Last Time We Kissed_A Second Chance Romance

by Nicole Snow

  It's him. The little man in my arms, Zane, his tiny eyelids falling shut while I cradle his head, covering his familiar blue eyes.

  It's quiet moments like these, surrounded by family, when I think how different it could've been.

  Where the hell would I be if I hadn't taken a second chance?

  If I'd walked away when things were at their bleakest?

  If I hadn't gotten over him the first time my mother lied to me?

  If we hadn't gone through love and hate and hell itself to claim paradise?

  It's here.

  Here. It's a time and a space so beautiful it makes me tear up when I open my heart and let the reality sink in.

  Everything we've done side by side. The new contracts we've signed, the autographs and pictures we've doled out together to Frieze's fanatics around the world, the day my water broke up in the sky, and he brought us down to Portland in an emergency landing so I could deliver the gorgeous little boy snoozing on my shoulder.

  Life is hectic with a baby, a career, and a man who never lets up. It makes me appreciate the slow, special days like this one, when I can sit back and marvel at the smirking, handsome angel who's delivered my forever happiness.

  “Brother, you'll ruin half a cow if you douse that shit in your barbecue. Take it from the man who wined and dined the finest chefs in the world last month when they entrusted me with their hedge funds. Less is more. It's – shit.” Grant pauses, curses, and grabs for his phone. “I've got to take this. Don't wreck the meat.”

  Luke is still bristling when I come up behind him, resting my cheek on his shoulder. He turns, his frustration evaporating, love and light in his eyes when he sees me holding his son. “Amazing how he's able to sleep through the commotion. Some people have it lucky.”

  “Some. Do you need help? He took off abruptly.” I nod toward Grant, now a distant speck on the horizon, heading toward the cliffs, his hands animated.

  “Probably that chick he was strung up on months ago. I don't ask about his love life, and he doesn't tell me. Any woman who wants to work themselves in between his million dollar deals and trips to Maine is welcome to that craziness.” Growling, he slathers more barbecue on the meat, defying his brother's advice. “These are ours. We'll split the beef fifty-fifty, and let everybody decide their favorite recipe.”

  “Hey, hey,” I say, quelling the fury flexing in his muscles with a kiss on his neck. “Aren't you glad this is our problem now? Remember when we had more to worry about? I was just thinking about everything before Zane.”

  For a second, he looks at me intently, his eyes narrowed. Then the tension on his face melts, blooming into a smile. “Shit. You're right, babe. I'd rather be arguing over spices with my brother than flying all over hell without any purpose, or spending my nights behind bars because a crazy woman lied.”

  “Shhh,” I whisper softly. “Mom will be here anytime.”

  “Fair enough,” he says, his eyes continuing to soften. “She's made a lot of progress. I'm honestly not even worried about her staying in the other wing of the house anymore.”

  “She's better,” I agree, cradling Zane tighter in my arms.

  The human capacity to forgive is incredible. Mom came dangerously close to shattering it for me and Luke both, but we persevered. We expanded our second chance to mercy for her, and so far, so good.

  She'll never be normal, the doctors say. Not without a lot of therapy and oversight. But the meds and months of counseling have taught her to keep the worst of herself in check, and she's also learned how to handle her own trauma left over from a rocky childhood bleeding into a bad marriage.

  “Bebe called this morning. She says we'll make a lot of money if we follow up with the trip to Redding next week for the wine branding.”

  “What the hell do I know about wine?” Luke snorts, moving the fresh meat to a rack and firing up the flame. It's rare to see him cook, but it's sexy when it happens. “Never gave much thought to picking out a vintage with my name on it. If we're going up there, I ought to let Hayds' biker buddies have a say.”

  I laugh. “Hard to believe they'd be the wine drinking type. Seriously, it's good money, and a getaway. This Bare wine could really take off with our following.”

  “I'm in for the experience, babe. Hell, I'm always in it for you,” he says, doing a slow turn, a smear of barbecue sauce on his chef's apron.

