The Big One (Second Chance Romantic Comedy)

by Katherine Hastings

  I closed my eyes and nodded. “Yep. I got Medusa’d.”

  “Son of a... I told you not to look directly at him! Is he here, you little homewrecker?” He looked around the room and then playfully peeked under the covers.

  “No, he’s not here. And I didn’t sleep with him. But it turns out he’s getting a divorce.”

  “So you did witness him leaving his wife for you! I told you! At least it’s better than him trying to keep the both of you at the same time. At least he picked you.”

  “Actually, he’s at the end of his divorce. I wasn’t a homewrecker at all.”

  Nita stumbled through the door and we turned to see her wobbling toward us. “God, I hate Eddie. What are we talking about?” she said with her hoarse voice and crawled up into the bed beside us.

  “Liam,” Louie and I answered simultaneously.

  Her puffy eyes shot open. “That’s right! Sweet Jesus I almost forgot! Liam! What happened? We tried to find you at the Bowl, but Eddie said you’d left with Liam. So, naturally we did more Jägermeister.”

  “Fucking, Eddie,” Louie groaned and rubbed his head.

  “Fucking, Eddie,” Nita mirrored.

  “Well, I was just filling Louie in. It turns out he is at the end of a very brutal divorce. When his grandfather died, he wanted to take care of his mother, but she wanted him to put her in a home.”

  “Bitch,” Louie hissed.

  “Right? So, he moved in with his mom, and they filed for divorce the next week. Oh, and right after he moved out she started dating his friend.”

  “Whoa! Super bitch!” Nita gasped.

  “So super bitch is all for the divorce, but then finds out about the inheritance... and she wants half.”

  “No way!” Nita said. “That’s some sketchy shit! There’s a chance that would hold up in the US, unfortunately, but a really good lawyer could hopefully fight it.”

  “That’s what has been happening. They’ve been at war and it turned out the court was siding with Liam. So then super bitch decides to try to get him back so she can still have the money.”

  “Who is this chick? She’s like a Bond villain!” Louie clutched his chest. “He has worse taste in women than you have in men!”

  I chuckled. “So, what I witnessed was her last stand outside the lawyer’s office to try to win him back so she won’t be left with nothing.”

  “So, he’s forgiven?” Nita asked, and they both searched my face.

  “I’m not sure. He still lied, you guys. You know how I feel about lying. It’s a fatal flaw... a death blow. I have no recovery skills and now I’m worried I’ll never trust him again, and I can’t live like that.”

  “Did he say why he lied?” Nita leaned on her elbow.

  “Well, when I arrived he was just a few days away from finding out if he could finalize his divorce, or if he’d be stuck married to her for months, or years, while they hashed it out. His excuse was basically that he was just a couple days away from knowing what to tell me our immediate future would look like, so he made the very poor decision to wait until after the meeting to tell me about her. That way he’d know what to say and he wouldn’t risk spooking me knowing I may start dating a married man stuck in a divorce battle while we were just getting started. That and he just wanted to enjoy us for a little bit before having to drag me into his drama and spoil our reunion with all that uncertainty.”

  “Valid, I guess.” Louie shrugged.

  “Is it? I’m trying to convince myself it’s valid, but the bottom line is that he lied.”

  “Omitted,” Nita corrected.

  “Omissions are lies.”

  The first time I got caught up with a guy who skated around the truth using clever wording and intentionally left things out I’d told myself that same thing over and over. When I’d caught him, his excuse was always, “I didn’t lie.” Technically, he hadn’t, but in my eyes, omissions were lies, and now Liam had joined the long list of men that had lied to me. My compassionate side understood his motivations, but the reality of his betrayal still stung deep and shook me to the core. It made me question whether his sad story held even a semblance of the truth. Maybe he’d just heaped more lies on a steaming pile of lies. Thoughts and confusion swirled around in my head, but each time I went to dismiss him, a flash of those blue eyes would draw me back.

  “So, there’s no homeless woman hired to be the mom, he didn’t cheat on his wife, he flew to the US to be with you, and he’s begging for you back?” Louie summed it up.

