Second Chance on St. Patrick's Day

by Mia Ford

  “She’s not the only one,” Liam said as I swallowed the bite of chili and held my breath. “I have missed you so damn much. Not seeing your face in the classroom was so hard, especially not knowing how you were. Ginger told me stuff here and there, but I wanted to see you. I wanted to touch you.” His voice broke, and I held back another sob as I pushed the plate away. “I missed you, Elena.”

  “I missed you, too.” I heard the honesty in his words and they filled me with something warm that terrified me. I couldn’t expect us to get back together for the sake of the baby, but the hope filled me, settling between my thighs as need pulsed through me. I hated it and longed to touch him at the same time.

  “Are you with the blonde?” I asked as a sound came from his throat.

  “No. She was just that night.” That stung and I reached for my lemonade, taking a long swallow. “I felt rejected that night, Elena. I felt like you didn’t care about me and she did.” I shivered as he slipped a hand over my lower back. “I wanted to go with you that night.”

  “I wasn’t ready for that. I was just getting out of the house for the first time and seeing you almost made me want to go home again and hide. It hurt so much to see you laughing, living, and leaving with that girl.” I shook my head. “I was just the lonely, scared pregnant girl.”

  “If you told me sooner, I would have been there for all of it,” Liam told me painfully as I nodded.

  “I know. There were many nights that I wish you had been,” I agreed as we fell into silence again.

  “Tell me about her. Tell me about you.”

  Marie drifted back into the kitchen at some point as I told him everything, placing plates of cake down in front of us as before joining us again. I was halfway through telling Liam about the pregnancy and the quirks that came along with it. He laughed a few times, and others looked so bitter about missing things that it made my stomach go into knots.

  Liam asked why I left the studio and I told him about Ginger’s offer. He was relieved, and I sensed how much he hated my old apartment the day that we spoke there. It was the day that I lied to him about my feelings to protect both of us. He asked if I had a new car, making me blush. “No, not yet. I drive Ginger’s when I can, but I haven’t looked too hard for something new. I suppose I should now that the baby will be here in a matter of months.”

  “I can help you,” Liam offered as I smiled.

  “I have been saving a ton of money living with Ginger and writing a lot. I got some money from the accident put away as well so I can do it, Liam. I am not here asking for help or money, just your presence in her life.” I smiled at him, seeing in his eyes that he would do anything for us.

  “Anything you need, you tell me. I have plenty of money to help you, and I’d like you in a safe vehicle. The accident scared the fuck out of me and the idea that you were carrying our baby that night is…awful.”

  “I know. I started crying immediately when they told me we were both fine.” I told him as I sipped more lemonade. It was sour compared to the sweet strawberry cake, but I welcomed it. “I was thinking of a smaller SUV with room in the back seat for her and room to take things around. I’ve heard that babies come with a lot of stuff.”

  The sun was setting, and we were still talking together over tea and coffee. I couldn’t ignore the attraction that remained between us, but I didn’t want to focus on that. I was happy that he was willing to be with me on this journey.

  Liam pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at it as we both stood to leave. He read the screen and put it away as he walked with me to the door. We hugged Marie, and Liam walked me to Ginger’s car, parked beside his older Jeep. Liam looked at the house and then into my face as he stepped closer to me. “I have a relationship to end, but I was wondering if you could give us another chance. Nothing is holding us back and everything pulling us together.”

  “A relationship?” I asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

  CHAPTER 24

  Liam

  “I have been seeing a woman for a few months,” I admitted as she looked down sadly. “I didn’t think we’d ever talk again, Elena. I kept telling myself to move forward, but she’s never meant to me what you did."

  “Do you want to be with her?” Elena asked me as I reached out and cupped her face. I stared into her face as best I could in the light from the high lamp and licked my lips.

  “Not more than you, Elena. She’s never felt like you did but she is a kind person, and I thought that she deserved a bit of a chance. Now that I know this and I’ve seen you, I want you back more than anything.” I wanted to kiss her, but I knew that I needed to wait until it was over with Nora. I wasn’t that man now and even sleeping with other women while Elena and I were apart made me feel guilty. I couldn’t kiss her and feel good about myself. “I am going to break things off with her immediately.”

  “Are you sure?” She asked as I laughed softly. I could feel the heat between us drawing me to her and nodded.

  “Positive. I am going to go do that, and I’ll call you later. Is your number the same?” Elena nodded as I stepped back to try and snap out of the fog that I was in. I needed to focus on the moment, and I looked at her for a moment. “Text me when you get home. I’ll call you later.” There was a part of me that was worried that I wouldn’t hear from her tonight, just like before.

  “I will,” Elena promised me as she turned to head towards the car. Pregnancy suited her, and I watched her for a moment before getting into the jeep. I wondered if I should tell Nora that it was over in person or on the phone, turning down her road as the question answered itself. She deserved the best even if it was going to hurt her.

