One More Time_A Second Chance Romance

by Rye Hart

“Danielle, Adam, could you give us a minute?” Malcolm finally said, his gaze never leaving me.

  Danielle glared at Adam. “Yeah, Adam,” she asked. “What is she doing here?”

  “She's my date for tonight,” he said, his voice cold as ice. “Why? Do you two know each other or something, Malcolm?”

  “Casey, what's going on?” Malcolm's voice rose higher and carried a hard, brittle edge to it. “Why are you here with him?”

  He stepped toward me again, and this time, I had to let go of Adam's hand to move. Without answering him, I tore my eyes away from his and quickly turned, hurrying toward the front door. More than anything, in that moment, I needed fresh air. The tension and pressure were so great, I felt like I couldn't breathe in there. I felt like I was being crushed beneath the weight of Malcolm's furious gaze.

  I needed to escape. Standing there, watching Malcolm and the woman coming down the stairs, I realized what an idiot I'd been. What a naïve fool. Danielle was the woman he'd brought to the club – I'd know that resting bitch face anywhere.

  Yet, there she was, in the Crane home, walking with Malcolm like they were still together. She was not only walking with him, looking every bit like the reconciled couple, she was also very clearly with child.

  His child.

  My breath came out in panicked bursts and I felt like I was on the verge of hyperventilating. I realized that we were both having his baby. Suddenly though, everything started to make sense. The reason he cut me off and wanted to stop trying to get me pregnant, was because Danielle was already pregnant. He'd hedged his bets and Danielle had come in ahead of me. She'd won.

  I reached the door and pulled on it, but a hand shot out from behind me and pushed it closed before I could step outside.

  “Casey, please,” Malcolm said.

  His voice was lower now, and it ran over my skin like velvet. I looked into his eyes and saw a mix of emotions. Fear. Anger. Betrayal. Compassion. You name it, it certainly looked like Malcolm was feeling it.

  “Can we talk?” he asked.

  “What's there to talk about?” I asked. “I know my place. I know my role.”

  Malcolm grabbed hold of my shoulders and turned me around, facing me back toward the bottom of the grand staircase. In the doorway though, Adam and Danielle were standing there watching us. Adam had a gigantic grin stretched across his smug face and I wanted to slap it right off of him.

  As he stood there grinning at me, I realized that he'd planned this. He'd planned this all along. He knew what I'd see when we got there, he knew that Malcolm and Danielle were back together, and yet, he brought me anyway.

  Danielle just stood there with her arms crossed in front of her, a deep, angry scowl on her otherwise perfect face. She was tall and blonde and beautiful – everything a man like Malcolm would want. She was a model, or at least that's what I'd heard at the club. Not that she was famous or anything, but she was everything I wasn't.

  We existed at opposite ends of the spectrum, Danielle and me. She was a woman at Malcolm's station. I was beneath it. She was the kind of woman he would marry. I was the kind of woman he'd fuck when he wanted something a little different and wild.

  Tears welled in my eyes and my heart was stuttering around in my chest like the town drunk. I bit my tongue hard, wincing at the sharp pain. I was not going to cry in front of these people. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

  I caught the look of one other person who was further down the hall. It was Alba. I locked eyes with her and noticed the worried expression on her face. She joined us in the foyer, took one look at Malcolm and me, and smiled.

  “Come,” she said softly. “Let's sit for dinner. The Cranes are waiting.”

  Adam and Danielle turned to follow her, and I turned back toward the door, intent on leaving. Malcolm again held the door closed and prevented me from leaving. He turned me around and put his hands on the door behind me, trapping me between them. He'd cornered me, and his eyes bored straight into mine. I couldn't bear to look at him, my eyes were filling with tears, so I looked down at the floor instead.

  “Now that we're alone...” he whispered.

  Instead of finishing the sentence with words, he kissed me long and hard and full of the passion I'd come to expect from Malcolm Crane's kisses. I was so shocked by the move that I didn't react. I was stunned.

