Chasing the Moon: A Second Chance Standalone Romance

by S. M. Soto

  “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “I’m thinking of that night,” I tell him truthfully. His grip on me tightens. “But I’m also thinking that I can’t run from everything in my life. I’m done running, End. I want to make the best memories here. Let go of the bad and focus on the good. And this place? It’s perfect.”

  “You really want to do this?” There’s a note of skepticism in his tone, and I know it’s because he’s worried about me. My father just passed away, and I’m already diving headfirst into a huge decision.

  After our talk last night at the creek, I woke up this morning wanting to check out the space again. I feel a renewed sense of hope, and though I am still wading through the sadness and battling my emotions, I want to do this for my dad. For me. For that young girl who promised she’d always chase her dreams, no matter what.

  “I do want to do this. Do you think it’s a bad idea?”

  He shakes his head, his warm, calloused hand stroking the back of my neck. “No, I think this is amazing. I think you’re amazing.”

  A smile spreads across my face. I crane my head back, pressing a kiss against his lips. Turning back around toward the building, I hold on to this sensation, that warmth billowing in my chest as I dig my phone out of my purse and dial the number. The first thing I need to get is a quote, but I’ve come to a decision, and I want to stick to it. Even if I can’t end up having this place, I won’t stop searching for the perfect fit.

  After I leave a message inquiring about the space, End tugs on my hand. “Come on, let’s get ready.”

  My brows jump into my hairline. “Get ready for what exactly?”

  He smirks down at me, his eyes dancing with mirth and heat. “I’m taking you out on a date.”

  “A date?” I grin, glitter bursting and billowing in my chest. “Little late for that, don’t you think?”

  “It’s never too late,” he leans in, whispering against my lips.

  Back at home, I do as End instructs and get ready for our date. I have no clue where we’re going, nothing to go on at all. He just mentioned that I should bring a light jacket. That’s it.

  “I have a secret, Mommy, but I’m not supposed to tell you,” Luna mentions, as I’m swiping the wand of mascara against my lashes.

  My lips twist wryly. “Oh, really? So we’re keeping secrets now, Luna Bella?”

  She heaves a deep, tired sigh, as if she didn’t realize keeping a secret would be this difficult. “Daddy made me promise.” She pouts. A laugh catches in my throat, and I screw on the cap, and turn, dropping to my haunches in front of her.

  “You don’t have to ruin the secret, okay? But you do have to tell me how I look.” Pushing to my feet, I do a little twirl for her, waiting to hear her thoughts. She cocks her head to the side, her little eyes assessing everything about my outfit. I decided to go with a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved dusky pink knit sweater that hangs off the shoulder. The fall season has brought in a cold front, and I figured I’d play it safe with this. It’s perfect for something indoors, and with a light jacket, it’ll be just enough for anything outdoors.

  “You look like a princess, but with jeans.”

  A laugh tumbles out, and I scoop my daughter into my arms, squeezing her tiny body to me. “I may look like a princess, but you are the princess.”

  “I know that, Mommy,” she tells me so matter-of-factly that I have to stifle my laughter. What the hell am I going to do with this girl?

  With my hand secured in Luna’s, we pause in the living room where Endymion is waiting. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see his outfit of choice. Dark washed jeans, black boots, and a blue flannel draped over a black thermal Henley. He looks incredibly handsome with the way the light strands of his hair hang over his forehead. I can feel his penetrating gaze roaming up and down my body. I rest my hand over my stomach protectively, trying to quell the sudden bout of nerves.

  “Is this okay?” I ask, referring to my outfit.

  The pale green of his eyes deepens. “You’re perfect.”

  I feel heat rise to my cheeks, and it makes me smile. “So are you.”

  A smirk steals over his features, and I feel the effects of it in my chest. “Can I go with you guys, Daddy?”

  Endymion crosses the room and pulls Luna into his arms. “Remember what we talked about? We can’t give Mommy her surprise if we don’t do everything according to plan.”

