A Second Chance at Forever (Chance #2)

by K. B. Andrews

  “I do,” Lennox and Alissa said in unison.

  “Nicole?” Sarah questioned.

  “Oh, no thanks,” she answered while smiling sweetly.

  Lennox shot her the dirtiest look she could make and I couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle.

  “Let me help you.” I followed after Sarah.

  Sarah began pulling the beer out of the mini-fridge and loading them into my arms. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

  “You’re telling me. You got anything a little harder than beer?”

  “In the cooler outside.”

  We made our way back outside and passed out the beer. Everyone seemed a little anxious about the boat ride, it was like we all knew something was going to come out of it.

  Dane had high hopes of making Alissa realize she still had feelings for him, while Sarah just wanted to catch up with an old friend. Lennox was staring down Nicole. It looked like she wanted to throw Nicole overboard. I just wanted to make sure the three of us didn’t kill each other.

  Once we dropped anchor, Trent turned on the radio and the group seemed a little more laid back. Dane found the bottle of Jack and opened it, throwing the lid into the water.

  “What the fuck, Dane?” Trent asked as his eyes followed the cap.

  “Now we have to finish it,” he wrapped his arms around mine and Trent’s neck and smiled widely. “Let’s party, boys.”

  We passed the bottle around, everyone but Nicole took shot after shot until the bottle was hidden inside the cabin, away from Dane. He was determined to make us all have a good time despite the circumstances.

  Everyone was drunk and beginning to relax. Sarah and Lennox were chatting and catching up while Alissa was busy trying to ignore Dane. Nicole sat back looking uncomfortable and out of place. I made my way over to her.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t belong here. Everyone here has a history together. Lennox and Sarah used to be best friends, Alissa and Dane used to date, as did you and Lennox. And there’s me. I shouldn’t have come.” She shook her head and tore her eyes away from mine.

  “It’s okay, you just have to get to know them. Make an effort. I think we’re going to eat soon. They could probably use your help with that. I know for a fact that Lennox can’t cook.” I smiled remembering Lennox’s story about having the fire department called.

  “Go have fun with your friends. You deserve it.” Nicole nudged me in the side.

  I looked at her, sad smile and dull green eyes. “Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you alone.”

  “I’m sure.”

  I placed a small kiss on her forehead and walked back to the group. Even though I hated the thought of having to spend the rest of my life with Nicole and raise a baby I didn’t want, that didn’t mean I had to be an asshole to her. She didn’t ask for any of the shit she had been dealt either, I had to remind myself of that. She didn’t mean to come between Lennox and me. I couldn’t treat her as such.

  “We should probably start cooking, I’m getting hungry,” Sarah said grabbing Lennox by the hand and dragging her into the cabin of the boat.

  “I’m going to grab a beer,” I told Trent who was trying to light the grill.

  I made my way inside where Sarah and Lennox were busy pulling things out to cook.

  “Lennox, can I talk to you?” I asked, grabbing another beer from the mini fridge.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She never looked away from the potatoes she was wrapping in foil.

  I leaned in, forcing her to look at me. “This isn’t about us. It’s serious.”

  “Fine,” she sat down the potato she was holding and followed me to the back of the boat. “What’s going on?”

  Just being in the confined area with Lennox made me want to reach out and touch her. My body hummed like it was charged with electricity. I tried my hardest to push those feelings away.

  I looked into her green eyes and hated what I saw. Lennox’s green eyes that usually held so much warmth and love, were cold and full of anger. I knew I was the reason for it. I hated it, but brushed it off before I hated myself more than I already did. “When I left the house this morning, I found an envelope on my truck.”

  “What was in it?”

  “Pictures. Of us together from last weekend.” That got her attention and her eyes doubled in size. “I don’t know who left them, but I don’t think Nicole knows, at least she’s not acting like it. Is there anyone you could think of that would do this? I don’t know what they plan to do with the pictures, I just know they want me to know they are watching.”

