Page 92 of Second Chance for the Single Mom

“Lucas what are you doing!” I shouted.

“Crap,” he muttered, fumbling with his phone and the speaker. “I was trying to play our prom song.Perfect, by Ed Sheeran. Sorry, little boy, you shouldn’t have heard that.”

I covered my face with my hand.

“Excuse me?” someone loudly said downstairs. “Does anyone know where the real estate agent is? I have a question about the kitchen…”

“Wait your turn!” someone else shouted at them. “We’re all invested in this!”

The open house was ruined, but I didn’t care. Lucas was offering me everything I’d ever wanted. And more importantly: it wasn’t an act. He wasn’t just saying what Iwantedto hear. He was totally genuine.

This was the man I had always hoped Lucas Hollister could be.

“I’m not giving you a second chance,” I called down.

Several spectators gasped. Lucas stiffened.

“Because you never lost your first chance,” I added. “If you’re all in, then so am I.”

“Really?” he asked.

I ran downstairs, tears now dribbling down both cheeks. Everyone in the house got out of my way, and all the spectators standing on the front porch parted before me. I was sprinting then, running toward Lucas, toward the potential for a new life.

He tossed the speaker to the side, catching me as I leaped into his arms. He swirled me around, hugging me tightly, holding me like he was never going to let me go.

“Take notes, son,” the father told the little boy behind us. “This is how you win a girl back.”

Lucas lowered me to the ground, and I gazed up into his dark eyes. “Your first tip on being a good dad: don’t break your son’s toys.”

He glanced over at the speaker, which had broken into half a dozen pieces when he tossed it to the ground. “That feels like it should have been an obvious one.”

“I’ll give you a pass. This time.”

He pressed his lips to mine, sealing our promise to each other with a kiss. A little old lady walking by with a cane let out a cheer, but she was the only one.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” I said, pulling out of his embrace. “I…”

“If you tell me I have another son, I’m going to faint,” Lucas said with half a smirk.

“You definitely don’t. At least, not with me.” I took a breath to gather my thoughts. “I… have feelings for Jordan and Shay. Not as strong as my feelings for you, though. Rekindlingthisis my top priority. But I may need to avoid seeing the two of them for a while, just so things don’t get awkward.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt an immense sense of loss. IlikedJordan and Shay a lot. I’d enjoyed having them in my life, and in Bran’s life. I would distance myself from them if I had to, obviously, but it was going to hurt.

Lucas only smiled at me. “Actually, I talked to them about that last night. We have an idea. But it can wait until after the open house.”

46

Lucas

It had been a roller coaster of a month.

Hooking up with Haley along with two of my best friends.

Seeing her more and more. Feeling my affection for the woman returning so strongly that I wondered if it had ever dimmed at all.

Hooking up with her by myself.

Then pouring my heart out to her, and seeing her return the feeling.

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