The Second Chance

by Morgan Utley

  “Well, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Have fun with your parents,” she said and smiled at him.

  “Thanks, Peyton,” he leaned over and kissed her again. “Drive safely. Text me when you get home.”

  “Okay, love you,” Peyton froze where she stood, and her eyes opened wide. “I mean, see ya later,” she stammered. She had not meant to say that at all and couldn’t believe it had slipped out of her mouth.

  “What did you say?” Noah prodded.

  “See ya later?” Peyton lied.

  “No, not that, the other thing,” Noah coaxed and walked around her car door so that she was standing face to face with him.

  “Look, I didn’t mean to say that. It just slipped. I'm sorry that I made it awkward,” Peyton spluttered and tried to sit down in her car, but Noah took her hand and wrapped his arms around hers.

  Noah chuckled and crookedly smiled at her, “Peyton,” he said as he pulled her in close.

  “Yes?” Peyton whined, feeling perplexed and embarrassed.

  “I love you too,” he breathed and kissed her, pressing her body into his. Noah was gently moving his mouth on hers, and she could feel one of his hands getting tangled up in her hair. She knew she loved him and, over the last few days, had wondered if he loved her too. Now she knew he did, and when she heard him say it, she felt so happy that she thought her heart was going to burst right out of her chest.

  “Oh, Noah,” purred Peyton, once Noah pulled away.

  “Yes?” Noah quietly breathed.

  “I really do love you. I’ve known it for a while now, I just was afraid of the timing. But every time I saw you and spent time with you, I fell more and more in love with you and missed you when you would leave,” she expressed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “I know,” he began, “I knew you were worried about timing, which is why I tried not to make you feel any pressure. I tried to go as slow as I could, but the more I saw you, the more I wanted to be with you. The more I wanted to be with you, the more I realized I was falling in love with you, and baby, I fell hard.”

  This time Peyton pressed her lips against his, and they kissed more passionately than before. She let her hands play in his hair, and Noah kept his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, while pressing Peyton up against her car. By the time they finally pulled away from each other, they were quietly panting. She rested her head on his chest, which was gently rising up and down beneath her cheek.

  “I really should go back in there. My parents are going to wonder where in the world I am although I really don’t want to go,” he sighed and put his hand on her cheek. “I will most definitely be calling you tomorrow.”

  “Good,” Peyton hummed, “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

  Noah kissed her quickly on the lips and finally took his arms back, “Bye, Peyton.”

  “See you later,” she laughed, knowing that’s what she had meant to say earlier, but she was grateful now that she hadn’t.

  She didn’t know how she made it home. It felt like her head was in a complete fog, and all she thought about was Noah. Thankfully, she made it home safely where her mom was waiting at the dining room table ready to ask her why it had taken her so long to drive home. However, once she told her mom the reason, she started crying and hugging Peyton, saying over and over again, “I told you that you weren’t going to be alone!” Peyton let her mom squeeze her and say that because, in all honesty, Peyton was just as relieved as she was.

  Chapter 21

  The next day, Peyton's phone rang, and she swore her heart skipped a beat. Noah had called just as he promised and asked if he could come over. Peyton warned him that by coming over, he was subjecting himself to wedding preparations, but he didn’t care. For the next couple of weeks, Noah decided to take a little break before starting work, and he made it a point in saying that meant lots of Peyton and Noah time. Which, of course, Peyton had no problem with.

  This became a pattern throughout the week. Noah would call sometime after breakfast asking to come over, Peyton would tell him “yes,” and then he would come over and be put to work by her mom. Peyton felt bad that Noah was spending his free time fixing fences with her dad, painting, and helping the rental crew put together a huge white tent, but Noah didn’t seem to mind. On the contrary, he seemed happy to do the work. He and Peyton would constantly catch each other's eye and smile at each other, and they had plenty of time to talk and laugh. And, at one point, Noah chased Peyton around with the hose.