  “Chris,” she whispered, looking deep in thought.

  “Your ex?”

  She nodded.

  “Why would he be doing this?” I held up my hands and let them fall at my sides.

  “Since I left, he’s been threatening me. He wants me back. This morning he said he had people looking for me.”

  I rubbed my temples, trying to release stress. “Please, be careful. Let me know if anything happens or if he calls you again. I want to talk to this guy.” I walked away, leaving Lennox standing alone in the back of the boat.

  As I passed by Sarah, she handed me the wrapped potatoes to put on the grill. Trent opened it up and I tossed them down to cook.

  “Will you please talk to me? I won’t leave you alone until you do.” I heard Dane say to Alissa.

  “Dane, leave the poor girl alone,” I shouted over to him.

  “Thank you.” Alissa sounded annoyed.

  “Where’s the fucking Jack?” Dane stood from his seat to search for the bottle.

  “How about we eat first.” I handed him a bottle of water.

  Dane tossed the water over his shoulder and took my beer with a grin.

  “So, does Lennox know anything about the pictures?” Trent asked, quietly.

  I crossed my arms over my chest, staring out over the ocean. “She said it might be her ex.”

  “Why would it be him?”

  I shrugged, bringing my eyes back to him. “I guess he’s been threatening her. He wants her back”

  Trent shook his head but he didn’t reply.

  I stood around the grill with Trent and Dane as Dane tried to give Trent advice on how to properly grill a steak.

  Trent pointed the tongs in his face. “I know what I’m doing. Go sit the fuck down.”

  I laughed at them before my eyes found Nicole. She looked out of place. She wasn’t talking to anyone and she didn’t look happy. I let out a long breath, mentally chewing myself out for causing the shit I had. You could cut the tension with a knife and it was all my fault.

  Once the food was done cooking, we all gathered around to eat. Everyone but Nicole, who made her way inside, claiming to be sea sick.

  “You know, if you would have listened to me this steak would be much better,” Dane told Trent.

  Trent didn’t bother looking his way. “Shut up and eat.”

  After everyone had eaten and cleaned up the mess, Dane found the bottle and it got passed around again.

  The sun was starting to set and everyone was feeling their buzz. Alissa, Sarah, and Lennox were dancing around with the three of us watching.

  Trent, Dane, and I sat back drinking our beer.

  “Sorry guys, but I have to go dance with these ladies.” Dane stumbled toward them. He shoved his way in between the three and began moving alongside them.

  “I think I’m going to go dance with my wife. Why don’t you go talk to Nicole? Get her to loosen up a little.”

  “I think she knows something happened with me and Lennox. I doubt she’s going to loosen up anytime soon.” I brought my beer back to my lips.

  Trent left me sitting alone to go dance with the rest of them. I sat back with my eyes on Lennox. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and feel her body moving against mine. I wanted to taste her sweet lips and make her make that sound that could bring me to my knees.

  Once parts of my body started stirring,
I got my ass up and went to talk to Nicole.

  “Nicole?” I yelled walking through the small cabin. “What’s the matter?” I asked, joining her on the small bed in the back of the boat.

  She shrugged before meeting my eyes. “I just don’t feel good.”

  I eyed her. “There’s more to it than that. Since we took off, you haven’t talked to anyone.”

  She sat up. “I just feel like there is something going on between you and Lennox.”

  I didn’t want to, but I lied. “There is nothing going on.” I shook my head. I couldn’t meet her eyes, I was afraid she would be able to see my lies leaving my lips.

  “If there isn’t anything going on, then something isn’t finished. I saw the way you look at her.”

  Finally, I turned to look at her. “What do you mean? I’m not looking at her any certain way.”

  “Yes, you are,” she eyed me with her brows lifted.

  “How am I looking at her?” I stood, getting annoyed with the conversation.

  “Like you’re madly in love with her. You don’t even look at me that way. Whatever you two had isn’t finished, is it?”

