Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel Read online

  “You can’t,” I growled low. “Whatever this is between us is done. Now I know you can’t be trusted. So do me a favor and leave me the hell alone. I gave you a chance and you screwed up. There will be no next time. It was a mistake I knew I shouldn’t have made, and I sure as hell don’t plan on making it again.”

  “Lara, please. We can’t end things like this.”

  My eyes burned, but I refused to shed a tear in front of him. “Maybe you should’ve thought about that sooner. Now let me go.” The back door slammed open.

  “Lara, what’s going on?” Grayson demanded.

  Luke’s grasp loosened and I jerked away. “Nothing. Luke was just leaving.”

  He glared at Grayson and then to me. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Grayson pulled me behind him, his body tense and ready to fight. “Yes, you are.”

  They equaled in size, but Grayson’s brother was an MMA fighter and they used to train together before he was killed. Luke was just as volatile, but the last thing I wanted to see was them fighting over me.

  “Stop!” I screamed, unable to hide my tears. I was equal parts embarrassed and angry.

  Luke flinched when he saw my face but I couldn’t hold back anymore. I rushed inside and slammed the door. It wasn’t long before Grayson barreled through and locked the door behind him. He pulled me into his warm arms, his hand against the back of my head as I laid it on his chest. I held him tight and sobbed, my tears soaking through his shirt.

  “Dammit, Lara, why would you get involved with him?”

  “Because I’m stupid,” I cried.

  Releasing a heavy sigh, he kissed the top of my head. “No, you’re not. But you know how Collins is. You can never trust a guy like that.”

  I buried my face in his chest. “I know. I thought he would change for me.” I felt ridiculous thinking it, but I had believed he would.

  Grayson stepped back and wiped away my tears, yet more kept flowing. “You’re a beautiful woman, Lara. You need someone who’ll treat you like the most important being in the world.”

  I snorted. “I’m not lucky enough to find one.”

  “Yes, you are. All you have to do is look at what’s right in front of you.”

  I stared up at him, never once realizing that he harbored feelings of any kind for me. Thinking back on our recent encounters, it seemed so obvious now. How could I have not seen it before?

  Taking my hand, Grayson shut off the lights and we walked outside to the parking lot. “Let me take you home and you can cry on my shoulder, all night if need be. I’ll stay as long as you want.” He opened the door to his car and I slid in. “But if you want my advice, don’t let him see your pain. Pretend that nothing ever happened and let it go.”

  “Easier said than done,” I whispered regretfully.

  He bent down and squeezed my hand. “You’re Lara Jacobs, strong and as stubborn as a mule. You can do this. The next time he comes in to see you, put on a smile. I’ll be right there with you. Trust me, it’ll screw with his head. Karma can be a bitch.”

  A laugh escaped my lips and it felt good. “Thanks, Grayson. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I had no clue if I could pull it off, but I was going to try. Luke wasn’t going to see me heartbroken anymore.

  Three Months Later

  I felt like I was in the twilight zone. One day, Lara was crying, and the next, she was walking around as if nothing had happened. It’d been three months since our night together, and I’d even brought different girls into her bar to get a rise out of her, yet still, nothing.

  Pulling out my phone, I texted her.

  Me: Congratulations on the magazine article. Will you please come out and talk to me? I’m in the parking lot.

  Me: Please, Lara. I’m so sorry for everything I did. I want to work this out.

  Heart racing, I stared at the back door of the restaurant, willing it to open. When it did, I had hoped the blonde walking out to greet me was Lara, but it was Summer.

  “Let me guess, she didn’t want to talk to me?” I asked, leaning against my truck.

  Summer shook her head, her gaze sad. “Can you blame her? You’ve flaunted around here with a different girl every week for the past three months, basically throwing it in her face.”

  I threw my hands up in the air. “I only did that to see how she truly felt. She hasn’t said anything, so I figured she was over it. Why is she pretending everything’s fine when it’s not?”