  They were cherishing all the time they were spending together. Not only did they love it, but Peyton’s parents did too. Whenever Noah wasn’t looking, they would look at Peyton and smile at her or give her a thumbs up. One time Noah kissed her while they were planting more flowers in the front yard, and Peyton saw her mother jumping up and down clapping. It was completely embarrassing but, at the same time, hilarious to watch her go nuts.

  On Wednesday afternoon, Gloria’s family—parents, brother, and sister—showed up, and everyone was told to be on their best behavior. Peyton spent the entire morning re-cleaning the house so that it was in tip-top shape while her mom ran around making sure the beds had clean sheets. To top it off, her mom wanted to make it feel like they were at a cute bed and breakfast, so she put little chocolates and an orange-colored rose like the ones in Gloria’s bouquet on the pillows. Peyton would laugh at her mom every time she saw her run through the house. And then her mom proceeded to shout, “Shut up!” and kept running in her intended direction. Her dad tried to calm her down, but it didn’t do any good. She was a stressed mess, but once she heard the door knock, she immediately snapped into hostess mode and was a whole other person. This also made Peyton laugh, but she kept it to a quiet chuckle, so no one could hear her. Well, except for Noah. He had noticed her laughing fits and would shake his head and laugh at her.

  Once Gloria’s family arrived at the house, they visited for a while to become better acquainted, and then everyone had dinner. It was quite a full house with Gloria’s parents, her brother, Eduardo, and her sister, Emilia as well as Chris, Gloria, her parents, Noah, and herself. The house felt like it had shrunk. Since the tables and chairs had arrived earlier that day, they all decided to eat in the white tent to discuss what they needed to do over the next couple of days. Peyton could tell being in the tent was making it very real for Chris, and he was getting nervous. Gloria must have picked up on his nervous energy because she walked over to him and started rubbing his back.

  Peyton liked Gloria’s parents. They were fun, lighthearted, and easy-going people. It was awkward at first because her parents didn’t know a lot of English, but Gloria helped translate when she needed to, and things started to relax more when they could communicate easier.

  The next day everyone went into wedding mode. The boys, including Noah, were sent to string lights in the white tent, and the girls were in charge of making flower bouquets. When Gloria wasn’t paying any attention, Gloria’s sister and Peyton were putting together Gloria’s bachelorette party. Peyton’s family didn’t drink and, luckily, neither did Gloria, so it was going to be a relatively calm party. Emilia and Peyton decided to do a spa night at a local resort that included manicures, pedicures, facial masks, and massages. Then halfway through the night, they were having pizza and frozen yogurt delivered to the spa. Emilia had picked up a tiara and a bridal sash for Gloria and bridal party sashes for all the bridesmaids. Luckily, Gloria’s parents were helping pay for the party, so it wasn’t all coming out of Peyton’s pocket. Gloria had five bridesmaids—Emilia, three friends from college, and Peyton— and the resort was no cheap thing, so she appreciated Gloria’s parents chipping in. In all honesty, she didn’t want to go to the bachelorette party. She only wanted to spend time with Noah, but she knew it meant a lot to her brother to spend time with his future wife, so she didn’t complain about it.

  Once the time for the party came around, Peyton said goodbye to Noah, who ended up being invited to Chris’s bachelor party. Peyton had hea
rd rumors that his party consisted of paintball, top golf, and go-carts. The ultimate bachelor party was what she heard some of Chris’s friends say. Since Peyton didn’t know any of the girls very well, besides Gloria, she was kind of the odd man out. The girls were nice and would ask her questions, some about her and Noah, but that was about it. They were gushing over Gloria and her wedding day, which was exactly how Peyton thought it should have been. All it meant for Peyton was that despite the squealing loud laughter and major giggling, she was able to relax and get lost in her thoughts. With all the wedding planning and preparation, she was constantly thinking about her wedding with Derek and if there was a possibility of her having another one...

  The night before the wedding, she was sitting on the front porch steps with Derek, looking up at the stars. It was getting late, and her mom was kicking Derek out because he had been teasing her mother about trying to find the wedding dress. Peyton knew he didn’t really want to find it, he just liked getting a rise out of her, which cracked Peyton up.

