Page 77 of Accidentally Sliding Into A Second Chance

He pauses and takes another deep breath, as if he’s searching for the right words. I move my hand to the crevice between his neck and shoulder, gently rubbing. I’m not sure why I’m doing this, but I don’t know how else to help.

His eyes meet mine and hold a warmth that has my pulse skipping. And then he says gruffly, “Until you came into my life—”

“David,” I cut him off, my breath whooshing out. “I know how important Fiona was, is, and how big of a role she played in your life. She’s Scarlett’s mother, I would never expect you to not feel something for her. To not still love her.”

I feel tears sting the back of my eyes and my heart aches for the grief I know he went through. The one that still nags at him. I’ve felt it too. This isn’t the life he chose, it was the one that was handed to him. Resting my hand on his chest over his heart I whisper. “You didn’t choose to leave her. You lost her.”

He pins me with his gaze, his eyes like glowing honey, and my breath catches at the intensity reflected there.

Chapter Thirty

David

“Avasaidtheexactsame thing to me when I talked to her about you,” I say hoarsely, the back of my eyes burning. I lift a hand to her face and run my thumb over her cheek. She’s not just beautiful and perfect for me, but she’s everything I forgot I was allowed to want. Not just for me but for my daughter too.

“You talked to Ava?” Cat asks, without judgment.

I cradle her face and look deeply into her eyes. “I needed to figure out what was going on in my head and my heart and I couldn’t do it alone. What better way than to talk to my best friend and Fi’s sister.”

She nods slightly and lifts her hands to rest on my wrists. When I look in her eyes it’s to find them shining brightly and I let myself tumble into the crystal blue depths. Leaning in, I gently place my lips on hers, when she kisses me back there’s a leap in my chest. Whispering against her lips I confess. “Falling in love with you was the easiest and hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

A million emotions run across her face—happiness, joy and then bafflement. Her brows pull together and one of her hands falls from my wrists. “I’m sorry?”

“Let me see if I can explain this a bit better,” I chuckle, smoothing out her furrowed brow and grinning from ear to ear. “When you showed up and wrangled Emmy like a superhero, I was already intrigued by you.”

She rolls her eyes and laughs at me. “It’s not magic, you just need to know what to —”

“But when I realized it was you, Catherine Bailey, and not some random amazing woman,” I murmur, my finger running across her upturned mouth as I smile. “My heart and soul were already opening up to the possibility of loving someone again.”

Her face softens, and her widening smile takes my breath away with how radiant she is.

And then I make a confession that no parent ever wants to acknowledge. “I was pretty certain I’d be using my daughter, and Emmy, as an excuse to see you again.”

A soft laugh floats from her lips and it lands in the center of my chest, branding me. Making me hers at a level I didn’t even know was possible. “But you didn’t have to,” she says.

I shake my head and laugh. “I didn’t have to. Because I ran into you—twice—the next day.”

“Literally,” she giggles, and scrunches her nose. “You were a mess.”

“You have no idea,” I say seriously. “But I was already falling for you, and deep down I knew it.”

Cat’s eyes widen with surprise, and I nod. Trying to gather my next words I gently push an imaginary strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes following my every movement send tingles wherever they touch.

“And then you started to feel guilty?” She asks, searching my face as a wry smile crosses my lips.

“So guilty,” I murmur, looking away. “Every moment I spent with you made me happier and more at peace than I had felt in years. And yet I somehow felt like I was betraying the woman I lost.”

Cat’s hand runs up and down my arm, gentle and comforting, giving me the courage to meet her gaze. The compassion I find there settles something deep inside.

I can feel the bench digging into my hamstrings as I shift position. “When you told me about needing a husband in order to get your inheritance I jumped at the opportunity way too fast, even though I knew it was crazy. But at the same time it didn’t feel crazy. I also knew there was no way I was letting someone else fill that role.”

The mischievous glint that fills her eyes has my mouth lifting at the corner.

“Are you telling me you were jealous, Mr. James?”

I snort. “So jealous. Even Logan noticed it. I denied it, but it was pretty clear to anyone paying attention.”

We just stare at each other, a gentle breeze blows over us and I watch as it ruffles through Cat’s hair.

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