Another Chance to Love

by Cheris Hodges

  Olivia looked at him. “Brian, I told you I made a mistake,” she said. “I love you, don’t you get that?”

  “You love me so much you left me? So when did you decide you wanted me back? On the drive to Elmore from Atlanta or when you saw Paige in my arms?”

  Olivia rolled her eyes. “Well, you see how stable that relationship was. How fast did she run out of your life? Brian, if we make love just one more time, you’ll see that we’re meant to be. No one has ever made me feel the way you do.” She walked over to him and stroked his face.

  He grabbed her hand. “Don’t touch me. Olivia, we haven’t had that kind of relationship in years. Why should we change that now? I had to put my son first. I gave up my career to be a good father while you went out and pretended to be a fashion designer. What a joke.”

  She stepped back from him. “So, nothing has changed, huh? You still think you are the only one that has a career and what I want is a joke?”

  Brian laughed. “You’ve been nothing but a house wife. I haven’t seen you draw in years. Now, all of a sudden I’m supposed to believe that you’re a fashion designer. Olivia, you’re a spoiled, selfish, sorry excuse for a mother. You left and not once did you think of the ramifications that your leaving would have on our son. Now, because of your neglect, my son ended up in the hospital. Make love to you? I can’t do that because I loathe you.”

  She ran out of the room crying. Brian knew there was going to be hell to pay.

  It looks like it’s payback time, he thought as he listened to Olivia talk about a house in Atlanta.

  “Olivia, we need to talk,” Brian said.

  She nodded her head. “We sure do.”

  “Mickey, go inside, I need to talk to your mother.”

  He walked inside the house and Olivia slowly crossed over to Brian. “I don’t know what came over me the other day. I shouldn’t have tried to come on to you. But I want to take Mickey to Atlanta with me, since we’re not going to put our family back together. I deserve to have my son with me.”

  He closed his eyes. “You deserve? What about what Mickey deserves?”

  Olivia put her hands on her hips and looked at him as if he had just sprouted a second head and wings. “Brian, Mickey has two parents. I want to spend time with my son without you hovering around. I’m taking my son to Atlanta for the rest of the summer so that he can see there is more to life than Elmore. I want to spend time with my son without your little girlfriend butting in, but then again, that isn’t going to be a problem anymore.”

  Brian glared at her and shook his head. “Mickey isn’t going to Atlanta.”

  “How in the hell are you going to stop me from spending time with my son? Brian, this doesn’t have to be ugly.”

  “You abandoned him. Don’t you know what that does to a child? Do you know how many nights he woke up crying out for you? I’m protecting my son.”

  “Protecting him?” she exclaimed. “I’m his damned mother.”

  “If you want to go to Atlanta, hit the highway, but Mickey is staying here!”

  Olivia ran to her car. “You want a war? You just got one.” She sped out of the driveway, spinning her tires loudly as she roared down the street. Brian turned around and saw Mickey standing at the door.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  After a week in Nashville, Paige decided that hiding from Brian and Olivia wasn’t the right move. It went against everything her mother had ever taught her. Vivian would have told her to get in that pony car and go home. Her career wasn’t in Nashville and if she let some man destroy what she was attempting to build, then she was a fool.

  Add to that the fact that Caron and Patrick were the most annoying couple she had ever had the misfortune to be around and if she continued drinking, she would need to seek an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Paige knew it was time to go. She would just move on with her life as Brian had. She was hurt that he hadn’t tried to find her. He hadn’t even called her. I guess he’s just too busy trying to make up for lost time with his wife, she thought bitterly as she loaded her suitcase into the car. She looked at her reflection in the car’s bumper. She didn’t look as if she’d spent a week drinking and eating plates of barbeque and fried chicken. She was tanned, toned and had a fresh dye job and haircut from her favorite stylist. She looked damned good, as if she’d had a restful vacation. Except for her eyes. Their golden light was dim. Her eyes were the windows into the sadness of her soul. But Paige knew how to fix that. She put her Ray-Bans on.

