The Second Chance Hero (17 page)

“You can go there anytime you want. If you want to go tomorrow and hide from Owen, say the word. I’ll arrange everything.”

It was tempting. It would be so easy to hide from him, but at what cost? Her heart, maybe? She wasn’t about to do that again. Kim was tired of dishonesty in her relationships. She should have talked to Tom, and maybe people wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Neither of them was truly happy, and the result was him cheating and her feeling humiliated and used. In the end, with his death, nothing mattered, but they should have been able to talk out what was going on between them.

It was the same with Owen, and running away wasn’t going to help. “I’m actually going home this morning. I have a lunch date with my Mom and I was thinking I might, I don’t know, take a sail later on.”

Meg smiled, reached out, and grabbed Kim’s hand. “He’s such a good guy and I can see he’s a goner over you. I hope it all works out. I mean, he should have told you, but still . . .”

“He should have told me. He’s in deep trouble for that, but I can’t walk away from him over it. Does that mean I’m weak?”

“No,” said a voice from behind her. It was her sister Joey, holding two mugs of coffee. “You’re in love with him. When that happens, I’m told you tend to look at the big picture rather than nitpicking the little things. Which is how I know I don’t love anyone.” Joey handed Kim one of the mugs. “I nitpick like crazy.”

Wrapping both hands around the warm ceramic mug, Kim may have been nursing her wounds, but she was glad she’d made the trip. The energy of all the people around her over the past twenty-four hours had a healing effect. These women were all so accomplished, so strong, and they were all there for her. It was humbling. It helped. She felt better. Stronger.

And she was ready to face Owen.

She was ready to tell him how she felt. To show him.

Jenna eventually joined them, and then Harper and Caroline. Eventually they moved to the kitchen to make a big breakfast.

Jenna was turning the bacon in the pan and the whole house smelled of hearty breakfast. In Kim’s opinion there was nothing quite like it.

“So,” Jenna said. “Are you going back to talk to him? Jump him? Or a little of both?”

Kim was cutting up fruit at the kitchen island that was roughly the size of the state of New Hampshire. The thought of what she had planned made her smile, but she didn’t say anything.

Caroline elbowed her gently. “She’s not talking. She’s jumping him first.”

There were peals of laughter to go along with the speculation of what she had planned.

Kim thought about it herself, and with any luck, she’d find Owen on his boat. He loved that damn boat. It seemed fitting that they’d spend some quality time there. But she wasn’t going to tell her friends, no matter how much they teased her.

Someone’s cell rang and everyone reached for one device or another, and Meg discovered she was the lucky winner. “Hi, Honey!”

Obviously her husband.

“No, Kim isn’t staying. She, Jenna, and Joey are heading back today. Okay. Of course.” Meg walked around the kitchen, a mass of kinetic energy to go along with her mane of blonde curls. She waved her hand at the group of them to quiet down. What was Jason telling her? “Oh, oh really? No, of course I won’t tell her.”

That was a dirty lie if Kim ever heard one.

“Right. Oh, poor Owen. No, she’s leaving, so he shouldn’t sail all the way out here. You should stop him.”

Meg gave her a huge smile and a thumbs-up. “I miss you too, baby. I’ll see you tonight.”

She pressed the screen of her phone and tossed it on the kitchen table. Meg stood quiet for a second and then burst into a squealing mass of bouncing blonde hair. She was jumping around like a lunatic. “Owen is toast. He is so miserable, he almost sailed out here last night. He figured he could have been at the dock in the back before daybreak and surprised you. Then he planned on begging. God, this is so great.”

“He was going to sail all the way here?”

“Jason and Nate found him on his dock yesterday, sitting in a lawn chair drunk off his ass. He has it so bad it’s not funny. He’s all yours if you want him. Tell me you still want him?”

Kim kept her head down, focusing on cutting a very ripe mango. Her eyes were burning and then she felt the first tear slip. She had to stop crying, especially when the news was so good. The big dope really loved her.

“I still want him,” she whispered. “More than anything.”

