Beautiful Chances (The Beautiful Series) (35 page)

My sexy alpha carried me to bed, and then he made sweet love to every inch of my body. Not one inch was left uncovered.

Wednesday started with my usual morning work. Kyle had woken up way too early for my liking, but work was work. I smiled, completely lost in thought, as I reminisced about my gift to Kyle.

In the middle of the night, I placed the gift on my dresser, next to his wallet. My hand hovered over it, wondering if it was the right thing to do. It felt right. I left it on the dresser and walked away before I could change my mind.

My heart was nearly pounding out of my chest as I remembered giving him a key to my place even though he was already coming and going freely.
A key.
I gave him a key to my place.
I took rapid deep breaths, trying to regain control of my body and emotions.

I told myself that it made the most sense. He was not sure what time he would be coming back. If he was going to be back late, I didn’t want to leave the door unlocked while I would be sleeping. No matter when he came back, I still wanted to sleep with his arms wrapped around me, so the only solution was a key.

I smiled as I recalled the expression on his face when he had woken me up. He’d looked like a young boy who was just told he could meet his favorite action hero in person.

“My sweet, beautiful girl.” Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. “A key?” Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.

Oh, how I loved his kisses. His smile was breathtaking.

“You gave me a key?” Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.

I couldn’t respond when he was kissing me. I was unable to physically get any words out between kisses, and he was also making my brain go from being hazy with sleep to feeling full-on need.

And those eyes—their exact color was a mystery to me. Green dominated around the pupil, but the outer iris was chocolate brown. His eyes overflowed with so many emotions that it made my heart constrict tighter, pulling me deeper.

I took a deep breath, trying to put my emotions into words. “Yes—”

My words were cut off with Kyle’s kiss. This was not just an ordinary kiss. I stifled my groan. I was too overwhelmed with the intensity of his kiss and his urgency to claim me.

I was experiencing complete sensations all over my body as he—

My thoughts were interrupted when my phone chimed, showing I had a new email. I decided to get back to work. I responded to a few emails quickly before returning to my writing. My book was progressing along just as I had hoped, and the story was approaching a big climax where the couple would either work out their differences or call it quits.

For me, books needed an emotional connection. Most couples just didn’t move in together and live happily ever after. It was the story in-between that mattered. Along with a great storyline, that was what I strived to give every one of my readers.

For my current book, I’d done some research, wanting to bring in some history. My male main character was taking his girl to Ireland, and I wanted to add some vivid descriptions of the scenery and culture to make the reader feel like he or she was there with the characters. It was supposed to be a learning experience as well as an incredible journey.

I took a quick break for lunch. Roaming through my phone, I came across the text that Luke had sent to me while I was in California. He had not tried to contact me since then, and I had a feeling he was trying to give me space. Luke was my friend. I wanted to see him and make sure the air was clear between us. I was hoping we could go back to our easy friendship, but if he needed time to put aside his feelings for me, I would respect that, too.

Heading down to the concessions, I hoped Luke was at work already. I knew that he usually went to school in the mornings and worked in the afternoons on most days. I found Luke sitting at a table, eating his sandwich with a notebook in front of him. His classes were difficult, and they required a lot of dedication on his part. I was very proud of him for going after his dreams.

Luke looked up as my shadow loomed over him.

“Lily!” he said in disbelief. “You’re back.”

He stood and pulled me into a tight bear hug, squeezing all the air out of me. I inhaled sharply, trying to breathe as his cologne invaded my nose. I had never noticed his cologne before. After being intimate with Kyle, hugging Luke now almost felt a bit awkward. I would always love Luke as a friend. That would never change. He had been a part of my life for the past three years, and he had helped me cope even if he never knew what I was going through. I’d also helped him through his life struggles. We would always have that connection.

“Hey, Luke…can’t…breathe,” I croaked.

He immediately pulled back. “Sorry, Lil.” He smiled. “I’m just happy to see you.”

“Me, too.” I smiled back softly while pulling out a chair to sit down. “How are you? How’s school?”

“School is school. It’s going good. I just have lots of studying to do. How are you?” he asked, looking at me intently.

I could not get a read on what he was thinking. He seemed almost hesitant and withdrawn as if he were fighting against himself.

“I’m great. I needed a break from writing. I thought I’d come to see if you were working, so I could say hello.”