  A moment later though, I got my wits back about me and balled my fists up. I drove them into his chest and tried to push him back, but it was no use. I was too small, he was too strong. He stopped kissing me though, and instead leaned into me, resting his forehead against mine.

  “You're mad at me,” he said.

  “No, I'm not,” I lied. “I'm fine.”

  A smile tickled at his lips, and I could see that he wanted to grin and make a snarky comment. But, being the wise man he was, he seemed to know better than smile or crack a joke at a time like that. It was smart since it kept him from getting kicked in the nuts.

  “You're not fine,” he said. “And listen, I can explain everything. I promise.”

  “Oh. You can explain why you've been ignoring all my texts?” I said, heat creeping into my voice. “I told you, we need to talk, Malcolm. I wasn't fucking around.”

  “You went through all this trouble with Adam just to talk to me?” he asked, looking completely taken aback by me going through all of this just to see him.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Okay, then talk.”

  There was an edge to his voice I hadn't heard before. He was angry at me, or maybe it was Adam. I couldn't tell.

  “What about your family dinner?” I asked, a sneer in my voice.

  He shrugged. “Fuck them. I don't like most of my family anyway,” he said. “You came all this way, you endured the hell that is spending time with Adam, so talk to me, Casey. What's so important that it couldn't wait?”

  “I thought you were cutting things off with me,” I said. “Not that we were every anything more than – well, you know. But given the fact that you seemed like you were cutting me off, I wasn't sure if our agreement still stood or not.”

  Malcolm sighed and closed his eyes. He relaxed into me, and I found it hard not to reach out and touch his face or run my fingers through his hair. He was so sickeningly sexy and being so near him made my body react. My heart raced, my stomach churned, and it felt like my every nerve ending was on fire.

  He didn't have to necessarily do a damn thing. My body just reacted on its own whenever we were together – and judging by the bulge in his pants pressing against me, I guess the feeling was mutual.

  “Casey, I –”

  Alba’s voice came from behind him, interrupting our talk.

  “Malcolm, your father is asking for you.” “Tell him I'll be right there,” Malcolm said through clenched teeth.

  “He's going to come looking for you himself if you don't hurry.”

  Malcolm sighed again, this time in frustration. He straightened himself up, and suddenly, the blank, emotionless mask he'd been wearing was back. Only his eyes held any hint of softness toward me now.

  “Casey, I promise I'll explain everything later,” he said. “But, for now, would you care to join us for dinner?”

  “Care to join you?” I asked. “I mean, after everything that had happened, you wouldn't mind? I'm not sure it'd go over too well, honestly.”

  “Of course I wouldn't mind,” he said. “But until we talk, can we downplay our relationship, please? I usually don't tell these people any more than they need to know at any given time. Things are safer that way.”

  Our relationship.

  “That's fine. Yes,” I said, my voice barely more a whisper.

  Malcolm took my hand and brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of my knuckles. He looked into my eyes, the intensity of his gaze burning a hole through me.

  “Trust me, Casey,” he said. “Just trust me for right now, okay?”

  I nodded, and he let go of my hand. I followed him into the di
ning room. Alba squeezed my arm as I walked by, and we shared a look. She knew about Malcolm and me. She saw the tension between us. If Malcolm cared that she knew though, it didn't show.

  She smiled pleasantly and followed us into the dining room.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  MALCOLM

  “There you are,” Mom said,

  She stood up from the table when I entered the room. She looked past me at Casey and shot me a quizzical look.

  “Did you find the bathroom okay, dear?” she asked.

  I was confused for a second, until I realized she was talking to Casey. I turned, and Casey looked at me, mouth agape.

  “Uh yes, I did,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “Over here,” Adam said, waving at Casey. He smirked. “I saved you a seat.”

  Casey shot me a sideways glance as she joined my half-brother at the table, having little choice but to sit next to him. She was his date for the night, after all. Just like the other night, I had one seating option left – which was beside Danielle. I took my seat but tried to keep as much physical distance between us as possible.

  “Adam, introduce us to your friend, please,” Dad said.