Joey walked behind her, bringing a pitcher of OJ to the gigantic farmhouse table. Her sister leaned in and kissed her cheek. Between all the love in the room, and all the love she felt for Owen, this was shaping up to be a really good day.

Kim was nervous. How sad was it that she was nervous for a lunch date with her own mother?

It was her own damn fault that it was. Things had been better recently, but since seeing her mother on Friday before her date, a lot had changed. Her mother had been great at the cottage, but she hadn’t asked Kim a lot of questions. Now with all the gossip about her and Tom and Owen floating around their neighborhood because of Zia Bunny and Zio Marco, Kim owed her mother the full story.

Kim’s reaction to Owen’s revelation was proof that she’d let everything about her experiences with Tom run her life. Thinking back, she realized there were times Owen tried to tell her the truth. Still, everything about what he’d said had made her want to crawl into bed and sleep for a week.

Of course after thinking about it, she wanted to sleep with him.

She always thought of herself as such a badass. She’d been to war. Had worked in a trauma center. It was impressive work, good work, but it was all about a rush, pressure, it was never about her heart. It was never about a risk that really mattered. In reality, that meant she was a big wimp. And she expected her mother was going to tell her the exact same thing.

Her mom had suggested their favorite Chinese restaurant. It was a place Kim always picked for birthdays or special occasions because the ornate interior and the fussy wait staff made her feel extra special.

The place had been in business forever and the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Lee, knew all their regular customers. Kim was looking forward to going. Even the prospect of a tongue-lashing couldn’t dim the excitement of revisiting this particular part of her childhood.

Walking into the restaurant, Kim could see not much had changed. Ornate, dragon-painted screens divided the dining areas and paper lanterns decorated the walls. Her mother was already seated, and waved to her before walking over.

Whatever worry Kim felt, it dissolved when she got close enough to see the tears in her mother’s eyes. Feeling the burn in her own, she covered the last few steps in record time, and when her mother jumped from the booth, the two embraced. Kim relaxed at her mother’s touch, hearing her mother’s voice.

“Whatever it is, baby, it’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“Oh, Mom.” Kim sniffled. “I’ve missed you.”

“You didn’t have to. I’ve always been right here.”

They held on for an extraordinarily long time and finally, when they sat, she relaxed, believing her mother that everything would indeed be okay.

“You couldn’t have picked a more perfect spot,” Kim said.

Mom smiled. “I wanted you to be comfortable. I know how much you always loved it here.”

“I bet they still have the best egg rolls.”

“And wonton soup.” Small talk. Safe subjects. But they were together, and that’s what mattered.

“You look tired, Kim. You had fun with the girls out east?”

“I did. It was good to get away. I’m sure you heard what happened.”

“Yeah. I have some questions about that. Joey told me a little, but I really want to hear it from you.”

Lucia Torres never had a lot of tolerance for nonsense. That’s what made her life as a school administrator and mother of six bearable. She loved fiercely, disciplined fairly, and listened to anyone who needed an ear. She’d give advice if asked, but often it wasn’t what the person wanted to hear. Kim was counting on that part. She didn’t need to be placated anymore. She didn’t need people walking on eggshells around her. She needed to stop playing games and face . . . well, she had to face pretty much everything.

Maybe she was right to be upset about what Owen told her. To a point. But then again, maybe she just heard something that deep down, she already knew.

“Okay. So, talk to me. You were a mess yesterday.”

As she screwed up her courage and prepared to tell her mother the whole story, the waiter came over and they ordered. They actually ordered three lunches because everything looked good, and her mother’s excuse was she could send it home with Kim as leftovers.

“All right,” Mom said. “We have drinks. We’ve ordered. Now tell me. What happened?”

Kim drew a deep breath. “I love him.”

Her mother sat back, smug. “I guess I should be surprised, but I’m not. The way you two looked at each other was pretty telling.”

“It shows, huh?”

“Yes, but you could do much worse. He’s smart, charming, handsome, and he’s rich. My question, though, is does he make you happy?”

“He could.”

“That’s not what I asked. Something happened that sent you running, Kimberly. What was it? Did he say something? Do something? What?”

“You haven’t heard anything? Mrs. Albanese . . .”