  “Yep. Well, that’s what he said anyway. Maybe that’s a lie, too.”

  “What does your gut say?” Louie asked. “You’ve always had a good gut. Does it say he’s lying again?”

  I blew out a breath and shook my head. “No. My gut says he’s telling the truth. But he has those Love Medusa powers over me so who knows, maybe they messed up my gut radar.”

  “And?” Nita asked. “How did it end?”

  “Lots of tears, him begging, me running, him catching me, a kiss to end all kisses, running in a rainstorm, and then I sent him home.”

  “And how was the kiss?”

  I didn’t need to answer. My face said it all. I closed my own eyes and remembered the taste of his lips and the energy that coursed between us. And the butterflies... like phoenixes, they had risen from the ashes and fluttered around my stomach again, just like they were doing now.

  “So now what? Do we forgive him? Hate him? Where is he? What are we doing?” She fired off questions.

  “I’m not sure. I unblocked him on my phone and told him I would spend the day with him before he flies home tomorrow night. I’ll see if my gut still thinks he’s telling the truth, and if so, can I forgive him for what he did?”

  “I see. So we’re cool breezing him for a bit?” Louie asked.

  “Yeah. Let’s crack the window and give him a cool breeze and see what happens.”

  “Cool breeze it is,” Nita agreed. “But before we cool breeze, I need food.” She pushed out of bed with a groan, clamping her fingers around her head while she teetered. “Fucking, Eddie.” She stumbled out the door.

  Louie rubbed his temples. “Fucking, Eddie.”

  Even though I hadn’t stayed out partying with them all night, my own head throbbed as if I had. Usually I adored Eddie, but this morning I loathed his existence... and the existence of Jägermeister. “I would kill for a McMuffin. The ultimate hangover cure.”

  “Oh God, please don’t torment me. We’re like an hour from McDonald’s.”

  “Do we still have pizza from yesterday?”

  “Maybe. I may have eaten it at three in the morning, but I’m not sure. That might have been a dream.” He pursed his lips and scrunched his brow. “Ugh. No more breakups, Ellie. I can’t handle these break-up drinking binges anymore.”

  “Come on, let’s find food to fix us.” I grabbed his hand, and we moaned while we struggled to our feet. Together we shuffled down the never-ending hall until we reached the stairs. To keep my balance, I grabbed the carved wooden banister and leaned on it while we slowly made our way down from the third floor. As I passed through the second-floor landing, I looked out the giant arched window and saw the sun shining bright over the lake that came right up to his perfectly manicured yard.

  When we reached the bottom, I paused while I tried to remember the way to the kitchen. This ‘cabin’ may be decorated with beach décor and made of logs, but the fact I got lost on the way to the kitchen reminded me it was anything but. A knock on the door turned our heads, and we glanced at each other while we waddled toward the sound.

  “Please tell me someone magically ordered pizza in their sleep.” Nita popped around the corner and joined the hangover parade.

  “We all reached the door together, and I pulled it open, unable to contain the gasp when I saw those familiar blue eyes staring at me.

  “Good morning, everyone.” Liam smiled and hoisted a paper bag in the air. “I know how much Ellie loves eggs after a night of dri
nking, so I stopped at this place down the road called Good Eggs. There are three breakfast burritos in here as big as each of your pounding heads.”

  “Are you an angel?” Louie whispered, reaching out and pulling the bag into his arms. Without another word, he turned and headed back into the house.

  “I don’t care what you did. You brought hangover food. We forgive you, Liam.” Nita’s hoarse voice butchered the words, and she stumbled away with Louie. I could smell the tantalizing scents wafting from the bag and my stomach grumbled, but there was something far more enticing keeping me from following the bag back into the house.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “Well, I took a leap of faith that you had fallen asleep last night and forgot to unblock me, and not that you changed your mind and left me blocked on purpose.”

  “What? I thought I... oh, shit. Yeah, I zonked out before I finished. Oh God, I’m sorry!”

  “No need to apologize. I’m just happy it was the former and not the latter.”