  “This is Casey. Casey, meet the Cranes,” he grumbled. “You've already met my darling half-brother, Malcolm. But, I'm not sure that you met his girlfriend, Danielle.”

  “Ex-girlfriend,” I said.

  Adam rolled his eyes and sighed. “Sorry, his ex-girlfriend,” he said. “Or, maybe I should say, your baby mama?”

  “Stop that, Adam,” Mom scolded. “I don't know why you must always be so foul.”

  Adam glared at her, but then continued. “And that is Cynthia Crane,” he said. “I guess you could say she's my stepmother, but I'm not sure how it works since I'm just a bastard child anyway.”

  “Adam.” This came from dad, his tone colder than the Arctic tundra.

  “And finally, my father,” he said. “This is my father, Malcolm Crane the elder.”

  Casey shrunk down in her seat, staring at everyone with wide eyes, but tried to give them all a pleasant smile. I couldn't even begin to imagine how overwhelming this all must have been for her. I could see how uncomfortable she was and wanted to jump in and save her from all of it.

  I wanted to whisk her away from my family, but I couldn't save her now. She'd decided to weasel her way in, and now maybe she'd see why I'd kept her away for so long. I just hoped the price she was going to pay for it wouldn't be too steep.

  She surprised me though, by sitting up straight and clearing her throat. I saw that look of steely, feisty determination in her eyes and in the defiant little lift in her chin. She wasn't about to let anybody, not even the Cranes, bully her or make her feel uncomfortable. I loved that about her.

  “It's nice to meet everyone,” she said, her voice full of confidence. “I've heard so much about you.”

  “Have you, dear? I'm sure Adam has some interesting stories to tell,” Mom said dryly.

  She took a sip of her wine and looked at her. There was pity in her eyes, though, I couldn't tell if she felt sorry for Casey because she was with Adam or because she'd been thrust into the middle of a family soap opera that was more dramatic than anything you'd see on TV.

  Hell, probably a bit of both.

  Before Casey could elaborate on what she'd heard though, Danielle piped up from her spot beside me.

  “Casey, right?” she asked. “You're not the same Casey that Adam talked about the other day, are you?”

  I took a long swallow from my wine. That was when I noticed Casey didn't have a wineglass in front of her or anything to drink at all, aside from water, for that matter.

  “Uhh, well, I don't know,” she said, glancing over at me. “I'm not sure what Adam said, so I can't be sure it was me.”

  “Oh, just that he'd seen you leaving Malcolm's office the other day,” she chirped. “He also said you looked a little disheveled as you left?”

  Casey froze, and I saw the flash of fear in her eyes. She cut a quick glance at me, as if she wasn't sure what to say and didn't want to step in it.

  Trying to change the subject, I said, “Alba, could get you Casey some wine, please?”

  Alba brought over a glass for Casey, setting it down in front of her. Casey leaned into Alba and said something in Spanish that I couldn't understand. Alba smiled and ran into the kitchen. Casey caught me staring, and I turned back to Danielle.

  “Adam didn't see anything, Danielle,” I said. “Thought we'd already cleared that up the other night.”

  Casey's eyes narrowed as she looked at me, just as Alba came back from the kitchen with a second glass in hand. She placed it in front of Casey and removed the wine glass. Oh yeah, that's right. Casey didn't drink. To think, I hadn't believed her when she'd mentioned it during the interview. I had her sign a document and everything, promising me she wouldn't drink, and it had briefly been a point of contention between us.

  “It just seems strange that he'd mention a brunette named Casey, and then bring her over for the next family dinner,” Danielle argued.

  Adam stayed remarkably quiet, which was unusual for him. I watched him closely, and I noticed him stealing glances over at Danielle. The two shared a lot of stares – just quick glances here and there. I wouldn't have picked up on it had I not noticed that Adam was being extra quiet tonight and letting the drama unfold without his input.

  Finally, when Danielle wouldn't let it drop, Adam sighed. “Fine, I met her at Crane Enterprises, yes, but I may have been wrong about her leaving Malcolm's office,” he snapped. “Happy now, Danielle?”

