Second Chance Seduction

by Monica Richardson

  Edward unbuttoned the top button of his cardigan. “There’s no problem.”

  “Well, you don’t have to talk to me about it.” Nyle smiled. “Why don’t you go tell her? She’s at a place called Dirty Martini. It’s a club where the youngsters hang out. Not far from here, and I have a friend who can drive you there.”

  It hadn’t taken much convincing before Edward was in the backseat of a cab and headed to get his woman. There was some reluctance to leave Chloe with Nyle, but he didn’t have a choice. He hoped that Savannah wouldn’t be too upset about his rash decision. But he was prepared for anything, even if she turned him away.

  * * *

  Now as they stepped into her flat, the aroma of onions and garlic filled the home. Nyle stood at the stove stirring a pot of something, and Chloe stood on a step stool beside her. Savannah obviously hadn’t picked up her mother’s cooking skills, Edward thought. But he hoped that Chloe would. She tossed vegetables into the pot that Nyle stirred. They were both singing the lyrics of an Adele song. Edward and Savannah stood in the doorway for a moment and observed the duo. When Chloe finally spotted her mother, she hopped from the stool and into Savannah’s arms.

  “Mommy!”

  “Oh, little girl, I’ve missed you!” Savannah showered her face with kisses. “What are you doing?”

  “Me and Gigi are making lamb soup!”

  “You and Gigi?” Savannah glanced at Nyle.

  “Sounds much more glamorous than Grandmum.”

  “What else have you and Gigi done today?” Savannah asked.

  “We danced.” Chloe waved her hands in the air.

  “I see,” said Savannah. “I’ve missed you so much!”

  “Missed you, too, Mommy.”

  “Now this is the first smile that I’ve seen in weeks. You two have made her happy again.” Nyle smiled gently. “Why don’t you two go find something to do? Let Chloe and me finish dinner.” She pushed them both out of the kitchen. “Go. Go have some fun.”

  * * *

  Edward and Savannah did just that. They started with a walk to the Tube and hopped onto it.

  “Where are we going?” Edward asked.

  “I don’t know. Anywhere!” She smiled.

  They took the Tube to one of London’s rooftop bars. They sipped martinis at the legendary Dukes Hotel bar, and then took the Tube to one of London’s oldest wine bars and snagged a table in the dark cave-like bar. A candle burned in the center of the table. They grabbed a wine list and ordered a bottle of Riesling, with a cheese plate to share. Edward couldn’t help gazing at the beautiful woman who sat across from him at the table. His eyes wouldn’t leave her.

  “You’re staring,” she reminded him.

  “I can’t help it.” Edward reached into his pocket and pulled the engagement ring out. He needed to do this sooner than later, couldn’t afford any more missed opportunities. “I love you, Savannah. I never stopped loving you. My heart was ripped apart when you left, but I didn’t have the guts to tell you that I couldn’t live without you.”

  Savannah covered her mouth as she hung on every word.

  “I don’t care about Quinn. I never have, and if she makes you uncomfortable, she’s history. I just want my family back.” He looked her deeply in her eyes. “Savannah Carrington, will you marry me? Again?” he asked.

  The ringing of her phone interrupted their moment. Savannah looked at the screen. “I have to get it. It’s Nyle.”

  “Give me an answer first.”

  She held her finger in the air and answered the call. “Hello.”

  “Savannah, it’s me. Chloe’s running a really high fever, a hundred and five, and I think I should take her to the emergency room. She doesn’t look good.”

  “Yes, yes, you should take her. Where’s the nearest hospital?”

  “Chelsea and Westminster.”

  “We’ll meet you there,” said Savannah. She hung up. “Chloe’s running a fever of a hundred and five. We have to go!”

  Edward took care of the check and the two rushed outside and hopped into a cab.

  Chapter 26

  When they arrived at the hospital, Aunt Frances greeted them in the waiting room.

