A Blast from the Past (A Second Chance Romance) (20 page)

"Very
funny," he said sarcastically.

"I've
got to go. I'm most likely late for work," I said, as I reached
over and grabbed his phone.

When
I turned it on to see the time, I turned it right back off and threw
it at his chest.

"Might
want to check your messages."

I
was up and gone. He was right behind me.

"It's
not what you think," he said, as he grabbed my arm to stop me.
"I told you I haven't been perfect. I've tried to get you out of
my mind. I'm not with anyone. I wouldn't lie to you."

I
pulled my arm away.

"None
of my business. It has nothing to do with me. I'm late," I said,
as I took off for the house.

When
I walked in, my mom was standing there looking at me.

"Not
now," I said. "We fell asleep talking. I'm late for work."

I
threw my hair up, brushed my teeth, threw on some clothes and
flip-flops, grabbed my keys, purse, and phone, and ran out the door.
He was standing right next to my car. That man was going to drive me
insane. I was sure of it.

"I'm
late," I said. "I'm not kidding. Get out of the way."

"I'm
making dinner again tonight," he said.

"Okay,
now move out of my way."

I
got in the car and hurried off to work. It wasn't going to look very
good for me to be late. That wasn't a good example for my employees
to see. It was the first time it had ever happened. That damn man was
turning everything I knew upside down.

The
next week passed quickly. I hadn't heard from Mike, so that was a
good thing. Zander made dinner every night. We all ate together. The
kids spent most of their time with him. They were so excited about
cooking dinner. I told him it was like a vacation for me. I wasn't
sure how I was going to go back to the busy nightly schedule I
usually had. The poor guy was using his vacation time to work hard
every day. I was surprised when they asked him to read them their
story and tuck them in. It was so nice to have the help. He reminded
them every day that he was going back home but would be there for
anything they needed.

Sunday
morning came, and I was a mess. He was leaving the next day. I didn't
know how I was going to go back to normal. He made such an impact in
my life in that short time he had been back. It made me realize just
how much I missed and cared about him. I was so afraid of losing him
again.

I
was sitting on the couch with my face buried in my e-reader. When he
cleared his throat next to me, I jumped. He caught the tablet before
it hit the ground. When he handed it back, he was laughing.

"What's
so funny?" I asked.

"I
know what I just saw on that screen. I know what you're reading,"
he said through his laughs.

"Maybe
it would be better for me to spend my evenings with different men?
Then I could have them all sending me text messages. That sounds
pretty good," I said, as I turned off the screen and put the
tablet on the table.

"I
don't think so," he said, with his jaw tight. "Just read
your stupid book."

"I
don't believe I heard you knock. Did my mom let you in?"

"Very
funny," he said. "I want to take you and the kids out for
the day."

"You
can take them. I trust you," I said.

He
let out a heavy breath through his nose, and I shook my head.

"Why
do you have to be so difficult?" he asked. "You're going
with us. I just want to spend a day together. Is it really that much
to ask, Livie?"

"Fine,"
I said. "Where are we going?"

"The
kids can choose anyplace they want. The day is theirs. Don't you say
one thing about it. They can eat what they want and everything."

Zander
didn't even wait for my response. He walked over to the steps and
called them both down.

We
had a very nice day. He took us to play mini golf, to the park, and
to get ice cream. My favorite part was going to the movies. Zander
sat next to me. Jack sat next to him, and April was on the other side
of me. Z kept his arm around me the entire time. It took all I had
not to beg him not to leave me again. I knew he had to go, but that
didn't make it any easier. We picked up chicken on the way home so
our moms could eat with us. The kids begged to stay up later than
usual. It was going to be hard on them when he left. He read them
their story and tucked them each in. I could have sworn he had tears
in his eyes when he walked out of the bedrooms. When I turned around,
he was gone.

Zander

Livie
walked out to find me sitting on the step at my house. She sat down
next to me, and I pulled her closer.

"I
feel so relaxed. The thought of going back to my empty house doesn't
feel so exciting. I will be back to visit as soon as I can."

"You
say that until you get back there. It's going to get busy. Before
long, you'll be glad you went back," she said.

"You'll
see," I said. "I'll be back more than you want me to be.
I'll probably be here so much that you'll be begging me to go home."

All
I could think about was missing Livie and the kids.

"You
say you don't want to be a dad. You're afraid you'll disappoint them.
You're not him. You're you. I see you with April and Jack. They adore
you. I don't think you could ever do anything to disappoint them.
You're amazing with both of them."

"That's
different," I replied. "I'm not with them every second.
They have no expectations of me. I don't have to discipline them or
tell them what to do. I just get to enjoy them. They are both great
kids."

"You're
going to make an amazing husband and father one day. You just have to
find the right woman. When you find her, you'll change your mind.
She'll be worth it. You'll see," she said.

