Last Time We Kissed_A Second Chance Romance

by Nicole Snow

  This ring has been my secret, my longing, my unrealized dream for too fucking long.

  No more. It's the key to everything. It's the reset button, the deed to her heart, the promise I never gave up, even when I thought I'd suffer alone without her until somebody got through Hayden's biker buddies, and snuffed out my life.

  It's what I've always wanted, what I've always needed. Second only to the baby I swore I'd put inside her one fine day.

  It's the next fifty years, or maybe longer. Every day I've got left on this rock drawing breath, and every day I'm privileged just to taste her lips.

  “Ms. Plomb is here and waiting in the front sitting room, Master Luke.” Hayden's valet, Reed, knocks gently on the bathroom door. “Shall I bring a bottle of wine up from the cellar?”

  “Hold the drinks,” I say, brushing back a few stray hairs on my head before I pop the door and walk out. “When we're ready, I'll let you know. Tell Hayds and his girl I'd like a little privacy, too.”

  “Certainly.” He gives me a respectful nod, and then I'm on my way, heading down the marble halls of my brother's condo, more like a museum than a proper living place.

  Hayd's style has always been grand and proper. It will clash. The reunion I have planned is a lot more rough and tumble.

  I stop at the entryway and stare a minute later. She's on her phone, and doesn't see me for a few blissful seconds.

  Blissful because I get to drink her in like a fine wine.

  There's the long blonde hair I missed. The grey eyes I remember lighting my fire, the only flame I had most prison nights. There's her bottom lip tucked into her mouth, begging to be bit, sucked, and tasted. Everything I imagined and missed when I wanted to stay sane, or just drive myself crazier, thinking I'd probably rot in my cell without ever having again.

  “Ahem.” I clear my throat. She looks up, startled.

  “Luke!” I wait until she's on her feet before I'm on her.

  Then she's in my arms, and our lips are all over the damned place.

  Nothing ever tasted as good as she does now. Our loss, our longing, and our fresh new hope sinks through me, marinating my soul.

  Yeah, I know that sounds like some flowery crap. The kind a man says when he's smitten. Overwhelmed.

  Fuck it, I am. I press her up against the colorful rocks in the mantle that dominates the room, drinking my fill with every kiss. I missed this like the beat of my own heart as a free man, and I tell her with my mouth.

  “It's been too long,” she whispers, after a good minute, as soon as I let her come up for air. “I'm so sorry, Luke. I never should've let you go. If only I'd questioned her sooner...”

  Her eyes shut painfully. I let her have a moment, running her little palm on my face, feeling the smoothness after I shaved away the angry scruff prison left me. Tears dance wild in her eyes when she opens them, sorrow and regret competing for the upper hand.

  Doesn't she get it yet? We've had our hurt. There's no time for more.

  “Enough, babe.” I catch her wrist in my grip, pressing my fingers into her soft skin. “You didn't know. You did right. If it wasn't for you and my brothers, I wouldn't be in front of you today, turning the rest of this fucked up world upright.”

  She tilts her head, smiling, resting her eyes in forgiveness before she speaks. “I'm not finished yet. Not until you're back in the film, playing my Miles. Social media's eating up our story, at least. Check it out. You're a hero.”

  She holds up her phone with a grin. My face fills the screen of an online gossip rag in a Facebook post, a headline screaming over the image in red caps: HE'S FREE! HOLLYWOOD HEARTHROB WANTS TO PLAY MILES BLACK AGAIN, AND YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHY!

  I snort, and push her hand away. “What if I wanted to say fuck the movie, and do something better with my life?”

  Her face goes pale. I let it for a few seconds before I bust a smile. “It really has been forever, hasn't it? You've clearly forgotten my sense of humor, little bird.”

  “Ass!” She punches me playfully in the arm. I grab her around the waist, spin her around, and bring her back into the center of the room, behind the big sofa. I'll need the extra clearance around us for the next part.

  “I'd be lost without you, and you know it. I'll read it later. Right now, I'm a lot more interested in giving those chattering bastards something else to add to their story.”

