Second Chance at Forever (Forever Book 2) (20 page)

She stammered, and then went on with her story. “The reality was stronger than the fantasy, and I said yes to Samuel. Yes to becoming his wife, yes to having children with him, and yes to having a new life he wanted me to share with him. I guess Samuel and Elizabeth had one thing in common, they both knew that our hearts belonged to another, but loved us anyway.”

I had no words to say to Reese. My mind was reeling from her story. She had so much more to say, but I needed a second to compose myself. She was still holding my hands, never breaking our connection.

“Walker, Samuel helped me piece my life back together after losing our baby. He was supportive, and he listened to me cry for endless hours until I had no more tears to shed. Our relationship didn’t begin like most do. He was the doctor who treated me in the emergency room. He held my hand while I was sleeping. He was there for me when I had to see you and Elizabeth on Page Six of the paper. He didn’t ask anything of me but to take a chance with him to start over.”

She held my hand tighter and continued. “Walker, I knew you moved on from me, and were beginning your new life in California. I had a choice to make, and I made it with Samuel. After my weekend with Samuel, he had flown back to New York, and I remained in California to pack up my apartment. I only really had to pack my personal things, most of the furniture was rented along with the apartment. My agent owned a studio apartment in New York, so I forwarded my things to her place and stayed in California until Samuel was ready to leave for Maryland. The day I left, I found myself outside of the great Reed Global Building, and I waited in hopes of seeing even a glimpse of you.”

“Did you, Reese? Did you see me before leaving?”

“I did, Walker, and the image of you stepping out of your car and walking into the building is an image I will never forget. You were wearing a dark blue suit, a three piece, I believe. You were carrying a trench coat over your arm and the black briefcase I had bought you for your birthday. That warmed my heart to see you carrying that case.”

“I still have it, you know. It’s old and tattered, but I can’t bear to get rid of it. You had my initials engraved on it. So you saw me and just watched me? Why, Reese? You were so close, but yet you sat back in silence. Why didn’t you try to reach out and talk to me?”

“You know why, Walker. I sat there on that stupid bench for hours until you emerged again, but this time you weren’t alone. I saw you with your father, and your father saw me, and stared me down with his cold eyes. That was his subtle warning to turn around and go. I did just that and headed to the airport, finally saying goodbye to you. I cried all the way to the airport and for most of the flight. Even after all of those months without you, he still considered me a threat, and I was still afraid.”

She removed her hand from mine and crossed her arms as she went on. “The first time I tried to see you Walker, well you know what happened. That Ralston guy grabbed me. Covering my mouth, so I couldn’t call out to you. They were the barrier that separated me from you on that day, and shortly after…I had lost our baby. At least this time, he took mercy on me and allowed me to steal one last glimpse of you. I never saw you again, until we met at the restaurant yesterday.”

“Reese, don’t you see? You don’t have to be afraid anymore. You have me, and I will take care of you, and you will take care of me. We are together again like we were always meant to be.”

“Walker, you make it sound so simple. I can’t walk away from my life with Samuel. I have Riley to think about and how this will affect her. You make it sound easy and effortless. I wish I had your faith. This trip was about a college weekend for me to share with my daughter. I never expected to see you in a million years, and to make love with you again has my mind spinning out of control. How did this happen? How am I even in this car with you? I feel like the fates are still conspiring against us, and this has been all a dream.”

“Reese, it’s not a dream, and I’m very real. Our love has never faltered, it remains true to both of us, and I know you feel the same way. You can be with me, you just have to trust that I will be here this time, and no one will ever separate us again.”

“My life is so different from yours, Walker.”

“I know this, Reese. The life you’re leading is not the one you want.”

“You’re right, it’s not what I want. But it’s what I have. I’m exhausted, Walker, and I need some time to think. I have to call Samuel back, hanging up on him wasn’t right for me to do.”

“Can I see you tomorrow, Reese? Please say yes, and we can talk. I have so much to tell you, please think about it?”

“Walker, I really need to spend some time with Riley. This trip was for her, and I have been with you the entire time.”

“I don’t think Riley has noticed, all she sees is Jackson. This trip was also supposed to be a father and son trip, but I knew once my boy saw his girl, I would be an afterthought. That’s how it works when you’re in love, Reese, at least it was for me when I met you.”

“Walker, that’s one of my problems. It still feels the same. I have never stopped loving you, and yet I still married someone else, had a child with him, and created this facade of my happy domesticated life. The truth is that I always wanted more, and you were my more. I should have had all these things with you, but I ruined us, Walker. This is on me, and you will never convince me otherwise. I don’t deserve you. Let this weekend be the goodbye and closure to our story, and we can both return to our lives.”

“Reese, are you fucking kidding me? How can you say this to me? If you think I will let you just walk away from me again, then you truly have forgotten who the hell I am. You want to talk about blame? How about me giving up on you? I didn’t try hard enough to find you. I had money at my disposal, I could have hired a thousand private detectives to find you, but I didn’t. I believed the dead ends were real, and you just didn’t want to be found. Even that was premeditated by my father. I chose to drink you away and then when I finally sobered up, I bedded a woman that I didn’t want to love, she got pregnant, and I married her. What does that say about me, Reese? We have both been broken, but we can heal together and have the life we always dreamed of. Reese, I will do anything to make this happen. Will you?”

