Relinquishing Liberty (Second Chances)

by Mayer, Maureen

  “How have you coped with it? Other than getting drunk for a week after Wade died.”

  “Well after my mom died, I was a pretty reckless kid. Always had a fucking chip on my shoulder and was constantly getting into trouble. By the time I was ten, I’m pretty sure every cop in town knew me.” He laughed heartily. I smiled, trying to imagine Shayne as a child and watching the boy with those beautiful emerald green eyes grow up. Sure he made some mistakes when he was younger, but I’m sure his mother would be proud of the man he has become.

  “But as I got older, I guess I used sex as a means to cope. It was only a temporary fix though.” He looked down, staring at his hand intently and picking at his cuticles. It was a nervous tick I was beginning to notice. I knew he wasn’t pleased with the reputation he had set up for himself, but that was in the past, and I was in no place to hold that against him.

  “So that explains why you were such a man-whore.” I gave him a wicked grin.

  He laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. Lame excuse, but it’s true.”

  I rolled over to look at the clock, and it was rapidly approaching two in the morning. After having spent the last two hours reminiscing about the loss of our loved ones, I was feeling much more optimistic and hopeful about everything. That was a first for me. For so long, I felt like I had to be the sole carrier of my pain, but Shayne helped alleviate some of the burden.

  “Shayne, we should probably try to get some sleep. I didn’t realize how late it was.”

  He let out a deep sigh. “Yeah, you’re right. I got to get up pretty early.”

  I rolled over to turn off the lamp, and Shayne reached over to pull me towards him, my back to his chest. Our bodies melded together perfectly; it was like I was made for him…just him. He placed a soft kiss against my shoulder before he whispered in my ear.

  “Sweet dreams, Liberty.”

  “Goodnight, Shayne.” I took his hand in mine to press one last kiss against his rough skin before I placed it back around my waist.

  My eyes drifted closed and I felt his slow, steady breaths brush past my ear. He had already fallen asleep, and I was on the verge of succumbing to my own deep slumber. What I heard next caused an eruption of butterflies to take flight inside me, lifting me high off the ground. The words swept over me, consuming me, drawing me even closer to him. Had I heard him correctly? Could I be dreaming? There’s no way he would’ve uttered those three breathtaking words to me so soon. But I couldn’t fight the feelings that washed over me when it finally sunk in. I knew I must be crazy for falling so hard and so fast for him, but there was no denying it. My heart began to swell at the realization…that I had already fallen completely head over heels in love with him.

  The next morning I woke up in a tangle of blankets and limbs…and not just my own. Shayne was sprawled out over the length of my body; his head nestled between my breasts, leg strategically placed between mine and arms draped over me, pinning me to the bed. I’d give anything just to spend the whole day in bed with him like this, drowning in his warmth, his touch, his scent.

  But alas, I couldn’t let Shayne be late for work and my bladder was threatening to revolt.

  I ran my fingers through his silky brown hair while his head rose and fell with every breath I took. I knew he was awake when he let a low drawn-out moan escape, clearly enjoying the soothing sensations brought on by my touch.

  “I love listening to your heartbeat.” He placed a gentle kiss just above my left breast.

  My gaze drifted down to the gorgeous emerald green eyes now peering up at me. Three words sauntered back to my mind, causing my heart to pitter-patter. Whether or not he had actually spoken those words the night before, it really didn’t matter. I had all the evidence I needed staring right back at me.

  Shayne slowly disentangled himself from me, allowing me to fully stretch my stiff muscles. I watched as he picked up the clothes he neatly folded and set on the chair beside my desk. God, he was so beautiful. His backside was just as divine as his rock-hard chest and washboard abs. I just wanted to trace my tongue along each and every ripple his muscles produced as they flexed…

  He walked over to me, swiping his thumb across the corner of my mouth. “You’re drooling a little there, sweetheart.”

  Shit, he caught me again!

  “I can’t help it. You’re built like a freakin’ Greek god!” In my opinion, the gods had nothing on him; he put their bodies to shame.

