by Lexy Timms
Kallie’s eyes fluttered closed and she leaned into his lips. James puckered them against her skin again, and she felt herself heating underneath his soft touch.
“I wasn't a man on our wedding day,” he said lowly. “I was a coward. I panicked with all the eyes on us. With the pressure for things to be perfect. With my mother running around like a panicked bulldog yelling at everyone and making sure the place settings were correct. All of it was so wrong for us, Kallie. And I panicked. I’m sorry. I panicked in all the wrong ways.”
He pressed his lips into her neck and Kallie sighed. Her head fell forward and her hands gripped his shoulders. Her body was caving on her. Betraying her in all the worst ways.
But still her mind yelled out at her. Told her to shove him away.
“I made the biggest mistake of my life,” James murmured into the crook of her neck. “And I’m not saying I’ll ever be able to change it. But I can swear to you, I’ll never do anything like that again. And I’ll do anything it takes to win you back. Anything, Kallie. Anything you want. Or need. Or could ever desire. I swear it will be yours.”
She felt James’s shoulders jump and her eyes flew open.
Her hands cupped his cheeks and she pulled his face upright. And right there, in front of her very eyes, were tears. Glistening in the eyes of the man who had broken her heart. Kallie found herself speechless yet again. She didn’t know what to say. She’d never seen this blatant show of emotion from James ever. Unless it was anger or utter elation. He wasn’t an emotional man. It took so much for him to show the simplest things.
And the tear rushing down his cheek carried the weight of the world with it.
She brushed it away with her thumb and James turned his lips into her palm to kiss it. The heat alone slammed her heart against her chest and made her blood rush heatedly through her ears. James was crying. Distraught over what he’d done.
That counted for something.
Right?
“Just think about it,” James said into her hand.
He wrapped his grip around her wrist and placed Kallie’s hand on top of his heart. She felt it beating wildly. Threatening to crack his sternum and fall out to the floor. Her jaw unhinged as her eyes panned up to him and she saw yet another tear slip from his cheek. All the anger and resentment and hesitancy she felt when he first arrived drained from her body. In front of her stood a truly vulnerable man, begging for another chance and promising not to screw it up.
But could she trust him?
Did she dare?
“Just promise me you’ll think about it. That’s all I ask,” James said.
And finally, Kallie found her voice.
“Okay. I promise.”
James brought her hand away from his heart and kissed her palm one last time. Then he reached down and placed another kiss against her cheek. Kallie leaned into it, hating herself for wanting his heat against her. He pulled back and cupped her cheek one last time, then tucked a strand of wild hair behind her ear.
“My Kal-Bear,” he said. “I hope to hear from you soon.”
Then Kallie watched from her kitchen as James walked across her apartment and left.
Kallie was a breathless mess. Her mind swirled and her hands shook whenever she thought about what had happened. She sat silently on her couch for hours, gazing out over Manhattan from her sliding glass door. She chewed on her nail beds and jiggled her leg, torn between calling Eris and forcing herself to go to bed. She still didn’t want to talk to anyone. Didn’t want to step out of her apartment.
But a knock at the door ripped her once again from her trance.
Furrowing her brow, she got up from her spot. The place she’d been sitting at for almost three hours. She opened the door and saw a massive bouquet of roses, then a head peeked out from behind them.
“Kallie Semple?” the man asked.
“That’s me,” she said.
“These are for you.”
She held her hands out as the man practically shoved the bouquet of roses at her.
“Should I sign anything?” she asked.
“Nope. Enjoy.”
Then the man practically ran away from her door and shoved himself into the elevator.
Kallie struggled to close her door, but she managed to do it. She walked the roses over to her kitchen table and searched for the card. She recognized the handwriting immediately and sighed.
Of course James would send her flowers.
She plucked the card from the bouquet and opened it up. Her fingers were trembling and she had a tough time sliding the rectangular piece of paper out from its confines. Her eyes scanned the words and she read it again and again. Trying to convince herself that the card was actually from James.
Eternal love doesn’t seek out its partner. Rather, eternal love collides with its perfect match, fighting for dominance until they both fall to their knees. Only then can the two be equal and work to help each other up again.
Kallie pulled out her phone and searched the phrase but couldn’t come up with anything. She knew James. He couldn’t have possibly come up with that on his own. But the internet didn’t come back with any sort of quote, book, or inspirational picture that matched what was written on the card. She set her phone down and read the note again, taking in the romantic words he’d never bothered with while they were together.
He was capable of something like this?
And it took ruining their wedding for him to bring it out?
Kallie’s eyes panned over to Ash’s flowers and she jumped at the ready. In all of the emotions and all of the shocking things that had happened over the course of her day, she’d forgotten about his card. She left James’s card on the kitchen counter and reached for Ash’s, undoing the bow that held it to one of the flower’s stems. She unfolded the card and settled her eyes upon the simple statement. Straight forward, to the point, and somehow fitting for everything she knew Ash to be.
Call me if you believe in second chances.
And his phone number was listed.