  I rubbed my hands over my face. “I don’t know, Nicole.”

  “Do you still love her?”

  I didn’t answer her. I couldn’t. Finally, I nodded my head, not wanting to say the words to her.

  “I can’t believe this.” She held her head in her hands.

  I let out a long breath and sat back down beside her, wrapping her up in my arms. I decided to tell her everything. Well, not everything.

  “Lennox was my first love. We were together for a few months before she left to start singing. We promised each other that it wouldn’t come between us, but we were so young and we just couldn’t handle the distance. We broke up a year after she left, but I never let go. I had always held out hope that she would come back and we would pick up where we left off.”

  Nicole moved closer to me, watching me as I told her the story I hadn’t ever told anyone.

  “A few months ago, I read a headline that said she was getting married and I finally gave up on that hope. I thought she was happy where she was and wouldn’t ever come back to me. That same day, you asked me to commit. I did, but not for the reasons you thought. I was just trying to get over her. I thought that if I started something up with you, it would help me to forget her. But then, she came back. I don’t mean to hurt you,” I took a long breath and forced myself to go on. “I thought about everything, you, her, and myself. I decided I wasn’t being fair to you. I shouldn’t have started anything up with you when I was still in love with her. I thought I could break up with you and you wouldn’t ever know the difference. But then, you surprised me with your mom and dad.”

  “And when you said you had something to tell me, you were going to break up with me?” she finished for me.

  “Pretty much. I’m sorry for hurting you and dragging you into all this. It wasn’t meant to be this way. I’m sorry, Nicole. It’s her, it’s always been her.” I finally admitted.

  She took a minute to think over everything I had told her. “And now, if I am pregnant, what are you going to do?”

  “I will stick around. I can’t leave you alone in this. I will give up anything I have to. You didn’t deserve any of this. I will take care of what’s mine,” I promised.

  “I knew you would.” She smiled slightly before moving in for a hug.

  12

  Lennox

  By the time Trent docked the boat, everyone was trashed. Alissa was sitting on Dane’s lap, flirting, touching, and whispering. Sarah was passed out in a lounge chair, Mason and Nicole had disappeared inside, and I was left alone with Trent.

  “So, what’s going on with you and Mason?” Trent questioned.

  “Wish I knew.” I handed him another beer. I needed someone to drink with.

  “He wants you, you know.”

  “I know, but if Nicole is pregnant…” I let my sentence break off not wanting to say the words.

  “She’s not.” Trent took the beer and took a long drink.

  “What? How would you know?” I laughed.

  “I don’t know for sure, just a guess.” He shrugged.

  “Why would you guess that?” I had to know Trent’s reason behind saying that.

  “It just seems funny to me that she would be pregnant right after you get back into town.” His eyes locked on mine.

  “Yeah well, life always has a way of fucking me over.” I couldn’t help the bitter edge in my voice.

  “Don’t run off yet. Let this play out, I have a feeling you and Mason will end up together.”

  “Awe, look at you being sweet.” I nudged him with my elbow.

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, just don’t tell anybody.”

  “Our little secret,” I promised.

  Alissa and I decided to walk home since we had been drinking. It was a good thing we only lived minutes away, because she could hardly stand, let alone, walk.

  “Be careful.” Dane waved before leaving us in the parking lot.

  “Thanks for the help,” I shouted as I wrapped Alissa’s arm around my neck to begin our walk home.

  It took us twenty minutes to walk the two blocks to our apartment since I was basically walking for two of us.

  “I’m hungry,” she complained when our building came into view.

  “You can eat when we get inside, walk.”

  We stumbled and swayed our way to the door.

  “Okay, you have to stand on your own now. I have to get us into the building.” I removed her arm from around my neck to dig through my purse for the keys.

  As soon as I found them floating around in the bottom of my purse, I heard a squeal and a thump. I dropped my head and turned toward her. She was lying on her back, giggling.