There
wasn't a moment to respond. I heard the screech of tires and the loud
crash before I even saw the car that ran into the tree across the
street from Livie's house. We both took off running down the
driveway. She stopped and gasped when we had made it halfway.

"What?"
I yelled.

"It's
Mike," she said in shock.

"Call
911, Livie," I snapped out at her. "Get in the house and
call now. Do not come back out. Make sure the kids don't see
anything."

I
took off running through the yard, as she ran back to the house. The
car was demolished. The front looked like it was sitting in the front
seat. Luckily, the door was smashed enough that it was kind of open.
I pulled as hard as I could and finally budged it enough to fit
through. There was blood everywhere. She was right, it was Mike. I
couldn't stand that man. He had everything I wanted but let it all
go. He had gotten her. She had chosen him. Then he hurt her and his
kids. He was the cause of that giant scar on her arm. He had made her
suffer for four years by refusing to take care of his
responsibilities. He had shown up at her job and backed her into a
corner. I never thought I could feel hate toward someone. He was the
closest I had ever come. I stood there looking at his bloody body and
knew what I had to do. As much as I couldn't stand him, I had to try
and save him.

I
was so worried the car was going to catch on fire. I wasn't even sure
he was going to make it. The amount of blood was unbelievable. I
didn't want to move him, but the risk of leaving him in the car was
too high. I moved his body around the safest I could, pulled him from
the car, and got him as far away as I possible. He was a mess. I was
hoping he wasn't gone. When I finally got him a safe distance away
from the car, I fell to my knees and started working on him. I ripped
his shirt from his body. He was barely breathing. I could smell the
stench of alcohol and knew he was beyond drunk. His leg was bleeding
so badly. I needed to try and stop it. I tied his shirt around his
leg to apply pressure to it and began working on the rest of him.

Livie
ran out of the house, but I yelled for her to go back in and watch
the kids. She had to have been a mess. Having her out there wouldn't
have been good for any of us. He was her ex and the father of her
children. I had to shake the thoughts from my head. If he was going
to make it, I had to have my mind where it belonged. I was so
relieved she hadn't fought me on it.

The
explosion came seconds before I heard the sirens. The heat that came
from that fire was out of hand. I had sweat pouring down my body. The
car was a charred mess by the time they got to it. He would have been
gone if I hadn't pulled him out of that car.

The
scene in that road was like nothing I had ever seen before, and I
knew I would never forget it. That was something I had never had to
deal with before. I was always at the hospital waiting. Those men and
women deserved so much credit for the things they did and how fast
they moved. I would never think the same of them again.

My
shirt was off and wrapped around his arm, and I was covered in blood
from head to toe. We got him into the ambulance and I jumped in with
him. I worked on him the entire way to the hospital. He was
definitely going to need surgery. He had to make it. Even if he
wasn't a part of their lives, he needed to live for those kids.

As
soon as we got to the hospital, I gave the doctors that were waiting
an update on everything I had found. They rushed him through the
doors, and it was out of my hands. I had done everything I could and
hoped they would be able to save him.

Livie
came through the emergency room doors just as I had finished talking
to the doctors. She was a mess.

"How
is he?" she asked. "The scene at the house is awful. They
are investigating. I hope they get his car out of there. I don't want
the kids to see it."

"I'm
honestly not sure at this point. He lost a lot of blood, Livie. I'm
hoping they can save his leg. I did everything I could. I hope you
know that. I'm not going to lie, it's really bad."

She
looked at me with tears in her eyes and wrapped her arms around me.

"What
would have happened if you hadn't been there? He would have died, Z.
I can't believe it happened. He drove by here and there. I never
thought he'd hurt anybody. Thank you for saving him. He would have
died if it weren't for you."

She
held my cheeks in her hands and kissed me softly on the lips.

"You
really are amazing. The way you moved and controlled the situation
made me realize something. You really are a great doctor. I know why
so many people count on you. New York is where you belong. I see that
now. I'm going to miss you so damn bad."

I
pulled her closer and leaned my chin on her head. It wasn't going to
be easy to leave. I pulled back from our hug and looked down at her.

"Will
you be okay here for a bit? I'm going to go get his dad," I
said.

"Yes,"
she answered. "You should go home and shower first. His dad
can't see you like that."

She
gave me her keys, and I hurried out the door. Everything after that
was mostly a blur. I was exhausted by the time I got to his dads
after showering and getting dressed. The thought of telling him about
his son, especially after he had just seen the two of us fighting,
was awful.

His
dad was much nicer to me than I thought he would be. He was very
worried about Mike. He drove his own car, even though I told him I
would drive him. I knew he wouldn't want to leave his son's side.

Livie
ran over to hug him as soon as we walked in. The three of us sat in
the waiting room for five hours waiting to hear anything on his
condition. The doctor came out and let us know he was stable for the
moment. Mike had lost a lot of blood. He had broken bones and a head
injury. They were able to save his leg. It was going to be touch and
go. The doctor let us know that anything could happen with a head
injury. We just had to wait it out.