Second Chance (A Secret Baby Romance Novel)

by Carter, Charity

  ‘Well, she’s not married to a supermodel, and she doesn’t have a bunch of kids running around. She does have one kid, though. A ten-year-old son.”

  Justin grinned. “Good. I bet that felt like a punch in the gut knowing that she took off, met someone, and had his baby.”

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much exactly what it felt like until I found out what the true story is.”

  “The true story?” Mikey asked. “What does that mean?”

  I tried to contain my smile but I couldn’t. “The ten-year-old boy is my son.”

  * * *

  “Good morning Chance,” Dana said as I sat down at the counter of the diner. “You want your usual this morning?”

  “No, just coffee at the moment. I’m meeting someone here this morning,” I told her as I looked down at my watch. “Actually, she should be getting here any time now.”

  “Okay, I’ll grab your coffee and then I’ll be back to take your food order once your friend arrives.”

  A few minutes passed, and I was about to check my watch again when I heard Dana yell out. “Latrice Walker? Is that you? What in the world are you doing back in Kansas City?”

  I slid around on the stool to watch her walk in. Everyone else in the diner turned to look too, and it didn’t take long for the yells and catcalls to begin. I’d nearly forgotten how popular she had been with everyone.

  My heart started to race, and my jaw began to tighten when I saw a couple of guys we’d gone to school with checking her out. Years ago, it was simply a known fact that she was with me and was off-limits to everyone else. Apparently, she was now fair game. It was hard to blame them, though. She looked great.

  Thinking about our past caused a slight erection to strain against the crotch of my pants. I didn’t know how in the hell I was going to hide it. I was feeling a need that I hadn’t felt in over a decade. One that only she could fill. I wanted her.

  Every part of her.

  I wanted to smell her. Taste her. Touch her soft cocoa skin and feel every curve her body had to offer.

  Just looking at the way the swell of her breasts looked in her outfit, and the way her vivacious hips contrasted in comparison to her small waist was enough to make me gasp. I hadn’t realized that I’d stopped breathing while I was taking in her appearance.

  “Is that her, Chance? Are you meeting Latrice this morning?” Dana asked as she put down my coffee cup.

  “It sure is.”

  “Cool. Are you guys going to be sitting here at the counter or do you want me to put you in a booth?”

  There was a question that I had all the wrong answers too. At that particular moment, I’d had loved to have taken Latrice on the booth instead of in one. I could picture her lying naked on one of the tables, spread out and waiting for me to enter her.

  I shook my head to bring myself back to reality. Of course, I had always been sexually attracted to Latrice, but I’d never thought about her as much as I had in the previous 16 hours. I don’t know why I was fantasizing about her so much, but I was pretty sure that it was because she had always been mine when we were together. Things had become a lot different. She didn’t belong to me any longer, and I wanted her badly.

  I almost couldn’t stand the thought of her not being mine anymore.

  If anyone tried to put their hands on her, I’d feel sorry for them because of what I’d do to them. Yep, I could imagine myself slamming him against the wall and knocking the living hell out of someone if they tried to make a move on her.

  “Chance?”

  I knew Dana was waiting for me to answer her so she could seat us. I took a look around and made a quick decision.

  “Why don’t you go ahead and sit us in the booth in the back so we can have a little privacy. She and I have a lot to catch up on.”

  After making sure I’d taken control of my body, specifically my erection, I got up off the stool and walked over to Latrice, where she was flanked by a number of people, including the two guys who were trying to hit on her.

  “Good morning, Latrice,” I said, not caring that I was breaking into her conversations. “Thanks for meeting me this morning.”

  Everyone in the diner went silent, and all eyes were turned to us. There weren’t many people there who weren’t aware of the history between Latrice and me.

  “I’ve got us a table over here,” I continued. “Let’s get some breakfast and discuss things so I can get to the station.”

  * * *

  Latrice

  I slid into the soft padded seat that had several holes that had been taped up. Chance slid in across from me. I don’t know why, but I was feeling incredibly nervous. Having Chance so close was doing something to me. I was feeling the same thing I felt when I was in his office the day before. It annoyed me that no matter how many bad feelings or how much resentment I’d felt towards him for years, I still couldn’t stop myself from wanting to be with him, especially after so much time had passed.

  It had to be lust. I don’t know what else it could have been. I knew that I wasn’t in love with him anymore. When he picked the streets over me, I stopped feeling love for him. At the same time, I was feeling an ache and desire for him that was so familiar. I’d waken up the night before gasping for air and drenched in sweat after a particularly hot dream I was having about him.

  I wasn’t sure how to feel about any of it. Standing in my kitchen with a cold glass of water, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t let dreams bother me. I was sure I only had them because of our unexpected meeting, which caused him to be in mind. Besides, his body was still familiar even though he’d filled out quite a bit. Larger and more muscular, but still the same guy. Of course, that might be because I’ve never had much time for dating since working and raising my son kept me so busy. The dates I was actually able to go on seemed like such a waste of time, especially when you considered I’d never felt a connection with anyone like I felt with Chance.

