Page 30 of Second Chance Mates

She nods slowly. “Not everything. Parts.”

My head pounds at the confession. What exactly did she see? A strange wave churns in my gut. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“Why are you sorry? It’s not your fault.”

I shrug helplessly. My entire soul was on display.

Goddamn this world I don’t understand.

“Why didn’t you tell Jaxon?”

“Because it’s not my story to tell.” Her voice is gentle, but I can’t meet her eyes. “And I understand why you don’t trust us. But I’m proud of you. I’m proud of your strength.”

I haven’t heard those words in a long, long time.

The hairs on the back of my neck begin to stand, and I know we’re amongst company right now. “Hey.” Jaxon’s voice is deep. “You guys okay?”

My head lifts to meet his gaze across the kitchen. I know tears are still resting in my lash line, but I don’t have the ability to push them away. A breath fills my lungs, and instead of being filled with dread, it’s replaced with a lighter emotion I didn’t expect.

“Yeah.” Lucy nods and places a hand on her hip. “We were just talking about my wedding.”

The change of conversation is quick, and I’m relieved, but I still gawk at Lucy. “You’re getting married?” I glance down at the beautiful sapphire and diamond ring on her finger.

“Yes,” she hisses through a forced grin. “That’s literally what we were just talking about.”

Jaxon flicks his eyes between us suspiciously, and I realise I need to play along because I don’t want to bring up our past conversation. “Yes.” I nod in agreement. “When is it?”

“A few months yet.” She busies herself with lunch again. “And, of course, you’re invited, Ava. We could go into town and find you a dress.”

I find myself blinking at her suggestion.

“Easy, Luce,” Jaxon cuts in. “One day at a time, right?”

I’m thankful to hear him speak because he’s right. I didn’t think I’d be invited to her wedding. We barely know each other. My eyes focus on Jaxon as he folds his broad arms over his chest. Only now have I really noticed how tall he is, but his presence doesn’t necessarily make the room smaller.

“How did he propose?” I ask genuinely.

Jaxon groans as he inches closer to the counter and rolls his eyes. “You did not want to ask that.”

I study his playful features as his dark blue eyes settle on mine. He offers me a small smile, but I’m all for listening to the story. “This is my favourite story to tell.” She grins back at me. “Basically–”

Jaxon shakes his head and flashes his large hands. “Alright, before you get into this story for the hundredth time, I’m going to take a shower.”

“Fine.” She waves him off. “Go.”

I swallow and look back at him, then he gives me a simple nod and leaves.

“So, Sebastian had been so quiet to me the week he was planning on proposing, and I thought something was wrong. Turns out he was just nervous.” She smiles, and I try to replicate a small one. “He took me to this beautiful little village near the seaside. The sun was shining, and the sand was golden. We took our shoes off and took a little dip. It was just us, and I didn’t expect a thing.”

I prop my hand on my fist to listen in. “He said he wanted to take some pictures of me against the sun as it started to set. The sky was lit up in the most beautiful colours of orange and red. Then, when I turned around, he was on one knee and asked me to marry him.”

She presses a hand to her heart, remembering the moment. I’m pleased for her. I’m glad someone gets their happy ever after.

I can’t remember the last time I was happy…

“I know it doesn’t sound all flashy and whatnot, but it was perfect. It was just us. We could hear the waves behind us. Oh, my. It is my favourite day ever.” Lucy glances down at her stunning ring.

“That sounds lovely,” I admit. “Peaceful.”

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