First Chances Read online

  Eddison Michael Cavallari.

  Doting fiancé and father. Soon to be my husband.

  If I could choose anyone to spend an eternity with, it would be him.

  With a smile, I approached them and placed a hand on Eddie’s shoulder. He glanced up at me, before resting the side of his head against my arm. Just a single touch from him kick started my heart and filled me with life.

  All I wanted to do was freeze myself in this moment with a daughter I loved more than life itself, and a man who had healed my heart.

  Emma fixed her eyes on me—the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. Just like her father’s. For a second, I thought I saw him in her eyes, and I wondered if his spirit was alive in her.

  “Mama,” she said, breaking the moment as she reached for me.

  I tried not to laugh at the spaghetti sauce smeared all over her face as I picked her up and hugged her to my chest. It was hard to believe how much she’d grown. It felt like only yesterday that we’d brought her home from the hospital.

  Eddie caught sight of Emma’s face and stifled a laugh. He got up and grabbed a paper towel from the counter, and tried to wipe off the spaghetti. Emma giggled, wriggling in my arms as she tried to get away from him, which made us all crack up.

  My eyes met Eddie’s as he wrapped us up in a hug. “I love you,” I whispered to him, feeling light as he held us.

  He planted a kiss on my head, his lips smooth as they touched my skin. “You are my everything.”

  My heart felt full.

  My worries seemed to hold no weight.

  Everything felt right, as though the three of us had somehow been guided to this exact moment in time.

  My eyes drifted to Eddie’s face again.

  One moment. That was all it took for me to realize that all the signs were pointing to him, and that this moment right here was exactly where Lincoln wanted me to be.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I’m not going to lie—this was a hard book for me to write. If you’ve read Falling for Hadie, you know what an emotional book it is. To follow up the events that take place in the book was a daunting task, but the readers felt like Hadie deserved a happy ending—the readers were right.

  As I began to write the book, I realised something. Everything was falling into place, as though it was meant to happen this way. Being able to be create a happy ending for Hadie and Eddie was both satisfying and healing for me. Thank you to the readers for waiting patiently for over two and a half years for this book. I know it was a long time coming and I truly hope that you love it just as much as I do.

  Writing this story was like finding myself again, and I could relate a lot to what Hadie was experiencing in the book. Sometimes it is difficult to start over, but as Hadie and I both discovered, moving on is simply discovering yourself all over again.

  This book would never have happened without Erica Cope and Michelle Flick. Not only are they the best writing buddies ever, they are also two of my closest friends. Without their patience (and impatience, haha Erica), support, and love I wouldn’t get through some of the hardest days.

  My Hungarian editor deserves a shout-out simply for the fact that she supports me so much. She is funny, encouraging, and has so many interesting things to tell me about Hungary.

  Thank you to Eden Crane for once again designing such a great cover for the book! I love that you’re able to take my vague rambling and turn it into something incredible.

  Many thanks to the readers who have contributed to this book, whether it was with quotes or names for a character. Special thanks to Jessica Rose for suggesting the name Rylan.

  Lastly—to my first chance, my husband. I’m sorry that sometimes I look like a thing that crawled out of a swamp, or that the state of our home deteriorates a little as when I am on a deadline, or that you are forced to listen to me go on and on about my characters, as though they are real people. Thank you for loving me for me.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Komal Kant is the international bestselling author of BENEATH HIM who writes Contemporary Romance and Paranormal novels. She likes to write about sarcastic females and swoon-worthy guys who end up falling in love under unusual circumstances.

  Born in Fiji, Komal grew up in Sydney, before finally settling down in the U.S. with her husband and their tough-guy Shih Tzu, and lapdog American Pit bull.

  You can find out more about Komal on her website: http://komalkantbooks.com/

  Or sign up for her mailing list to receive updates on her books: http://eepurl.com/7Z4VP

  OTHER BOOKS BY KOMAL KANT

  With Me Series (Can be read as stand-alone novels)

  Impossible

  Falling for Hadie

  Wrong Side of Town

  First Chances

  Runaway Mortal Series

  Runaway Mortal

  Stand-alone novels

  Unfamiliar

  Beneath Him

  Sneak Peek of THAT FALL by Michelle Flick

  Currently available on Amazon!

  Chapter 1

  ND

  He makes me nervous, the kind of nervous that you want to experience again and again. My palms sweat, a smile is cemented on my face, my stomach feels like butterflies, and the hope encompassing me that today might be the day he notices me remains strong and true.

  This hope has been with me since I first met him. Met is probably a loose term. He was that ridiculously hot senior of my high school, at least I thought so and we didn’t actually “meet.” He was the quarterback for our team and someone couldn’t go to our school without knowing him. He was tall then, probably more of a clown than a student, but it didn’t matter, on the field, Jared Albright was amazing to watch.

  I wasn’t the only one who thought this. Girls from every grade and other towns watched him and wanted to date him. I wasn’t naïve enough to think that Jared was virginal, either. I saw the way he looked at girls, like he was undressing them, and I would be a liar if I said I didn’t want him to look at me that way. Because I did, I most definitely did.

