Page 29 of Just Another Chance

“I’m not making you stay the night,” I say.

“Trust me. I don’t mind. Owen and I will hang out until bedtime and then I’m crawling into your bed. So, I hope you have somewhere to spend the night tonight.” She tosses me a wink and I give her a quick hug.

“Thank you,” I say with a heartfelt smile. “But I will be back at a decent hour.”

She waves me off and lifts her brows suggestively. “Just have lots and lots of yummy fun!”

I laugh, give Owen a quick kiss, grab my purse and head down the stairs. Tanner waits outside the main door looking so handsome in a simple button-down shirt and jeans. My heart beats double-time when he gives me a devastating smile.

“I would’ve brought you flowers, but since you mentioned you were running out of room…”

I chuckle. “As much as I love them, please no more. At least for a little while.”

He guides me over to his black car parked at the curb, opens the door and I slip inside. It’s a nice Mercedes SUV, fairly understated considering he could afford to be driving something flashy like a Lamborghini or a Ferrari. But that was never Tanner. He’s not a show-off and I always liked that about him.

As he starts the car, I glance over. “So where are we going?” I ask. “You said to dress casual.” I look down at my light sundress and sandals. It’s been a long time since I actually got ready to go out. I spent far too long getting ready for tonight’s date, but it felt good.

Being here with Tanner feels good. It feels right.

“It’s a surprise,” he says mysteriously.

“Oh! You know I hate surprises,” I exclaim and drop my head against the back of the seat.

“You’ll like this surprise,” he assures me.

On the way to wherever we’re going, we keep the conversation light and chat about inconsequential things like the weather, movies and books. In the back of my head, I feel guilty about not telling him about Owen, but the time isn’t right. Not yet anyway. Technically, this is our first real date in two years, and I have no idea how the evening will go. I don’t need to throw a bombshell at him five minutes into the evening.

I watch for signs, and it suddenly occurs to me where we’re going and my heart constricts. “We’re going to the zoo, aren’t we?” I ask, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over me.

He nods. “Surprise,” he says. We get off the exit and turn onto the road that will take us to where I had the best date of my life with this man.

This is why I loved Tanner so much. He’s thoughtful and he knows exactly what makes me happy.

As he parks the car, I pull in a deep breath and remember when we came here for the light exhibit. I think that night was when I knew I loved him.

“I hope it’s okay that I brought you here,” he says in a low voice.

I nod, trying not to get emotional. “It’s perfect.”

12

TANNER

When we first arrive at the zoo, Addie has a funny look on her face and I wonder if bringing her here was a mistake. But then she assures me that she’s happy to be back and we proceed to have the best damn night I’ve had since…

Well, since our last date here.

Last time, it was winter and, as we held hands and walked through the seemingly endless light exhibit, I remember snow flurries began to fall and swirl around us. I pulled Addie beneath an overhang and kissed her senseless. She tasted like hot cocoa and peppermint sticks and the air around us smelled like evergreen boughs.

It was one of those magical moments that I will never forget.

Even when I wanted to, I couldn’t. It is burned into my memory for better or worse.

Tonight, it’s summer and the night remains warm after the sun sets. Instead of snow flurries, there are lightning bugs blinking all around us, and instead of hot chocolate, we scrape plastic spoons across frozen lemonades and walk shoulder to shoulder, checking out all of the exhibits. The local zoo is phenomenal, and the animals are treated well and their habitats are huge and set up to provide them with a sense of comfort. Almost like a sanctuary and it resembles how they would live if they were still out in the wild. Small, dismal cages and confined spaces are a thing of the past.

Our conversation flows smoothly, and our laughter fills the air. Being with Addie is easy. But more so than that, it’s like I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. It’s hard to explain it exactly. I just know without a doubt that she’s the one for me.

Now, I just have to convince her. And, in order to do that, we’re going to have to discuss the past. I just pray it goes well because so far this evening has been perfect. The last thing I want to do is ruin it.

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