A Second Chance (43 page)

‘I tried to call you a few times after I
gave
up on the noble idea of moving on and leaving you to your life.’ He
sighed
and
kiss
ed
her again
.
‘
Y
our mom picked up and told me you were busy. With your boyfriend
,
’ he added as she gasped in indignation. ‘
And
you never
wrote
me back
,
either
.
’

‘I never got any of your letters
.
’ Jade
remembered
her mom’s words about her obsession with Liam. Were her parents trying to keep her away from his influence? They didn’t like his creative side and the hard to capture air of wildness that hung around him no matter where he went. He was too free and too independent, his larger
-
than
-
life plans for
the future clashing with their vision of a happy ever after
for
their only daughter.

‘
They
must have kept
them
from me
.
’
S
he looked at him again, her voice sad and disappointed
.
‘I was sure that you
’d
forgotten me the moment your car
turned off
our street.’

‘I
ha
d
n’t
.
’
H
e
was still smiling, yet there was an iron edge of his steel will around his words
.
‘I thought about you for a long, long time. I realized it was time to let go when Laura told me about you and Brian getting serious. I figured that you must have forgotten about me
,
and
I
tried to move on as well. Only it didn’t work out
.
’

‘I am so sorry
,’
s
he whispered now, her lips going to the strong column of his neck and
kissing him there.
He was
so
warm and alive, she thought exuberantly as tendrils of hope started to sprout and unfurl inside her soul.

‘I don’t want to miss out again
,
’ he said, his voice thickening in response to her ministrations
.
‘
I’m
not
going to
let you slip away and pretend that it
’
s fine with me.’

His hands pulled her even closer
,
her chest crushed against his.

‘For how long
,
Liam?’
S
he
had
to ask this painful question, Jade thought desperately, knowing very well that she might be closing the gate to her happiness. But she couldn’t
stand
the thought of being with him for some short time, until he sated himself
with
her, her novelty wearing off.

‘
How
about forever?’
H
e
was absolutely serious, she thought as she watched him
,
openmouthed. ‘
If
you are willing to give it a try, that is
.
’

‘
That’s
too much
.
’
S
he
wrinkled her nose as he smiled wider
.
He must have known very well
what
she would say
,
because he nodded, his eyes mischievous
.

‘
OK
, we can start with a fe
w decades, if you prefer
. As long as you
’
re with me, I
’
ll take anything at all
.
’

It
was almost too much to bear, Jade thought as happiness exploded
inside her
like fireworks
on
N
ew
Y
ears’
E
ve. She nodded silently, afraid to ruin the moment with her shaky voice. She watched him fishing in his pocket, only to present her with a little box, black and velvety.

‘I know it should be much more romantic than
th
is
.
’
H
e
grinned
,
watching her eyes widen in surprise
.
‘
B
ut I just want to make it a bit more official, before
we
get to do all the
other
parts
,
one at
a
time. Just to tie you to me a little tighter
.
’

She
opened the box, her eyes blurring with tears. The ring inside wasn’t very big or very elaborate
, j
ust a plain band of white gold with a perfect red ruby in
an
oval frame. To her it was the most wonderful thing in the whole world. She remembered his grandma wearing it, years
before
when
they were kids
.
Laura
had
confessed to her that it was the only family treasure her grandmother had
brought
from England when
she m
oved to America.

‘I… I
’
m speechless
.
’
S
he
looked at him, a smile
playing
around her mouth. ‘
Completely
.’

‘
Just
say yes
,
then
,’
h
e
prompted, his eyes warm
.
‘
N
othing
more is needed.
’

‘
Yes
, yes, yes
,
’ she laughed,
tears threatening to spill again
.
‘
B
ut you know that we don’t have to do
this
. I would stay with you without
it,
Liam.’