  “More coffee, Chance?” Dana asked as she came over to our table. I remembered a bit about her from high school. She was the head cheerleader, so her clique didn’t really spend much time with mine. She was using a sweet, feminine voice with Chance and was smiling an almost seductive smile. She had hunger in her eyes when she looked Chance. He either didn’t notice or was doing an amazing job at acting like he didn’t.

  “Yes, please,” he answered, holding his cup up so she could fill it.

  “Can I get you anything?” she asked, turning her attention to me. Her tone had changed and had become unfriendly, almost cold.

  For some reason, I was feeling jealous, even though I had no reason to. The relationship between Chance and I had ended so long ago, and I had no intentions of trying to rekindle it, regardless of how he was making me feel. I sighed and was about to answer her when Chance cut me off.

  “Get her a cup of coffee with two sugars and a bit of milk.”

  “Okay. Here are your menus. I’ll be back to get your order.”

  I watched as the waitress made her way back to the kitchen before leaning in to whisper to Chance. “I’m so not going to deal with your girlfriends giving me dirty looks like that.”

  “My girlfriends? What are you going on about?” he asked, lifting his head up from the menu. “Are you talking about Dana? I’ve never had anything with her.”

  I straightened up in my seat. Somehow, hearing him say that he and the waitress weren’t a thing relaxed me. I looked around and watched as she took an order at another table. She was wearing a short skirt that showed off her long legs.

  “Well, she sure has a thing for you.”

  “You’re crazy, you know that?”

  “I’m not crazy. It’s as clear as day. That girl has the hots for you.”

  I watched as his sour expression turned into just a hint of a smile. He apparently liked the idea of someone having the hots for him. I’m just glad he couldn’t read my mind.

  “How would you even know that? You’ve been gone for so long; you don’
t even know these people anymore.”

  “You don’t have to know someone to be able to read them. I’m a woman, Chance. I can tell these things.” I decided not to add the fact that I knew what it was like to have the hots for him.

  * * *

  All I could do was nod at Latrice. She was a woman all right. There sure wasn’t any denying that. A damn fine woman at that. I took a look over at the table that Dana was serving at the same time that she was looking back towards me. She flashed a flirty smile in my direction. It was the same smile that she’d flashed me many times before. I felt so dumb since I never picked up on it before, but it suddenly made a lot of things make sense.

  “That’s odd. I never noticed it before,” I said, turning my attention back to Latrice.

  “That’s exactly the thing I’d expect a man to say,” she replied. She started to say something else, but Dana showed up at the table with our coffee. She quickly took our order and scurried off to give it to the cook. “After all this time, you still remember how I drink my coffee.”

  “Well, when it comes to a woman I was madly in love with, even little things like that can’t be forgotten.”

  * * *

  Latrice

  I decided it would be better not to comment on what he’d just said. What he said had so much truth in it that it freaked me out a little. I knew what it was like to be in love with him. I had been madly in love with Chance in every way that a woman could be in love.

  Avoiding eye contact as much as I could, I sipped from my coffee cup. There were all kinds of feelings starting to stir inside of me that I didn’t want there. I had to keep reminding myself how much Chance had hurt me in the past. I’d never fully gotten over it and me sure as hell didn’t have any intention of letting him do it again. I knew I needed to make sure my guard was up at all times.

  When I looked up from my cup, I noticed that Chance was still watching me. His eyes were as alluring as they’d ever been, but they were different. They were warmer than I’d remembered and it made me feel connected to him. I didn’t want to feel that connection, but the truth was, we’d always be connected. Our son, CJ, was our connection.

  “So how is your family?” I asked, desperately looking for a safe subject to speak about.

  “They’re really good. My folks are doing well, and I told my brothers you were back in town. They were more than happy to give me a ton of trouble about it.”

  “Good. You had it coming, and you know it.”

  “Yeah, I probably did. Anyway, I don’t have a lot of time, and my family isn’t what I want to talk about. I want to talk about CJ. I want you to tell me about him. I want to know how things were when he was born.”

  So much for me trying to make small talk. I’d hoped that we’d be able to ease into the conversation, but it appeared that he had no interest in that.

  “Is there anything you’d like to know specifically?”

  “No, I just want to know everything there is to know.”

  “Well, CJ wasn’t a very big baby. He weighed 6 lbs., 2 ounces, but he was so long. I couldn’t believe how long he was when he came out of me. From the second I first laid eyes on him, I could tell he looked like his daddy. I knew from the first breath he took that no matter how far away we were from each other, he was definitely a part of you. As a matter of fact, him looking so much like you was why I gave him your name.”

  “I appreciate the fact that you did that,” he said after an extended silence. “Have you told him that he’s named after his dad or anything?”

  “Yes, he knows, which was why I was freaking out a little bit yesterday. When I was still on my way to the station, I was scared that he’d either told you his name or that you told him yours. It’s not like there’s a ton of people out there with the name Chance. Luckily for me, everyone just referred to you as Officer Sparks.”