  “I can’t believe we’re getting married tomorrow,” Peyton swooned.

  “Yeah, I can’t either. It seems like just yesterday that we met, and now we’re going to be stuck together forever. Wow, is it too late to back out?” he teased, and Peyton elbowed him in the ribs.

  “Very funny,” she said sarcastically.

  “You know I’m kidding.” He wrapped his arm around her. “I can’t wait for tomorrow… to be over,” chuckled Derek.

  “Derek!” Peyton exclaimed.

  “You know what I mean. Once the ceremony is over, we’re off to Mexico, and then it’s just you and me. I can’t wait till we can just spend some time together, just us. Without my mom calling and nagging me about making sure my groomsmen get fitted for the tuxedos or your mom bugging you about where to set up the dessert table,” he explained and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m just ready to be done with the wedding planning and for it to be back to just us hanging out and enjoying each other.”

  “I know what you mean. I didn’t know there were so many things that went into a wedding. I’ve been tempted to tell everyone to forget it, we’re eloping!” she admitted and started laughing. “My mom would have freaked.”

  “It’s not too late!” Derek waved his arms up excitedly, “Let’s go!”

  “No way,” Peyton decided, “we’re already so close. And this is for our families just as much as it is for us. That wouldn’t be fair to them. Plus, it will be fun.”

  “You’re right, as usual,” Derek noted. “It’s a good thing I’m going to have you around. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “I know exactly how you feel,” she smiled and kissed him for the last time as his fiancé...

  The rest of the night went exactly as Emilia and Peyton planned. During the manicures and pedicures, the pizza and frozen yogurt arrived, and they finished the night with facial masks and massages. It left them all so relaxed that all the loud laughter and squealing had finally stopped, and everyone went home, ready for bed. Once Peyton hit her pillow, she was out like a light.

  The next morning, Peyton walked down the stairs and was surprised to see Noah and Chris sitting on the couch.

  “What are you guys doing here?” asked Peyton.

  “We were brought Gloria’s brother home late last night. We were too tired to drive back to our houses, so we slept on the couch. Not to mention, Noah’s car was here too.” Chris told her.

  “You slept on the couch? You both stayed overnight?” Peyton was surprised to hear that Noah had stayed over at her house without her knowing. She all of a sudden felt a little insecure and hoped she hadn’t snored last night.

  “Are you okay with that?” Noah chuckled and stood up to walk over and hug her.

  “Oh, yes. It was smart of you both to just stay here knowing you guys were too exhausted to drive back home. What time did you guys come back home?”

  “Two in the morning,” Noah informed her and scratched his head.

  Peyton laughed, “Well, no wonder you guys are so tired. Probably wasn’t the smartest thing since mom probably has a huge list of things to do. Not to mention we have the rehearsal dinner tonight. Mom is catering in Maxwell’s.”

  “Yeah, we should probably hurry home to shower, get a change of clothes, and then come back,” Chris moaned. “Did Gloria have fun last night?”

  “Yes, she was perfectly pampered and had a blast with the girls,” she answered.

  “It looks like it. I can’t imagine the last time I saw you with nail polish on your nails,” Chris observed out loud.

  Peyton chuckled and looked down to see her toes, “Yeah, it’s been a while. Well, I’ll see you guys in a little bit. I need to find Mom.”

  “Bye, sweetheart,” Noah kissed her on the cheek and followed Chris out the front door.

  “See you in a bit, Sis,” Chris waved and left.

  Peyton waved back and walked to the front windows to watch both cars leave right away. Once she saw the two cars gone, she ran to look for her mom outside in the back. She walked through the garden and found her by the tomato plants, weeding.

  “Hey, Mom,” she called over to her.

  “Good morning, sweetheart. Were you surprised to find some boys downstairs? I sure was,” she chuckled and kept pulling weeds.