  Now, six years after I graduated, I’m still in South Shore, Georgia and so is he. I’ll see him everywhere for a month and then I’ll only see him randomly once in three months and South Shore isn’t big. Today is one of those meetings after I haven’t seen him for months.

  “Someday you’ll grow a pair and talk to him,” my best friend Lizbeth says with a big sigh.

  I laugh because I doubt it.

  “Just say ‘Hi. I’m Nikki. I think you’re hot. We should go on a date.’”

  I laugh again. Her expression is serious, but the mischievous glint in her brown eyes gives her away.

  “Yeah, because Jared Albright is totally into going on dates.” Not much has changed. His reputation hasn’t gotten better. And while I think his eyes are very promising to all kinds of things, I’m not much for the one night stand or a causal relationship; much to my dismay, my momma raised me with morals and my dad convinced me I was something special.

  “Nikki, he’s coming this way,” she says none too quietly. And he is. He’s got a carrier full of coffees in his hand. He’s walking toward us. The butterflies in my stomach flutter uncontrollably as I look around to see the reason that he’s moving this way. But there are vehicles and people around us; he could be walking toward anyone.

  He doesn’t make eye contact with me so the glimmer of hope I had is gone and when he’s almost shoulder-to-shoulder with me, Lizbeth shoves me right into his path. In my head, I know she meant to nudge me more gently to bump him, but this is not what happens.

  My body goes flying and right before I think I am for sure going to sprawl out on the sidewalk in front of him, I feel his hand wrap around my upper arm and feel my body tilted back to normal.

  “Careful, Sweetheart, the sidewalk jumps.”

  I might have commented on how cheesy his line is, but I’m thankful I’m not face down on the cement.

  “Yeah, I’ll have to be more aware next time,” I say, looking at
Lizbeth for some help. She’s busy reading the label on her smoothie. She’s awesome like that.

  “Is that a no?” he asks with a big smile on his face. His smile might be able to make the most jaded of women crumble.

  “What?” tumbles out of my mouth.

  “You got a name or should I just call you Sweetheart.”

  Lizbeth finds her voice. “Sweetheart’s fine.”

  “No, my name is Nicole.”

  He looks at me, puzzled. “Did you go to South Shore?” he asks, like he knows he should know me, but can’t figure out how.

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “I’m Jared.”

  “Everyone who went South Shore knows who you are.”

  He’s obviously pleased by this comment. His phone goes off and he checks it.

  “My boss is hankering for his afternoon fix. I gotta go. It was good to see you again, Nicole.”

  “Yeah, you too.”

  He winks at me and moves past us. I cannot believe that just happened. I had only spoken to him one other time and then out of the blue this happens. And he flirted with me. And I looked like a fool. What a wasted chance from fate.

  “I would say that was a complete success.”

  I turn to my friend with a cold look. “You almost made me wear all those coffees.”

  “But I didn’t. He caught you. And let’s not forget the best part,” she says triumphantly.

  “What’s that?”

  “The fact he remembered you from high school.”

  “South Shore wasn’t exactly a metropolis,” I respond, trying not to get overly excited.

  “Listen, Debbie Downer, take the win.”

  “Drink your smoothie.”

  We continue to walk down the sidewalk back to work. We enter Heritage Salon and are greeted by our boss, Rachel.

  Lizbeth hands her a smoothie and we enjoy the rest of our lunch break. I absently touch the spot where Jared made contact with my arm. It’s been 10 years since I first met him and that night he had touched me in about the same spot.

  I didn’t know where to go. I was so out of my league and wished I had listened to my father, or mother, or brother about boys and drinking. This super cute junior, Alex had been so nice all night, and I hadn’t realized we were slowly moving away from the bonfire or that he was getting drunker by the hour.

  “It’s just a kiss,” he slurred.

  “Yeah, not interested.” I said and moved to go around him. He sidestepped with me.

  “I know you think I’m cute.”

  He was right. I did think he was cute, up until about three minutes ago. Why couldn’t my brother still be in school, but no he had to graduate two years ago? Lizbeth was tongue deep in the guy she had been talking to. No help there.

  “I gotta find my friend.”

  “Not yet,” he said.

  “No, now,” I countered. I moved to get around him again.

  “But you could make out with me.”

  “That’s your line?” came a voice from somewhere to our left. He repeated it. “You could make out with me?” He laughed and so did someone else. I squinted into the darkness to see who it was and then I saw them: Jack Monroe and Jared Albright. Two seniors and one was my biggest crush. “Here’s a few tips, dude. Get a new line and you let girls go when they aren’t interested.” Jared was doing the talking. He was tall and lean. His friend Jack was standing behind him, not quite as tall, but bigger in frame. Both of whom I was really happy to see at this moment.

  “She wants to make out with me,” Alex said again.

  “No, she doesn’t,” Jack said this time. “Let her by.”

  “You really want to go,” Alex said accusingly toward me.

  I couldn’t find my voice, but I knew enough that I needed to nod.

  I saw Jared’s hand reach for me, and Alex smacked it out of the way.

  “Not a good idea. I’m more than willing to kick your ass.”