  “Yes. I meant to unblock you. I’m glad you came. Do you want to come in?”

  His lips lifted at the corners. “Do I need a tuxedo and the butler’s approval before coming into the castle here?”

  “Come in.” I laughed and stepped aside. Tugging down the oversized t-shirt over my bare legs, I followed him while he looked around Louie’s house until we found our way to the kitchen. Louie and Nita were moaning over each bite of the giant breakfast burritos and my hangover pushed me over to the bag. I grabbed the last one and pulled back the wrapper, sinking my teeth into the best breakfast wrap I’d ever had.

  “Oh my God. This is literally pummeling my hangover into the ground,” Louie said before taking another bite.

  “Totally forgiven,” Nita said, moaning again. Even hungover, Nita would still muster the energy to rake Liam through the coals if she didn’t trust him. Yet there she sat, guard down and fangs retracted while the man who broke my heart stood just feet away from her. As a lawyer, she was an excellent snap judge of character, and the fact he didn’t raise her hackles was a huge relief. It helped to strip down another layer of the protective wall I’d constructed around my heart.

  “Did you guys have fun last night?” Liam asked them.

  “So much fun,” Louie said with his mouth full of food.

  “I kissed a cute boy,” Nita added and waggled her eyebrows.

  Liam laughed and leaned on the granite island. “Sounds like a good night. I’ve heard so much about you two. I’m glad to finally meet you. Thank you for not killing me on sight last night.” His charming smile washed over them both.

  “Just keep bringing me these burritos and all is forgiven,” Nita answered. “And don’t fuck over my baby sister again. Even an entire ocean can’t stop me from reaching you and castrating you with a potato peeler. One layer at a time.” There it was. That bolt of power flashed through her eyes and collided with Liam’s before she closed them and moaned while she took another bite. I choked down my laughter when I saw the look on Liam’s face. A gulp moved down his throat.

  “I promise, that won’t be necessary. I never meant to hurt her, and if I can get her to give me another chance, you’ll never have to pull out a potato peeler... I’ll never hurt her again.”

  “A potato peeler? Really, Nita?” Louie shivered and cringed. “I’m going to have nightmares.”

  “Slow. Painful. Just the way it should be. But we don’t have to worry about that, do we, Liam?” She peered up at him and arched an eyebrow.

  “No. Nope. No potato peelers needed. Promise.” Liam raised his hands in submission.

  “You got any brothers?” Louie asked, wiping his mouth while he crumpled up his empty wrapper.

  “No. Only child.”

  “Too bad,” he sighed. “What are you two doing today?”

  I looked up at him, curious myself.

  “This is step one in the hangover recovery process. I have a couple more steps for my little recovering Ellie.”

  Louie stood up and started toward the stairs. “I only got a few hours of sleep last night, so I’m sleeping all day. Jägermeister is the devil. Eddie is the devil. Fucking, Eddie.”

  “Fucking, Eddie.” Nita nodded and popped the last bite in her mouth, hopping up and following him. “Louie, I’m napping with you.”

  “Slumber party!” he cheered and took her by the hand.

  “I’ll text you guys later,” I called after them while they stumbled up the stairs.

  “Have fun!” Louie called back.

  “Potato peeler!” Nita shouted before disappearing around the corner.

  I choked on my burrito and dissolved into laughter after I swallowed it down. “So, you’ve met Louie and Nita.”

  “And I’m still alive. That’s a good start.”

  “For now.” I smirked, and he cringed.

  “This place is incredible. He’s so lucky to have it.” He walked around the open kitchen into the living room. “I would kill for a house on the water in Ephraim. And... is that a private dock?” He pushed out through the wooden doors onto the back porch enclosed with glass. We made our way through the wicker furniture to the screen door leading out to the water. The stairs creaked as we stepped down them and gravel crunched under our feet while we walked down the path to the dock.

  “I bet it’s deep enough to keep a sailboat docked here. Man, he’s got it made.”

  “Seriously. Apparently, this place has been in his family for three generations. He inherits it after his parents.”