  She pouts. “I don’t like surprises, and I don’t like plans.”

  His brows shoot up. “Oh, really?”

  “Fine. I do, but this surprise isn’t fun.”

  He rolls his eyes playfully. “It will be. I promise.”

  After we both say goodbye to Luna, leaving her with Endymion’s sister and her little cousin, he drives us through town. Every time he turns down a certain street, I think I know where we’re going, but then, when he keeps going, I realize I’m wrong. Part of me thinks he’s just driving in random circles now to throw me off. It isn’t until he takes the route toward Mr. Jackson’s property that my heart skips a few beats.

  Old man Jackson owns the hardware store back in town and this property. He’s always been a quiet man who mostly keeps to himself. It’s been said he owns a lot of property in Dunsmuir that dates back to past generations. One of the properties is this two-story cabin he built for his wife years ago. It’s beautiful, with a wraparound balcony up top that gives you a sprawling view of the waterfall below. Hell, when you stand outside, you can hear the echo, feel the mist, and smell the freshness in the air. It’s heaven.

  “Mr. Jackson’s place?” I ask, as End takes my hand in his, leading the way up the steps to the log cabin.

  I don’t know how he’s managed to get Mr. Jackson to agree to let us come inside here. The inside is beautifully decorated and refurbished. It’s woodsy and male, with hints of color thrown in here and there that surely belong to his wife.

  When End leads the way up the staircase, and we reach the top floor balcony, I jerk to a halt, taking it all in. There are little lights hanging from the back French doors to the columns of the balcony and a table with white linen and sunflowers in the center. There are two place settings in front of two chairs that face the waterfall my father used to take me to see as a child.

  “How did you manage this?”

  End shrugs, his gaze glued to mine. It’s almost like he doesn’t want to look away. I know that feeling all too well. “I asked Mr. Jackson for a favor.”

  My eyes sweep across everything, from the table setting to the beautiful waterfall in the background. “This is beautiful, End.”

  “I wanted to give you something beautiful. You deserve it.”

  My heart thumps steadily in my chest, and my stomach dips wildly. Closing the distance between us, I cup his cheek, running my fingers over his stubble. “You’ve already done that. You’ve given me Luna. You’ve given me love.”

  Heat flashes in his eyes, and then he’s kissing me. His kiss is hot and anything but chaste. I feel it tugging deep in my loins and taking my breath away.

  When he pulls away, he swipes his thumb across my lower lip and jerks his head toward the table. “If we don’t sit now, I’ll end up fucking you and ruining this.”

  I laugh as he helps me lower myself into the chair. He takes the seat across from me, and my eyes are drawn to the sunflowers. They are the perfect touch. They’re like having Luna here with us. They tug at all the emotional strings inside me. Sitting at a white table with linen and china on top, he lifts the domes covering our food, and I grin. Our meal isn’t anything special, but the fact that he put this much effort into this speaks volumes. It’s steak and potatoes with a side of asparagus. I find it’s the best meal I’ve ever had, and it’s because he made it for me.

  I’m unable to keep my eyes off the waterfall. The way the warm orange, pink, and purple hues from the sunset glint off the water is almost magical, like a sea of sparkling stars, a kaleidoscope of colors.

  My stomach turn
s when End pours me a glass of wine. For the past few days, I’ve been feeling off. At first, I chalked it up to sadness, the after-effects of dealing with my father’s death, but this morning, I wondered if it could be something different. I’m still not sure how to broach the subject with End. He’s mentioned he wants more kids, but now? So soon? Especially after dealing with such a tragedy. I’m not sure if that’s the case anymore.

  I took one of those home tests earlier. Julia wasn’t ashamed to walk into the pharmacy and throw a handful onto the counter, saying they were all for her. Mrs. Weithers, the woman who’s worked behind the counter for years, just shook her head at her as though she wasn’t even surprised.

  Back at home, while End was out with Luna doing all this, I presume, I took the tests. All four of them were positive. It explains everything. The emotions. The queasy sensation in my stomach.