  Dropping the tailgate on my truck, I sat down and Summer joined me. Seeing her face only made my heartache worse; it was as if Lara was sitting there with me. She placed a hand on my shoulder, showing me sympathy I didn’t deserve.

  “It’s her way of coping with it all,” she murmured.

  “Will she ever talk to me again?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know, Luke. For now, you’re just going to have to live with the consequences.”

  “Please let me go in there. I won’t cause a scene. I just want to tell her I’m sorry, that I fell for her and it scared me.”

  The door to the restaurant slammed shut and Evan marched over. “You can’t,” he answered harshly.

  Summer gasped and slid off the tailgate. “I didn’t know you were coming out here.”

  His jaw tensed. “Lara told me where you were. I thought you might need some help.” Evan hadn’t talked to me much over the past couple of days; especially after he found out Lara and I had slept together. He was protective of those he cared about, and Lara was one of them.

  I slid off the tailgate and faced him. “Why can’t I go in there and tell her I’m sorry? She needs to hear it from me.”

  “No, she doesn’t because she won’t believe it. You need to do a lot more than tell her you’re sorry. Actions speak louder than words. And until you can show everyone you’ve changed, it’s best you stay away from her. It’ll only make things worse.”

  “What if I go in there anyway?” I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest. I didn’t want to fight Evan, but I was getting desperate. I needed her forgiveness, for her to know I never meant to hurt her.

  Evan huffed and closed his eyes. “You’ll have to go through me first. Lara doesn’t want to see you. She’s with someone else now.”

  It was as if someone had sucker punched me in the gut, the air being ripped out of my lungs as I took the hit. Summer groaned and I glared at her. “Is that true?”

  “Yes, but I don’t see how that is any of your business. She’s happy, so leave her be.”

  “Fuck that,” I shouted. “I’m going inside.” I tried to push past Evan, but he blocked me. We faced off with each other, the tension rising.

  Summer stepped between us with a hand on each of our chests. “Guys, this is stupid. You’re friends.”

  I scoffed and backed away. “That’s where I beg to differ,” I said, glaring at Evan. “If our situations were reversed and it was Summer inside, I’d let you go to her. I would give you the benefit of the doubt and accept that you’ve changed. But you’re not going to do that, are you?”

  Evan’s face softened and he sighed. “I would, brother, but this night is special for Summer and Lara. The last thing they need is you and Grayson battling it out. I have no doubt he’ll come after you if you go in there.”

  I faltered, the anger welling in my chest. “Fucking Grayson? That’s who she’s with?”

  “Can you blame her? He was there for her, after everything you put her through,” Summer said.

  Peering down at her, I hoped she could see the determination in my face. “You tell her it’s not over. I’m not going to give up.” With those final words, I jumped in my truck and sped out of the parking lot. The thought of Grayson touching her made me so goddamn furious. I didn’t care if she was with him . . . I wasn’t going to give up.

  One Year Later

  “You have to stop this,” Evan warned.

  I could see Lara through the window, standing behind the bar of Carolina Tavern, with her
golden blonde hair pulled back and her face just as beautiful as ever. Grayson stood beside her, drying off glasses, smiling like a cat that got the canary.

  I took a step forward. “I can’t. When I told you I wasn’t going to give up, I meant it.” Lara wasn’t going to push me away anymore. She’d managed to evade me time and again, but I refused to let anyone stand in my way.

  Grabbing my shoulder, Evan jerked me back. “Summer will never forgive me if I let you rush in there and cause a scene. It’s been over a year now. It’s time for you to move on.”

  Evan Townsend was my best friend, star wide receiver for the Carolina Cougars, and most importantly, he was now married to Lara’s twin sister, Summer. “Move on?” I growled, clenching my teeth together. “Would you be able to just walk away from Summer?”

  He stiffened. “Probably not, but I’m not the one who fucked shit up.” His words stung, but they were true. Releasing a heavy sigh, I backed away. Evan placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sorry, brother. I shouldn’t have said it like that. But it’s just a little too late, you know?”

