Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel

by L. P. Dover

  “Like hell I will,” I growled, jerking my arm out of his grasp. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and it felt like I was going to go crazy. “I have to get through.”

  “Let her go.” Zane stepped to the man’s side and grasped my elbow. “She’s Luke’s girlfriend.”

  The security man let me go and apologized, but I rushed past him to where Luke was being put on a stretcher with a brace around his neck. His eyes were closed and there was no movement.

  “Luke, I’m here,” I cried, hoping he could hear me. The paramedics carried him out and I followed them to the ambulance. They put him inside and I got in, alongside one of the paramedics—a man who kept his focus on Luke. I didn’t like the way he looked. “Will he be okay?”

  He peered up at me, his expression guarded. “We’ll find out more once we get him to the hospital.” I knew what that meant; he had no clue what was going to happen.

  I held Luke’s hand and never once let go until we got to the hospital and they wheeled him away. There were text messages on my phone from Summer, saying that they were on their way. Apparently, they had watched it all unfold on TV. I had been so distraught, I hadn’t heard my phone go off.

  There were two other people in the waiting room, both middle-aged women, and they looked just as upset as me. It made me wonder who they were waiting on. Was it someone they loved?

  The door to the waiting room opened and a lady in a white coat approached. She smiled sadly at me, as if she knew the pain I was going through. “Lara Jacobs?”

  I stood and shook her outstretched hand. “Yes.”

  “It’s good to finally meet you. When one of my nurses said Summer was here, I thought to myself that couldn’t be right.” I let her hand go and she lifted her name badge. “I’m Dr. Angelica Scott. Your sister used to work with me while training in nursing school.”

  The sound of her name sparked memories. Summer used to talk about her all the time. “Yes, I remember how much she loved working with you. It’s good to finally meet you. Would you by chance know what’s happening with Luke Collins? I came here with him, and I haven’t heard anything since arriving.”

  “Yes, my dear. He took a nasty tumble, so we’re running all sorts of tests on him. The good news is, he’s awake, but definitely not happy. He was asking for you.”

  I gasped. “When can I see him?”

  She placed a hand soothingly on my shoulder. “Soon. I’ll let you know when we’re done.”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, I sat down and closed my eyes. If he was awake, that was a good sign. If he’d broken anything, it could ruin his riding career, but at least I’d still have him in my life. Although, that must’ve been Troy’s goal . . . to take him out of the game. Hopefully, that son of a bitch would pay for what he did.

  The waiting room door slammed open and Chance rushed in, his clothes covered in red dirt from the fight. “I’m sorry I’m late. Any news?”

  “The doctor just left. They’re running tests, but he’s awake.”

  He dropped into the seat beside me and sighed. “Thank fucking God.” His knuckles were torn open and I knew they had to hurt.

  “How bad does Troy look?”

  He scoffed. “Pretty damn bad, but at least there won’t be any victory pictures of him. They disqualified him from second place and took away his spot at the finals in Vegas. He tried to say it was an accident, but the higher-ups reviewed the collision. There was no way it could be ruled an accident.”

  “Good. Hopefully, it ruins his career. Who knows, it might’ve ruined Luke’s as well.”

  He bumped me in the shoulder. “Let’s think positive. There’s no way in hell Luke’s going to let someone like Baker take him out of the race.”

  Summer and Evan barreled through the door and I rushed over and hugged them. Summer had tears in her eyes and Evan looked torn. “He’s awake,” I cried, squeezing them both. “They’re going to take X-rays and run some tests to see if anything’s broken.”

  “He’ll be okay,” Evan murmured. He let me go and went straight to Chance to catch up with him.

  Summer stepped back and wiped her eyes. “Just when we think no more tragedies can happen in our family, another one occurs. I swear, someone should write a novel about all of this.”

  “And no one would believe a bit of it.” I laughed sadly, hugging her again. The pain in my chest was almost unbearable. “Do you know about Grayson?”