  We are going to have another baby.

  I fork around my food on my plate, and End’s brow crinkles. A sheepish look passes over his features.

  “It’s shit, isn’t it?” His gaze darts down to the food, a knowing gleam in his eyes. My own widen, and I shake my head frantically.

  “No, God, no! It’s not that at all. I’ve actually been meaning to tell you…” It’s on the tip of my tongue to say it, but instead, I tell him my other news, figuring I’ll start there first. “I got a call back earlier, regarding the space downtown. It’s…” I clear my throat, a sudden sadness building in my chest. “They already have a buyer. They’re drawing up the paperwork already.”

  End’s brows pull in, and he searches my gaze. “You really wanted that place, didn’t you?”

  I suck in a breath. “At first, I didn’t, but now…now I do. I’ll just have to look somewhere else.”

  “You’ll find something.” He seems certain of this. It eases the tightness in my chest and draws a smile out of me. I play with the words on my tongue, the words that will let him know he’s going to be a father again, but before I can spit them out, he cuts through my train of thought.

  “Want to go down for a better view?”

  “There’s a better view than this?” I ask, my eyes growing wide. “I feel like I can see everything from up here.” He laughs. The sound is husky, and it hits me right in the core.

  “You’ll see.” End takes my hand in his and leads me down the staircase. He’s not wrong. As soon as we step out of Mr. Jackson’s back doors, my breath catches in my throat. The view was spectacular up there, but here? It’s otherworldly.

  Endymion leads the way down the hill near the waterfall. I think this is the closest I’ve ever been. I knew Mr. Jackson and his wife had an incredible view of the waterfall, but it’s even better than I realized. Splashes of water mist my face. We’re close enough to touch the body of water. Close enough that I feel like I’m somehow closer to heaven.

  Out of habit, I reach for the chain around my neck, rubbing my fingers over the moon resting there lovingly.

  I can feel his gaze on me. It sends heat swarming through my body from head to toe. “You look beautiful.”

  A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. “You flatter me.”

  I hear End shift behind me, and when I glance over my shoulder, my heart jumps into my throat, my pulse pounding erratically. Warm tingles erupt in my belly, the force of the sensation takes my breath away. There behind me is Endymion, down on one knee. I turn to face him with my heart lodged in my throat.

  “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, Selene. The biggest being the fact that I almost let you slip through my fingers. I never knew what true happiness was until you came back into my life. You’re a light I never want to part with. Your beauty is breathtaking, but your heart, it’s fucking gold, babe. It’s where I want to live forever. You’ve given me a beautiful daughter I’ll love until my dying breath, just like I will you.

  “I want to give you the world, Selene. I want to stand by your side and help make your dreams come true. I want to give you all the kids you could ever dream of having, because I’m an asshole like that, and I imagine you pregnant is one of the great wonders of the world. So, marry me, Selene. Spend your life with me and let me show you every day how much I love you and just how much you mean to me.”

  A gasp tears past my lips when he cracks open the velvet box he’s been holding to reveal a ring. It’s a white gold emerald cut, but the band it’s attached to is what has my heart melting for this man. The white gold band has small crescent moons filled with diamonds that wrap around. It’s absolutely stunning.

  I don’t know when it happened, but I feel the tears streaming down my cheeks. I press my hand over my sternum, feeling my heart pounding like a steel drum in my chest. Everything about this moment is so right. So perfect. There will never be anyone like this man. No one who owns my heart the way he does.

  A wide grin splits across my face, and I nod vigorously, as if the tears rolling down my cheeks aren’t answer enough. “Yes. Yes, a thousand times yes!”

  End rises to his feet and crushes me in his arms, taking my lips in a rough kiss that I feel all the way down to the marrow of my bones. He’s no longer just under my skin. He’s a part of me now. He’s the blood in my veins, the breath in my lungs, and the muscles that keep my heart pumping. He’s my everything.