  I parked in the lot and jogged to her door, my heart racing in my chest. I knew that tonight was going to be different starting from the text in the morning and now everything was coming together. I took a moment to catch my breath before I knocked on it, hearing her call out across the living room. “How is she? You were gone a while.” Nora told me as she opened her door with a wide, worried smile. I looked her over for a moment, not ignorant to the short, clingy dress that she wore and what it suggested.

  “Yeah, it did. We were talking for a while.” I walked inside, brushing past her as my body screamed that this felt wrong. I went and sat down in the chair by myself, watching her frown as she sat on the couch across from me. “I had a lot to get out over there.” I didn’t plan to tell her about Elena and talking to her, or about the baby. I just needed to end this right now.

  “Okay. What’s going on, Liam?” Nora asked, picking up on the vibe from me.

  “You know I have that ex. Marie was friends with her, and they’ve talked a bit, so she came up in conversation tonight.” I glanced at Nora, seeing her face pale. “I had already been thinking about her a lot and talking about her…it’s not fair to be with you when my heart is still with her.”

  “Are you getting back together?” Nora asked as she leaned forward, her hands clenched in her lap.

  “I’m not sure,” I wasn’t lying, but I knew more than I was letting on. “I just need to figure my head out, and I don’t want to hurt you while I do that.”

  “I knew that she was on your mind a lot. I didn’t like to think about it because I was falling for you this entire time, but I was aware of it.” Nora looked out of the window as she spoke, pain in her pretty eyes.

  “I am sorry, Nora. Maybe I should have thought about this in the beginning. You’re a wonderful person though, and I wanted to try this.” I leaned forward and looked at her, watching a small smile cross her lips.

  “It was fun, Liam. I had a great time with you, but I want you happy.” Nora told me, looking at the floor before she met my gaze.

  “You are going to find someone that adores you. I just couldn’t be that man, and I’m sorry.” I told her as she nodded. Nora pulled uncomfortably at the revealing dress. “Stop. You’re gorgeous, Nora. I am just not the one.”

  “I sure thought you were,” she murmure
d as we both stood. I licked my lips and looked around the apartment, stocking the good memories here away before I thought about Elena and a sweet baby girl.

  I left after giving her a hug, walking towards my Jeep with a smile and hope for my future. It isn’t what I would have chosen, but I was excited now, thinking about moving Elena in and setting up a nursery in my place. Hell, I’d sell it and buy a house of that was what she wanted. I knew that she sent me a text when my phone vibrated in my pocket, but I didn’t read it while I was talking to Nora. I was hurting her enough.

  I pulled it out now and read her words, calling her right back. “I’m done. I’m ready. Can I come over?”

  “What? We just spent hours talking, Liam.” Elena sounded surprised, and I tried to rein in my enthusiasm.

  “Yes, after months of no contact,” I reminded her as I glanced at the apartment building in front of me. This was right. “I couldn’t kiss you earlier, Elena. I wanted to be completely yours when I did that again, and I am.”

  “Fine, then. Ginger is on a date so we can talk some more,” Elena told me with a hint of something else in her voice. I remembered bits and pieces of what I’d heard about the hormones of pregnant women and my cock hardened at the thought of being inside of her again. She gave me the address, and I started the engine to head over.

  I turned up the radio and sang along to the song, feeling like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I knew that having a baby in four months was not going to be easy on any level, but with Elena, I felt like I could do anything. Marie was already in love with the idea, and Ginger sounded like she was involved, along with her family. We could do this. I heard the voice tell me to take a right at the next light and I followed the directions to the gated complex, using the code that Elena gave me. This was a beautiful place, and I preferred it over the studio that she was staying at before. These units were clearly expensive with all the amenities, and I wondered if Ginger was a trust fund baby. I decided that it didn’t matter if she was or not since she was helping my girl out and I respected her for that.

  I found a parking place once I found the number of Elena’s building, walking around until I found the unit. I tapped on the door, taking in the quiet around me before the door was unlocked and opened. Elena smiled as she looked at me, dressed in the same shirt and skirt from before. “I forgot to ask if you wanted anything on the way. Are you having any cravings right now?”

  “Gin keeps the place stocked with everything, so I’m good right now. Thank you, though.” Her smile was adorable, and she stepped aside to let me in. I walked in to see a small foyer that led to a spacious living room with a couple of couches and a fireplace against the main wall. That room led to a kitchen that looked like it was made for a chef and I let out a whistle.

  “I like this much better than the studio,” I told her as I looked back to see her rubbing her stomach gently with a warm look in her eyes. I kept staring at her, falling back in love with her all over again as I watched the mother of my child. Fuck, was I ever not in love with her?

  “It’s so nice. I am thankful that she let me move in here. It might be a bit small for the baby since there is just a smaller room for the nursery, but we’re going to make it work.” Elena glanced at me to see me staring at her as she blushed and looked at the floor. “I think there’s beer in the fridge. Would you like some?”

  “Sounds great,” I told her as she walked to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of things from the fridge. Elena returned with a bottle for me and juice for her, sitting down on the couch as she gave me an inviting glance. I took the beer from her, seeing that she’d opened it before I took a long sip.