  “Really? You couldn’t stand on your own for two seconds?”

  “The stars are so pretty here.”

  “They’re stars, they’re pretty everywhere.” I put the key in the lock and opened the door. Holding it open with my foot, I helped Alissa up.

  I didn’t think we would ever make it up the two flights of stairs, but we finally reached our door.

  I didn’t dare let her stand on her own. I fumbled around with the keys and unlocked the door. The moment the door was open to our dark apartment, Alissa rushed in.

  “I’m hungry,” she yelled at a full sprint.

  I heard a crash and ran in to turn on a light. I kept reaching, but the lamp that was there wasn’t anymore. I tripped over Alissa and made my way to the kitchen. I flipped on the light and found Alissa laying on the floor next to the broken lamp.

  “I just bought that lamp,” I pulled Alissa up and sat her down at the kitchen table. “Don’t move, I will make you something to eat after I clean up that mess.”

  I grabbed a trash bag and moved to the living room to pick up the pieces of the broken glass. When I heard pots and pans crash, I ran back into the kitchen. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  “I need food.” Alissa was throwing everything around the kitchen in an attempt to make something to eat.

  “Fine. What do you want?” I asked, dropping the bag of broken glass to the floor.

  Her blue eyes locked on mine and she reminded me of a mischievous child. “Eggs.”

  “Okay, move.” I led her back to her chair while trying to keep the laughter from bubbling up.

  I went to work cooking her eggs. By the time I was done, she was passed out on the table.

  I shook her arm. “Alissa?”

  She groaned but didn’t move.

  I sat the plate down on the table, turned out the light and left her to sleep. Then, quickly decided I had better put more food options out for her in case she woke up. I knew she would end up burning the building down, trying to cook. I made my way back into the kitchen and dug through the cabinets.

  I sat out a box of Pop Tarts, a bag of chips, and a bottle of water for her. I turned the light out and made my wa
y to my room where I fell into bed, not bothering to change.

  I thought about Sarah and how good it was to get to catch up with her. She was still the same fun loving, talkative, quirky girl she always had been. Then my thoughts drifted off to Mason and Nicole.

  I hated that I hated Nicole. I was jealous of her. She had everything I wanted. She had him and his baby growing inside her. I drifted off to sleep before I could upset myself anymore.

  I woke the next morning and went to check on Alissa. She was dead asleep with her face in her plate of scrambled eggs. The box of Pop Tarts had been opened and there were Cheetos everywhere.

  I shook her arm. “Alissa?”

  “What?” she asked, sitting up with eggs stuck to the side of her face. “What the fuck happened last night?” She brushed the eggs from her face.

  “I was about to ask you the same thing. Why are there Cheetos everywhere?”

  Alissa began looking around the kitchen. “So, that wasn’t a dream?”

  “What wasn’t a dream?”

  “I was dancing in a shower of Cheetos. I thought it was a dream.”

  Upon closer inspection, I noticed her blonde hair was covered in orange Cheetos dust.

  “You’re never drinking again.” I grabbed a broom to sweep up Alissa’s Cheetos shower.

  “I need a shower,” she groaned and stood. With every step she took, I heard the crunch of more Cheetos.

  I shook my head and laughed, but continued to clean up the mess.

  I was done cleaning up by the time Alissa got out of the shower.

  “Did something happen last night with Dane?” she asked, throwing herself down on the couch.

  “You didn’t sleep with him if that’s what you mean.” I couldn’t hold back my smile.

  “Oh God,” she moaned, running her hands over her face.

  I laughed. “Why are you fighting so hard to stay away from him? You obviously like him. Or it looked that way when you were sitting on his lap.”

  “Shut up.” She tossed a pillow at me.

  I left Alissa alone to wallow while I went to take a shower. I didn’t know what I had done, but my ribs hurt more than they had in days. I opened the medicine cabinet and took one of my pain pills before stepping into the hot water.