Again: A Second Chance Romance

by Nikki Chase

  “I’m sorry, Mom. But I believe I’m doing the right thing, and nothing you can say will change my mind,” Hannah says. She gets up from her chair and turns to me. “Let’s go, Bee.”

  When we’re back inside Hannah’s toy-ridden SUV, I say, “Thank you for sticking up for me.”

  Hannah gives me a smile as she turns on the ignition. “It wasn’t right, what Dad was doing to you. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.” Hannah pauses pensively. “Does that sound like something Dad's said?”

  I giggle. “Aiden noticed I said something Dad-like too, yesterday.” I tell Hannah all about it on our way home.

  As much as Dad can be a jerk, we’re still family, and obviously both Hannah and I have a little bit of him inside us.

  Honestly, I love both my parents, even though one of them is a mean bully, and the other one is a passive onlooker. I just need them to love me a little less.

  And even though things seem bad right now, it feels like we’re going in the right direction.

  But regardless of what happens next, I have Aiden now. Even if my parents continue to oppose us, I can be happy as long as he’s with me. That makes me feel invincible.

  Just as Hannah predicted, I get a phone call from my dad, just a little over one week since the intervention.

  I’m back in San Francisco, and so is Aiden, and we’re living in my apartment while we figure out our next move. Aiden’s still working at the hospital with me, but he’s also asking around about vacancies in the corporate world.

  In fact, Aiden’s at the hospital right now, and I’ve just gotten home from getting groceries. That’s when my phone rings. I have to set the plastic bags down on the kitchen counter before I pull the phone out of my bag.

  As soon as I see “Dad” flash up on the screen of my phone, my heart jumps. This is either very good news (he gives up and agrees not to mess with Aiden’s job or his mom’s debt) or very bad news (he’s already gotten Aiden fired and also unleashed debt collectors on Aiden’s mom).

  “Hello,” I say as I pick up the phone, trying to sound as casual as possible, even though it feels like there’s a wildebeest stampede in my chest.

  “Aubrey,” my dad begins, “I won’t interfere with your boyfriend’s job. I suppose I won’t need to anyway, seeing as he’ll get fired on his own when his addiction takes over.”

  “Nice to hear from you, Dad,” I say sweetly as I grin from ear to ear.

  I know my dad’s being a jerk right now, but that’s because he hates to lose. Which means I win. We win—Aiden, Hannah, Marcus, and maybe Earl, too. This is a big day.

  “I’m happy to inform you that Aiden has no addiction problems and no signs of future addiction problems. What about the money?” I ask directly.

  “I’m willing to consider the sum that I gave Mrs. Black a donation,” Dad says.

  I roll my eyes. How noble of him. Fine, let’s pretend he didn’t use that money as payment to further his own agenda.

  “Thank you. That’s generous of you,” I say in a saccharine voice.

  “Now, would you please call your sister and tell her what I just told you so she’ll let me see my grandson?” Dad asks. I can hear the hint of exasperation in his voice.

  I laugh. “Of course, Dad.”

  I was going to call Hannah anyway.

  So that’s my dad’s admission of defeat.

  Yeah, it’s not much, but this is my dad we’re talking about. That’s probably the best I can ever expect from him.

  Later, Hannah tells me he was supposed to apologize, too.

  “I’m not surprised he didn’t,” I say. “Have you ever heard him say ‘sorry’?”

  “I just thought he could start. It’s never too late, right?” Hannah asks, ever the kind-hearted optimist.

  “It’s okay, Hannah. It doesn’t matter. I don’t need Dad’s apology. In fact, this whole week that I spent without any contact with Dad . . . It’s made me realize something: I don’t need him. And neither does Aiden. We would’ve done okay, even if Dad had ended up going with the nuclear option.”

  Hannah goes quiet. When she speaks again, I can tell she’s smiling. “Seems like Aiden’s a good influence on you. You haven’t needed Dad for a while now. I think it just took you some time to get used to it. You were always so smart I had no doubt that you were going to make it on your own as soon as you graduated college.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yeah. The only reason you had to rely on Dad was because you couldn’t work while studying on his dime. I have no doubt that you were going to work your ass off to finally be free from Dad.” Hannah laughs. “I still remember his face—it was all red—when he told me about how you were working part-time at some convenience store behind his back.”

  “Yeah.” I giggle. “That’s where I met Aiden.”

  “I always knew that something was going to happen not long after you graduated, because it would take time for Dad to get used to the new dynamics.” Hannah pauses. “Just be patient. Dad will come around. And if he doesn’t, that would be his loss. You’ll be fine.”

  “Yeah. I know.” I smile. “Thanks, Hannah.”

  Epilogue

  Aiden—Two Years Later

  As I bend down over the desk to write a short note, it strikes me how much Aubrey and I have been through. Things are so different now compared to that day when I saw her again at the church where Earl got married. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to believe it’s only been two years.

  I’m a corporate medical advisor now, working to help injured workers find the right treatments for their conditions. It pays just as well as a hospital job, and the hours are more certain.

  I like it okay.