  “All right,” Patrick said as he walked outside. “Drive safe and don’t let them see you sweat.”

  Paige hugged her friend. “Caron is a good girl, I hope you’re happy.”

  “I am and I know you’re going to find happiness too. You’re Paige Grayson, beautiful, intelligent and sexy. You should have them lined up at your door.”

  She wanted to tell him the only one she wanted at her door was Brian, but she forced a smile and said a cheerful goodbye that was as fake as the hair weave on a supermodel. The road was calling and Paige was about to answer it. If she was lucky, the highway patrol would be out to lunch as she headed back to South Carolina.

  The doorbell woke Brian up. He was dreaming of Paige and part of him expected to see her at the door when he opened it. Instead, there was a sheriff’s deputy standing there. Through his sleep-clouded eyes, he recognized him as Steven Hoister.

  “What’s going on?” Brian asked as he rubbed his face. Thoughts rushed through his head. Did something happen to Gabrielle and Mickey? His son was with his sister because he’d had to work a late traffic patrol shift.

  “Officer Jackson,” Hoister said as he pulled out a summons. “You’ve been served.”

  “What the...”

  The deputy shrugged. “You know I’m just doing my job.”

  Brian nodded as he ripped the summons open. Olivia, he thought caustically as he read the paper. She was challenging him for custody of Mickey. He spat a vicious curse as he slammed his door. He needed a lawyer because this woman was not going to take the one thing he had left in his life. He remembered her words the last time they’d spoken

  “You want a war? You just got one!”

  “It’s always about you,” he muttered as he pulled out the phone book to find a family attorney.

  Brian couldn’t believe the gall of his ex-wife. He could just hear Davina pushing her to sue him. But everyone, except for him, seemed to forget that Olivia had left. If anything, he should’ve sued her for child support payments. But Brian knew the system was stacked against him. It wasn’t every day a mother left. Judges were used to seeing deadbeat fathers being sued by ex-wives or their child’s mother, not the reverse. If Brian had to worry about anything, it was losing his son because mothers usually got custody of the children in a divorce. Brian wanted sole legal custody of his son. Although Olivia didn’t deserve visitation with Mickey, he knew how much seeing his mother meant to his son, so he would be flexible. However, there was no way his son was going to Atlanta, not while blood flowed through his veins and there was air in his lungs.

  Brian didn’t want the whole town to know his situation with Olivia, but in a place like Elmore, as soon as he got a lawyer, everyone would. He picked up the phone and called an attorney named Gerald Johnson. He had run across Johnson in court before and the man was tough. If anyone could help him keep his son, Johnson was his man. Olivia had said this was war and Brian was enlisting his army.

  “Gerald Johnson’s office,” a gruff male voice said.

  “May I speak with Mr. Johnson, please,” Brian said.

  “Speaking,” he said.

  “I need your help,” Brian said.

  “Help isn’t free and who am I speaking with?” Johnson said.

  “Officer Brian Jackson.”

  “Jackson. Isn’t it funny how the tables turn? Remember when you tried to put Damien Taylor away for possession of a few marijuana joints?”

  “Water under the bridge,” Brian said. “This is more
important than an old drug case. I need a pit bull to represent me in court and you’re the only one I know.”

  “What are you doing? Suing the police department?” Johnson asked. Brian could hear the excitement in his voice.

  “No. My ex-wife’s challenging me for custody of my son and she’s the one who walked out on us.”

  “Okay. If you come in about three, we can talk about the case. I’m tired of seeing fathers get screwed in the courts, so I’ll do what I can to help you,” he said.

  Brian thanked Johnson and then he hung up the phone. Next he called Gabrielle to let her know not to let Olivia take Mickey.

  “Brian, who are you talking to?” Gabrielle asked. “I wouldn’t let that woman take my trash to the dump. She knows better than to come over here.”

  “I can’t believe she’s taking me to court when she walked out on us,” Brian said in disgust.

