Page 1 of Just Another Chance

1

ADDIE

The two little, pink lines on the stick don’t lie: I’m pregnant.

Maybe I should be scared or worried about telling the father like most women in my position might be, but I’m not. Confidence and excitement fill me because I am in love with the most amazing man in the world. His name is Tanner Beckett and when I tell him tonight that we’re going to have a baby, I know that he’s going to be just as excited as I am.

Two months ago, I met Tanner at the small flower shop where I work. He came in to order an arrangement to send to his younger sister for her birthday. I helped him pick out the prettiest flowers we had, and he’d lingered much longer than necessary. Before leaving, he asked me on a date. I couldn’t say yes fast enough even though I’d like to think I played coy. At least a little.

Who am I kidding?He was the hottest man I’d ever seen, and an electric attraction sparked immediately between us. The moment he asked me out, I probably turned into a babbling fool.

Yes, yes, yes!

The next day, Tanner picked me up in his fancy car, took me to a huge field dotted with colorful tulips and we spent the afternoon picking them. I love flowers and it was the perfect first date. Something magical happened in that field of tulips and even though we’d just met, it was overwhelming and instantaneous. I can’t say we fell in love because it was only our first date, but the feeling between us…

I’m not sure how to accurately describe it because I’d never experienced anything like that before. But that was the beginning of our whirlwind romance. It’s almost like we already knew each other. I’ve never been a believer in past lives, destiny or any similar hocus-pocus, but Tanner made me reconsider the concept of soulmates.

Because I knew almost from the moment we met that he was mine.

We began to spend a lot of time together and even though our lives were polar opposite in nearly every way, we connected on a soul-deep level. Tanner Beckett is my person and everything about him makes my heart sing. I know him better than anyone else in this entire world so when I tell him we’re expecting, I know he’s going to be as happy as I am.

When it comes to Tanner, I have no doubts. He’s upfront and communicates well. I love the fact that he doesn’t play games and he knows exactly what he wants. There’s no guesswork, just an absolute, almost indescribable joy when I’m with him.

Sitting on my bed, I reach over and pick up the framed picture on my nightstand. It’s Tanner and I wearing knit caps, snowflakes dancing around us, cheeks ruddy and Christmas lights in the background. He’s grinning at the camera and I’m kissing his cheek. It’s my absolute favorite picture of us and I love it for so many reasons. But mostly because it captures the essence of us.

Of our love story.

I take a moment to admire his handsome looks– thick, dark brown hair, striking hazel eyes, broad shoulders and oh-so-tall. My heart kicks up a notch and my thoughts turn steamy when I think back to the night, we consummated our relationship. We’d been dating three weeks and the heat between us was near the boiling point. But I’m not the kind of girl who falls into bed with a man after only a few dates.

No way. I’m slow, deliberate and certain before I decide to sleep with a man. That’s probably why Tanner was only the second man I’ve gone to bed with. I was only 18 the first time and he’d been my boyfriend for nearly all four years of high school. I trusted him and since it was our last night before he left for college, I had decided it was now or never.

I don’t have any fond memories of the actual act, but Billy had been a sweet guy and, let’s face it, I made the poor kid wait long enough. We were both virgins and the entire experience was awkward, uncomfortable and a little bumpy. At least for me, anyway. I’d like to think he enjoyed himself.

But sex with Tanner is on a completely different realm. It’s intoxicating, super intimate and just thinking about the pleasure he gives me makes my toes curl and heat pool low in my belly. Unlike Billy, Tanner is a man. A man who knows exactly what he’s doing.

Chewing on my lower lip, my mind wanders back to last night. I hope my neighbors didn’t hear my screams because he had me so worked up, I didn’t know my right from left. Shifting on the bed, I realize that I’m still a little sore.

I set the picture back on the nightstand and grab my phone. Even being away from Tanner for a couple of hours feels like forever. It’s strange how someone can become such an important part of your life in such a short amount of time.

Hey,I text with a red heart emoji.

A moment later he responds:Hey, sweet girl. Can’t wait to see you tonight.

No games. I adore that about him. Tanner is truly the golden standard by which all other men should strive to achieve. Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe how down to Earth he is considering his background. His family is wealthy beyond imagination and Thomas Beckett, his father, owns and operates a technology company worth billions of dollars.

When I first found this out, it made me nervous. I live paycheck to paycheck and my total savings is a little over $2 grand. I didn’t grow up wealthy and my family wouldn’t have a clue how to behave at a fancy charity event or a polo match at the country club.

We’re what you would consider working class. I didn’t grow up in a trailer park, but my parents, younger sister Kayla and I grew up in a small house in a blue-collar neighborhood. After my dad died when I was 15, Randy Walker started hanging around and, eventually, my mom married him. I think it was more out of convenience than any true feelings for the asshole.

After losing my dad, my mom was never the same. Jason Hayes had been her soulmate, the love of her life, and when he died, the loss had sent her into a tailspin of grief and sorrow that never completely went away.

I didn’t fully understand it at the time, but now I do. I don’t think you can completely understand unless you know first-hand what it’s like to love someone to the depths of your soul. Like with Tanner. When he isn’t here with me, it’s like my world stops spinning. Like a piece of me is missing.

Needless to say, my mom was devastated when her husband died so unexpectedly at barely 40 years old. Things became harder without him around because he’d been the head of our household. My dad had been a gentle, giant bear of a man who was the glue keeping us together. After he passed, everything changed.

And not for the better.

Randy Lewis weaseled his way into our lives, and everything went downhill. My stepfather is, and always has been, a first-class jerk. He drinks excessively, gambles too much and smokes like a chimney. If it’s a disgusting vice, he possesses it. The biggest issue is he doesn’t treat my mom with the respect and kindness that she deserves. It pisses me off, but there isn’t much I can do. She chose to marry the asswipe and no matter what I say, she doesn’t seem to care. It’s almost like she’s given up and that makes me sad.

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