The One and Only: A Single Mom Second Chance Romance (Heart of Hope)

by Ajme Williams

  I had to work hard to fight off my disappointment. This was just the beginning of our new relationship, after all. Barely into our first date, I shouldn’t expect her to be convinced so easily. If I really wanted to be with her, then I had to be willing to put in the time and work, and that included convincing her that we were going to be amazing together.

  “Let’s forget the ‘r’ word,” I told her, smiling. “We don’t want to think too far into the future and forget to enjoy the present moment. Why don’t we just enjoy tonight and focus on that? Let me spoil you a little. I always wanted to when we were together the first time, but I never did, and I’d like a chance to make up for that now.”

  Laura blushed and smiled again, and I felt like I’d said the right thing. “Okay.”

  Our appetizers arrived and I insisted that she try them first. I explained how the wine I’d chosen would pair well with the food and complement it. Laura admitted that she only knew the basics of wine since she’d never really had to help choose it for her clients—she could only guide them on the food, but the wine was above her pay grade.

  “I could teach you,” I assured her. “It would be a good set of skills to know for the more high-end clients you’re hoping to court.”

  We had fun going over the wine menu, and I made fun of a lot of them, doing a horrible French accent for her that had Laura covering her mouth so that nobody would know how hard she was laughing, almost snorting out the wine. The look of her face screwed up with joy as she laughed at something I said, was possibly the cutest thing I’d ever seen. I wanted to take my phone out and snap a picture of her to preserve this moment.

  Sure, I wanted to sweep her off her feet, but I didn’t want to overwhelm her. Not when she had already expressed some nerves. I had to be careful about this. So, I kept things lighthearted instead, making her laugh, instead of trying to be seductive.

  Laura seemed to respond well to this approach, and I was glad. I didn’t want to scare her off right away. She had some concerns and I needed to respect that, as best I could.

  But I also wanted to convince her that she and I belonged together.

  Her mood had improved enough that she ordered the entrees herself, and we were able to dig into the meal in a much better mood than what we’d started with. Laura had been telling me so much about her own life and her work, so I told her about mine, about the crazy shenanigans that Gray had gotten me into—especially in Georgetown.

  “You have no idea how many scrapes I had to get him out of,” I told her. “One time I went to get him from a party and the police were called to break it up. So, I had to take this guy, blackout drunk, and we had to climb over the back fence and then race back to our dorm. He still doesn’t remember how he got home! I practically had to drag him the rest of the way.”

  Laura laughed. “Thank God I never got into anything crazy when I was in school.”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t want to do anything crazy like that, trust me, it was all Gray. But it does make for some fun stories now that we’re older. And the guy now owes me for life, so, not too bad,” I winked at her.

  Laura laughed again and clinked her glass against mine. “Congratulations.”

  Now it was my turn to laugh.

  We finished our meal, things getting a little more serious now. I explained how Gray wasn’t such a bad guy. “He gave me good advice, actually. The same advice that you did. He said that you were right, and I needed to listen to you, about my parents and going my own way in life, doing what made me happy. He’s actually working with a charity now, modeling for them, being their sort of…public face. Since he’s got such a pretty face and a well-known name. I’m proud of him.”

  “That’s great,” Laura said in earnest. “My best friend, Caitlyn, I’m proud of her too.”

  She explained how Caitlyn had had a bad relationship with a man, and how she and Laura had supported each other emotionally when they were studying, living together until their careers had gotten better and they could find their own places.

  “I’m glad you have her,” I told Laura earnestly. “Really. You needed someone after I’d left. I know your mom wasn’t exactly the best support system. And it sounds like she needed a friend, too. I’m glad that you guys could be there for each other.”

  “Thank you,” Laura blushed again, not from flattery but because she was pleased.

  “Should we get dessert?” I suggested. I didn’t want to push her too much, but I also wanted to spend more time with her if I could. “Polish off this bottle?”

  I gestured to the bottle of wine that we were still working through. Laura chuckled and nodded. “There was a molten chocolate lava cake on the menu that tempted me…” she admitted with a smirk.

  We ordered the dessert and then poured out the rest of the wine into our glasses. The cake was just as delicious as I’d thought it would be, but even better than tasting it myself was watching Laura eat it. The chocolate smeared on her lips and she delicately licked it off like a cat. Watching a spoonful of that hot chocolate cake disappear into her mouth, between those red lips, felt like watching sin itself. Even though Laura wasn’t doing this intentionally. In fact, all of it being unintentional made it all the more sexier.

  I kept myself under control and let the conversation taper off, enjoying the companionable silence between us as we polished off the wine and the dessert. It didn’t feel uncomfortable, the way the silence between Della and I had felt. Della and I had so often fallen silent because we had nothing to say to each other. But there was nothing strained about this silence. Laura and I were simply basking in the moment.

  I called for the check and paid it. Laura blushed when I did that, but she didn’t protest.

  “Thank you for letting me take you out,” I told her, while the server ran my card. “I wanted to spoil you a little. Make up for all the times that I hadn’t before. So, thank you.”

  “I could hardly object to being wined and dined like this,” Laura replied. “You know how to show a girl a good time. A classy time.”

