Page 49 of Your Second Chance
Another buzz at the door broke the moment. My heart raced, but I couldn’t ignore the dark thought lingering in the back of my mind.
The worst-case scenario wasn’t being alone. It wasn’t just Luna and me. The worst case was Austin coming back and demanding custody. It was having to share my daughter with him. It was moving away from Luna... from Ollie.
I couldn’t. I couldn’t even let myself imagine it.
19
ollie
“You got your car,” Nova said as I opened the door, thankful I’d found a spot in front of her building.
“I did,” I said with a laugh, watching her shove a croissant into her mouth. I pulled another one from inside my coat and held it out to her. “Didn’t want to assume you’d only want one.”
“Thank God,” she mumbled through a full mouth.
“I have to run back to my place to get dressed.”
She hummed in concession and climbed into the car. As I slid into the driver’s seat, I glanced over at Nova, watching her take another bite of the croissant. I drove toward my place, and my mind spun.
My life had been all about work until now. Rugby was everything—training, games, and coaching. It consumed me. I’d hooked up with girls over the years, gone on dates, but nothing ever stuck. It never felt right. A couple of times, and then it was done. No distractions, no attachments.
Nova had broken every rule I’d made for myself. She was the exact kind of complication I swore to avoid. Yet here I was, planning to take her on a date.
She didn’tfitinto the life I thought I wanted, but something about her still fit into me. I’d spent my whole life watching myparents, the way they loved each other without ever seeming to fight for it. It had always looked effortless, easy. I told myself love should be that simple, and if it wasn’t, it wasn’t worth it. So I kept my distance. Kept things light and uncomplicated.
But Nova wasn’t easy. She was chaos and strength and heartache wrapped into one, and still, I couldn’t look at her without feeling like some part of my soul recognized her. Like she was the risk I’d been waiting my whole life to take.
I wasn’t terrified that she was pregnant with her ex’s baby. I thought I would be. That should’ve been a deal-breaker, but it wasn’t. If anything, it only made her more remarkable in my eyes. She was strong, resilient, unapologetically herself—and somehow, despite everything, she made me want more. She wasn’t just someone I wanted to be around. She was someone I wanted to know deeply, someone I wanted to protect, someone I couldn’t stop thinking about.
I gripped the steering wheel tightly for a moment before forcing myself to focus.
“Do you like it here better or the Cotswolds?”
My breath whooshed out of me in a heavy exhale, and I was grateful that maybe she’d realized I was struggling with the impact of the moment, too.
“They both have their benefits. I like the calm and quiet of the countryside, but I like my job.”
“Do you miss playing?”
I nodded slowly. “I do. But I kept injuring my shoulder, and it wasn’t sustainable anymore. I knew if I didn’t stop, it would only get worse.” I glanced at her. “Will offered me a coaching position, and eventually, I graduated to assistant coach. I like it well enough. It keeps me close to the game.” I pressed my lips into a line. “Rugby’s in my blood.”
“It’s not like there’s a lot of money in it,” she added. “I mean, it’s good money, but it’s not American football dollars.”
I chuckled. “You’re right. But it keeps me well.”
She side-eyed me, a mischievous smile creeping onto her lips. “You’re rich, aren’t you?”
I raised an eyebrow, amused. “What do you mean by that?”
Her grin widened as she gestured toward me. “You’ve got that whole posh, private-schoolboy thing going on. Your parents live in some million-pound countryside estate. You’ve got a townhouse here in the city, and it’s in a bougie area, too, even if it’s understated. Plus, your mom’s got that artsy, free-spirited vibe going for her. Am I wrong?”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I turned into the drive of said townhouse, the classic brick facade coming into view. I put the car in park in my parking spot out front.
“I wouldn’t call it posh or rich.”
“Prove me wrong.” She dared me with her smirk as she unbuckled her seat belt.
I shook my head, a grin still on my face as I stepped out of the car and followed her toward my home.