  I make enough money to help my mom with her rent so she can work fewer hours, and I’ve also been footing the bill for her therapy sessions. One of the great perks of my job is having solid insurance options at discounted prices, so that’s been a big help, too.

  I’d never tell Aubrey this because she’d feel guilty, but if it weren’t for her dad’s threat, I’d still be working as a doctor right now.

  It’s been a pleasure, watching Aubrey bloom into a confident doctor. She feels like a doctor these days. She does good work and her patients love her.

  Sometimes, when I listen to her stories about the hospital, I kind of miss it.

  I don’t regret my career change, though. When I finally signed the contract for my current job, it felt like a big weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I could breathe easy.

  I mean, really, a job’s a job. Aubrey, on the other hand… Well, she’s about to be my wife. She’s family. She’s my priority, and always will be.

  “Are you done yet?” Marcus asks, elongating his words to tell us just how bored he is.

  Clearly, I’m the only person in this room who thinks this is the most exciting day in history. Earl’s playing with his phone with a facial expression that looks a lot like his son’s.

  Great. Both my best man and my ring bearer are already uninterested, although maybe it’s just early and I’m being an over-sensitive Groomzilla.

  “Yeah,” I tell Marcus as I pass my handwritten note to him. As a boy, he gets the privileged access to both my dressing room and Aubrey’s, so he’s the only one who can be my messenger.

  He glances at the note. “This is so lame,” he says.

  “Yeah? Well, I’m sure your Aunt Bee won’t think it’s lame.”

  “Girls are lame,” Marcus says.

  “You’re what, nine?” I ask. “You have a few more years until girls start to seem a lot less lame.”

  Marcus shrugs. He stares at the bottom of the note. “Hey, if you’re Uncle A and she’s Aunt Bee, are you going to call your kid Cee?”

  Earl bursts out laughing as I narrow my eyes at Marcus. Marcus and his parents are the only people who call Aubrey Bee, so I’ve never realized this before.

  “If it’s a girl, you can call her CeeCee, and that can be her name. If it’s a boy, you
can go with anything that starts with the letter ‘c’ and just call him Cee.” He pauses to think, then with confidence, he says, “Carlos would be a good name.”

  I join Earl in laughter. What a random name. I shoot Earl a questioning look.

  “Carlos is his best friend in school,” Earl explains. To Marcus, he says, “When you see your mom, tell her I know her dress has pockets. I have about fifty pictures of it already on my phone, so she can stop sending them.” Earl pauses to think. “But also tell her she looks pretty so she doesn’t get mad.”

  “Okay, cool,” Marcus says as he saunters out of the hotel room, my note in his hand.

  Watching him walk away, I muse, “I get the feeling he thinks we’re just as lame as the girls.”

  “Oh, there’s no question about it. He does, for sure,” Earl says. He goes quiet for a few seconds. “Hey, what is it with women and pockets?”

  I shrug. I don't really care about that right now. I just hope Aubrey will like my sappy little note.

  Epilogue

  Aubrey

  “Princess,

  Out of the billions of men on Earth, you’ve chosen to be with me. That makes me feel like the luckiest guy in the world. You’re the most beautiful person I know, inside and out, and sometimes I still can’t believe you’re mine.

  Twelve years ago, when we first met, you were just a cute girl at work, but I knew I had to talk to you, even if it took me weeks to work up the courage to ask you out. And now, you're about to be my wife.

  Even though the road here has been long and winding, I don’t regret a single thing. You’re my best friend, and I can’t imagine going through life without you.

  In a few hours, I’ll be able to tell everyone you’re my wife. I can’t wait.

  See you at our wedding! I’ll be the guy standing next to the minister at the end of the aisle.

  Love,

  A

  Tears spring to my eyes as I read Aiden’s note. It’s so sweet. He’s so sweet, and I’m the lucky one for having him in my life.

  “Aww…” Hannah smiles as she snaps some pictures of me with her phone camera. I hear multiple clicks. “Seriously, you two are adorable.”

  “Those pictures had better not end up on Instagram,” I warn my sister, even though I’m sure I don’t sound threatening at all with my voice distorted by crying.

  “Okay. Facebook it is,” she says.

  Mom hands me the box of tissues. “You’re going to ruin your makeup if you keep crying like that.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” I dab carefully at my eyes and cheeks.

  I’ve fantasized about my wedding day, of course. Which girl hasn’t?

  But just a couple of years ago, I never would’ve expected that I’d be getting married to Aiden. And even in my wildest imagination, I never would’ve dreamed of marrying Aiden and having my whole family attend the wedding.

  I still don’t know when it finally clicked for me that I’m supposed to be with Aiden, and there’s nothing I can do to change that—not that I ever wanted to.

  The clock seems to crawl until I finally walk through the open doors into the old stone church where we're about to get married.

  As he promised, Aiden’s at the end of the aisle, grinning at me with pride and love in his blue eyes. He’s absolutely striking in his tailored suit. And whenever Aiden looks good in something, I get the urge to take it off and jump his bones.

  Today, though, I have to wait all day and all night until we get some time alone.