  “Thanks for coming over. I wasn’t sure if you would want to after being with me all day.” She smiled as she twisted her bottle open and took a sip.

  “I want to make up for every moment that I missed with you, Elena,” I assured her as she looked at me with scared eyes for a moment.

  “You’re not scared about the baby?”

  “I was surprised. I won’t lie. It’s going to come fast, but we can do this,” I said thoughtfully as I looked her over. “You look so damn beautiful carrying my baby, Elena. I can’t stop looking at you.”

  “I feel like I am gaining too much weight and my belly is really starting to get bigger,” her voice was filled with laughter as she looked at me and I set the beer down and moved closer to her. I had barely touched her at Marie’s due to the situation with Nora, but I was free now. I reached out to touch her face, stroking her cheek with my finger as she stared into my eyes. I knew that she wanted me, but I couldn’t just jump her right here and now. We needed to move at the pace that she was the most comfortable at.

  “You are doing none of that. You look incredible,” I said as I moved my face closer to hers. “Can I kiss you, Elena?”

  “Yes,” she replied with an urgency in her voice as she moved to press her lips against mine. The kiss was hot and hungry from the start, and I reached my hand into her hair as our lips crashed together. All the nights without her faded away from my memory as she parted her lips to allow my tongue entrance. We didn’t forget the way we were together in the least as she moved closer, turning towards me as she slid onto my lap. Maybe her pace was as fast as mine after all.

  The time seemed to stop as I kissed her, getting to know her sweet mouth all over again. Her breasts pressed against me and I felt the small bump of her belly pressing against my stomach as I marveled in it all over again. She was pregnant with my baby. I slipped one hand over her thigh while the other remained wrapped around her head to keep her close to me.

  CHAPTER 25

  Elena

  We both pulled away, breathing heavily. It could have been minutes or hours that I was kissing him, but my body was so painful with need that I groaned. I dropped my head against his shoulder and told myself that I needed to slow down. The fact that I hadn’t slept with anyone since a mere few weeks into this pregnancy didn’t matter. It was Liam that I was with right now and he meant everything to me.

  I looked down to see my skirt bunched up around my thighs and laughed at how ridiculous it felt to me in Liam’s lap at five months pregnant. It was going to be hell when I was closer to the due date, so I should take advantage of this.

  Right?

  I lifted my head and looked into his eyes, seeing the need mirrored in his eyes. God, I had to have him inside of me, and I kissed him again as I tried to rock against his hard cock. It wasn’t quite as erotic as when I was smaller, but he got the message and moaned into my mouth. “I fucking want you so bad, Elena. I don’t want to move too fast for this, though.”

  “I haven’t been touched by anybody since the last time that we were together, Liam. I have been dealing with all over the place hormones, and I am so wet with need with now that it’s painful.” My words shocked me but took me back to a time when I was so comfortable and open with him.

  “Jesus.” He slipped a hand closer to my core, finding the truth of my words as he stroked me above the cotton of my underwear. “You’re okay with this?”

  “I need it,” I demanded as he lifted us slowly and kissed me again. Liam asked where my room was and I told him, holding on tight as I waited for him to drop me. I had gained a few pounds in the last few months, but he clutched me so tightly against him that I finally relaxed and gave into the feeling of his lips on my neck.

  Liam dropped me gently onto the bed, still kissing me as he leaned over my body. I pulled him down with me, loving the feeling of him against me as Liam found my lips with his again. “I can’t believe I’m tasting you again. I was a mess without you, baby.”

  “Me, too,” I murmured as he moved his lips to my jaw. “Liam, I want you so bad.” We kept kissing in between him moving his lips over my skin, making me crazy for him. Liam undressed me slowly in between pecks and nibbles, his eyes wide at the growth of my chest as I blushed. He placed me against my pillows before he kissed me softly, leading to a deeper kiss that made me melt inside
. When his lip brushed my nipple, I cried out and pulled him back down. “Liam,” my voice was a whine as he chuckled and teased my hard nipples with his tongue.

  “Sensitive, are they?” He teased me as I groaned. “They’re getting bigger, all of them. I like that.”

  “Everything is getting bigger. I am going to be a beached whale soon,” I murmured before Liam’s teeth scraped against me and made me cry out.

  “Tell me what isn’t okay,” Liam reminded me as I nodded and watched him kiss my stomach gently. He whispered something, and I felt tears in my eyes as he spoke to our baby for the first time. It was everything that I expected and more, and he raised his eyes to meet mine. Liam smiled and moved further down my body, settling himself between my legs and tasting me. I wasn’t going to last tonight, but I didn’t care. I’d hold him prisoner in this room with me and make him pleasure me more. Liam licked and teased, sucked, and nibbled and within moments I was rocking against him in an explosive orgasm, crying out his name. He locked his lips on me, taking all of me in until I stilled in front of him. “God, I fucking missed that. Watching you come is one of my favorite things in the world.”

  “There will be a lot of that to come,” I promised him as I closed my eyes. “I think I am going to want you every moment of the day.”