  “Oh, yeah?” She wiggles her eyebrows, bracing for another gag on my end.

  I've never been more serious. I stuff my hand into my pocket, fish out the tiny leather box, and drop to my knees. Grabbing her hand, I give her a look that obliterates the past, and shows her the future shining in my eyes.

  “Robbi, when I was cooped up in there for the shit I didn't do, I promised myself one thing if I got out. Swore I'd bring a clean slate, and I wouldn't wait a minute longer than I had to. This is it.” I suppress a smile as I see the awe in her eyes, mustering my focus for the most important part. “This is no ordinary ring. I had it five years ago, meant to put it on your finger then, before everything went to hell. That didn't happen, and I kept it. This ring came with me like a friend on the battlefield. I had it all these years, knowing deep down I'd find its rightful place, and I'm thinking the day has finally come. Marry me, Robbi. Don't leave us lost another day.”

  My thumb opens the box. Her jaw drops, and for a second I'm ready to grab her, stop her from falling over in disbelief. The diamond catches the light on the chandelier above, glancing like the stars I used to see at night when it was clear, my hands at my jet's controls.

  I want my stars back someday, when I've got the time for my plane. Not a thousandth as much as I want – no, fucking need – her to say yes.

  “Luke...” My name comes out in a strained whisper. Those tears she's been holding back since I stepped into the room break loose, heavy and hot, sliding down her cheeks to the floor. “I can't.”

  “Can't?” I repeat it dumbly, rage and humiliation churning in my veins. “Why the fuck not?”

  Slowly, she gets on her knees, clasping my hand with the ring box in both of hers. They're small, fragile, and one more inch of her I want to own forever. If she's saying no over some hangup behind us, or because some small part of her still thinks I'm a risk, then fuck. Talk about a miscalculation I'll never live down.

  My ears bristle when she smiles through her tears, opening her lips to speak. “Because I'd be crazy if I said yes before I told you the news.”

  “News? What the hell do you mean?”

  “I'm ready to be your wife. I just hope you're ready to be a father.”

  “Father?” I'm honestly confused. My eyes wander down to her belly while the bewildered rock in my head tries to sort itself out.

  She pauses, familiar red heat flushing her cheeks. It takes me a minute, but when it clicks, it's like half a bottle of good booze hitting my brain at once.

  Oh. Shit.

  Is it possible for a man to see his two biggest dreams granted in one day? I can't believe I'm this lucky, after everything else that's happened. Fuck, I have to be sure.

  “Jesus, Robbi. Are you telling me you're pregnant?”

  She can't even speak. Her little head nods, brisk and nervous, another tear leaving her right eye and blazing a trail down her skin like a comet through the sky.

  “Little bird, I'll be the best husband, father, and man you ever laid eyes on. You just made me the happiest one on this rock. No more delays. No mother of my child is going another hour without wearing my ring.”

  I hold back the need in my lips to be on hers while I rip the ring from its box and slide it onto her finger. It's an elegant fit. Beautiful thanks to its design, but it truly shines because it's her.

  I know she's at a loss for words when she's trembling, overcome by everything happening around us. Hell, so am I, but when has that ever stopped me from anything?

  My mouth moves on hers like it's the end of the world. Honestly, it is, and the world we're about to make will be perfection compared
to the dreadful fucking tragedy we're leaving at light speed.

  Laughing, we go down hard, rolling on the floor. I pin her under me, pushing my tongue into her mouth, cradling her face in one hand. My lips do the talking hers can't.

  She's anything but quiet. I taste her adoration every time her little tongue submits to mine. I savor the best and the worst of us, everything we've had on this mad, mad journey.

  It's the little bird who used to clean my old man's house, the grown up star playing Ali who hated me, and the woman I lusted for more times than a man legally should. It's her, it's love itself, and it's the credo I'm living by every last day of my life.

  “It's like a dream,” she whispers, still lost in the moment when I pull away.

  “Babe, it's better. Dreams can turn shitty without any warning. We've done those parts already, and I swear, they're done. We'll have our issues and we'll face what every parent does bringing junior up right. But fuck if I'll ever let you doubt us again. The entire world's done plenty of that for several lifetimes. Time for us to show we're solid. Nothing's ever coming between us again while I still have a pulse.”