  “Yeah, that caught me off guard a little. But I guess I’m glad they were smart enough to know that they were too tired to drive home and just crashed here,” she said bending over to help her mom pull weeds.

  “Yep,” her mom nodded, “I agree. Did the girls have fun last night?”

  “Oh, yes. I’ve never heard so much giggling and squealing in my life,” she said.

  “I’m sure. They seemed very bubbly and loud when they came to the house,” her mom observed. “But, I’m glad they had fun. Gloria deserves it. She seems so happy to have her family here with her. I’m sure it's hard for her to live so far away from them.”

  “Uh-huh, it made me think back to my bachelorette party, and the night before the wedding. You know when Derek kept trying to look for my wedding dress just to drive you crazy?” she recounted.

  Her mom laughed, “Oh, yes. That boy was so rotten. He loved driving me crazy, just like you do. You guys truly were a match made in heaven.”

  “He was pretty amazing,” Peyton agreed. “I miss him.”

  “Sure you do,” her mom patted her leg, “But can I tell you something?”

  “Go for it,” Peyton braced herself.

  “I think people come into our lives at very specific, if not perfect, times when we need them. At that time in your life, I think Derek was perfect for you. But once he passed, something in you changed, not in a bad way. But I think, right now, if you were to ask me who is your perfect match, I would say Noah. You guys complement each other so well that it just amazes me,” she divulged to Peyton.

  “You know, Mom. I think that three months ago, if you had told me that, I would have gotten very upset. But now, having been with Noah, I think you’re right,” Peyton admitted.

  “You’ve come a long way, my love,” her mother praised. “I’m proud of you.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I think I need to do something,” decided Peyton. “I think I need to fix things with Lucy.”

  “I knew you were going to say that,” her mom smirked.

  “How could you know I was going to say that?” she questioned and stood up from the dirt ground.

  “I just know these things,” she shrugged and stood up with Peyton.

  “Well, while the boys are heading home to shower, I’m going to head to Lucy’s,” she told her mom.

  “Are you ready for that?” her mom eyed warily.

  “Yes,” she affirmed, “It’s something I feel I need to do, and I know I’m not going to be able to let it go.”

  “Well, you be safe driving out there then. Let me know how it goes,” she kissed her on the cheek then went back to tending the garden.

  “Oh, I will,” Peyton
promised and walked out of her mom’s personal oasis.

  Chapter 22

  Peyton was parked outside of Derek’s old house but couldn’t find the will to get out of the car. She would look up at the house and stare at it for a while, and then stare at the steering wheel wondering what in the world she was doing. She wondered whether or not Lucy was even home, but then she looked around and saw her car parked in the driveway. She took a deep breath, stepped out of the car, walked to the door, and knocked.

  She heard movement coming from the other side of the door, and then the door swung open to reveal Lucy.

  “Peyton?” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”

  “We need to talk,” Peyton told her.

  She huffed, “Okay, fine. Come in. Mom and Dad aren’t here right now,” Lucy informed her.

  “I’m here to talk to you,” she stated and followed Lucy to the couch. She started having many flashbacks to when she, Derek, and Lucy sat on that very couch and had lots of movie nights, laughs and fun.

  “Okay. Talk,” Lucy shot out, but Peyton didn’t let it bug her.

  “I have come here to apologize. I should have never ignored you the way I did or your parents for that matter. It’s just that every time I thought about coming to see you guys or calling, I couldn’t because you guys were constant reminders of Derek,” Peyton explained woefully.

  “I get that, Peyton, but don’t you think you were that same reminder for us? But we still reached out and wanted to see you, and it was like you just disappeared. Once Derek was gone, so were you. It felt like we were mourning two people,” she sniffed.

  “I see that now, and I never intended to do that. I had to mourn my own way, and I just wanted to be alone to process and get over it. For the entire year, I didn’t talk to anyone, and I barely left the house except for errands for my parents and to see my therapist. I promise you, I didn’t mean to offend or hurt you at all. I was just trying to cope and go on one day at a time,” she assured Lucy, but she still looked upset.