Page 16 of Unexpected Second Chance For Love

Payton’s eyes grew serious. “Tell me.”

“I’d had a crush on this girl named Emily. And too many beers at a different party made me bold enough to kiss her.”

“Emily Anderson? The girl who died in the accident? I didn’t know you dated her.”

Austin’s heart raced. “I didn’t date her. I married her.”

Payton’s gasp cut through the autumn chill like a knife. “You married her?”

He could see her mind racing to fill in the pieces of what she thought she knew and this new information.

“We eloped. Our parents and friends knew, but we were keeping it secret until we graduated.”

“Why didn’t you wait to get married? Ohhh…” Austin could see the moment recognition dawned. “You had to get married.”

“I did right by Emily. Our impulsive kiss led to more than kissing, which led to a baby.”

“Oh my goodness, Austin, I had no idea.”

“You were young. Your family was trying to protect you, I’m sure.”

“I get that but in the years since, no one talks about it. It was almost as if you’d died right alongside Emily.”

Austin felt the words like a punch to the gut. It had felt like he’d died for a long time. If he were honest with himself, it was only recently that he’d begun to truly live again.

“Everyone was angry with me. I got Emily pregnant and eloped with her. The reason she was on the road the day she died is that we’d had an argument the night before. Everyone thinks she was visiting a friend, but she was really leaving me.”

“Austin.”

He braced for Payton to reject him as his friends had already done, but she reached across to squeeze his arm. He felt tears prick at the back of his eyelids and tipped his head back to stop them from falling.

“It was my fault.” He said the words he’d been avoiding for a decade.

“It’s not your fault. You both were young and those things happen. You were doing your best. Both of you.”

Austin shook his head. “I should have a stopped her. I should never have kissed her in the first place.”

Payton led Mabel to a clearing and Austin followed. Once their horses had stopped next to each other, Payton turned in the saddle to face him.

“None of that was solely your doing. The accident was just that—and accident. I can’t imagine how hard it was to lose your wife and child.”

Austin felt a tear slip down his cheek. There was no holding back this emotion. “I was devastated. It took years to grieve. I’m still grieving, honestly.”

Payton gripped his hand in hers. “This explains the equine therapy, doesn’t it? To cope with the loss.”

“Yes, it saved my life. I was in a dark place when I left home. I drank too much, made poor choices. It’s a miracle I didn’t die. For a few years, I didn’t care about anything at all.”

“I’m glad you found help. And I’m proud of the man you’ve become. I care about you, Austin. You’re not alone.”

Austin swiped at his tears with his free hand. “Thank you. I care about you, too. It means a lot to me to have your support.”

Payton squeezed his hand and that simple gesture spoke volumes to him. He wasn’t alone—not anymore.

“You never re-married…” Payton whispered.

“I couldn’t imagine ever being that serious about someone again. After losing my wife like that, and our baby she was carrying, it took a long time to dig out of my grief. And some days I think I never truly will recover.”

Payton met his gaze. “You kissed me.”

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