  Watching him cook is almost as unusual as seeing him in the tight grey t-shirt underneath the apron. A delicious tingle pulses between my legs. A wicked part of me wants to forget about our little family gathering, take him upstairs, and help him get 'changed' for the next half hour.

  But little Zane stirs in my arms, cooing as he reaches for my face with his hands. Obligations, I remind myself, rolling my eyes.

  I wouldn't trade them for anything. “It's time for his nap. I'll hand him off to Maisy before the food is ready. Mom will keep him plenty active with whatever new toy she's brought as soon as she's here.”

  “Wait,” he says, grabbing me by the shoulder before I can move away.

  He never forgets the kiss.

  Never.

  It's warm, tender, and just a little bit mischievous. It puts an extra power in my step and gives me hope for spending more quality time together later. After he's done with me, he plants a quick peck on Zane's forehead, who opens his eyes and smiles at his daddy.

  I'm the one grinning on the way back to my house. It's like a drug, this love. I vow I'll never take any kiss he gives for granted. I hand the baby boy off to our head housekeeper, Maisy, and then head back to the grill to help him.

  Things go much more smoothly prepping the food with Grant sidetracked. It's amazing how the pieces fall into place after breaking up the everlasting dick measuring contest between the billionaire brothers.

  Soon, we've got ourselves a huge spread of ribs, veggies, sausages, and about ten different kinds of pie. The caramel apple cheesecake is my signature dish, something I charmed the instructors with in acting school plenty of times. I work with Penny and a few of our other housekeeping staff to wrap things up while the brothers set the huge picnic table.

  It doesn't get any better than this.

  An hour later, we're gathered around the table, a feast heaped on serving plates in front of us. Luke sits at the head of the table while I'm on his right side with Zane. Mom sits across from us, truly smiling to be in our space. Even little Theodore takes a break from barking and chasing butterflies to rest at my feet. The puppy drools into the grass, nuzzling his face into the earth, a living symbol of how happy and content I'm feeling inside.

  Our guests are hungrily loading up their plates. Hayden pours himself a fresh glass of wine before he goes for the meat, locking eyes with Grant in a tribal challenge over the pile between them.

  “Hayden!” Penny slaps her husband's wrist when he tries to throw an extra sausage on his plate, already stacked higher than even his big appetite should allow. Grant chuckles, and it makes me smile. I think all three Shaw brothers are trying to prove their masculinity by being the biggest carnivore.

  The constant chatter building around the table comes to a stop when Luke stands, cuts in, and dings his scotch glass loudly with his spoon.

  “It's not really our tradition to make grand speeches or say grace, but I wanted to do both, in our own special way, since everybody I care about is at this table. Whatever's brought us here today puts a smile on my face. I'm not afraid to hide it. Say it's God, or fate, or whatever you believe, but I think it's our mother, sometimes.”

  He pauses. I reach for his hand, twining my fingers with his, holding it there as I study everybody's faces. Mom watches in respectful silence, same as Penny. Hayden and Grant stare with their eyes a little wider, heads tilted very slightly, surprised and wondering where this is going.

  Honestly, so am I. This isn't like him.

  “Going on thirty years ago, isn't it? The crash happened this month, as a matter of fact. The years that came after, I tho
ught our lives were over. I mourned a woman I never really knew, blamed her absence for all the mistakes our old man made in his later years. The drinking, the womanizing, bad business, Kayla.” He's careful with his words, talking about his father's mistakes, eyeballing my mother. So far, she's undisturbed, thankfully. “I only saw the bad when I lived loss. Couldn't forgive because the world itself was so damned merciless every time I tried to make good on things I wanted. Today, it's different, and everybody around this table is the reason why.”

  Smiling, Penny nods, lowering her lips to Abby's forehead. My fussy niece doesn't appreciate the eerie silence, or the kiss, and shouts in the sing-song way babies do when they're bored or frustrated.