  I can't keep my lips off her. They search and destroy every last tear left on her face, drying her sweet skin with the heat of my love.

  My wife, my first born! I still can't believe it. I'll need about a thousand more kisses before it sinks in.

  She's going to pieces, but I ought to be the one breaking down in gratitude.

  If she doesn't know it, she's given me the world. I run my hand down her side, move it over her lower belly, and smile, touching my forehead to hers. Never ceases to amaze me how much heat that spot returns, enough to warm the darkest winter in my heart.

  And with this ring on her hand and my baby growing in her, summer is here. Permanent, clear, and fucking beautiful.

  Two Months Later

  “By the power vested in me by the great state of California, you may now –“

  I don't even wait for the priest to finish. Shit, I've been waiting a whole lifetime to hear the words, kiss the bride, and take the woman who's just promised me forever with the hardest kiss my lips can muster.

  It's a gorgeous day. Sunlight streams in through the rustic cathedral, adding warmth to the ceremony. The cheers, grins, and ball busting shouts from my brothers do the rest.

  I catch a glimpse of Hayden and Penny through the crowd when I pull my lips off Robbi. He points at me and winks, one arm around his smiling wife. She's getting bigger every time I see her. Won't be long before their baby comes.

  That'll be my Robbi in a few more months, I tell myself, a prideful smirk tugging at my lips. Who cares about the timing? I wouldn't change a thing.

  We've kept the pregnancy part to ourselves. Family and friends will know soon, and she'll get one hell of a baby shower in the coming months.

  The priest clears his throat and gives us a friendly nod. We've missed our cue to head down the aisle and out to the limo. Grabbing Robbi's hand, I lead her through the cheering throngs.

  Grant reaches through the pews and slaps my shoulder. “Easy with the lady, brother. You're looking so damned sharp I think you'll cut her to pieces today.”

  He isn't kidding.

  I haven't willingly donned a tux like this since I finished playing Miles Black. Jet black jacket, charcoal trousers, and a black bow tie with a splash of cherry red in the middle. It's a fitting ensemble for the color she's added to the dull palate I used to call my life.

  There's no time to stop, so I squeeze his hand one more time, shouting over my shoulder while we're moving. “She's a lucky woman, and she knows it. Cuts and all.”

  “Please!” Robbi rolls her eyes, laughing for the hundredth time today. “I should've known this wedding stuff would go to your head.”

  “Damned right,” I say, gently guiding her down the steps to the long black limo waiting for us below, a driver with sleek shades over his eyes holding the door open. “And you didn't let me finish, babe. You have to be a lucky woman to marry the luckiest man on earth.”

  “Nice save, ass,” she whispers, digging her little fist into my arm.

  It is. It's also nice to know I'm never going to get tired of riling this woman up, even when I'm eighty and grey.

  We climb into the car together, taking one last glimpse at the crowd pushing their way out the cathedral to watch us depart. We haven't had this kind of attention since we showed up at our movie's premier. This is a lot more personal.

  We barely touch the champagne or the non-alcoholic cider I had stocked for Robbi on our ride to the reception hall we've rented out for the evening. Our lips hunger for something else. As soon as the privacy visor between us and the driver goes up, I've got her pinned down under me, stamping my lips down her tender throat, heading for her cleavage.

  Her taste goes to my head. Dick raging, I want to be inside her, lashing her tit with my tongue while I drag my pubic bone across her clit.

  Shame the place is only twenty minutes away. Not enough time to shake these clothes, and bring her off on every inch of my cock the way I'd like.

  Too bad. We'll have a proper honeymoon soon.

  A little patience goes a long way. Tonight will be magical, no doubt. I'll take my sweet time blowing her mind for the first time as my wife.

  “Don't go, Miles, baby, don't go!” A tearful Robbi gushes fear with every word as Ali on the huge screen hanging over the reception room.

