Second Dive: A Second Chance Sports Romance (Kings Of The Water Book 3)

by Jasmin Miller

  Talk about being pulled out of your normal life and thrust into a totally different world. Into a life you haven't planned for, and one you’re so not ready for. I read the series for the first time during my recovery after surgery. In a way, I could relate. It also offered the perfect escape from everything else that was on my mind.

  And everyone else.

  Specifically a certain someone.

  My hand flies over the paper as I’m immersed in my own fantasy world, letting the pictures in my hand translate into real images on paper.

  “Holy shit, that’s fantastic.” Eadie’s voice pulls me out of my bubble.

  When did she come back? And how long has she been standing right next to me, watching me draw?

  She leans closer. “Oh, and quite . . . interesting, too.”

  “Uh, thanks.” I blink a few times before my eyes truly focus on what’s in front of me.

  A colossal dragon, its wings spread wide as it soars through the sky. There are two people on its back, leaning low, clutching the dragon for dear life.

  She walks around the table and sits down, setting her coffee and croissant on the table. She grins at me. “I guess I don’t have to ask who’s on your mind?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Leaning forward, she taps her finger on my paper.

  My eyes widen when I take a closer look. I hadn’t paid much attention to the people before because I was entranced by the majestic dragon. But shit, she’s right.

  On the back of that dang dragon is none other than me and Noah as teenagers.

  Crap, how am I supposed to get out of this one?

  I huff. “I . . . uh.”

  “Mm-hmm, that’s what I thought.” She pulls off a piece of her croissant and puts it in her mouth.

  Eadie tilts her head to the side before putting her hand behind her ear. “I’m listening. How was lunch at your mom’s and what happened with Noah afterward?”

  My stomach flutters and my mouth goes dry. After taking a large gulp of my tea, and nearly scalding my tongue, I clear my throat. “Well, let’s see. Lunch was a little weird but not as bad as I thought it might be. And then Noah and I went to the movies. You know that old movie theater we used to go to a lot? They’re playing old movies now for a couple bucks.”

  “Oh yeah. I haven’t been there in forever.”

  “It was nice.”

  “Nice, huh? Did you also make out when the movie theater got dark like you used to?”

  Heat rushes up my neck and into my face. Not because she’s right of course, because we didn’t make out at the movie theater, but goodness did we make up for it at my place later on.

  My muscle aches and pains are proof of that, a delicious reminder of how amazing our time together had been. At least, in bed.

  Eadie’s eyes glow as she rubs her hands together. “Oh, this is going to be good. Tell me everything.”

  I open my mouth just as the doorbell above the entrance door rings and a gush of wind blows into the cafe, followed by excited kids’ chatter, and three men. The baby babbles a happy “Mama,” when a blonde gets up from her chair on the other side of the cafe with a cheerful “There’s my baby girl,” and a “Hey, handsome,” at the guy who’s holding the baby.

  The scene is so serene, so normal yet perfect, I try to tune out the rest before it gets too much. No need to torture myself.

  Instead, I cross and uncross my legs, and try to force my brain back to my conversation with Eadie and how I’m going to tell her what happened. I mean, how do I even summarize everything that went down?

  “Hey, Uncle Noah, isn’t that the girl you kissed this morning?”

  My insides freeze at the combination of Uncle Noah, girl, and kiss.

  Because, what the hell?

  The “ew” that follows and several people chuckling doesn’t make it any better.

  “Holy shit.” Eadie gapes at me as I stop breathing.

  Should I turn and confirm my suspicion or pretend I didn’t hear anything? I can’t decide which one would be worse.

  My face, neck, and ears feel like they’re on fire, and I have the urge to hide under the table.

  Someone clears their throat. A little too close for my comfort.

  I fidget and squirm in my seat before facing the inevitable, plastering on a big smile as I look up at Noah.

  “Oh, hey there.”

  He smirks at me. “Hey.”

  Yeah, not awkward at all.

  And damn it, why does he have to look so good? He’s wearing sweatpants and a hoodie, with that dang hat on his head again. The sight shouldn’t have a bout of lust shoot straight between my legs. But of course, it does.

  He’s still the only guy who does it for me like this.

  Thanks so much, universe.

  All these years I spent without him I thought it was a figment of my imagination, or I wrote it off as teenager hormones, but nope. It’s definitely him my lady parts love to pieces.

  He rubs the back of his neck. “Sorry about the boys.”

  A giggle pops out of my mouth, and the urge to hide comes back. The embarrassment just keeps piling up.

  I wave my hand in front of me. “Kids.”

  Oh goodness, what is going on with me today? And where is that black hole that swallows people who make total asses of themselves?

  We stare at each other until Eadie kicks me under the table.

  I flinch and Noah frowns.

  “You remember Eadie, right?” I point toward her and shoot her a look she doesn’t see as she’s occupied gazing at my Noah.

  Whoa.

  My Noah?

  Definitely not mine.

  No, nope.

  “Wow, Eadie. Long time no see.”

  “You could say that.” She gets up and they do a half hug.