  I didn’t know if they knew each other, but I assumed so because South Shore wasn’t terribly big. I was pretty sure that Jared and Jack together would beat the crap out of this guy though, and he kind of deserved it. Alex must have realized he wasn’t going to make out with me. Jared’s hand came out again and connected with my upper arm. He pulled me behind him and Jack moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, fully blocking me from Alex’s view.

  “Don’t go back to the party. If I get drunk, I’m going to find you.”

  “You can’t tell me what to do.”

  “Nope, but I can tell you it’s going to happen. I’m not much for lying.”

  “Just leave, Alex,” came Jack. “I don’t feel like fighting tonight.”

  Over both of their shoulders, I barely saw Alex retreating to where all the vehicles were parked.

  The two of them turned toward me, almost synchronized. “Are you okay?” Jack asked.

  “Don’t come out here with someone you don’t know,” Jared said.

  I nodded at Jared and told Jack I was fine.

  “Let’s go find who you came with.” I nodded again and they walked me to Lizbeth

  I was always thankful and now that I’m older, I understand what might have happened to me had Alex moved me farther from the vehicles and the crowd. And maybe it would have been nothing, regardless, it was nothing because they showed up.

  Jared Albright, my knight in shining armor. And while I know Jack Monroe would have done as much damage to him and he stood up for me just the same, there was something about Jared then and there still is.

  “Yoo-hooo!”

  I snap out of my memory.

  “She was thinking about Jared again,” Lizbeth tells Rachel. I’m a little embarrassed, because while Rachel is a great boss and I love my job, her knowing about my crush on Jared seems lame in the work place.

  “My Jared? Jared Albright?”

  Oh my God, my boss is dating him. I feel my face flush scarlet. She must tell from my reaction the conclusion I have jumped to. “Oh! No! He’s just a good friend of mine. Has been since high school.” I remembered Rachel from high school. She was a cheerleader and from what I remembered was nice. As a boss, she’s awesome. I like working for her.

  I’m relieved I don’t have to be so embarrassed about this reveal and also that I never have to compete with her. My boss is beautiful. She’s got dark brown hair, styled to perfection every day, light blue eyes, and is tall with curves. No one wants to compete with that.

  “So you have a thing for the mighty Jared?” I can tell she’s trying to put me at ease.

  “Yeah, a little.”

  “A little?” Lizbeth chokes on her smoothie. “If by little you think Mount Everest is little, then yes, little fits the description.”

  “It’s nothing,” I say flippantly.

  Lizbeth snorts again.

  JA

  Nicole. I muse to myself. I know I know her from high school. She was a freshman, pretty back then, her smoky grey eyes are what I remember. She hadn’t quite filled out yet then, but from what I could see today, the freshman girl has disappeared and has been replaced with a woman, the kind of woman I would like to know.

  My phone buzzes again.

  Jack: U get lost?

  I laugh. My friend is a great many things and normally patient is among the top of the list, but lately, he’s been all mixed up and I blame Remy for it. She walked into our lives eight years ago for a summer and then left us. Jack never really got over her. She came back. He dropped his girlfriend, which shocks me to this day, and now finds himself dating Remy. It was a crazy summer, maybe not as crazy as that first summer we were together.

  But now this summer is ending and fall is getting here and Jack is bossy to get work done because he wants to rush to her side. Every night. They have a great relationship, one I’m a little jealous of to be honest and not in the way that I feel replaced, but they have something real, something that lasted with them being apart for eight years.

  I should text him, but I text
Remy instead.

  Me: What r u doing 2night

  She responds almost immediately. She’s a bum because she made a lot of money in the phone app industry, like millions, so she doesn’t have to work anymore like the rest of us do. She’s probably still in bed, just lying there.

  Remy: Hanging with Jack. Why?

  Me: Wouldn’t you rather hang out with me

  Remy: lol How about you hang out with us.

  Me: I’ll bring the beer.

  Remy: J

  I head to work. We aren’t terribly far from town, but even a little ways from town leaves you far from South Shore, and a newcomer could easily wonder if there is any civilization around the area. Monroe Construction is at a site not terribly far from Remy’s house and maybe a mile west of the beach. I love the smell of the salt from the water. It’s comforting and I can’t imagine how people function without the ocean nearby. I wind a little ways on the back roads and end up at the site.

  I see my coworkers, including Jack and my boss, Jack’s dad, Zach. Zach is leaning over drawings, looking at the next step in the project. We’re adding on a carport to the house and redoing the roof before hurricane season hits the area. I often wonder at the logic of this. If it’s going to rip off the roof why waste the money on it now? Jack’s up on the roof and he calls down to me, “About freakin’ time.”

  “Shut up,” I respond.

  “He’s just antsy,” Zach says to me with a fatherly smile. Jack is my best friend, and he’s more like a brother if I want to be honest. But his dad and mom are great people and people I secretly wish were my parents. In the twenty years we had been friends, I had been welcome to all family functions, every holiday and birthday, including my own. Every year, even at twenty-eight, Mr. and Mrs. Monroe throw me a party, just no longer equipped with party hats and pin the tail on the donkey.