  Shayne threw his head back laughing. “Now I’m never letting you go.”

  “Was there even a possibility?”

  “Nope.” He said as he popped the “p”. He bent down to give me a quick peck on the lips, causing a huge grin to spread across my face.

  “Will you have time to call me this afternoon?”

  “Yeah, we should be back around noon, and I’ll have an hour free.”

  Good, because I had a little surprise up my sleeve for him. I walked Shayne to the door, and what started out as a simple kiss quickly became more heated. Soon he had me pushed up against the door, pressing his hard body into me and leaving a trail of delicious moist kisses along my jaw and down my neck. We finally broke apart, both panting heavily and said our goodbyes.

  I walked back to my room and tossed myself on the bed. I buried my face in the pillow he slept on, soaking in my new favorite scent: Shayne. There was a knock on my door and before I knew it, Maddie jumped on the bed almost causing me to roll off.

  “Hey lady, when did you get home?”

  “I don’t know…around four? Anyways, I don’t want to talk about me. I need the deets on your mystery man. I see he stayed the night.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively.

  “Yes, he spent the night and nothing happened. Sorry to disappoint you, Maddie.”

  “Ughhh! Seriously? You are the most sexually-frustrating couple ever! He has to be gay. Yup. That’s got to be it. There’s no other explanation.”

  I rolled my eyes at her. “He’s definitely not gay, Maddie. Not with the way he kisses me.”

  “Mmm, I bet! Wait a minute I just realized something: you had two dates in the same day. You little hoe-bag!” She threw a pillow at me, smacking me clear in the face.

  “Well, the first one didn’t really count, you know that. Luckily, I think your brother finally got the hint that nothing is ever going to happen between us. Things started off a little rocky, but I think everything is going to be fine.”

  “Well that’s good. But don’t forget…you hurt my brother and your vajayjay is going to be in a world of pain!”

  I couldn’t help the laugh that erupted from me. “Thanks for the friendly reminder.”

  “So, when do I get to meet the infamous mystery man? I tried to get a glimpse of him when he was mauling you against the front door, but I didn’t want to interrupt.”

  I ran my hands over my face trying to hide my embarrassment.

  “What? It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It was pretty hot. I was actually getting a little turned on.” She smiled and winked at me.

  This time I threw the pillow at her, but she caught it and stuck her tongue out at me. “Maddie! Jesus, you’re like a guy in a girl’s body. I swear you always have sex on the brain.”

  “Hey, don’t knock it till you try it.” She winked at me again before sliding off my bed and shutting the door behind her.

  I hated to say it, but the girl had a point. Hopefully, with the way things were going between Shayne and I, I wouldn’t be at risk of dying a virgin anymore. Okay, so maybe I wasn’t ever really at risk, but it was definitely becoming more and more difficult to control myself around him. I just wished he wasn’t so adamant about taking things slow. If that steamy kiss this morning was any indication of things to come, I’m sure I’d have no problem swaying his decision.

  Since it was still early, and I didn’t have to work until later tonight, I decided to catch up on a few ZZZ’s. When I woke up for the second time this morning, the sun was blasting through the curtains. It was just after
11, which gave me plenty of time to get ready and surprise Shayne with lunch. I quickly showered and dressed in a loose fitting purple t-shirt that hung off of one shoulder with tight denim capris and purple flip-flops. I threw my hair up in a high ponytail and decided to skip out on any makeup. Shayne had become quite a fan of seeing me “au natural”.

  I drove down to the marina just before noon and stepped out of the car with a casserole dish full of leftover chicken and dumplings. I was fascinated with all of the boats lined up along the docks and the creativity behind some of the names had me cracking up. Seriously, who names their boat “Muff Diver”? Then it dawned on me that I never asked what the name of his dad’s boat was. I continued walking aimlessly along the docks, crossing my fingers that Shayne would eventually make an appearance.

