Page 51 of A Second Chance Christmas Kiss

His eyebrows went up. “For what?”

“For ever believing what your grandfather said. I should’ve talked to you. When you came to Wilmington, I should’ve let you into the apartment.”

He snorted and shook his head. “I wanted to bust down that door. That’s what I wanted. But your roommate would not let me in. The way she looked at me … well, I guess now I know why.”

I blinked rapidly. “That’s on me. I should’ve heard you out, and I shouldn’t have believed what your grandfather said. I knew you. Why did I believe him?” Sudden tears surfaced as the pain of the past sliced through me. “I could’ve prevented all of it.”

Instantly, Charles’s hands were on my face. “Hey.” He searched my eyes. “You can’t think that way.”

“I know.” Of course I knew that. “And I wouldn’t give up Will for anything. He was the best thing that came out of all those years with Peter.”

Charles grinned at me. “That’s right. We can’t second-guess the past. There’s no point in that.”

I covered his hands with mine and said, “You’re right.”

He gently kissed my lips.

I clung to him, then pulled back. “This is crazy.”

“You’re gonna have to explain.”

“I just mean Gretchen is right. It’s been less than twenty-four hours, and here we are, kissing, and I’m feeling all those old feelings, plus more. It all feels like it’s going so fast.”

He hesitated and then let out a rumbling laugh. “It’s not too fast for me. Remember, it’s actually gone really slow.”

My eyelashes fluttered. “You’re right. Between us, it’s been a lifetime.” I was sad suddenly, because I had this niggling thought that Charles could be with someone younger and still have the kids he’d always wanted.

He pulled me against him and said softly, “And in the next lifetime, the future, we’ll be together. We’ll make up for lost time.”

I tried to push away the thought that he could still have kids with someone else. And then I wondered, could I still have a kid?

He looked at me and asked, “What are you thinking?”

I laughed, sounding like a maniac. There was no way I would tell him that. No way.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Charles

I sat at a table at the Christmas gala, with my grandmother on one side of me and Melody on the other. Dinner was over, and a large screen was showing a video about what the cancer wing would do for this community and the surrounding areas.

I wasn’t really watching the video; I was more focused on Melody’s hand in my own. I turned and stared at her. She was gorgeous, timeless. My feelings for her were the same and different.

Her eyes met mine. “Hey,” she mouthed.

It felt like my heart would burst. “Hey,” I mouthed back.

Our eyes held for a long time. Somehow, God had brought this beautiful woman back into my life, and I would be forever grateful for that blessing.

The program finished and the MC said, “Now it’s time to hear from the King family. I will turn the microphone over to Mr. Charles King.”

I had honestly forgotten about this. I stood, not worried about what I would say. I’d spoken at a lot of these over the years; usually my siblings and I took turns.

I took the microphone and smiled at the crowd. “Thank you all for being here tonight. As you know, this cause is near and dear to our hearts. I lost my sister when she was only eight.” It didn’t happen a lot, but sudden emotion filled my throat. “I still remember taking long drives to the cancer unit in Wilmington. My three brothers and I, along with our parents and grandparents, were next to her as her body finally failed and her soul slipped away.”

I blinked rapidly, not sure why all this emotion was suddenly hitting me. Then I found Melody’s face in the crowd. Just like that, the world settled.

“I’m not up here to propose that I know of any great plan that God has for us. In fact, for a lot of years in my life, I wondered if there was any plan. But I like to think that we can deal with the loss of life, any life, by vowing to help others on their journey. I know it’s true for me and my family, and especially for my grandparents. For my sweet grandmother, who is here tonight.” I gestured toward her.

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