“Tess hasn’t said anything. She’s been at her sister’s. The only thing I’m getting is that you were disloyal to Tom’s memory. What’s going on? Your sisters even clammed up. I get that Owen is a marine. Is there some problem with that?”

“Yeah.” Kim took a deep breath. “We were at dinner when Bunny and Marco saw us. It was ugly. Bunny called me a slut—”

“Bunny should talk about being a slut. Remind me to tell you about how she got Marco to marry her.”

Huh?
“Anyway, they ran right back to Tom’s family, blurted everything out about me dating, but that wasn’t bad enough. Owen hadn’t told me everything. And the scene, well, I think he wanted to tell me everything all along, but meeting some of Tom’s family made it imperative.”

“What did he tell you? This sounds pretty bad.”

Kim took a deep breath because she knew what she was going to say would knock her mother’s socks off.

“He told me that he was Tom’s commanding officer.”

“What?” Her mother’s question was more an exclamation. She could hear the shock. The need for more information.

“I know.”

“Honey, that’s . . . wow.” Her mother was rarely at a loss for words. Kim felt her own lip tremble as she thought about how everything had unfolded over the past few days. She thought about Owen, and how she felt about him. There was magic there.

“You really love him, the billionaire?”

“Could we call him something else?”

Her mother grinned. “Why? It has such a nice ring to it.” Pressing her fingers to her temples, Mom squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t joke. Of all the coincidences. I cannot believe it.”

“He knew who I was when he first met me because he wrote to Tom’s family. He had letters I’d—” It was getting tough to think about. Owen knew some of her most intimate thoughts, her deepest feelings. Things she’d shared with the man she thought she was going to marry. Another breath. And another. “He’d read letters I’d written.”

“Personal stuff?”

“I tended to keep it light, but sometimes, I wrote about how I was feeling about our relationship. About the engagement.”

Again she had to fight back the tears, because she was getting to the point of having to tell her mother the truth about Tom and how things were going between them.

Kim’s hands were tearing furiously at a paper napkin, leaving little pieces all over the table. She stopped when her mother’s hands covered her own.

“Sweetie, what is it?”

There was no easy way to tell her mother that the boy she’d known all those years, the one she’d trusted with her daughter’s heart, hadn’t been worthy of it. “Tom was cheating on me.”

With wide-eyed disbelief, her mother drew a breath. “Kim, no. He wasn’t.”

“He was. I found out the day he died. His girlfriend came in from their base. She was devastated.”

There were no words to fully express the way her heart hurt, but the gentle squeeze from her mother’s hands let Kim know her mom understood. And she understood in a way that no one else could. From her first crush on the boy next door, to their first kiss behind the garage, there was a lot of history, and Kim found telling her mother about his betrayal, someone so close to both of them, made the pain that much more acute. And suddenly, she missed him. The grief she’d been holding onto for a whole year drifted to the surface.

“I hate what he did,” she sniffled.

“Me too.” Mom was still holding her hands. “I hate that he put you through that and that you’ve been dealing with it alone. I wish you’d told me.”

“I didn’t know what to say. I was so shell-shocked, you know? I think today is the first day it’s really hit me. I mean, I’ve been angry for a whole year, but this is the first time I really feel sad.”

“Why are you sad?”

Kim had to think about that. She was sad Tom had died. No one should die at thirty. She was sad he suffered, and he had suffered horribly. But more than anything, she was sad for herself, because even if things hadn’t been perfect, Tom was one of her best friends, and for the first time since she’d left Afghanistan, she was able to admit it.

It dawned on her that coming to grips with her feelings for Owen made her able to face what she was feeling for Tom. There were so many emotions, and they ran the gamut.

“I miss him. I know he cheated on me, but I’ve known him my whole life, and I miss the asshole.”

“Oh, baby.”

“Very few people know about the other woman.” She paused. “God, that’s such a cliché. I’ve been hesitant to say anything because it’s, well, humiliating.”

Her mother came around and slid into the booth next to her, looping her arm around Kim’s shoulder. “You have nothing to be humiliated about. Nothing. Is this why you cut off his family?”