  “Aunt Frances!” Savannah exclaimed. When she didn’t see Nyle, she suspected that her mother had ditched Chloe and disappeared again. It was her style. “What are you doing here?”

  “Nyle called me. She was frantic,” said Aunt Frances.

  “She pawned Chloe off on you?”

  “No, dear. She’s in there with her right now. She hasn’t left her side.” Aunt Frances pointed. “Down the hall on the right.”

  Savannah didn’t wait for the room number. She quickly trotted down the long hallway with shiny buffed floors. Edward struggled to keep up. She peeked into every room until she found her daughter’s. Chloe was sound asleep, but Nyle was next to her bed. She stood when they walked in.

  “The doctors managed to get her fever down. Her bronchitis has progressed into pneumonia. They’re going to keep her.”

  “Oh my God! Her bronchitis was cleared up weeks ago.” She turned to Edward. “Did she get sick again?”

  “I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want you to worry.” Edward gave her a sheepish look.

  “How could you not tell me?” She stormed toward the door, “I need to see the doctor.”

  “He’s gone for the night, honey. He’ll be back in the morning,” said Nyle. “But you can speak with her nurse.”

  Edward covered his face. “I shouldn’t have brought her here. She wasn’t well enough to travel. This is my fault.”

  “I shouldn’t have left her,” Savannah said. “What mother leaves her child?”

  “Both of you can stop,” said Nyle. “It’s nobody’s fault. You both just need to focus on getting little Chloe well.”

  Edward wrapped his arm around Savannah, pulled her close. “I’m going for a cup of coffee. Can I bring either of you something back?”

  “No, thank you,” they said in unison.

  * * *

  After spending a few days at the hospital, Chloe’s condition seemed to worsen. Both Nyle and Savannah refused to leave her side. It was there that the mother-daughter duo began their hard conversations, as Savannah described to her mother how she’d let her down.

  “Each time you left, you took a piece of me with you.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I hated you. I didn’t respect you. I pretended you were dead.”

  “I deserved that.” Nyle sat up in the uncomfortable chair that she’d been sleeping in for days. She stretched her legs.

  “But then something clicked when I got older. I felt like I was incomplete without it. Felt like I needed to come here and...complete myself. Like somehow, you would make me a whole person,” said Savannah. “When all along, I was already complete. I already had everything that I needed.”

  “I’m glad you came anyway,” Nyle said.

  “So that you could humiliate me by getting me thrown out onto the street in the middle of the night?” Savannah spat. “You’re too old for your shenanigans.”

  “You’re absolutely right.”

  Nyle apologized to Savannah for not being a good mother, or a mother at all, for that matter. And she promised that her behavior would change. Chloe had somehow touched her heart, and she wanted to be a better example for her granddaughter.

  “Something happened to me when little Chloe walked into that door the other day,” said Nyle. “I hope that you will allow me to love her.”

  “What about loving me?” Savannah stood in a huff. She stormed out of the room.

  She needed to breathe. She had just unleashed a lifetime of emotions and thoughts onto Nyle in a matter of days. Suddenly she felt a sense of releas
e. Exhaled. How dare her—wanting to love Chloe! She didn’t deserve the privilege, and Savannah wouldn’t allow it. She would deny her this time. She’d been on the receiving end of Nyle’s grief; now it was her turn. Make her feel what she’d endured her whole life—wanting to love someone, but not being allowed to do so.

  * * *

  Within a few days, Chloe’s condition had progressed a bit and she was out of the woods. Finally, the doctor thought she was getting better, and she would be released from the hospital with a prescription for antibiotics and an order for plenty of fluids and rest. Nyle wanted to stay with her on her last night.

  “Why don’t you leave her with me for the night. She’s doing much better, and you two could use a break,” Nyle told Savannah and Edward. “Go enjoy this romantic city. There’s nothing wrong with finding love a second time.”

  Savannah was hesitant at first. She’d already told herself that she wouldn’t allow Nyle to spend any quality time with Chloe. But the truth was, she needed a good night’s rest—something other than being cramped in a leather chair in the corner of a hospital room. And she needed to be alone with Edward—badly.