  I could feel her nod. “Jason came by and told us. I think I’m still in shock. I never thought he’d be capable of such things.”

  “Me either,” I said, pulling back, “but he never wanted me to get my memories back. He lied to me about so many things; especially the night of the accident, when I broke up with him.”

  “What? How do you remember?”

  “My memories came back on the way over to his house. I drove through the light where the accident happened, and it was like I relived the whole thing. Then everything came rushing back. What Luke told you is true. I had told Grayson it was over between us, the night of the accident, and I was headed over to his place to tell him I loved him.”

  She shook her head and grabbed her stomach. “And then after the accident, he tried to make you think you were still together. This just makes me sick.”

  I felt beyond sick. Betrayed was more like it. “What are we going to do about the restaurant? I can’t work with him anymore.”

  Her jaw clenched. “Neither can I. We’ll figure it out, but for now, don’t worry about it. Let’s just think about Luke.”

  I nodded and walked back over to Chance, who was deep in conversation with Evan. We all sat down and chatted idly while waiting for more news.

  Hours later, my patience was growing thin. “Where’s Emma-Grace?” I asked Summer.

  “With Kate. I didn’t know how long it was going to take, so we dropped her off on the way.”

  “I don’t blame you,” I said as Dr. Scott appeared down the hallway. I nudged Summer in the side. “Hey, that’s your doctor friend. She’s the one who’s taking care of Luke.”

  We all stood as she entered and Summer rushed over to hug her. They said their hello’s and Dr. Scott shook both Evan and Chance’s hands. “Thank you all for being so patient. All of the tests and X-rays have been taken, and so far, it looks like he only suffered a couple broken ribs. I fully expected there to be more, but apparently, Mr. Collins is a lot tougher than we all thought.”

  Evan burst out laughing. “You wouldn’t believe all of the crashes he’d walked away from unscathed. Talk about reckless and lucky.”

  I knew exactly what he was talking about. Luke loved to take risks and push himself past the limit. I’d spent many years watching him do crazy things on his bikes.

  Dr. Scott smiled over at me and nodded to the door. “He wants to see you. He’s in room three-seventeen.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Scott.” I hurried off through the door and raced down the corridor to his room. His door was slightly open, so I charged on in.

  Luke looked furious, his body tense, but when he saw me, his face softened. “Holy fuck, I thought I’d never get to see you.”

  Tears streamed down my cheeks and I closed the distance, wrapping my arms gently around his neck. I wanted to squeeze him and hold him tight, but I didn’t want to hurt his ribs. “Imagine what I thought,” I cried. “It was terrifying seeing you unconscious on the ground.”

  “That’s exactly how I felt when I saw you bleeding out on the street the night of your accident.”

  Letting him go, I pulled up a chair and grabbed his hand. If he had forgotten me like I had him, I would’ve been lost. But he never gave up on me.

  “Did Chance tell you anything?” he asked.

  I nodded. “He did, but I already knew. Skylar came into the restaurant and told me everything. The Secobarbital came from Grayson and he paid her five thousand to keep quiet about it. I confronted Grayson about it right before the cops got there.”

  His grip tightened. �
�Why would you go to see him?”

  I rubbed a finger soothingly up and down his arm. “Because I needed him to know something.”

  “And what is that?”

  Taking a deep breath, I looked down at our clasped hands and then up at him. “That I knew the truth . . . about everything. The night of the accident, you, and everything before that.”

  His eyes went wide and he gasped. “You remember?”

  Lips trembling, I lifted his hand to my face. “Yes,” I murmured. “I broke up with him that night and then called you. Evan had made me realize what was truly in my heart. I was so desperate to see you. There was only one thing I wanted to do the moment I saw you.”

  “What was that?” he asked, his voice soft.

  Leaning over, I kissed him gently on the lips. “I wanted to tell you that I loved you. I always have, and always will.”

