Page 65 of A Second Chance

She smiles in a way that shows she’s uncertain.

"Scar, I just want to talk. Please."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Years," I say, stepping in closer. "YearsI haven’t heard from you. You erased me from your life as if I was nothing."

Her eyes go wide, and her mouth turns down in a scowl. "Seriously?Ierased you from my life?" She lets out a bitter laugh.

"You weren't there for methat nightwhen I needed you the most." She bits out.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I ask, confused.

What night?

She runs her hands through her hair and pulls in a deep breath. "I don't want to do this with you. It took me a long time to forget, and I'd like to keep it that way. We're not friends, Maverick. Not anymore. I'm a mother first. I don't need you anymore."

"Scar, don't say that," I say desperately. Panic sears through me at the thought of being out of her life for good. The last five years were hell. I can’t handle another five years or more.

"Thank you for the gift, but please, let’s just leave the past in the past." She wipes the tears from her eyes and walks back into the house.

"Please," I whisper, trying to do whatever I can to keep her a little longer. The sun shines bright, but the silence between us darkens the sky. The once-fresh air is now spoiled, making it impossible to breathe. But what kills me is the pain etched on her beautiful face and how defeated she looks.

What happened when I left?

She starts to speak when Shaun's voice rings out that he is ready to go.

"I'm sorry. Goodbye, Maverick."

She shuts the door in my face, and the distance between us makes me feel hollow.

THIRTY-TWO

SCAR

"Mom, why didn't the man from the house come with us?" my son asks while he licks his twist cone.

"Is he your friend?"

"He was," I reply.

"But not no more?"

I look into my son’s blue eyes, filled with curiosity. He's so innocent but very intuitive. If my son were a superhero, empathy would be his superpower.

I smile, wiping the ice cream from Shaun's face. "We were friends as kids, but when he got older, he moved away, and we lost touch."

After shattering my heart in the process,I want to add.

"Was he friends with Uncle Seth too?"

I feel my eyes water at the sound of my brother's name. The pain he left behind for me to deal with alone.

Seth missed out on the birth of my son.

Seth missed out on being an amazing uncle.

I lost Maverick the same day I lost Seth.

---