  “It’s because you and Mickey didn’t fall apart without her in your life. And speaking of falling apart, have you heard from Paige?”

  Brian sighed and opened the refrigerator. He fished out a carton of orange juice. “No, I haven’t. I don’t know what Olivia said to her, but...”

  “Brian, didn’t she catch you about to kiss Evilena? She has a right to be angry and you need to make up with her quickly. Mickey has been talking about her and I think he’s rather attached to her. Besides, she’s better for you than Olivia ever was. She has a personality.”

  “I’ll talk to you later. I have to cook breakfast,” he said. Brian hung up the phone, but he didn’t have an appetite. He wondered if Paige was going to come back and if she would forgive him.

  I have enough drama. I don’t need to drag her into this. Maybe it’s best that she isn’t here.

  Sixteen hours after leaving Nashville, Paige pulled on to her street. She’d taken the long way home, stopping to shop, eat and even toss stones on the bank of Lake Lanier.

  She’d been trying to avoid seeing Brian and Olivia. So, getting home in the dark of the night made her happy, even if she was bone tired. She glanced across the street anyway. Paige figured Brian and Olivia were probably oblivious to anything outside of Mickey and their bedroom anyway. Her body ached as she got out of the car. She couldn’t wait to get into her own bed and go to sleep. If she was lucky, she would sleep tonight. Paige decided to leave her suitcase in the car until morning since she could barely lift her feet. She closed the car door softly, so that she wouldn’t wake anyone, particularly Brian. Glancing across the street, she saw a shadowy figure on the porch. She’d almost forgotten that Brian was a night owl.

  If I ignore him, she thought as she walked to the side door, I can get in the house and just go to bed.

  She had only taken two steps before she heard Brian call her name. Her brain told her to keep walking, but her heart said to turn around. So, she listened to her heart. God was he breathtaking. He didn’t have a shirt on and the moonlight bounced off his rippling chest, taking her breath away. They stood in her driveway looking at one another. Neither had the courage to speak first.

  Faking bravado, she stuck her chin up and said, “What do you want?”

  “I, uh, was wondering when you were coming back,” he said, stammering like a schoolboy afraid to talk to a girl. Paige would’ve laughed if she hadn’t known what a player Brian really was. He probably had Olivia in the house waiting for him. Or maybe she was sleeping off a sexual high. Making love to Brian was like an Olympic event and Paige always welcomed sleep after one of their sessions.

  “I’m sure your wife’s inside waiting for you. How would she feel if she knew you were out here talking to me? You can keep your concern.”

  “Look,” he said. “Olivia and I are not together. If you had let me explain that to you before you left...”

  “Explain the kiss,” Paige snapped. “Explain that.”

  “I didn’t kiss her. Yes, we embraced and it was a mistake,” he said. “But our son was sick. We were both upset—”

  “And the next mistake is going to be sleeping with her, right? You actually expect me to sit here and wait for the other shoe to drop? Go to hell, Brian.”

  “You know what, I don’t need this,” he said, throwing his hands up. “Believe what you want to believe. Good night.”

  “Night,” she said as she turned to head inside.

  Suddenly Brian grabbed her arm and pulled her against his chest. His lips grazed her ear as he said, “Paige, I missed you and I need you.”

  She wanted to melt in his arms because those were the words she had been waiting seven days to hear. Seven long days of longing, yearning and crying. Now he was standing in front of her and it wasn’t a dream. Brian was with her, not Olivia. But for how long?

  “You need to make up your mind about who and what you want. Did you tell Olivia sweet little nothings while I was gone?”

  Brian let her go. “There’s no getting through to you, is there? Olivia isn’t in my life in that way anymore. Paige, I don’t know why you have this idea that I’m a player who’s trying to have two women. You’re the only one I want.”

  Paige exhaled slowly. Can I trust you? She stared longingly into his eyes. “Brian, please just let me be,” she said, although she wanted to scream, make love to me.

  He shook his head. “You’re in my system. You’re ingrained in my life and I’m not losing you or my son because of Olivia.”