  “Yeah, very few people refer to me as Chance anymore. Just my family and closest friends. It’s probably a good thing he didn’t give me his name yesterday. I would have been able to piece things together pretty easily.”

  We sat in silence for quite a while, neither of us sure about where we wanted the conversation to go next. Eventually, he broke the silence.

  “I know you didn’t want me to say anything to anyone, but I told my brothers about CJ last night. I told my parents too,” he told me, almost boasting.

  Disappointment and anxiety filled me. I felt like it was in both of our best interests if only the two of us knew, but I should have known better. He was never one to be able to keep a secret.

  “What did they say?”

  “Well, they pretty much had the same reaction as I did. They were taken off-guard and shocked. They would all like to meet him.”

  “I’m sure they would. Anyway, I’ve been thinking about what you suggested yesterday.”

  “Yeah? What have you decided?”

  “I think we should try it as I’m not sure there’ll be any other way for you and CJ to bond if I don’t agree to do it. With that said, I believe that there needs to be an understanding between us.”

  “What’s that?”

  “This little thing we’re going to do, it’s just going to be an act. It will be strictly for show. After everything that happened between us, I don’t think I could allow myself to ever have feelings for you again. I don’t think a real relationship would ever be able to happen. I’m doing this for CJ, and that’s it.”

  Chance cocked his head like he was confused and looked at me. I’m sure he was trying to figure out how I was so sure I would never want to be in a relationship with him. I was just thankful he didn’t want to argue with me. I knew his main priority was getting to know his son, and he wasn’t going to let anything get in his way.

  “Yeah, I can agree with that. Anyway, when are you planning to let CJ in on the fact that I’m his dad?”

  “I’m taking him out to dinner tonight. I figure it might be better to break the news to him out in public.”

  “You’re probably right. I’m glad you’re telling him so soon. We can probably put our plan into motion in the next couple of days then. Just keep me in the loop and let me know how it goes. I think we’re doing the right thing.”

  “I hope we are. I just hope this whole thing doesn’t backfire on us.”

  In my heart, I wasn’t so sure.

  Chapter Four

  Chance

  “Where the hell is that boy?” I asked myself as I looked up at the clock. I’d told CJ to come to the station right after school, but he was nowhere to be found. The school was less than a mile away, and it had been nearly an hour since school was dismissed.

  When I met with Latrice that morning, she informed me that CJ didn’t like to take the bus and chose to ride his bike to school instead. She also let me know that she confirmed with him that he was to leave school and immediately come to the station. Since he was on a bike, he should have made the trip in less than fifteen minutes. I was beginning to think that he was going to do whatever he wanted, even if that meant blatantly disrespecting his mother by going against her wishes.

  I could have called Latrice easily, but I didn’t want to bother her. I knew she was busy working so she wouldn’t know where he was either. There was no point in worrying her by letting her know CJ hadn’t arrived. If worse came to worse, I’d go out and find him myself. In the middle of that thought, my phone rang with a call from the lobby.

  “Yeah?” I answered.

  “Officer Sparks, that Walker kid just walked in.”

  “Thanks. Let him know I’ll be out there in a minute.”

  I let out a sigh of relief that he’d actually shown up. I hated to hear him referred to as the Walker did, though. He should have been a Sparks. Once the dust settled on everything, I planned on making that the first thing to be changed.

  I grabbed some paperwork that I was going to have CJ file and walked towards the lobby. My mouth dropped open as soon as I saw my son standing there. His nose and lip were blo
odied, his shirt was torn to shreds, and his pants were muddied.

  “Jesus, kid. What the hell happened to you?”

  “I fell off my bike while riding over here. It’s no big deal.”

  I looked over at Officer McKade, who was manning the front desk at the moment. We both knew bullshit when we heard it, and his explanation reeked of bullshit.

  “You fell off your bike? You seem pretty agile to me. Don’t really seem like the type who would fall down doing something so easily. You wouldn’t be lying to me would you?”

  I was trying to elicit a response in CJ and I got exactly what I’d been hoping for. I’d made him angry, and I’d done it with very little effort. All I did was challenge what he’d told me and it set him off. There was a fire burning in his eyes, and his nostrils began to flare.

  “I just fell off the bike. That can happen to anyone,” he snapped.

  “That’s true, but we both know that you didn’t fall off your bike today, so why don’t we cut the shit and actually tell me what happened?”

  I wanted to snap back at him, but I decided it would be in my best interest to remain calm, cool, and collected. I work with kids on a daily basis, and it was clear as day that he’d be in a fight.

  “I don’t have to tell you a damn thing.”

  I grabbed a chair, turned it backward and sat down facing the boy. “Oh, you cuss too. Must think you’re grown. If there’s one thing you’re going to learn it’s to respect me. I’ve got mountains of paperwork and nowhere to be. We can sit here all night and until morning if we need to, but eventually you’re going to tell me how you ended up like that.”

  CJ decided he wanted to be defiant, so he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor, determined that he wasn’t going to be the one to blink first. He had no clue who he was dealing with, but he figured it out soon enough. As the seconds were turning into minutes, he gave in, although he did so defiantly.