  Once he slides the ring onto my finger, I stare down at it and then back up at him. I slide my hand around the back of his neck, relishing in his warm skin.

  He’s perfect.

  And mine.

  “Those babies you were talking about? We might be getting them sooner than later.”

  He chuckles but then pauses, his eyes widening as he processes my words. “Wait, are you saying…?”

  A fresh wave of tears coats my eyes, and I nod my head. “I’m pregnant.”

  Endymion laughs, and the sound is so carefree, so filled with joy, that my heart bursts. He lifts me into his arms and kisses me. It’s filled with heat and love—filled with everything I’ve searched my entire life for.

  As we walk back to the cabin, I glance up at the sky as the moon slowly makes its appearance against the setting sun. The crescent shape in the sky draws a smile out of me.

  When you wish hard enough, even the most unrealistic dreams come true.

  Four Months Later

  “What is going on?” I ask beneath the blindfold that is covering my eyes. The grip around my hand tightens in reassurance, keeping me moving. I can tell we’re on a street. I’ve heard enough cars pass by to know that much. I can hear snickering and the sound of someone whispering. There’s a slight crunch whenever I walk, the telltale sign I’m walking through snow or sludge.

  “Just a little bit farther, then you can take it off.”

  “Is it dark under there, Mommy?” I hear Luna ask from somewhere beside me, her little hand gripping my free one.

  “Very. Want to tell me what’s happening?” I try to squeeze the truth out of her, but my daughter laughs as if I should know better.

  “I can’t do that, silly. It’ll ruin your surprise.”

  I huff out a breath.

  Once we jerk to a halt, I wait for the blindfold to be removed. And once it’s gone, my eyes water at the sight before me. There, just as I envisioned it, is a sign that reads Moonchild Apothecary. The black steel industrial letters stand out against the rustic white brick. My bottom lip trembles, and I whirl around, searching for End, surprise and emotion written all over my face.

  “How is this possible? Someone bought it already.”

  End shrugs a conspiratorial grin on his face. “I made an offer they couldn’t refuse a while back. Been working on it ever since.”

  “But you’ve been helping me search for new places. How is this even possible?”

  He smirks, clearly proud of himself. “All to throw you off.”

  “This is the important job you’ve been finishing with the guys?” My voice trembles slightly, my throat thick with emotion.

  He nods, his greens searching mine. “W
ant to see the inside?”

  I laugh, but it comes out as more of a sob. “Please.”

  End opens the front doors for us, and the second I step over the threshold and the lights flick on, I see all of my friends and family yelling out surprise. I lose my battle with my tears. There’s a sweet ache that’s blooming in my chest.

  “I asked your mom for help. We looked over the layout of your last shop, went over what worked and what didn’t. Julia and Beth-Ann helped us find vendors. Bishop, Landon, and Griffin helped with the flooring and electric. The rest of the guys from the crew helped out, too.”

  Slowly, I turn, walking around the space and taking it all in. With black rustic fixtures and white brick inside, the apothecary is chic and all clean lines. It looks upscale and inviting. The pops of color come from the vases of various plants in white marble pots and sunflowers in others. Everything is here. A section of crystals. Other sections of incense, soaps, candles, body oils, you name it.

  Everything is perfect.

  I rest my hand over the slight bump in my stomach and meet End’s gaze. He’s been watching me like a hawk, waiting to hear what I think. There aren’t words for how incredibly amazing and thoughtful this all is.

  “This is…beyond perfect. I don’t even know what else to say. Thank you somehow doesn’t seem like it’s enough.”

  Tears swim in my eyes, and I watch as he crosses the distance between us, his gait sure and confident, then pulls me into his arms. He tucks stray hairs behind my ears and caresses my cheekbone. “You don’t need to thank me. You’ve given me so much. This is my way of giving back to you. This place is yours, Selene. Your dream. Live it the way you want to. Just never stop reaching for those stars, baby, and I’ll never stop chasing the moon.”