  “If anything goes wrong, anything at all, you call me,” Savannah warned. “If she coughs funny, I wanna know about it.”

  “I promise.”

  “Okay.” Savannah gave Nyle a half smile. “We’re leaving.”

  She kissed Chloe on the forehead and explained that she would be there first thing in the morning to take her home.

  “Are you okay if Mommy leaves?” she asked.

  “Is Gigi staying?”

  “Yes. She’s going to stay with you.”

  “Okay.” Chloe almost smiled. She was comfortable staying with Gigi. The two had become old chums by the end of the week.

  “Try to get some rest,” said Savannah. “I love you.”

  “Love you, too, Mommy.”

  Edward tapped his cheek for Chloe to kiss him. She did. “See you in the morning, sweetheart,” he told her.

  He managed to pry Savannah away from the room and get her into a cab.

  At Savannah’s rented flat, they sipped on some aged wine, a bottle that Savannah had saved for a special occasion. Savannah spread a blanket on the living room floor while Edward placed wood in the fireplace. He lay on the floor and beckoned for Savannah to join him.

  “Come here, love.”

  She collapsed onto the floor and found safety in his arms. His lips met hers and he lifted her shirt, placed his cold hand against her skin. He squeezed her right breast. He pulled her shirt over her head and then unhooked her bra. He slowly unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them off, slipped his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties and sank them deep into her sweetness. She moaned.

  He buried his face in the crease of her neck and gently kissed her shoulder. He left a trail of kisses between her breasts before taking one between his lips. He licked her nipple and then kissed the other one with the same tenderness. He nibbled on her navel and planted kisses between her thighs. When she felt his tongue dancing, she curled her toes. He savored the taste of her and drove her crazy. He moved his lips back up to hers and kissed her tenderly. He eased himself inside her and made love to her on the floor in front of the fireplace.

  She hadn’t given Edward an answer to his marriage proposal. She had been too afraid. Afraid that they were rushing into things, that their lives would be too complicated or that they would fail at marriage again.

  “I want you to come home,” Edward whispered. “We can make this work.”

  “What makes you so sure? It didn’t work the first time.”

  “I was young and stupid. But now I get it. Now I’m ready to make the sacrifices,” said Edward. “I never stopped loving you, Savannah. But I didn’t realize it until we were in the Bahamas.”

  “What about Quinn?”

  “She told me what she did. She answered my phone and lied about what was going on. Nothing ever happened between us, Savannah. Not ever. You have to believe me,” he said.

  She searched his eyes, as if looking for the truth. “I believe you.”

  He exhaled. He needed to hear those words.

  “What about the campaign?” she asked.

  “I don’t want to run for office. Not if it means compromising my family. You and Chloe are my family. And baby, I choose you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” said Edward.

  “I choose you, too,” she said.

  He vowed to give her whatever she wanted just to have her in his life. He kissed her lips. “I’ll take care of you. Protect you.”

  “You promise?”

  “I promise.”

  “Then, yes. I will marry you again.”

  The ramifications of their love, they would consider later. But for now, he had her, and she had him.

  Chapter 27

  Chloe had finally left the hospital, and Savannah had already made the decision to return to Florida. There were a few loose ends she needed to tie up before leaving London. She needed to visit the doctor’s office where she worked, turn in her notice of employment termination and say goodbye to her friends—the ones Edward had met at the club that night. She also needed to meet with the fellow whom she’d rented the flat from, to end their rental arrangement.

  As soon as Savannah left to tend to her errands, Edward, Nyle and Chloe had prepared a traditional English meal, and finished it. By midafternoon, Nyle had given Edward a hard lesson in the game of bridge. He was the king of spades and knew bid whist like the back of his hand, but bridge was a game he had never played. As he sat there, he knew that he hadn’t quite mastered the game. Chloe, with a baseball cap turned backward on her head, kept score.