  “Grant, Hayden, you pulled me through some tough times. Penny, you were my brother's rock when he was mine, and I'll never forget it. Ericka...” He waits for her full attention, or maybe he needs a few extra seconds to get his words just right. “You're family. We'd be living our lives with a bigger, darker hole behind us if I'd turned my back on you. I'm glad every day I didn't. Zane deserves a grandparent, and he's got one in you. And you, little bird...”

  Oh, God. His fingers pinch tighter to mine, so hard it drains the blood from my knuckles. I tighten the hold right back.

  “You've been the perfect wife. You never gave up when we had our issues. Every day, you give me reasons most men can only dream about to wake the hell up and make my life count. Yeah, it helps that you're drop dead gorgeous, but that's not what I'm getting at. I say it often, and it's still not enough, so here it is again. I love you, Robbi. You're the first, last, and best love I'll ever have. We've done right by our second chance. We'll keep on doing it, too, no matter how rich, how famous, or how tough the future will be.”

  I don't wait for the applause or compliments from the others. With Zane in my arms, I rise to end his speech with a kiss, my hand never leaving his.

  Without him, I'd be nothing. I think I'm still just beginning to realize how good it feels to be complete.

  We take our sweet time locking lips, not caring who watches, or how cold the food might be getting.

  It's animal attraction. Loving gratitude. Baby fever. Marital bliss.

  It's feelings running through my blood I know instinctively, but can't put into words, because everything about this man speaks to me on a higher level. I don't need poetry when our eyes and skin carry our song so well.

  Deep down, I know exactly what we are when his fingers hook through mine, his mouth covers my lips, and we melt into each other with our little boy between us, perched between our hearts.

  Today, we're inseparable.

  Tomorrow, we're better.

  Forever, we're man and wife.

  Marry Me Again

  A Billionaire Second Chance Romance

  Content copyright © Nicole Snow. All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States of America.

  First published in November, 2016.

  Disclaimer: The following ebook is a work of fiction. Any resemblance characters in this story may have to real people is only coincidental.

  Please respect this author's hard work! No section of this book may be reproduced or copied without permission. Exception for brief quotations used in reviews or promotions. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Thanks!

  Cover Design – Kevin McGrath – Kevin Does Art. Photo by Allan Spiers Photography.

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  Description

  HE CAN BUY ANYTHING EXCEPT A SECOND CHANCE WITH ME...

  KARA

  Once, when I was young and stupid, I had that boy. The charmer, the Adonis, the one who torched every woman's panties in our small town. He was my brother's best friend, practically part of the family. When he proposed, he promised me forever.

  Then the bastard disappeared without a word.

  It's taken five years to get over Ryan. I drowned myself crying a thousand times over. I moved on.

  I'm finally remembering what it's like to smile when guess who shows up. Everything about him is different. For one, he's become a freakin' billionaire. He walks like he's Mr. Tall, Dark, and Alpha incarnate. I know there's no justice in the world because his body matches his huge ego.

  Worse, he wants me to play Cinderella again. I can't. I won't.

  I don't believe in second chances. I'll never forget what he did.

  And if he's stupid enough to try kissing me with those unforgettable lips, he's going to feel my teeth.

  RYAN

  I did a terrible thing. No, I'm not talking about the filthy secret that wrecked everything.

  Leaving Kara killed me. I didn't have a choice. No amount of money, success, or bedding any woman I want whenever I flash my patented smirk makes up for losing her.

  She was the one. Hell, she still is.

  Time to remind her why. Whatever it takes to put my ring on her hand for good.

  I'm ready for the curses, the screams, the burn of her palm against my cheek. I'll taste her lips again, even if she bites.

  Just one catch – she can't find out what happened the night I left. There are no second chances if my past ruins us.

  1

  Love at First Tease (Kara)

  The first time I see him – drinking him in with my puppy love eyes – he makes me bleed.

  “Ow!” Pulling my finger up from the staples I'd been pulling in daddy's office, I survey the damage.