  “No,” Danielle spat.

  She shot a look of death in Adam's direction, but then replaced it with her normal, non-emotional expression.

  “But I'll let it drop, for now,” she said. “Since I'm not rude and would hate to ruin this fabulous meal.”

  “Yes, let's eat,” Mom said. “I'll go see what's taking Alba so long.”

  Mom stood up and went into the kitchen, and we could hear the two women talking. No one at the table said another word, even though Danielle was sighing left and right, clearly demanding attention in her passive-aggressive way.

  She wanted someone to notice. I'd noticed, but I wasn't about to ask her what was wrong, because quite honestly, I couldn't care less what was wrong with her. My focus was on Casey – and getting her through the minefield that was my family, unscathed.

  Casey stared down at her fingernails, picking at the polish on her thumbnail. The strapless dress she was wearing showed off her shoulders, which were dotted with an array of freckles I'd never noticed before. Even though I'd seen her naked, I'd been too caught up in her and the moment and had somehow missed them. She caught me staring and looked up, a nervous, shy smile on her face.

  I smiled back at her, hoping to let her know it would be okay. This was my family, it was normal for us to fight and snipe at one another whenever we were together in the same room. I adored my mother and Alba. I respected my dad but being in the same room with him always lead to us butting heads. I knew there'd be no escaping at least one argument between the old man and I tonight, I just hoped it was nothing too bad. Not in front of Casey. I cared about what she thought of my family. It mattered to me.

  Danielle grabbed my hand while I shared a moment with Casey. Before I knew what was happening, she placed it on her belly and beamed.

  “Feel it this time, Malcolm?” she asked, her voice high and bright. “Please tell me you felt that kick. I thought this little guy was going to kick my bladder across the room.”

  Casey's smile faded, and she went back to picking at her fingernail. The moment we were sharing had obviously passed.

  “No, still feel nothing at all,” I muttered.

  The kitchen doors swung open, and Alba came in pushing a tray loaded with plates of food. Steam rose from the plates as she set them down on the table in front of each of us.

  “Casey, you're not allergic to shellfish, are you?” my mom asked
Casey.

  “No, Mrs. Crane,” she said. “I'm not.”

  “Good, because tonight we're having one of my favorites – shrimp scaloppini with a white wine reduction,” Mom said, beaming with absolute joy.

  “It sounds delicious,” Casey said.

  Once everyone was served, dad and I talked about Crane Enterprises, while Adam sat idly by, listening and picking at his plate, not saying a word. Danielle poked at the food on her plate too, but hardly ate a thing. Given that it was pasta, I wasn't all that surprised. She's never been too comfortable eating carbs, but you would have thought that pregnancy might have changed that. Casey, on the other hand, finished her entire plate. My mother smiled over at her, seeming to be appreciative of the fact that someone was enjoying the meal besides her. Adam clearly wasn't. Something was off, and the entire thing with Casey made me less inclined to trust him. I kept my eye on him, and the tension in the room was palpable. It felt like it was growing until the very last plate had been whisked away by Alba and the rest of the kitchen staff.

  “Stayed for the entire meal this time, I see,” Dad said to me.

  “Yes, figured it would be rude to leave early while we had company.”

  I smiled at Casey. She didn't return the gesture. Instead, she stared down at the blackberry cobbler in front of her, which remained untouched. I'd made a note to ask her later if she didn't like pies or blackberries, or maybe even both when she pushed the chair back and looked around at us apologetically.

  “Excuse me,” she said. “I'll be right back.”

  She hurried out of the dining room, practically running down the hallway. I looked over at Adam, and he shrugged. When I tried to urge him with my eyes, it was clear that he still didn't get the hint. Letting out a long breath, I excused myself as well.

  “I'm going to make sure she's okay,” I said and cut a glance at Adam. “Somebody should.”

  “Shouldn't Adam do that?” Danielle said, her tone icy.

  “Malcolm is already up,” Adam said with a shrug. “Let him do it.”

  “Such a gentleman you are, Adam,” Danielle spat. “Remind me never to date you again.”