  I shook my head, my gaze still on Lara. Her head lifted and she spotted me through the window, her eyes telling me everything I needed to know. She glanced quickly at Grayson and then down at the bar. The second her head lifted and our eyes locked, my mind was set.

  “It’s never too late. I’m not giving up.” Pushing past Evan, I marched to the door. Even if I had to throw her over my shoulder and steal her away, I would do it—no matter the consequences.

  “He’s going to ask her to marry him,” Evan called out.

  I froze mid-step and watched Lara retreat to the back of the restaurant. She knew I was coming for her. Only now, it felt like a knife had been wedged in my heart, flaying every shred of hope I had.

  Closing my eyes, I stood there helpless. “How do you know?”

  He sighed. “There’s a surprise party for Lara tonight, here at the tavern. He wanted everyone to be there.”

  Opening my eyes, I could feel the anger welling up. I was a smart man, and knew my anger was misplaced, but I didn’t care. “Except me.” I jerked around, my fists clenched so tight my fingers were going numb. “When were you going to say something?”

  He shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. It’s not something I looked forward to telling you.”

  “Fuck!” I growled, pushing my hands through my hair. Time was running out. Summer pulled into the parking lot and I knew I had to go. She didn’t hate me anymore, but her tolerance was thin at best. She glanced warily at us and slowly got out of the car. I turned back to Evan, hoping like hell he could hear the urgency in my voice. “You have to let me see her, Evan.”

  Evan shook his head. “I can’t. Lara doesn’t want to see you. She’s made that perfectly clear.” Summer started toward us and the desperation took over.

  “Figure out a way,” I pleaded. “When Grayson proposes tonight, look at her eyes. I can’t be the only one who sees she’s not happy.”

  “Hey, guys,” Summer announced. “What’s going on?”

  Evan held out an arm and she fit into his side. Looking at her made everything worse. She looked exactly like her sister. “Nothing much,” Evan lied. “Just talking to Luke about his next race.” I did have a motocross race coming up, but it wasn’t the battle I was focused on winning.

  “Awesome,” Summer exclaimed. “I’m sure you’ll kick ass.”

  Plastering on a fake smile, I nodded. “I hope so.”

  Summer kissed Evan’s cheek and let him go. “All right, you two, I need to get to work. I’ll see you inside,” she said to Evan. He nodded and watched her walk away, his gaze never leaving her backside.

  “Imagine being close to her and never being able to touch her, to tell her how you feel. Can you see how hard that would be?” I asked.

  He huffed. “Fine, I’ll keep my eyes open tonight. If I get any inclination Lara isn’t happy, I’ll help you.”

  “All I’m asking for is the chance to tell her how I feel. I can’t have her running away from me.”

  “What are you going to do, kidnap her?”

  Turning on my heel, I started toward my sport bike. “If that’s what it takes.” No matter what, she was going to hear me out, once and for all.

  Was I ever going to escape him? Everywhere I went, Luke was there. Why did Belmont have to be so damn small? If I didn’t have the tavern to help look after, I would’ve left a long time ago.

  “Lara, you back here?” Summer called.

  Sucking in a breath, I fumbled around in the office and grabbed a piece of paper. She wasn’t supposed to come in today. “Yeah, I’m here,” I replied, my voice thick and low.

  The whole time Luke was outside, I could feel my throat closing up. I’d had to get away in order to breathe. Sometimes I wondered if I’d made a mistake, but if I did, it was too late. I was with Grayson and he loved me.

  Summer walked into the office, her face beaming. “Here you are. What are you doing?”

  I held up the piece of paper. “I had an idea for a new recipe. I wanted to write it down, but there was no paper at the bar.”

  “Awesome. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”

  “Why are you so cheery?” I asked. There was something going on and I could see it written all over her face. “I thought you were taking the day off.”

  Her smile widened. “I was, but then I decided to come in. I have to get this place ready for a party tonight.”

  “Really? I didn’t know we had one scheduled.”