Chapter 2
Kallie
“Girl, you better open this door! I’ve got two bottles of wine, a bunch of finished projects at work, and I’m ready to party through your last weekend before you return back to the—”
Kallie opened the door for her best friend, and Eris’s eyes immediately settled on the bouquets. Eris walked into her apartment speechless, her grip loosening on the wine bottles. They clattered to the carpeted floor as her jaw dropped open, and Kallie sighed as her friend gawked in silence.
“What the fuck is all this?” Eris asked.
“I can’t talk about it right now,” Kallie said. “It’s all too much.”
“Oh no. You're not getting out of this that easily. I know you’ve been home for longer than you let on. And I’ve given you your space. But now? You talk. Over wine. Lots of it.”
“Eris, I don’t want to—”
“Listen, I don’t give a damn what you don’t want to do. I’m your best friend, and you can’t lie around here wallowing in your sorrows. If life is spinning out of control, then you have to grab it by the balls and keep it held still until you can fix shit.”
Eris popped open both bottles of wine before handing one to Kallie.
“You don’t even want a glass?” she asked.
“Fuck glasses. Tonight, we’re going to drink this wine, order a shit-ton of Chinese, and pass out talking about what the hell these flowers are for,” Eris said.
Kallie fell to the couch and brought the bottle of wine to her lips. The white wine slid down her throat almost effortlessly. She felt her best friend sit beside her and meet her gulp for gulp. Challenging her to see who could drain the bottle the fastest. Kallie sputtered as the alcohol burned and Eris rubbed her back, grinning as Kallie coughed into her hand.
“I see you did your fair share of drinking on the island.”
“No thanks to you,” Kallie said.
“I didn’t do a damn thing. Now, the last
time we talked you were shaking off your wonderful rebound. What happened? And how does it tie into those flowers?”
“The short story is one of those bouquets of flowers is from the rebound.”
“Hold on, hold on, hold on. Your booty call from the island sent you roses?” Eris asked.
“No. James sent me roses. My booty call—whose name is Ash, by the way—showed up with the exotic flowers.”
“So, what happened to you shaking him off? Because clearly you didn’t listen,” Eris said.
“It’s complicated,” Kallie said as she took another sip of her wine.
“Then uncomplicate it.”
“I enjoyed spending time with him, Eris. I can’t help that. He’s handsome and spontaneous. He surfs and flies planes and knows how to drive a boat. He taught me how to snorkel and we took naps in the sun. And the sex, Eris.”
“Oh, if the sex is good everything else can be forgiven.”
“I’ve never felt like that with a man before. Wanted and satiated and lusted after. It was beautiful, Eris. And I couldn’t give it up. I tried. After I got off the phone with you that day, I went straight back to that bar and snagged me a military man on leave.”
“For fucking real!? Girl, how did that go?” Eris asked.
“Great, until Ash showed up. In his tight wet suit dripping with seawater.”
“You sound like me.”
“I felt like you. I couldn’t get enough of him. It was wonderful, and not once did I think about James while I was with him. Not once did I think about anything while I was with him. I connected with him, Eris. On a level I never felt with James before.”
“That’s a good thing, Kallie. It means all this shit didn’t affect you like you thought it did. It’s going to make it easier to move on despite his obvious attempts at getting you back.”
Eris nodded to the flowers and Kallie sighed.
“For a woman who just talked about getting the best dick of her life, that sure is a heavy sigh.”
“He lied.”
“Who lied?”
“Ash. He lied.”
“How did he lie?” Eris asked. “Do I have to kill him now too?”
“It’s...”
Kallie sighed, unable to even begin the story.
“Kallie, just start from the beginning.”
“I’m trying! But it’s so convoluted and involved and ... and you’re going to think I’m crazy.”
“Lesson one. Stop worrying about what other people think. Talk. Fill me in. Let me help you. Or at least listen,” Eris said.
“I connected with him, Eris. We went on this yacht trip—”
“So he’s rich.”
“Will you listen?” Kallie asked. “We went on this yacht trip and got trapped in this storm. I was petrified and it was gut-wrenching. I’d never been so scared in my life. And the entire time, Ash comforted me. Kept us safe. Held me and cuddled me and kissed me. Bounced between making sure I was okay below deck and keeping the boat steady through the raging storm around us.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this? Why didn’t you call me, Kallie?”
“He’s rich, Eris.”
“I already figured that with the yacht.”
“No, no, no. He didn’t portray himself as rich. He wore board shorts and colorful flowing button-downs, and ... and took me to all the huts on the island to eat instead of the nice restaurants. He made it seem like he worked as a bartender at the beachside cabana where we met, and he never once corrected me. He told me it was his friend’s yacht!”
“Yikes,” Eris said.
“Yeah. Yikes. And then after the storm passes, we’re surrounded by boats asking us if a ‘Mr. Worthington’ is okay.”
“That name sounds rich.”
“Eris, he’s loaded. Richer than James could ever fathom to be.”
Kallie watched as her friend furrowed her brow.