“I start in…” He glanced at his watch. “About three minutes.” He laughed.

“Luke! Need you to start, man!” Mike, the concessions owner, yelled, leaning over the counter.

Luke nodded and looked back at me. “Well, I gotta run. You want your usual? I can bring it over.”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay.” He started to turn toward the concessions, but he stopped and looked back at me. “Do you have plans tomorrow morning? I thought maybe we could catch up over breakfast.” The look in his eyes was hopeful as he awaited my response.

“Sounds great. See you tomorrow.”

The rest of the day flew by in a blur. Brooke had sent me images for possible book cover designs for the novel, and she also asked me if I had any of my own ideas. Together, we laughed at concepts of covers that would be fun and creative.

The door chimed just as I was closing my laptop.

I grinned when I saw the deliveryman through the window. It was so late in the afternoon that I didn’t think I would get flowers from Kyle today.

I held the note to my chest and smiled while inhaling the rich smell of the lovely flowers.
He loves his key.
Part of me did the happy dance while the other part was freaking out. Surprisingly, somehow,
they must have evened each other out because I was not having a panic attack.

I texted Kyle.

Thank you for the stunning flowers. Thinking of you, too. Do you know how long you are staying yet?

His reply came almost immediately.

You’re most welcome. Thursday night. TOO LONG. Next time, I’m taking you with me!

I laughed and typed quickly.

You big baby. I miss you, too. We were invited to go out with Brooke and her hubby on Friday night. Do you want to go?

I went to get a glass of water, and my phone chimed again.

Anything you want. Got to go. Call you later.

Another text followed.

P.S. Still smiling over my key.

I smiled affectionately at imagining Kyle’s reaction to seeing the key on the dresser. I could picture his perfect grin that could make any girl swoon.

I put away my laptop and the notes I had scattered everywhere from working. Now that I was finished, I had some free time before I went to bed early. My thoughts wandered to yesterday’s session with Jeanine. All of her questions leading up to my assignment had really made me think of why I needed to return to Colorado for a visit. It became obvious that this had been Jeanine’s plan all along.
How could I try to move forward when I ran away from my past?

During the past three years, I had tried to be strong by throwing myself into my work and keeping my distance from forming close relationships. Emotionally, I didn’t think I had made much progress with moving forward. That was what I was trying to work on. I wanted to be strong, independent, confident, and happy on the outside
and
on the inside. If Jeanine felt this was something I had to do, then it was time to put on my big girl panties and do it.

As I sat on my bed, I took a deep breath and dialed my Aunt Lucie’s number. This would be the first time
I
called
her
since I’d left.

She answered on the second ring. “Hello? Lily, dear? Is that you?”

I was sure she had been shocked to see my name show up on her cell phone.

“Hi,” I said simply.

“Hi, Lily. It’s so great to hear your voice, sweetie. Are you alright?”

I mentally winced at her thinking the only reason I’d called was because something was wrong, but I knew it was a fair reaction, considering I had not called her once in three years. I felt ashamed for abandoning the only family I had left.

“Yes, I’m okay, Aunt Lucie. How are you all doing?” Asking that simple question made me miss them all even more.

“We are all doing well, dear.” I could hear my Uncle Dan mumbling in the background. “How are you doing, Lily? It’s so great to hear from you.”

“I’m doing well.” I took a deep breath and decided to get to the point. We both knew that there must be a reason I was calling. “I’m calling because I’m planning to come home for a visit.”

My aunt gasped. “Oh, Lily! That is wonderful news, dear!” She must have turned to talk to my uncle. “Dan! Lily is coming to visit!”

I couldn’t hear his response clearly.

“When, dear? When are you coming home?” she asked excitedly.

“I’m thinking about leaving here on Saturday and staying there for a few days.”

“That would be wonderful,” Aunt Lucie said. “We are so happy that you’ll be coming for a visit. Can I ask what made you decide to come home?”

I exhaled as I thought of the best way to explain. I was hoping to have the courage to do most of it in person, but it looked like I would have to start now. “Yesterday, I had my second session with a therapist, Dr. Jeanine Peterson. She has been helping me work through some things.”

“I’m so proud of you, Lily. I’m so proud and happy for you.” Aunt Lucie sounded like she was trying to hold back from crying.