  Why didn’t I get a hug?

  Oh man, my inner goddess is in a mood today. Funny too after all those orgasms last night. You’d think she’d be blissfully happy, sleeping it off somewhere in a corner.

  Before she can grumble any more, Noah turns my way and presses his soft lips to my forehead, lingering long enough for me to inhale his intoxicating fresh scent.

  He’s gone too soon for my liking, just as the two boys come running over to us.

  The smaller one hides halfway behind Noah while the older one stops right in front of me. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” I smile at him, which he returns.

  “What’s your name? I’m Alex, and this is my little brother, Mason.” He jabs his thumb behind him. “And this is our uncle Noah. We just went swimming all morning, it was really fun. They have a water slide there, and a really cool play area. Mason and I are really good swimmers. We haven’t been able to go swimming as often as we used to since our parents stopped being married, but our mom said maybe we can take more lessons again soon. Are you Uncle Noah’s girlfriend?”

  Noah chuckles and pulls him back in front of his body. “Whoa, buddy. That was a lot of information you just threw at Chloe.”

  He wrinkles his nose as he turns his head to look at Noah. “Her name is Chloe?” He wrinkles his nose and looks back at me. “My girlfriend from last year was Chloe too. We played together on the playground.”

  I want to squeeze him. How adorable. “She sounds nice.”

  He shrugs. “Yeah, she was pretty cool.” Then he looks back at Noah again. “Can we get some food now? I’m really hungry.”

  Oh, the attention span of a child.

  “Sure.” Noah nods at his nephew before locking gazes with me. “It was good seeing you.”

  I do my best imitation of a bobblehead. “Yeah.”

  “I’m really hungry, Uncle Noah,” Alex pipes up again, and I laugh.

  “You better go and feed them.”

  “Yeah.” His eyes widen for a moment before his hand disappears in his pocket and he pulls out his phone. After tapping on it a few times, he hands it to me. “Want to put your number in it?”

  “Uh, sure.” I type in my nu
mber and give it back to him.

  How weird is it to not have the phone number of the man I’ve been working with at the hospital, took to lunch with my mom, went to the movie theater with, and had glorious sex with.

  “Thanks. I’ll send you a text, so you have my number too.” He taps the screen a few times before putting the phone back in his pocket.

  “Okay.”

  “Well, have fun.”

  “You too.”

  Noah does a little salute and he and the boys head to the counter.

  My gaze stays on them, watching them interact. How Noah follows whatever Alex points at, and how he bends down to talk to Mason.

  Just like earlier, I have to eventually avert my eyes. They stray over to the group of people he came with who are all staring at me before looking away quickly.

  Were they watching us the whole time?

  “Oh, for the love of I don’t even know what,” Eadie sighs and slaps her hand on her chest.

  I put my chin on my hand. “I know.”

  “I’ve seen photos of him, and videos, of course. But shit, it’s nothing to this.” She tilts her head in the direction of where they stand. “This is like a wet dream come alive. But better.”

  “I know.”

  “Chloe Williams, you are in so much trouble.”

  “I know,” I sigh, this giddy feeling in my stomach reminding me too much of my teenage years.

  And all of a sudden, it’s hard to remember why Noah and I can’t be together.

  It’s like he’s dousing me in some magical dust whenever he’s around and I can’t think straight.

  All I want is to be with him.

  And I’m not sure I’m able to resist him.

  I’m screwed.

  So very screwed.

  Twenty-Four

  Noah

  Noah: Did you have a good time with Eadie yesterday?

  * * *

  Chloe: I did. It was nice to spend some time with her.

  * * *

  Noah: Good. Are you busy tonight? I thought maybe we could hang out?

  * * *

  Chloe: Sorry, I’m going over to my mom’s.

  * * *

  Noah: No worries. Have fun.

  I blow out a breath. I was really hoping to see her tonight.

  There’s still so much to talk about, especially after I’ve had some more time to process our past with different information. With the truth.

  Do I feel like I have a right to be angry? Yes, especially when it comes to having choices taken away from me.

  But is it worth holding a grudge against her after all this time? After everything she told me? After knowing what she’s had to endure, what she’s still dealing with on a daily basis? After not being able to help myself and googling the life expectancy of heart transplant patients and seeing that the number steadily declines with each year post surgery and how low the number is for a ten-year survival?

  The answer is a big fucking no.

  It doesn’t make what she did back then right. But we were only fresh out of high school, and to be honest, I’m actually also amazed that she had the wisdom—the selflessness—to set me free as such. I know she loved me. I know she wanted a future with me. But she somehow let me go so I could achieve the goals I had been merely hoping I’d have a chance at.

  Who has that amount of altruism at eighteen? Chloe Williams.

  Punishing her for . . . being noble hardly seems right or fair. Despite my anger, I never stopped caring about her.

  My phone vibrates in my hand.

  Chloe: Maybe tomorrow after the hospital? You’ll be there, right?

  * * *

  Noah: You bet.

  * * *

  Chloe: Okay. I left Crush for you to paint. You always liked him.