“I’ve explained things to Jenna, but the rest of her family is so hurt. I just want them to understand. I don’t mean to be disrespectful. I want my life back. I want Owen.”

“He’s the one, isn’t he?”

Kim nodded. “I never expected it. He’s everything. Charming, smart, so sweet. And he loves me. He’s hurting, but he does.”

“Then make yourself happy, baby. You’re the only one who can.”

***

Owen walked around the deck of his boat aimlessly, putting away line and different pieces of equipment he’d picked up since coming home, and cleaning up from the short sail he’d taken that afternoon. The sun was setting and he had to admit, even in his foul mood, it was beautiful.

He’d been thinking about taking the boat out in the Long Island Sound and heading straight for Cutchogue. Josh and Caroline’s house, where all the girls had supposedly gone, had a nice deep-water dock, and if he could get her to see him, Owen could beg for Kim’s forgiveness in front of witnesses.

He was startled when the dog popped up from where she was curled asleep and let out a few short yaps, scrambled to the cockpit, and stared down the dock. Her tail wagged a mile a minute, and Owen, who wondered if she saw some shore bird for the first time, felt his heart stop when he looked down the dock.

Walking toward him was Kim. She looked absolutely divine, wearing a long, pale yellow dress made of some filmy material. When the sun hit her in just the right way, he could see the outline of her entire body. Her hair was loose and falling in chestnut-colored waves almost to her waist.

She came right to the end of the dock and locked eyes with him. She was beautiful. A sweet, sexy vision. Owen didn’t know how he was supposed to react. Casey propped her front feet up so Kim could pet her, but neither he nor Kim spoke.

“Hey there, marine,” she whispered. He noticed then that her eyes were glistening. “You come here often?”

Just like that he was out of the boat, on the dock, and hauling her close. That silly line told him everything he needed to know. She forgave him. Nothing else had to be said as her arms slipped around Owen’s waist and held tight. Every bit of tension and worry slipped from him.

“I almost sailed all the way to Cutchogue to find you and apologize. I’m glad I didn’t.”

“I heard. It would have been a wasted trip, since I planned on finding you.”

“Did you go with them?”

“I did. It was nice of them to want to include me, but one day was enough. I wanted to see my mom and I was hoping I would get up my nerve to see you.”

Owen dropped his head and kissed her. Her response was as gentle and perfect as what he felt for her, and Owen was not a gentle or perfect man. “I should have told you right away, I’m sorry. I . . .”

“Stop.” Kim shook her head. “I didn’t let you tell me. I insisted you keep the war to yourself, and look where it got us? The truth of it, Owen, is that the war shaped us, it defined who we are. I should have listened, not hidden.”

“I love you. I meant that when I said it the other night.”

“I believe you. From now on, no more secrets, okay?”

Owen knew there was one more thing he had to tell her, but that could wait. In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t that important, and he was thinking he could use the story of how they really met when he eventually proposed to her. He extended his hand and together they stepped onto his boat. As soon as she was on the deck, Owen pulled her in for a kiss. This one wasn’t so sweet.

His lips moved over hers with a mind-blowing friction that set him off like a rocket. One sleeve of the dress dropped off her shoulder and he could see she wasn’t wearing a bra. The globe of her almost exposed breast glowed in the fading light of the day, and Owen took advantage of the design to tug it down and set his mouth to work on her beautiful pink nipple.

Owen turned her slightly and backed her into the big wheel, keeping hold of her hips, and pressing himself against her. He was hard as a rock and he intended to make good use of the time they had together. He tugged down the other side of her dress, now exposing both breasts, and she held his head as he nipped and sucked. She squirmed and moaned in a way that had him wanting to die.

“Do you have anything on under this dress?”

He wished it was midday just so he could see her body bathed in sunlight. But seeing her in the glow of the sunset, her skin blushing gold, was just as magical. He was going to have to take her on vacation somewhere. Someplace where she could lay out naked and beautiful all day long.

“Not a thing.”

“No?”

“No.” She inched closer, rubbing her hands over his shoulders and down his back. His erection was straining his pants and she was telling him she had nothing on except a dress he could have pulled off with one tug.