  “I hope that you enjoyed this time.”

  “I did. Very much,” Laura blushed again.

  The server returned with my card, I signed the receipt, and we got up. I helped Laura out of her seat and offered her my arm. “Perhaps we could walk on the waterfront, walk off the wine and enjoy the night air?”

  The truth was that I didn’t want to say goodbye to her just yet, but I didn’t want to admit this to her. It might put her off and make her paranoid again. I had to be careful not to go over the top with my romantic gestures or words, even if that was how I wanted to be. I was trying desperately to make up for lost time, and the temptation to sweep her into my arms and kiss her was strong. But I had to resist and be slow, for Laura’s sake.

  Laura smiled and nodded. “That would be nice.”

  My car was with the valet, so it wasn’t a problem for me to walk with her down to the water. It was peaceful at this time of the night with nobody else around. There were a few other people, but they were far away, far enough that I couldn’t see them, and I knew that they wouldn’t be able to overhear us. We were basically alone and would be able to discuss or do whatever we wanted without feeling like we might have an audience.

  I kept my arm hooked with Laura’s, and she let me, curling into my side as we walked along the lake. It was beautiful at night, with the moon making a silvery path across the water, and I remembered all the times we’d sneak out at night to spend time here when we were teenagers.

  “Remember sitting on the hood of my car?” I asked. “Stargazing? You made hot chocolate and we spread out blankets.”

  Laura smiled, staring out over the water. “I remember. It was lovely.”

  “Don’t get me wrong,” I added. “I love remembering the naughtier times, too. But I think these moments were my favorite. Just curling up with you and spending time with you.”

  I wanted her to know that she hadn’t been a fling to me, the way she thought be
cause of the lie I’d told her. I had never liked her only for the sex, as amazing as the sex had been. I’d been in love with her. I still was.

  Not that I could tell her that right now. I had to choose my words carefully.

  Laura turned to smile at me. She looked a little surprised, like she hadn’t expected me to say that. I wanted to tell her so many more things, until the surprised expression would leave her face and she had no doubt about my feelings—and then she shivered.

  “Are you cold? Here,” I took off my jacket and held it out for her.

  “Oh, you really don’t have to….”

  “I’m gonna be fine. Seriously, I insist.” I helped her into the jacket and then wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

  Laura blushed. It was hard to tell in the moonlight, but I was pretty sure that I could see her cheeks reddening. She smiled at the ground, biting her lip. “Thank you.”

  “Of course.” I’ll always take care of you, if you let me.

  We walked for a little further, then paused to watch the waves roll in along one of the beaches on the lake. During the day, kids would come down and swim here, but for now, it was silent and empty, nothing but the soft crashing of the waves upon the sand.

  Laura settled against me, her head on my shoulder, and I had never felt more content. I didn’t want this night to ever end. I wanted to stay with her and have her stay with me.

  I turned to look at her. “Come back to the lake house with me.”

  Laura froze. She stared out across the lake for a moment, then turned slowly to look up at my face. I could see the indecisiveness there, the question in her eyes.

  Would she say yes? My breath caught in my chest as I waited for her answer.

  Please. Please, say “yes”.

  20

  Laura

  I was genuinely surprised by Cade’s request. Partly because he had done an admirable job of backing off after I’d told him that I wasn’t sold on jumping into a relationship with him. And secondly, because I hadn’t thought that he would still want to be with me even though I didn’t want to commit to him.

  My head swam with the possibilities and confusion. I wanted to trust him when he’d said that he wanted to make up for last time and give us a second chance. But I didn’t know if I could trust him—and even if I could, all of my concerns were still valid. I didn’t want to do a long-distance relationship, nor did I want to uproot my whole life. Even without Drew, and especially with him in the picture. I couldn’t change his life all of a sudden. And what if Cade and I didn’t work out?

  But going back to the lake house with him this night wasn’t committing to a relationship. It was only committing to a continuation of our night together. And we’d had a fairly early dinner even if we had lingered over our food. It wasn’t terribly late. I could have some fun with Cade at his house and still get back to my home before Caitlyn would start to get worried or fall asleep.

  “Won’t your parents be at the lake house?” I wasn’t going to sneak around them, nor did I want to meet them. Not so soon after Cade had broken up his engagement. I doubt they’d take it well if they saw him with another woman.

  Cade shook his head. “They’ve gone to Florida for some fundraising event. Dad wanted me to accompany them, but I turned them down. They’re still taking the whole engagement cancelation hard, and I knew that if I went, it would just lead to us arguing the entire time. I think they could use some space from me.”

  That sounded entirely reasonable.

  “It means…” Cade cleared his throat, “that I have the lake house to myself. Just like that summer after high school.”

  His voice was smooth and deep, full of promise. I swallowed. I was sorely tempted to go with him. Caitlyn would probably tell me to go, to have fun, to get some good sex for once in my life.

  But was it really a good idea to go back to the lake house? To the place where we’d last been happy in our relationship, the same place where Cade had broken my heart?

  “I know you have reservations about being in a relationship again,” Cade said softly. “I understand. I’m not asking for that. I’m asking for some more time with you tonight. If you want to do that, that is.”