  * * *

  Noah: Dude. I just watched Nemo with my nephews a while ago, and they agreed that the turtles were super cool.

  * * *

  Chloe: Ha. I bet they did.

  * * *

  Noah: Yeah.

  I lean my head against the headrest.

  It hasn’t been that long since I saw her. Less than twenty-four hours. A little longer than that since I touched her. So why do I have this insane urge to see her again?

  Something bangs against the car window and my heart’s ready to jump out of my chest. My head whips around and my gaze collides with Jace’s.

  “You all good in there?”

  I shake my head at him. “Coming.”

  After grabbing my keys and pocketing my phone, I get out of the car and give my friend the stink-eye. “Seriously?”

  “Sorry, dude. I wanted to make sure you’re okay when you didn’t come inside.”

  “I was texting.”

  “Oh yeah?” We make our way up the walkway, but his eyes stay on me. “With Chloe?”

  “Why would you think that?”

  Jace gives me a look.

  I sigh. “Yeah.”

  “How are things going with her?”

  What a loaded question. I don’t even know how to answer it. “Uh, good I guess?”

  He’s quiet for a moment. “You said she’s an old friend?”

  “Yeah.”

  We walk into the living room where Ryan and Hunter are watching something on TV.

  When they see us walking in, Ryan pushes the button on the remote and the screen turns black.

  “Hey,” Hunter complains.

  Ryan nods his head in my direction, and Hunter’s eyes go wide.

  Jace didn’t say anything about Hunter when he called to ask if I could meet up with him and Ryan so we could talk.

  I nod my head at Hunter. “What are you doing here?”

  He shrugs. “I thought I’d spend my break with you before I go back to the pool.”

  “Mmm.”

  Jace claps me on the shoulder. “What do you want to drink?”

  “Water or a sports drink if you have it.”

  “You got it. Be right back.”

  I sit in the corner of the sectional and lean back into the cushions.

  Jace comes back and throws a cold bottle at me.

  “Thanks.”

  He sits down and they all look at me.

  “What?”

  Instead of talking, they all look at each other, until Hunter throws up his hands and looks at Ryan and Jace. “You’re such pussies.” He shakes his head at them before facing me. “They—we—wanted to know what’s going on with you and Chloe.”

  I frown as Jace chuckles and Ryan rolls his eyes.

  Hunter grins. “It doesn’t happen often that your nephews call you out in public for kissing someone.”

  Oh yeah, that.

  I was able to get away from an inquisition yesterday since all the kids were there, thank fuck. They’re definitely not a prime audience for spilling the beans.

  “Nothing’s going on, really. She’s an old friend.”

  “An old friend that you kiss?” This time it’s Ryan, who has put a few extra ounces of disbelief in his voice.

  I shrug. “I guess so.”

  Ryan’s eyes narrow to slits. “Is she the one you dated in high school?”

  Wrong direction. “Yeah.”

  He nods like that explains everything.

  We’re all silent for a few moments, and a weight settles on my chest, getting heavier with each passing second.

  “She broke up with me via text message when she was visiting her grandma the summer we graduated. We were supposed to go to college together. She said her plans had changed and that we should see what else is out there. Separately.”

  I inhale deeply, trying to calm my racing heart. “She just told me this weekend that she broke things off because she got really sick and needed a heart transplant and didn’t want to hold me and my career back. It’s why she lied to me.”

  The words are out of my mouth at record speed, like someone else said them. But the weight on my chest also feels lighter.

  I scratch my head and
keep my gaze down, unable to look at my friends. That was the shortest summary of something so tragic and major in my life I’ve ever given.

  Especially when I still haven’t figured out how to deal with everything, or how things are going to continue from now on.

  “Fuck, man.” Jace blows out a loud breath.

  “Is she okay?” Ryan asks while Hunter murmurs, “Holy shit.”

  “She is right now from what I understand.” My chest heaves as I try to draw in enough oxygen.

  The room is so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

  But what do you say after such a bomb has been dropped on you? I felt just as overwhelmed when Chloe told me. It’s so much to take in, so many things your brain’s trying to wrap its head around.

  “There are always exceptions, of course, but when you look up the life expectancy of someone after a heart transplant—if they survive the first year after the surgery—the average is ten to twelve years.” My voice is flat, the exact opposite of how I feel on the inside.

  “How long ago did she get hers?” Ryan’s deep voice cuts through the tension in the room.

  “Ten years ago.” I slump forward with my elbows on my knees and let my head hang low. This dreadful darkness is looming over me again, trying to swallow me every time I think about Chloe and her health. I know nothing can really make this better right now, but I still interlace my fingers behind my head to rub at my skin.

  I haven't talked to anyone about this since I found out, and this is why. Because I can’t handle it. The knowledge wants to destroy me.

  The couch dips next to me, and a hand lands on my back, squeezing a couple times right over my shoulder blade.

  “I don’t know what to say.” Jace’s voice is quiet and a little . . . shaky? “If something like this happened to Em, I’d lose my fucking mind.”