  The music was loud as a British rap artist spewed his lyrics, and Nyle sipped on a Bloody Mary. She laughed long and hard when Edward lost yet another hand.

  “Okay, off with the pants!” she said.

  “I’m not taking my pants off, Nyle. This isn’t strip bridge.” Edward sipped his Bloody Mary. “I’ll take off a sock.”

  “A sock?” Nyle pouted. “That’s it?”

  “That’s it.”

  “What do you think, madam?” she asked Chloe.

  “A sock is fine.” Chloe covered her mouth and giggled. She sipped apple juice through a straw.

  “Okay, fine,” said Nyle. “Off with it.”

  Edward removed his trouser sock, slapped it onto the table. “There!”

  * * *

  By four o’clock, the trio had become old friends. The music was so loud and they were so engaged in the game of bridge, they didn’t even hear Savannah walk through the door.

  “Edward?” she asked.

  Edward stood, barefoot and shirtless.

  “Mommy!” Chloe yelled and rushed into Savannah’s arms.

  “Hi, baby. Looks like you’re feeling better,” said Savannah. “Edward, what’s going on?”

  “We were just playing a game of bridge.”

  “Nyle, you’ve been smoking in the house,” Savannah said.

  Nyle gave her a sheepish grin. “I’m sorry, darling.”

  Savannah sighed. “I quit my job today, and I called Rolf and told him that I’d be moving out of the flat. What will you do?”

  “Oh, don’t worry about me. I’ll go soften up Aunt Frances. That old woman won’t let me sleep on the street.”

  “I’m going to pack my things.”

  Edward put his shirt back on, buttoned it and followed Savannah to her bedroom, tapped on the door. He pulled the door open. She sat on the edge of the bed. When he walked in and shut the door behind him, she stood and busied herself around the room.

  “Savannah. I know when you walked in...it looked like...”

  “
Like you and Nyle were having a pretty good afternoon, and you were half naked in my living room.”

  “I like her. She’s cool.” Edward laughed, but then dropped his smile when he saw that Savannah was not amused.

  Tears burned Savannah’s eyes. “It was a mistake coming here.”

  Edward grabbed her and held on to her. Kissed her tears away. “I don’t think it was a mistake. I think it was necessary for you to come here, spend some time with her.”

  She looked at him with surprise. “I don’t know.”

  “None of us is perfect, Savannah. She was a lousy mother, but she’s an okay person. And she loves you. Loves Chloe, too.”

  “I know.”

  “Don’t judge her too harshly.” He pulled her close to him. Wrapped his arms tightly around her. His lips found hers. His tongue danced against hers. He grabbed her face in his hands and looked into her brown eyes. “She’s a trip, though. You know that, right?”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” said Savannah. “She’s a piece of work.”

  “Yes.”

  “She damn near charmed you out of your drawers.”

  “She didn’t charm me out of my drawers.”

  “Almost.”

  Edward kissed her lips again. He was glad to have her back in his arms and his life. And soon they would share the same home again. He knew that, with love, they could handle most anything.

  Chapter 28

  Leaving London was bittersweet for Savannah. She and her mother hadn’t bonded as she’d hoped, and she wasn’t sure that they ever would. But Nyle and Chloe had connected. It was the first time her mother had displayed anything maternal, and she almost hated to separate the two of them.

  “I’ll come visit,” Nyle told Chloe.

  “You promise?” asked Chloe as she held on to her Gigi.

  “I promise, little one. Don’t you worry.”

  It was the same promise that Savannah had heard from Nyle her entire life. Chloe would be just as disappointed as she’d been as a child. Waiting for Nyle to return, but she never would.

  “If you happen to be in the States, look us up.” Savannah gave her mother a quick hug and broke away just as quickly. Tears filled her eyes, but she hid them. She knew that this would be the last time she’d pursue her mother again. She had finally accepted that Nyle Carrington would never change, and that she would never be the mother she needed in her life. She had come to terms with that.