  Two neat little pinpricks. A worthwhile flesh wound for the long, secret peek I snuck through the tiny window leading out to the garage, where the hottest boy alive is working on a Mustang from the seventies, raised with its metal underbelly sticking out.

  It's a one way spy job.

  He hasn't spotted me in here. Even if he had, why would he take a second glance?

  There's barely time to suck my finger before daddy bursts in, his booming voice ringing out behind me. “Peanut, I need you to finish up in here, get home for dinner, and get cracking on your homework. I'll pay you for the extra half hour you're missing on the clock, so don't worry.”

  Swiveling around in his office chair, I smile with a quirk on my lips, quickly folding my arms to hide my injured finger. “I finished everything for school this morning before I came in. What's happening out there that makes you want to kick me out early?”

  Daddy opens his mouth, but before he gets in a word, the loudest F-bomb I've ever heard shakes the whole building.

  For a second, he's frozen, turning red and glaring through his open door. It's Mickey, one of his thirty-something full timers. He's sitting on a crate, massaging his knee, grinning up at his co-worker Jack, who just belted him in the arm.

  “What the hell's the matter with you?” We hear him blubber.

  “Man, I'm just doing you a favor. Worrying about the pain in your arm's gonna take your mind off that bum knee.”

  With a heavy grunt of disapproval, daddy kicks his door shut behind him. We both share a look.

  I put my hands out, lifting my eyebrows. “Don't worry about it. Really. I've heard worse in the halls at school and –“

  “Kara, no. I promised your ma I'd bring you here to work, not learn to cuss like a sailor. You're only fourteen, for Christ's sake. Hey, what happened to your hand?”

  I can't hide anything from him. Daddy grabs my wounded hand, holds it in between his thick calloused palms, and takes a good long look.

  “Poked myself pulling staples. Nothing serious.”

  “How did that happen?” His eyes search mine, as if they can't believe I'm less than perfect.

  I shrug, refusing to tell him anything. Because that would involve confessing my crush on his newest, hottest employee. The boy who rarely smiles, and always makes up for it with a body that looks like it's been put on Earth to make every girl in a hundred miles break out their fan
s.

  Daddy pushes past me, reaching into the cabinet overhead. He holds out a small Band-Aid and ruffles my hair a second later. “Put that on before you head out. I ought to make you cover your ears, too, but now I'm more worried about catching hell at home because I let you get hurt.”

  “Please. It was my fault. I wasn't paying attention.” I roll my eyes. “Daddy, you worry too much. I'm not a –“

  “You're my little girl, peanut, and that's the way it's gonna stay. Now go. Save me a spot at the table for dinner.”

  Defeated, I smile. There's no arguing with him, even if he can be as overprotective as a mother hen sometimes. “You know I will.”

  Turning, I make my way out the office, fixing the little bandage to my hand. I take a second outside before I head for the back exit, listening to the banter between Jack and Mickey. They're still ribbing each other with a dozen expletives packed into half as many sentences.

  Then I look past them, and see him. He's reaching up underneath the Mustang, a wrench in his hand, his jaw clenched tight as he goes to work, flexing muscles no boy under twenty should have.

  What the hell did this town do to deserve Ryan Caspian?

  Easily Split Harbor High's hottest eligible bachelor. The boy every girl in every class swoons over.

  The walking question mark who showed up in town without a history. The one who aces every test and put the Greenthorne gang in their place his first day at school.

  That's right. Everybody still talks about how Devon Greenthorne, the senior ringleader with the mohawk, got in Ryan's face and backed him into a corner with his goons. It lasted all of sixty seconds before Devon hit the ground, nursing a broken nose.

  The bullies brought their heavy, sloppy strength to fight a lion. I only have to stop and stare to see Ryan's refined strength.

  His oil spattered shirt clings tight while he's standing underneath the Mustang, his arms high over his head, biceps bulging like he's been lifting since he hit puberty. Only, no one at school has ever seen him in the weight room.