  She shrugged. “It just happened. I didn’t think you or Grayson would mind. I called in Josh and Victoria to come help. They were happy about the extra money.” She glanced down at her phone. “And we have only twenty minutes before everyone’s going to start showing up.”

  Gasping, I flung the paper back onto her desk. “Damn, sis, you could’ve given me more of a warning. How many people are coming? Which room do you want me to have set up?”

  Our tavern was huge, with separate rooms to host parties in. Scheduling parties could be a complete pain in the ass, but if it was good for business, I’d work all night without complaint. The Carolina Tavern was one of the most prestigious spots in North Carolina. We didn’t make it that way without putting in the work. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but Summer, Grayson, and I had done it together.

  Summer burst out laughing and shook her head. “I have it handled. But if you don’t mind, do you think you could run by my house and get my notebook? It has all the details for the party in it, and I completely forgot to grab it.” She held out her house keys, staring at me with those puppy dog eyes of hers. “It’ll be on the kitchen counter.”

  Since we were twins, I could pull off the same look, but hers was better. Our parents always gave in to her when she did it. “Why can’t you get it?” I asked.

  “I have to set up for this party. Besides, I have a surprise for you there.”

  I took the keys and laughed. “It better be a good one. I could use a break anyway.”

  I waved at her and snuck down the hall to the back door. It saved me from having to walk back out into the restaurant. Luke would come in every now and again, but Grayson was always around when he did. I knew it pissed him off to have Luke so close to me, but there was nothing we could do to keep him out of the restaurant. He was Evan’s best friend.

  Luckily, his motorcycle wasn’t in the parking lot, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Luke had tried to corner me in the parking lot before, but after Summer threatened to call the police on him, he’d backed off. Of course, there were times he showed up at the restaurant with different women. And he succeeded in making me jealous on multiple occasions, but fueled my anger more than anything. He’d missed his chance; that shit wasn’t going to work on me.

  I got in my car and headed down the road to Summer’s house. “I’m happy,” I said to myself. Over and over I said it, hoping one day I’d believe it. When I arrived, I opened the
door and walked straight to the kitchen. On the counter was the notebook, but sitting beside it was a small piece of red velvet cake on top of a box with a card.

  “Tease,” I grumbled. I opened the card and in big, bold letters were the words, Happy Birthday. Summer knew my favorite cake was red velvet, but where was the rest of it? She always made me one for my birthday and it was the best cake I’d ever tasted. Devouring the cake, I opened up the box. Inside, there was a beautiful, black dress and heels, alongside another note.

  Put me on and head back to the tavern.

  Shaking my head, I smiled and stripped down right in the kitchen. It was obvious the party she’d referred to was mine. She thought she could fool me, but I wasn’t stupid. I was never one to turn down a good time, but I wasn’t in the mood for it. Seeing Luke again made every emotion I’d spent months trying to bury resurface again.

  Luckily, I was good at putting a smile on my face, even though I wasn’t happy on the inside. But I was trying to follow the old adage: fake it until you make it. I’d fooled people for over a year, and I could keep doing it. I just wondered how long it would take for me to feel the same on the inside.

  I took my time going back to the tavern, and it was probably for the best because when I pulled in there were still people trying to race inside. Groaning, I got out and slowly walked through the back door. The restaurant was eerily quiet, except for the sound of my heels clanking on the floor. When I turned the corner, everyone jumped out and shouted.

  “Surprise!”

  Lights flashed and everyone clapped as I walked the rest of the way into the room. “Oh wow, this is amazing, you guys.”

  Grayson came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Happy early birthday, baby.”

  “Thanks,” I said, glancing at everyone in the room. I’d never had a surprise party before, but I had to say, I was impressed with the guest list. Everyone was there, including my best friend, Kate, and her husband, Cooper, who happened to be the quarterback for the Carolina Cougars. And of course, there were several other players in attendance with their wives. Summer waved at me from across the room, bouncing my niece, Emma-Grace, on her hip.