  Luke released my hand and captured my face in his grasp, bringing my forehead to his. His eyes watered and he smiled. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say those words?”

  “You don’t ever have to wait again. I’m just sorry it took so long for me to find my way back to you.”

  He winked. “Don’t worry, you can make it up to me.”

  Leave it to him to think about sex when he was laid up in the hospital. Sighing, I sat back down. “I will, once you’re all better. The doctor says you have a few broken ribs.”

  “That’s nothing,” he snorted. “I’ll be back to riding in a couple of days.”

  I shook my head. “You’re too much. But if you want to know something exciting, Chance beat the shit out of Troy, who was also disqualified from the finals.”

  “And it was the most glorious thing I’ve ever witnessed,” Chance exclaimed from the doorway. Chance, Summer, and Evan walked in and surrounded us. “Think you’ll be good to go for Vegas?”

  Eyes wide, I turned to Luke. “You’ve been through so much this past week. Do you really think it’s a good idea to get back on the track that fast?”

  Luke’s devilish grin was answer enough. “When do I ever back down from a challenge? I don’t give up when I want something.”

  He was right. It was one of the things I loved about him.

  In just the matter of a week, my whole world had flipped on its axis. The hardest part had finally approached, and I was preparing myself for the heartache about to ensue. Just inside the court room doors, Grayson sat, with his lawyer and Luke’s. I didn’t know why Summer and I had to be there, but Luke’s lawyer requested it.

  “It’ll be okay,” Luke said, putting his arm around me.

  Summer and I glanced at each other; she was just as nervous as me. Grayson had been taken to jail for a couple of days, but was recently let out. Apparently, Luke had been working on a deal of sorts, but had yet to inform me and Summer.

  We walked inside and Luke led us to a closed door. He opened the door and I took a deep breath before entering. I knew I was going to see Grayson, but I really didn’t want to. His eyes were focused on mine, so I averted my gaze. I was done trying to see the good in him.

  Luke’s lawyer motioned for us to sit. He began once we were settled.

  “Good morning, everyone. I’m Jack Lunsford. I know some of you are wondering why you’re here, so I’ll get right to it. Mr. Collins has decided to drop all charges against Mr. Grayson Moore.”

  Summer and I both gasped, and I jerked my attention to Luke. How could he do that? Grayson didn’t deserve to be let off easy. Luke shook his head and nodded back to his lawyer who continued.

  “Mr. Collins will drop all charges, if Mr. Moore agrees to forfeit his share of the Carolina Tavern to Summer Townsend and Lara Jacobs. In doing this, all ties to the establishment will come to a close.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. There was no way Grayson would give up the restaurant. I looked over at Grayson, whose gaze never wavered from mine. His lawyer whispered something in his ear and he shook his head.

  “I accept,” Grayson called out. His lawyer looked pissed and tried to speak, but Grayson held up his hand. “I don’t give a shit what you think. This is my decision and it’s final. Summer and Lara can have my part of the restaurant.”

  His lawyer stormed out of the office and I gasped. Jack passed Grayson a stack of forms, and we watched as he signed away his life’s dream.

  Luke put his arm around me and whispered in my ear. “I almost told you, but I wanted it to be a surprise. At least, this way you get the restaurant.”

  “Are you sure this is what you want?” I asked.

  “Yes. Now I don’t have to worry about him being anywhere near you.”

  After Grayson signed all the papers, Summer walked over to him and said a few things. I had nothing to say, so Luke and I walked outside to wait on her. When they walked out together, Grayson approached me. Luke tensed beside me and pulled me in closer.

  Grayson stopped in front of us, and quickly glanced at Luke before focusing on me. “I know you don’t want to speak to me, but I wanted you to know I’m leaving North Carolina. You won’t have to worry about seeing me around ever again. As much as it kills me to hand over the tavern, I know it’s something that’ll make you and Summer happy. I do hope one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” He looked to Luke. “There’s been bad blood between us since the beginning, but I’m sorry for my latest actions. You deserve Lara, and I wish you two the best.”