“I went to the island looking for something and thought I found a hookup that was nothing like James. And instead, I snagged a man that is every bit as much as James. Rich. Throws his money around. Nonchalant about it. And a liar to boot.”
“Then you can’t trust him,” Eris said.
“But I want to.”
“But you can’t. He wasn’t upfront with you about who he was. You were trapped on a boat and stuck in a storm with a man who didn’t exist, Kallie.”
“Is it possible he kept up that facade because of gold diggers? Maybe ... to shield himself from women who prey on him because of his money?”
“It doesn’t matter. You can’t start any decent relationship off on a lie,” Eris said.
“James and I didn’t start on a lie and look where we ended up.”
“Yeah, about that. You have flowers from him sitting on that table. What gives?”
“He came by yesterday looking for a second chance.”
“And you didn’t call me to come kick his ass to the moon?”
“He cried in front of me, Eris. Real, bona fide tears.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Begged for me to come back. Begged me to at least consider it. And I think he’s telling the truth. I think he seriously feels guilty for what happened at our wedding.”
“You’re not actually thinking of going back to him, are you?” Eris asked.
“I don’t know!” Kallie exclaimed.
She took another large gulp of her wine and settled back into the couch.
“I don’t know,” she said with a whisper.
“Look, you need to stop making excuses for all these rich guys and find a man who isn’t afraid to be himself. And just so you know, if you go back to James, I’m breaking up with you.”
“Really?” Kallie asked. “Breaking up with me?”
“Yep. Our years-long relationship will be over. You know that man’s no good for you.”
Kallie shrugged before she took another sip of her wine.
“I don’t expect to take him back,” she said. “But it’s hard to ignore him completely. I still care about him. In some ways, I think I still love him.”
“Kallie...”
“I do. I think his emotions were genuine. And we were planning a life together. A house. Children. Moving my office into an actual building he would help fund so I could meet with clients outside of the home. James was supportive of all that.”
“Yeah. After fighting for five months over it.”
“At least he went with it eventually,” Kallie said.
“And there you go with the excuses again.”
“Look, not everything was terrible with James, that’s all I’m saying. Remember when you fell and broke your leg?”
“Are you really holding the fact that he paid for my surgery over my head?” Eris asked.
“No. I’m saying that James isn’t all bad.”
“Yeah. Just a slimy cheater who fucked your bridesmaid.”
Kallie shot Eris a look and then tipped her wine bottle back for another few chugs.
“Come to your senses, Kallie. Don’t make me shake you. Because I’ll shake you until you spew wine all over this couch.”
But before Kallie could answer, Eris slapped her hand over her mouth. She furrowed her brow and watched as a smile slid across her friend’s face. She knew where this was headed. She always knew where this was headed.
“No,” Kallie said.
“We’re going out,” Eris said.
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, we are. Come on. You need some sense knocked back into you. You need to experience what it means to be single again and how wonderful it can be. We’re going out.”
“No, we’re not,” Kallie said.
“You don’t get a choice because clearly you’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk after half a bottle of wine.”
“We’re going out!” Eris exclaimed. “You need a night out on the town to forget about the wedding and that bullshit honeymoon-not-honeymoon you came back early from.”
“I do
n’t want to get dressed up, though.”
“Then wear some jeans and a T-shirt! I don’t give a shit. I’m going out just like this.”
Eris held her arms out and gave Kallie a little twirl.
“A tank top and sweatpants?”
“What better way to shake my ass?” Eris said. “That’s what you need. A good night of ass-shaking. Some drinks. Some food. And absolutely no dick.”
“Unless you leave with someone.”
“Nope. Tonight’s all about you. We’ll ignore the salivating crowd of guys, twerk our asses on the floor, and laugh until we’re hoarse.”
Eris reached for Kallie’s hands and tugged her off the couch.
“But I don’t wanna,” Kallie whined.
“Tough shit. Either go get ready or slip your shoes on. Because we aren’t staying here another second.”
“We have to if you want me to change.”
“Yep. You’re not drunk. But that’s going to change,” Eris said with a grin. “Now come on. Go get some decent clothes on and do something with that mop of hair on your head.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Kallie shuffled to her room and headed straight for her closet. A simple brush through her hair would be all she needed for it. But if she was going to go out with Eris, she was going to do it right. Kallie riffled through her closet and pulled out a few outfits, tossing them onto her bed. The more she looked, the more excited she became. A girls’ night out was exactly what she needed. Some unadulterated time with Eris, some fruity cocktails, and maybe a few guys who flirted with her before she turned them down.
A nice confidence-boosting evening.
After trying on multiple outfits, Kallie settled on a flattering green and yellow dress. Spaghetti straps with support already built in and fabric that poured down to her knees. The high empire waist accented the dips in her body while concealing the thicker curves. Her thighs for instance. Kallie hated her thighs. She slipped her feet into a matching pair of green flats and walked into the bathroom, then ran a brush through her hair. She untangled all the knots and braided it down her back, then pulled a few wispy curls out to frame her face.
She paired the outfit off with a delicate necklace and sparkling earrings, and she felt new and refreshed already.