  “Losing your son?” Paige asked, genuinely concerned about Mickey. “Is he all right?”

  “She’s challenging me for custody,” he said somberly. “I was served this morning. She’s the one who left me, but I have to show that Mickey is better with me than in Atlanta with her.”

  Even though she didn’t want to feel for him, her heart broke as she thought about a judge taking Mickey away from him. Brian would be devastated. Instinctively, she stroked his smooth cheek.

  “Is that why you’re out here? Because you’re worried about your son? You shouldn’t be. Any judge will take one look at you and Mickey and see that he belongs with you. You’ve made efforts to include Olivia in his life. I hate that you’re going through this,” she said. Her anger at Brian had been replaced by concern and compassion. She looked down at her feet, suddenly feeling guilty. Brian didn’t have time to worry about their relationship when he was fighting for custody of his son.

  “I had no idea you were going through this,” she said.

  Brian smiled wistfully. “How could you? After you slapped me, you high-tailed it out of here.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said bashfully. “I guess I owe you again.”

  “And I’m going to collect. I’ll start with a kiss,” he said. Brian quickly captured Paige’s mouth. He darted his tongue across her full bottom lip as if he were reacquainting himself with the taste of her mouth. Paige pressed against his chest and positioned her mouth to let his tongue enter. His kiss had the faint taste of beer and limes, but Paige didn’t care. She’d missed this closeness to him; she’d missed the throbbing hardness that she felt pressed against her thighs. When had she become a Brian addict? His hot hands roamed her body, frazzling her senses like a strike of lightening. Her nerves stood on end as Brian slipped his hands underneath her cotton tee-shirt dress. Her desire pooled in her panties and when Brian pulled the flimsy material covering her crotch aside, Paige thought she was going to faint. Neither of them seemed to remember that they were standing in her driveway. She wrapped her left leg around his waist. Brian grabbed her other leg and lifted her into his arms. Paige broke off the kiss and looked into his eyes.

  “I want you,” she whispered huskily.

  Brian gripped Paige tighter as he rushed across the street to his house. They never made it to the bedroom. With their bodies tangled together, they fell onto the sofa.

  “Where’s Mickey?” Paige asked when their lips parted.

  “With his aunt.”

  Paige took a deep breath as Brian peeled her dress off. She didn’t have a bra on and her bre
asts spilled forward. Brian drank them, sucking on her hardened nipples as her body twisted underneath his lips. His fingertips danced against the top of her thighs. Then he pushed her backwards as he spread her legs apart. Paige clawed at his back as he positioned himself between her legs, his manhood touching the outside of her vagina. She shivered as he ran his hand down her long leg. Paige bit her lip as she looked into Brian’s eyes. Was this all she was to him, a quick roll in the hay?

  Brian seemed to sense her apprehension. “What’s wrong?” he asked, still stroking her legs.

  She loved the way he was making her feel, but it didn’t seem right. “We should stop. I can’t just jump back into bed with you,” she said.

  Brian released a low groan before saying, “I understand.” He didn’t release her, though, and Paige didn’t complain.

  “I don’t want to be someone you just—”

  He put his finger to her lip, staring into her brilliant eyes. “Paige, I care about you and I don’t have to be with you like this to say that either. So, if you think it’s just sex between us, you’re wrong.”

  “Then what is between us? It seems like you have unfinished business with Olivia. I mean, you two have been seeing each other, haven’t you?”

  “No, we haven’t. And the only business I have with Olivia is my son. When I want a woman in my arms, you’re the one I long for. When I want to feel soft lips, yours are the only ones that I want. And when I consider falling in love again, you’re the one I’m thinking about.”

  She melted into his arms, confused and happy at the same time. Paige wanted to be a part of Brian’s life and not just at night when he wanted a warm body in bed next to him. She wanted a place in his heart and if she could trust what he was saying, then she had that spot. But what about Olivia? She looked up at him.

  “If you don’t want me to make love to you right now, I can wait,” he said.