  He walked past us and I watched him walk down to his car and drive away. “Do you think you’ll forgive him one day?” Luke asked.

  I shrugged. “If I do, it’ll be a long time from now.” Summer stood beside me, still in shock. “You okay?”

  She clutched the papers Grayson signed to her chest. “Yeah, I’m fine. Everything’s just been crazy. It’s hard to think the restaurant is ours now. It makes life so much simpler.”

  “I’m glad I could help,” Luke said with a smile.

  Summer gave him a hug and kissed my cheek, then started toward her car. “I’ll see you at the restaurant later on. I want to tell Evan the good news.”

  Luke and I walked slowly toward his truck and I smiled. “What are you grinning at?” he asked.

  I looked over at him and laughed. “I couldn’t help but realize that now Grayson is gone, you’ll be able to help out at the tavern like Evan does. Doesn’t that sound like fun? I can put you in charge of doing the dishes.”

  He snorted. “Hell no. I’ll be in the kitchen eating all the food.” We both chuckled and he pulled me to a stop by his truck. Lifting my face with his hands, his gaze grew serious. “You know I was just kidding, right?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Luke. Stealing food out of the kitchen is my job.”

  “If you really need my help, I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”

  Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kissed him hard. “And I love you for it. Now let’s get you back home so you can train. Vegas is calling your name.”

  Luke’s victory in Vegas was nothing short of amazing. He’d won the finals, and in the last month alone, had been on five different magazine covers. I was so proud of him. The magazines weren’t nearly as huge as Physique, but that interview was coming up in the next month. We were excited to fly out to San Francisco and spend a long weekend there.

  To celebrate his success, Luke decided to take me on a trip to the western mountains of North Carolina. His only stipulation was that we ride on his sport bike. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy about it at the beginning, but now I’d grown to love the curvy mountain roads.

  We finally made it to Dupont State Forest which had some of the best waterfalls around the state. I couldn’t wait to see them. “How many waterfalls are we going to see?” I asked, hopping on the back of his motorcycle.

  We’d just stopped at a little mom and pop diner to eat breakfast and were going to start the day with some scenery and a few hikes. The leaves had started to change, which made the trip even m
ore epic. I’d never seen so many different shades of red and yellow in all my life.

  Luke slipped on his helmet and fastened it. “We’ll probably see three of them today and finish up with the biggest one tomorrow. You’ll love them all.”

  We stopped at the first two waterfalls and took a gazillion pictures. By the time we got to the third one, Luke was ready to do some exploring. Turning off his bike, he took off his helmet and smiled. If there was one thing I’d learned about him, it was that he didn’t like following the rules—he made his own.

  “Let’s climb down to the water,” he said, hopping off his bike.

  I slid off and laughed nervously. “If I get hurt, I’m blaming you.”

  We trekked down the rocky slope to the top of the falls. There were large rocks sitting in the water and we jumped over to the largest one and sat down. We were so close to the edge of the waterfalls, it was almost scary, but beautiful at the same time.

  I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the scenery. Luke grabbed my hand, drawing my attention to him. “I love you so much,” he murmured.

  “I love you too. We’ve had an amazing month together. So many things have changed.”

  He nodded. “They have, and I’m looking forward to them changing again.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He kissed my hand and moved closer. “After all we’ve been through, I can’t imagine a day going by without you by my side. I don’t know if you think it’s too soon or not, but I’ve lost you way too many times to go through it again. I need to know you’re not going anywhere.”

  A slow smile spread across my face. “What exactly are you saying?” We’d both hinted at marriage, but never actually talked about it. I kept waiting for this moment.

  Luke carefully unzipped his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet bag. “Now don’t do any sudden arm flails, I don’t want this accidentally falling into the river,” he joked.

  I sat on my hands excitedly, making him laugh.