too.”

  The four of them chatted while they waited for their food to be served, and Jessica wondered if Kyle had told his mother about his adoption plans. And if he did, what did she think? But when he didn’t bring it up during dinner, she could only assume he hadn’t told her yet. Well, Jessica thought, she’d only just arrived that day, so maybe he hadn’t had a chance yet.

  “How long are you going to be in town?” Jessica asked Donna.

  “Just for a few days. I haven’t seen my boy in a while, so I thought I’d better come and make sure he was staying out of trouble.” She patted Kyle on the shoulder, then looked at Jessica. “When he told me the two of you were seeing each other again, I was very happy.”

  That made Jessica feel good, as she’d always liked Donna. “What are you doing tomorrow? I have some free time right now. Maybe we can get together for lunch.”

  “I’d like that,” she said. “How about if I come pick you up at Ellen’s place? Then I can see Kyle at work.”

  The next day when Kyle came over to begin working, he pulled Jessica aside. “I haven’t told my mom about adopting Avery yet, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to her at lunch today.”

  “I was wondering if you’d told her.” She gazed at him a moment. “Are you going to tell her soon?”

  He looked to the side, then back at Jessica. “I’m not going to say anything to her until I know if it’s actually going to happen.”

  This was the first time he’d even hinted at the possibility that the adoption might not take place, and Jessica had to keep herself from leaping with joy. “Are you saying you might not adopt her?”

  “It’s just so complicated, and the more I look into it, the more I’m having doubts.” He frowned. “But it keeps coming back to Avery, and the feeling that I’d be deserting her. I just don’t know if I could live with myself if I were to do that to a child.”

  It was clear to Jessica that Kyle was at a fragile place in his decision-making, and though she wanted to drag him away from going through with it, she knew if she wanted to succeed in extracting him from Melanie’s tentacle-like grasp that she would have to proceed carefully. If she could help him come to the decision on his own, that would be the best way to make him feel confident about his choice.

  “I’m glad you’re thinking about all the angles.” She kept her expression neutral as she spoke. “There’s a lot to consider.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair, obviously stressed. “Tell me about it.”

  Stepping closer, she reached out and stroked his arm. “I want you to know that I’m here for you, Kyle.”

  He smiled at her. “I appreciate that. I really do.” Then he pulled her into his arms. “Mmm. You feel so good.”

  Heat flooded her body at his closeness. “So do you.”

  “I hope you can find a job that lets you work from here.”

  She pulled back a bit. “That reminds me, I have a job interview next week.”

  “That’s great. Where is it?”

  “It’s at a company near home.”

  Disappointment was etched on his face. “Oh.” Then he smiled with encouragement. “Well, that’s good.”

  “We’ll see how it goes.”

  “When are you heading home?”

  “On Monday.” She smiled. “I was hoping we could spend time together this weekend before I leave.” Plus she didn’t want to leave him on his own with Melanie for two whole days when he didn’t have work to keep him occupied.

  “Good. We’ll definitely do something.” He grinned. “Maybe another picnic lunch. But one where strangers can’t interrupt.”

  “That would be nice.”

  “Well, I’d better get started or Ellen won’t be happy.”

  “Yes. I think she’s already tired of not having her kitchen.” She paused. “When will it be done anyway?”

  “The cabinets will be in next week, so less than two weeks before I’m done.”

  “That’s not too bad. And I’m sure all the inconvenience will be worth it.”

  “I just need one thing from you before I get started.”

  “What?”

  His smile grew. “This.” Then he pulled her against him and pressed his mouth against hers.

  Her arms went around his neck, and she responded to his kiss eagerly, her heart filling with love. After his announcement that he was having doubts about the whole adoption thing, her confidence in their future began to soar, and she savored the feeling of being in his arms.

  Chapter Eighteen

  When Donna came to the house to pick her up for lunch, Jessica invited her in and showed her where Kyle was working.

  “Hello, son,” she said as she gave Kyle a hug. “Looks like you’re working hard.”

  “He certainly is,” Ellen said as she greeted Donna. “And he does a great job.”

  Jessica could tell Kyle was embarrassed, yet pleased, by the praise being heaped upon him.

  “Thank you, ladies,” he said.

  They visited for a few minutes, then Jessica and Donna headed out, leaving Kyle to work.

  “It’s nice to take a break,” Donna said as she drove away from Ellen’s house.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Even though I’m away from the office, I still have work I can do.”

  “What do you do again? I’m sorry, I don’t remember.”

  “That’s okay. I’m a project manager, so there’s always something to do. But it’s a nice change of pace to work away from the office.”

  They talked about their jobs until they reached the restaurant, but once they began eating, Jessica decided to ask the question that had been on her mind. “Tell me about Kyle’s dad.”

  “His dad?”

  “Yeah. I just get the feeling that being a father is important to him, so I was wondering about his father.”

  Donna laughed softly. “Well, which one do you want to know about?”

  Her answer caught Jessica off-guard. “What do you mean? I didn’t know he had more than one.”

  “Well, there was his birth father, and then there was the man who raise
d him.”

  “Oh.” This information was unexpected. “Does he have any contact with his birth father?”

  She frowned as she shook her head. “No. As far as I know, he’s never met the man. He left as soon as he found out I was pregnant.”

  “I don’t mean to be personal, but weren’t you married?”

  “It’s okay, Jessica. It was a long time ago. But, no, we never married. I was young and in love and made some bad choices, although I’ll never regret having Kyle. But his father wasn’t everything I’d thought he was, so it was probably for the best that he didn’t stick around.”

  “But then you found someone else to marry?”

  “Yes. Paul Judd was a good man—he even adopted Kyle—but I’m sorry to say that my marriage with him eventually ended. But I believe Kyle still keeps in touch with him.”

  A light bulb suddenly went off in Jessica’s mind as she realized why Kyle felt as though he’d be abandoning Avery if he didn’t adopt her. First off, he’d never met his own father. And second, the man his mother had married—and who had adopted him—had stepped in and raised him. It seemed that Kyle was trying to succeed where his own fathers had failed.

  A new feeling of empathy for the man she loved flowed over her as she began to view the difficulty of his decision in a new light. He didn’t want to be like either his birth father or his adoptive father—abandoning a child when that child needed a father so much. This new insight made her love Kyle all the more.

  “Well, you must have done something right,” Jessica said. “Kyle’s a great guy.”

  “Thank you, Jessica.” Donna ate a bite of her salad, then smiled. “Where do you see things going with your relationship, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “I don’t mind.” She paused as she considered her answer. “I think you know how much I loved him when we were engaged years ago.”

  Donna nodded.

  “What you may not know was how devastated I was when he changed his mind about marrying me.”

  “I can imagine how hurt you must have felt, and I’m sorry you had to go through that. I think Kyle just wasn’t ready for marriage then, but he seems to have matured a lot since that time.”