  As soon as I sat down on a bench looking out over the marina, a man came up from the cabin of one of the boats. For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me because he was the spitting image of Shayne: slightly shorter, brown hair with a dusting of grey. As I approached the boat, I saw the same emerald green eyes sparkling back at me just before he concealed them behind his aviator sunglasses. It was quite obvious that this had to be Shayne’s father.

  I looked at the rear of the boat and in beautifully scripted letters was the name “BECCA”. I stood there for a moment smiling, knowing the boat was named after Shayne’s mother.

  “Can I help you, little lady?” He said as I approached.

  I looked up at Shayne’s father, using my hand to shield the sun from eyes. “Yes sir, I was looking for Shayne.”

  “Ah, well if I didn’t know better, I’d have to say you must be Liberty. It’s nice to finally put a face to the girl my son won’t shut up about. Here, let me give you hand. He’s just finishing up filleting some fish.”

  I handed him the dish before he reached his arm out, assisting me in climbing aboard the boat.

  “Thank you, Mr. Thompson. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Shayne’s father threw back a hearty laugh. “Please, my dear, call me Ken. And the pleasure is all mine. You know, I don’t think my son was describing the same girl I see standing before me. You are so much prettier.”

  I blushed at his compliment.

  “So, what have we got here?” He peeled back the foil, sneaking a peek at what I brought.

  “I made chicken and dumplings for Shayne last night, and I had so much leftover, I figured I’d surprise him and bring him some for lunch.”

  “Yeah, and it tastes just as good as Mom’s.” Shayne appeared from the opposite side of the boat, handing the group of fishermen their freshly filleted catch of the day. He shook hands with them before they left, and his grin grew tenfold when he finally laid eyes on me.

  “Be still, my heart. I haven’t had this since before my Becca passed away.” He smiled softly, and it made my heart flutter to see the love he still shared for his wife pouring from his gaze.

  “Well, there’s plenty here. Please help yourself.”

  “Shayne, why don’t you toss this in the microwave and bring up a few plates? I’m sure Liberty wouldn’t mind enjoying some of this with us, would ya?” I really wasn’t expecting to stay, but I couldn’t pass up his thoughtful invite.

  “Sure thing, pop.” Shayne turned and winked playfully at me before descending into the cabin.

  “So Liberty, my son told me how the two of you met. I have to say, it sounds like fate to me.”

  “I don’t know about that, Mr. Thomp-…err, Ken. I guess I just wasn’t paying attention that day. I’m not really sure that falls into the category of fate.”

  “Well, it’s not every day an angel falls from the heavens above straight into a man’s arms.”

  My smile fell as my jaw dropped. I was so taken aback by his words. “Is that what Shayne said?”

  “More or less.” He chuckled.

  I was speechless. There were no words that could even come close to describing how I felt right now. Literally. No. Words.

  “My dear, don’t look so surprised. Now, I may not be the best person to be dishing out advice, but in my experience, love tends to grab a hold of you when you least expect it…the key is to never let it go.”

  “Oh, um…”

  “You don’t need to explain, Liberty. I saw the way you were looking at my son. There’s nothing but love in those beautiful brown eyes of yours the moment they connect with his.” He gave me a knowing look and grinned from ear to ear.

  “Is it that obvious?” There I go, wearing my heart on my sleeve again.

  “Liberty, these past few weeks I’ve seen a whole new side of Shayne. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen him this happy and upbeat, and I’m pretty sure I have you to thank for that. You even brought out his mother’s beautiful smile again.” He started to sound a bit choked up, and I had to look away before I became a blubbering mess.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, can you do me a favor?”

  “Sure, anything.”

  “Don’t give up on him. Things haven’t been easy for him since his mother died and now with the loss of his best friend, Wade—” Ken paused for a moment. “I know he worries that he’s going to slip back into his old ways.”

  Sadly, I knew exactly what he meant by that. I was just as worried. I placed my hand over his and gave a little reassuring squeeze. “I promise, Ken, I won’t give up on him. As long as he doesn’t give up on me.”