  “Lucky guy.” Liam sat on the small wooden bench at the end of the dock, and I sat beside him. His eyes drifted to my bare legs, and I tugged down my shirt with my free hand and felt the heat race up to my cheeks.

  “Want a bite?” I asked, offering him my burrito.

  “Are you already full?” He leaned forward and held my eyes while he took a bite. How he could make eating a burrito sexy was beyond me, but here he was doing it. Staying mad at him was becoming more of a chore than it should be at this point.

  “So, are you up for some Door County fun today?”

  “Not really. Eddie tried to kill us with Jägermeister, but I suppose I could rally.”

  “Good, because I have a day planned,” he said and then leaned down and took another bite from my hand.

  “And what does this day entail?”

  “You’ll see.” He grinned widely, and I pursed my lips and fought my own smile.

  “We’re back to ‘you’ll see’, huh?”

  “Yep. It worked out well for you last time, didn’t it?”

  I remembered our night at the suite in Positano, and flashes of sweaty hot sex sent a wave of heat back through my cheeks. “I suppose it did.”

  “Good. Then go get dressed. Wear a suit, and I’ll wait for you out here. Then we’re off to hangover cure step two.”

  I saw that sparkle in his eye and a little more of the walls chipped away. “Okay. I’ll be back.”

  I left him on the bench and ripped through my bag, pulling out the suit he’d bought me in Italy and throwing on a beach cover-up. After fixing my hair and putting on a little makeup, I walked back out to find him sitting on the same bench, staring at the seagulls flying overhead.

  “I’m ready,” I said, and he turned around and smiled.

  “You look beautiful.”

  “I look hungover.”

  “Beautiful,” he argued and stood up.

  I held my ground while he approached me, and I tried to quiet my breathing while I waited to see if he’d try to kiss me. The anger was still fresh and readily available, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping he’d at least try to sneak one in. When he stopped in front of me, his eyes flashed to my lips, but then he gestured toward the house.

  “Let’s go.”

  My face fell even though I wasn’t ready to kiss him again. In the heat of the moment last night was one thing, but kissing him today would mean I forgave him, and I wasn’t there yet. But
still, I struggled to hide the disappointment from my face that he hadn’t tried.

  We walked through the house and back to the car. It felt unnatural not to hold his hand, so I fidgeted with my purse while we drove through Ephraim. We didn’t get far when he slowed down and pulled into the parking lot behind Wilson’s.

  “What are we doing?” I asked when he put the car in park.

  “Ice cream. Step two in the hangover cure. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream still?”

  I giggled. “I do still love that one.”

  “Then Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough it is.”

  We got out of the car at the same time and even though he moved to my side, not holding his hand made it feel like there was an ocean between us again. Anytime he was near, all I wanted to do was touch him, but I grabbed the bottom of my beach dress instead and gripped it tight. You’re still pissed at him, Ellie. Cool breeze. So damn cool he could freeze ice on his perfectly sculpted ass.

  Stepping under the red-and-white awning up the concrete steps of Wilson’s felt surreal, and when we walked inside, the sweet smells of the fresh ice cream cones filled my nose and sent me sailing backward through time. I’d spent countless hours here scooping ice cream and blending milkshakes, but I hadn’t been back since that summer. I looked up to see Liam when he stepped into place in front of the counter. He was standing in the exact same place he’d stood when we first met. He looked over his shoulder and those same eyes that paralyzed me ten years ago did it to me again. The butterflies exploded inside me and I smiled, thrilled they were alive and well. Very well. Too well.

  He returned holding a huge waffle cone overflowing with ice cream and handed it to me with a goofy grin. “Waffle cone, jelly bean in the bottom, of course, and the best Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream around. How did I do?”

  I took it from his hands and smiled. “You did perfect. Thank you.”

  I took a lick of the ice cream and got a chunk of the cookie dough and sighed. So many memories trickled in with the taste and I felt like that same eighteen-year-old girl who’d fallen head over heels for the boy with the bright blue eyes. They stared at me while I ate my cone, and I watched as he took a bite of his.