  But at least, now, he’ll be by my side. Nobody can keep us apart anymore, not even just for one night because it’s “bad luck” for us to see each other before the wedding.

  I can’t believe how much I miss him. It’s not easy for me to maintain a slow pace to match the music, because all I want to do is run into Aiden’s arms. Aside from last night, we’ve always shared a bed ever since Aiden stole me away from Hannah’s home.

  Everything has just fallen into place easily for us. I realize now why it never worked with any other guy. I know now why they always seemed too clingy. It’s simple: none of them was Aiden, and I was never into anyone else.

  The wedding guests have stood up to their feet, and most of them are looking my way (although Marcus is stealing a little of my thunder with his cuteness). But I’ve got my eyes on Aiden.

  Because of my dad’s excessive need to control me, I used to want to be a lone wolf. I wanted to break free and do everything myself.

  Now, I see that it’s okay to depend on other people sometimes. I mean, if it weren’t for Hannah’s help, yes, Aiden and I would still be together, and we’d probably be doing fine.

  But as I walk down the aisle, holding on to my dad’s arm while gazing giddily at Aiden, I realize that going it ourselves wouldn’t have been as satisfying.

  “Thanks, Dad,” I say just before we reach the end of the aisle. I give him a light kiss on the cheek.

  My dad smiles sagely and pats my hand before I let go. He tends to be quiet at emotional moments like this. He always looks awkward too, like he doesn’t know what to do with himself.

  He hasn’t said much about Aiden ever since the intervention, but they’ve been warming up to each other. They greet each other and speak civilly when they meet at birthdays and holiday dinners.

  I don’t think my dad is ever going to be as close to Aiden as he is to Earl, seeing as they’ve been working together for years. But I’m okay with that.

  I know now why my luck was so shit when I met Aiden again at the parking lot and at the slot machine. I think I used up all my luck meeting him. He’s been worth the trouble, though. I’m glad he showed up again, and I’m glad I never moved on after we parted the first time.

  As Aiden takes my hands, my surroundings turn into background blur. All I see is Aiden—his dark hair that makes me want to reach out and run my fingers through it, his strong jaw, and his sharp, blue, familiar eyes.

  The minister is probably saying something important, but Aiden and I are busy sharing our excitement.

  To everyone else, we may appear to just be staring and grinning at each other like idiots. But we’re having an entire conversation with our eyes right now. I’m telling him I loved his note, and I hated waking up to an empty bed. He’s telling me he was so excited he couldn’t sleep last night.

  In front of everyone we know and love, we share a private, wordless conversation in our secret language.

  And when the minister gives the prompt, we make a public vow. To love and to cherish each other for as long as we both shall live.

  “Before you kiss the bride,” the minister says, “let me end with a quote from the Bible. “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

  I hope my dad hears that, I think to myself. Aiden smirks and gives me a look that says he knows exactly what I’m thinking about, and he agrees . . . but it’s time for our wedding kiss now.

  He pulls me close and I let my eyelids flutter shut. These lips . . . No matter how many times I’ve kissed them, it never feels like enough.

  Aiden pulls away. Amidst the cheers of our wedding guests, he says, in a low voice only I can hear, “You’d better not get tired of doing that. Because you’re stuck with me now. For better or worse. You heard what the minister said.”

  I giggle. It’s scary how well Aiden reads my thoughts, but it’s even scarier how comfortable I am having him in my head.

  “I love you,” I whisper.

  “I love you, too, princess.” He pauses and turns to look at me. “I mean . . . I love you too, wifey.”

  Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed Aubrey and Aiden’s story.

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  Preview: Knocked Up

  Kat

  “His office looks more like an upscale jazz lounge than a place of work, all dark wood and smooth leather. And it doesn’t only look good.

  “Whenever I take a seat on the designer chair across the desk from him, it feels like my ass is being cradled by fluffy clouds.”

  My boss stops reading and turns his steely blue eyes on me.

  “I’m glad you enjoy my furniture, Kat,” he says.

  “It’s fictional,” I say quickly, but my defense sounds as thin as Keira Knightley, even to my own ears.

  Heath raises an eyebrow. “Your protagonist works in a private investment company. Her boss has made a fortune from going short on stocks of unethical companies, even though he's only twenty-eight.

  “His last big move was basically a $100 million bet against this company that was running a pyramid scheme. Oh, and he’s also—” Heath glances at the screen of his computer “—a sanctimonious, arrogant bully.”

  I squirm in my seat as Heath stares at me.

  “Did I miss anything?” he asks. There’s no anger in his eyes. If anything, he seems amused by the whole thing. But I feel like crawling into a hole and dying.

  “Umm… Not really,” I lie.

  I wonder if he’s also noticed the part where my main character describes her boss as “a man with the body of a Greek god and the face of a Hollywood heart-throb.” Because—surprise, surprise—that’s based on him, too.

  “It may be fiction, but I’d say it’s at least based on a true story. Wouldn’t you agree?” he asks.

  I swallow. How is my throat so dry?

  “Very loosely based on reality. Just the background stuff, really.” I force my lips into a smile.