  The scene flashes to me. I smile, watching myself say the lines through my fake pain, a hand over my gut to stop the hemorrhaging from the bullet wound. “I'm not going anywhere, love. Tell the reaper to save his debt for another day. Funny...after everything we've been through, you're still doubting us. You think I'd leave you to someone else's hand spanking you like mad? Think I'd ever let you raise our kid alone?”

  “Oh, Miles!” She grins, and there it is. The kiss, while we're scratched and bruised, remnants of Senator Bluhd's compound going up in smoke behind us, the kids we saved from his trafficking ring clinging to her dress. “I love you.”

  “Oh, Miles?” Robbi nudges me in the side, whispering her line a lot more playfully here, just as the sirens sound on the screen, heralding the fade to credits. “She's coming. Let me know if you aren't ready for this.”

  I stiffen when I see Ericka walking our way. I haven't seen the crazy bitch who tried to put me behind bars since the day she busted her jaw in my dressing room. Supposedly, she's been under heavy treatment. They've put her on some stuff to straighten her brain out, and hours of talk therapy are chiseling her into a decent human being again.

  Still, my guard doesn't go down easy. “Ericka,” I say with a nod.

  “Beautiful wedding, Luke. I'm not just saying it either. It's probably the first one I've ever been to feeling...normal, I guess. I'd forgotten how to enjoy a day like this without other feelings getting in the way. I'm happy for you two. Really.”

  Really? I have no choice but to believe her, and give her a second chance.

  I thank her, before she turns her attention to Robbi. “Oh, honey, how are you holding up? It isn't too much, is it?”

  I ignore the sour taste in my mouth. It's a twisted irony she's the only one who knows about our baby at this stage, and the news was a threat to make her bend.

  “Mom, it's fine. I've had more energy today than I think I've had since our last day on the set.”

  “It certainly looks like the film lived up to expectations,” Ericka says, her eyes drifting to the huge screen.

  As Miles, I'm kissing my way down my woman's shoulder, loving each other as husband and wife one more time in the shower, before everything fades out one last time. Robbi's mother looks back at me, her eyes distinctly different from the crazy rage look I know to watch for.

  “I simply love the passion. It's the same on the screen as well as off it. We've had our differences, Luke, but whatever I thought before, I'm grateful my daughter found someone who loves her. I don't think any man could ever adore her
half as much as you.”

  I study her eyes before I speak. Her gaze is weirdly placid now. Honest, in a way it wasn't before. Whatever they're doing in therapy, it must be working.

  “Past is behind us now,” I say, taking Robbi's hand and bringing the back to my lips for a brief kiss. “Finding her again was our second chance. If it's taught me anything, it's that people deserve another shot. We want you to be involved in our life, and in our baby's, Ericka. Now, go and enjoy yourself.”

  I mean what I said, even if there's a leery edge in my gut. We'll be keeping her on a short leash until her treatment proves itself solid awhile longer. Still, I'm glad I took the high road, rather than bringing down the hammer and throwing her in prison, which I easily could've done after I'd gotten out.

  She smiles at me, leans over the table, and gives her daughter a peck on the forehead. The warmth in Robbi's face tells me I did the right thing.

  The sun, the moon, and the stars around us were chaos before. I set them right, and all it took was a little blood, sweat, and a piece of my ego. My ears prick up when she leans further, whispering something to my girl I have to strain to hear.

  “I know we're not supposed to dwell on the past, but I wish your father were here to see you today. He loved you, whatever his problems. Somewhere, he's happy, looking down and seeing you're loved.”

  Robbi nods solemnly when she pulls away. The tears can't be far behind, but she's on her guard like me. She won't be letting it down before we've rebuilt trust with the woman in front of us.

  “Well, I'd better go. I've never been one to pass up a good Bloody Mary, and it looks like the bartender here knows a thing or two about serving a full meal with the drink.”

  We share a smile. There are a lot of people walking around with the thick red drinks, about a dozen large chunks of olives, pickles, and cheeses speared in a neat line sticking out of their glasses.

  “Have one for me,” Robbi says. “I need our guests to get their money's worth with the drinks since I can't.”