Page 73 of Your Second Chance
I looked down at him, my breath catching as he glanced up at me briefly, his expression so full of warmth it made me want to cry all over again.
“I-I think I’m falling for your mum,” he murmured as he brushed his thumb over my skin.
His words lingered in the air.
The first thought that hit me was cold and sharp:No one could love me.Not after everything I’d been through, not with all the pieces of me that were too broken to put back together.
But then there was Ollie. The way he touched me, the way he spoke to me, the way he stayed. It shifted something inside me, something I didn’t want to acknowledge.I think I feel the same way.
The thought terrified me, so instead of facing it, I moved away from him, breaking his touch.
“I’m not running away. I don’t care if you don’t say it back. I’m not going anywhere.”
Was I worthy of this?
I didn’t have an answer. Instead, I stayed there, still and quiet, letting his warmth ease the ache inside me, even if I wasn’t sure I deserved it.
“I’m going to the Cotswolds to see Mum and Dad for the holidays.”
Oh shit. Christmas was next week. How had I forgotten that? “Oh, cool.”
He held the car door open for me after we’d parked right outside my building—luck for once. “That’s me inviting you, Nova.”
I laughed lightly. “Right.” I flicked my gaze up to my flat window. “I can’t. I can’t leave Luna?—”
“Of course she’s invited. I wouldn’t ask you to leave her.”
I hesitated. “I-I need to ask her.”
He nodded, not pressing, and reached out a hand to help me out of the car. His grip was steady as he lifted me, my bag already slung over his shoulder.
“I’ll walk you up.”
This morning, I’d asked him to take me back to my flat. I needed a shower, fresh clothes, and a moment to breathe after everything that had happened last night.
I couldn’t tell Ollie I loved him. Not because I didn’t feel it—but because I was terrified of what that love meant. For me. For the baby. For my future.
“You know I’m bringing you home so you can have space to process... not to shut me out.”
I chuckled, rubbing my thumb over the pads of his fingers. “I know. Thank you.”
I didn’t want to run. Not really. But I did need space to sort through everything. My life was shifting, and no matter how much I tried to push against it, Ollie kept pulling me toward him.
I wasn’t shutting him out, not completely. I was leaving the door cracked open, unsure how wide I was ready to swing it. My trauma whispered to keep it tightly shut, warning me of what could happen if I let him in too far. Of how it would feel when he eventually left.
We reached my door, and before I could put the key in the lock, Ollie turned me gently, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“When can I see you again?”
“When you come pick me up to go to the countryside.”
His brows shot up. “I thought you had to ask Luna.”
“She’ll be fine with it.”
He smiled, brushing a curl behind my ear. “That’s a whole week from now.”
“You’ll see me at work, too.” Probably.