  Ken nodded in approval, and Shayne reappeared, diverting our attention to the reheated food he was carrying towards us. His dad was right. Shayne’s smile was so bright, he was practically glowing. He had this aura emanating from him, and it was impossible not to share in his happiness. Was that really because of me?

  We ate while chatting about everything: family, work, school. Ken made it his mission to find out as much as possible about me before they had to head out again. I explained to him my situation at home, about my brother’s suicide, how I had to drop out of school to help my family. Shayne’s interest peaked when I mentioned the possibility of going back to school for Marine Biology.

  “You know Liberty, Savannah State University offers a Marine Science program. I actually considered getting a degree in that before I finally dove into the deep sea fishing business. You should take a look into it.”

  “Thanks, Ken. I might just do that.”

  “Well, I’ll give you kids some privacy before we have to head out. And the chicken and dumplings were exceptional, Liberty. I think my wife finally has some competition.”

  As he stood to leave, I moved forward to shake his hand, but was surprised when he opened his arms to embrace me in a strong, fatherly hug. He whispered into my ear, “Remember what I said.” When he pulled back to look me in the eyes, I smiled and nodded.

  When his father was out of sight, Shayne moved closer, snaking his arms around my waist and burying his face in my neck. “Thank you for surprising me, Liberty. I wasn’t sure when I’d get to see you again this week.”

  “Well, I missed you. Plus I didn’t want all that food to go to waste. Maddie had some, but she eats like a bird, and there was no way I was eating it all by myself.”

  “Well I guess you made the right decision then. So what do you think of my dad?”

  “He’s great, Shayne. I can see why the two of you are so close. I’m really glad you have someone like him in your life.”

  He gently brushed a few strands of hair that came loose from my ponytail behind my ear. “Well, you better get used to him because he’s a part of your life now, too.”

  “Yeah, I was surprised that he already knew who I was. I see you’ve been talking to him about me, huh?”

  “Maybe a little.” He gently pressed a kiss on my forehead. “And everything I told him was true.”

  His eyes gazed into mine lovingly, and looking away proved to be impossible. Shayne was like my own personal drug; I couldn’t help but become deliciously drunk on him. I reached up and wrapped my arms around
his neck, burying my fingers in the silky strands of his hair and drawing him closer until our lips melded together. My tongue ran along his bottom lip, begging for entrance and he willingly obliged.

  I tried to convey everything I felt for him in that kiss; everything that I was too afraid to put into words. I knew that I loved him. No. It was so much more than that. But I wasn’t ready to take that step just yet, for fear that I might scare him off. Our relationship had only just begun and if I lost him now…

  I didn’t even want to think about it. Not right now. Not when I was floating on cloud nine while he held me close and consumed me with such fire and passion. Just the idea of Shayne being nothing more than a faded memory caused a horrible tightness to pull in my chest. How was that even possible? God, I was already in too deep.

  I didn’t deserve this wonderful man.

  It wasn’t until the suggestive whistles and catcalls drifted towards us from the other fishermen on boats nearby that we finally broke apart. Of course he had to make a show of it, slowly dipping me before he brought me back up for air. This man sure knew how to take my breath away.

  “I’m taking you out Friday night.” It was more of a statement than a question.

  I was still trying to catch my breath. “You…you are?”

  “Yup. Dinner, drinks, dancing. The whole works.”

  “Wow. And here I was beginning to think you were keeping our relationship a secret from the world.” My statement was dripping in sarcasm. Shayne and I had yet to take our relationship outside of my apartment and his house. Not because either one of us were ashamed to be seen with each other. We were still in the early stages of getting to know one another and preferred the privacy.

  “Fuck no! I want to show you off, sweetheart. Make everyone else jealous that I have the…” He pressed his warm lips against my jaw. “Most.” He leaned in further, kissing me softly behind the ear. “Gorgeous.” Now his lips trailed down my throat, darting his velvety tongue out against my rapidly throbbing pulse. “Girlfriend.” He breathed the words against my mouth before his lips captured mine, and I melted in his arms.