‘I know
.
’
H
e
nodded, suddenly serious
.
‘
B
ut it
’
s important to me
that
we
do it right. I want to be able to introduce you to my friends as my wife and see them turn green with envy. Especially after they walk into
your creations,
our lovely home that is
a
lmost as perfect as you are
.
’

He was certainly getting carried away, she thought as she listened to his enthusiasm. She was realistic
enough
to know that she didn’t even remotely fit into the world of beautiful people that
had
surrounded his life for the last decade or so. But she knew he thought
she was
beautiful
,
and that was enough. The rest of the world didn’t matter. As long as Liam was at her side, his dark e
yes and crooked smile hers, she could handle anything.

It
had been
a long walk, she thought now, her head resting on his shoulder as he kissed her hair, his lips almost reverent. Yet her life
had come
full circle, bringing her back to the starting point of her personal race. This was the beginning, she thought, lifting her face to kiss him properly, everything ahead of them only adding to the glory of their love. Any obstacles and problems they would have to face, they would
face
together, hand in hand. Her lips reached his unhurriedly,
savoring
the knowledge that he was hers now and forever. And as he responded, his eager mouth shaping around hers, she stopped thinking altogether.
She could think later
. A
whole eternity
lay
ahead.

‘
Oh, kids
,
you shouldn’t have
.
’ Mrs. Latimer was holding the
intricately carved
sculpture of Buddha, her eyes going over his serene smile and poised pose. ‘
It
’
s wonderful, thank you.’

‘Great
,
M
u
m
.
I was wondering if you would like it
.’
Liam was grinning widely, his white teeth flashing against the darkness of his short beard. He was deeply tanned and looked positively exotic in his white shirt and beige pants, his bare feet drowning in his mother’s lush, thick carpet.

They were all at his mother’s place, since she
had
insisted on inviting the
entire
family for a
welcome-
back
dinner
for
him and Jade. They had spent three months in India, their stay there a kaleidoscope of colors, fragrances
,
and flavors almost too intense to be absorbed. Their extended honeymoon
had
allowed them to meet Liam’s dad
,
who still worked at a local English school. To
J
ade’s
surprise
,
she
’d
liked him from the first moment they met in the park. She
had been
very nervous about
the meeting
, knowing what emotional baggage Liam
had
carried for over twenty years. And
th
e
n
Mr. Latimer was there,
slim and much shorter than
his ex-wife
. As he
’d
approached, she
’d
noticed
his
similarities
to Liam
, especially his dark eyes and the way he walked, springy and effortless
ly
. The two men
had
watched each other warily for a moment
,
while she waited breathlessly for something to happen. But showing emotions was not something Mr.
L
atimer
was very good at
.
In
the end
,
he
had
nodded slightly and said in his calm, musical voice
,
‘I am very glad to see you again, Liam. You
are a
gr
own
man now, my son.’

L
iam
hadn’t seemed
to mind this reserve
d
greeting at all
;
Jade suspected
he welcomed it deep down in his heart. He was equally calm and polite, the similarities
between
the two
men
making her smile as she watched them talking.

Even if their reconnecting
hadn’t
turn
ed
into a full
-
fledged
father
-
son relationship, it
had been
good and
had
helped Liam to heal some of the wounds from the past. As they left, his father
had
asked about Laura and seemed extremely happy to hear Liam promise that next time he would bring her
along
. He
’d
smiled and nodded, his wave the last thing they saw as the cab took them to the airport.

Laura was
at her mother’s house,
as well. She was sitting next to Rocco, her engagement ring sparkling
in a myriad of colors
in the light of her mom’s modern chandelier. Rocco didn’t do things halfway,
Liam joked
,
the huge rock she was sporting dragging her down to the ground. Rocco
bit
back
,
remind
ing
him of the simple wedding ceremony he and Jade
had
picked. Much to
the
chagrin of both families, they
had
decided to marry simply on the beach, only their closest friends and family present.
It was perfect, Jade thought dreamily, remembering the gentle noise of the waves
cr
a
shing
against the rocks and the sound of the seagulls overhead. Sandra and Laura
had been
her bridesmaids,
the design of
their simple blue dresses identical to her white creation. Sandra’s fiancé and Rocco escorted Liam, his white shirt and black pants
his rebellion
against the tuxedo his mom
had
suggested.
Half
a year
later
, they were
slowly
getting ready for Laura’s wedding, set for Christmastime.