  This was playing with fire, but I didn’t want to leave him just yet. Cade had been funny and charming all night, he’d listened to me talk about Caitlyn and my school years, and he’d been as attentive a date as one could hope for. And he really did seem earnest about wanting to appreciate me this time, making up for his past mistakes.

  And I wanted him, I would be honest in admitting my weakness. He was handsome, had taken care of me and charmed me thoroughly, I thought as I stroked his arm, wrapped around me as we stood by this lake in the moonlight. It was romantic and he was being wonderful. How could I be expected to resist that?

  Besides, if a relationship between us wasn’t going to work out—and I didn’t think that it would—then this might very well be my last opportunity to be with him. Shouldn’t I get to take advantage of this opportunity and have one last beautiful night with the only man who’d been able to really turn me on?

  “All right,” I said. “I’ll go with you to the lake house. But I’ll follow in my car, I don’t want to leave mine with the valet.”

  “Fair enough,” Cade looked like he was elated but was trying his best to hide it. “Let me walk you back to your car. I have to get mine from the valet as well.”

  He kept his arm around me as we walked back to our cars, and I found myself leaning into him, letting my head rest on his shoulder, enjoying his warmth. Cade said nothing the whole time as we walked, as if he was simply enjoying our time together as well.

  It made my heart warm.

  We got to the restaurant’s valet and got our cars. “Oh, here. Your jacket.”

  I turned to give it to him, but Cade shook his head and put up his hands. “No, you keep it, wear it on the drive over. We’ll see each other in a short bit anyway, you can give it to me then.”

  Because you’ll be taking me out of it, I thought, repressing a shiver of anticipation. This was probably a horrible idea, but I couldn’t resist him. I wanted this last evening with him, a perfect end to a perfect date, to hold close inside my heart when he would go away and I was back to being a single mother running my business.

  We got our cars and I followed him to the lake house. I remembered the route well enough, even though it had been ages, but I’d never driven there in a car, just been the passenger in Cade’s, so it was good to have him in the lead in case I forgot a turn.

  The lake house loomed up ahead and my heart leapt into my throat. It was a little jarring to be back here, I had to admit, to see the lake house in all its glory once again. It looked like an abandoned mansion in the moonlight, one of those haunted houses in the novels where the ghosts of the people who used to live there still roamed, mourning their lost loves and missed opportunities. Not scary ghosts, but sad ones.

  And there were ghosts in this house. Not literal ones, but the ghost of my past, at least. The ghost of what Cade and I had been together. My heart pounded as I parked my car and got out, a flood of memories hitting me.

  The first time I’d seen this house, I had been a teenager, my heart full of joy and my head racing with the possibilities of the future. I had been convinced that this was the honeymoon before Cade and I began the rest of our lives together.

  Now, I was unsure of everything and half-convinced that this was the last time I would ever see Cade.

  From the driveway, I could see just the dock by the lake behind the house, where we had laid together in the summer afternoons, sharing our hopes and dreams. It made my heart sick with a sorrowful longing, which I thought I’d forgotten in this past decade. The sadness I’d felt about wanting someone to share those memories with. Not just anyone, but Cade.

  Cade got out of his car and walked over to me. He smiled, following my line of sight. “Would you like to walk down to the dock? I promise I won’t push you in.”

/>   I smiled, but it didn’t ease the tension I felt between us now. Was it a good tension? Or a bad tension? I couldn’t tell. “No, I think we should go inside.”

  Cade took my hand, intertwining our fingers, and began to lead me up the walkway. I swallowed hard as I followed. I hadn’t expected him to take my hand and I was torn between letting him keep it and pulling away. I felt like I was playing a dangerous game and I wanted him, so badly, but I also wanted to protect my heart. I felt completely torn.

  Cade unlocked the front door and I stepped inside the house.

  It looked exactly the same as it had almost ten years ago. It was like stepping back in time—nothing had changed, at least as far as I could see.

  I felt my cheeks heat up as I remembered how we’d made love on every surface of this house. We’d made a game of it, as teenagers, having fun and not caring about the mess we’d left in our wake.

  Cade headed for the kitchen. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

  “No, thank you.” Cade was already swirling around in my head, occupying every part of my mind with memories and possibilities, and I didn’t need the wine confusing me further.

  “Perhaps some coffee?”

  “No, really, I’m fine. But thank you.”

  Cade walked back to me and put his hands on my shoulders. I was still wearing his jacket. I’d smelled him on it on the entire car ride, just turning me on more and more. Now that he was touching me, I could feel my legs starting to buckle.

  “You look nervous,” Cade admitted. “I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have brought you here.”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. I’m just…this place has a lot of memories.”

  Cade smirked. “I remember what most of those memories entailed.”

  I laughed, feeling my body heat up thinking of those memories. “I know.”

  But that wasn’t what I’d meant—I’d meant that we’d been in love, or at least I had been—but now Cade was looking at me like he wanted to devour me, and I didn’t want to stop him from doing that. This was like sticking my hand into a flame and expecting not to get burnt, but I couldn’t take my hand out of the fire either.