We arrived at Reese’s hotel
.
She turned to open the door, and I pulled her back against my chest. I didn’t say a word to her and just inhaled her scent and wrapped my arms around her waist. We had the glass divider encasing us in our private bubble and shutting out the rest of the world.

My hands travelled down her front. My skillful fingers slid down to her waist and slowly slid under her panties. Reese panted with want from my touch. I knew she wanted me and would do anything I asked. Always the vocal lover, her moans of pleasure were crying out for more. I never forgot what we shared in our love making. My desire for her was so strong, I couldn’t fight it, nor did I want to.

“Reese, I want you. Turn around baby, and let me see you.” I grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to me. I crashed my lips onto hers and began to make love to her in the back of the limo.

“Walker, oh god I want you. Please take me now.”

“Oh I will, baby, I will. Let me love you first. I want you to scream my name as I make you come.” Reese didn’t disappoint, as she clutched my head and pulled my hair as she screamed out her pleasure. Not that I cared if Stephen heard us, but my divider was also sound proof.

“Reese, open your eyes and look at me. You. Are. Mine! Reese, you’re not his. You never belonged to anyone but me. Say the words to me, Reese, say that you’re mine.”

“I’m yours, Walker. I have never belonged to Samuel, I only belong to you, and I only love you.”

That’s all I needed to hear to finally explode into Reese. Her body always responded to me, and only me. I would never let her go. I rested my forehead onto hers and tried to get my breathing under control.

“Are you okay, baby?” I asked her. Reese’s eyes were glazed over with tears, and I wasn’t sure what she was thinking. I only felt her heart beating as fast as mine was. We were connected, didn’t she know this?

“Yes, I’m fine, Walker. I haven’t felt this way in a very long time, and I still can’t believe that you’re here with me.”

“Believe it, Reese, because I’m not going anywhere. We will work this out together, but you have to give me your word that you will not run again. You can’t walk out of this car and out of my life again. I understand what’s at stake, Reese, but if you don’t take this chance with me now, then you will waste more years in a marriage that you never wanted, and where will that leave you then? Is it fair to Samuel? If he’s the man that you say he is, then let him go and give him a chance to find someone that can love him the way he deserves to be loved.”

AFTER WE DRESSED and fixed our appearances, Walker just held me as I continued to process what he just told me.
Can I walk away from my marriage and leave it all behind me?
I was brave enough to ask Samuel for a divorce once, but I will have to find the courage to do it again. My cell phone was ringing once again, and it was Riley calling, thank god. I wasn’t ready to speak with Samuel.

I let it go to voicemail, and then I played Riley’s message.

“Hi Mom, calling to let you know that I’m still with Jackson. Oh my goodness, mom, the play was awesome. I love New York. I will see you soon and tell you all about it. Mom, thank you for this weekend. I have never been happier, mommy. I love you so much, and mom… I love Jackson.”

Hearing my daughter sound so happy made my heart sing and ache at the same time. She was in love with Walker’s son. How would I ever begin to explain my past with Walker to Riley? The thought of it sickened me, and I was afraid that if I tell her the truth about how I felt about Walker, she would push me away for hurting her father. No matter what I decided, someone would be hurt.

“Reese, who was on the phone? Was it Samuel again?”

Should I have lied and told Walker it was Samuel and that he wanted me to call him back? I had to get out of this car, away from Walker. I needed to think. Every minute I remained with him was making me just want him more.

“Reese, tell me who was on the phone.” He demanded to know.

“It was Riley. She wanted to tell me how much fun she was having with Jackson, and she loves him. Knowing that Riley will have someone with her while she attends school here puts my mind at ease.”

“They were friends first, and then it led to what they have now. It sounds like another couple I used to know.” He smiled and leaned forward to kiss me. I slowly pulled away from him.

“What are you thinking, Reese?” he softly asked me. I stared at his beautiful face and cherished every single minute that I’ve spent with him. Fighting to hold back my tears, I whispered the two words that would probably hurt him the most. God knows I didn’t want to, but I needed to breathe.

“Goodbye, Walker.”

I opened my door and stepped out. He didn’t try to stop me this time, so I kept walking until I could no longer feel his presence. When I finally entered my hotel room, I was drained and exhausted. The maid has been here to clean our room, so Walker’s scent was no longer on my sheets. I already missed him and it had only been a few minutes since I left him. Was he thinking of me too? I was totally being irrational at this point. I decided to just soak in the tub and clear my head, maybe even get a little drunk, anything to bring me some peace I desperately needed right now. I soaked my sore muscles in the tub, and of course my mind drifted to Walker. I remembered every touch he placed on my body. We made love so many times, I had lost count.

Was Walker right? Could I easily walk away from my marriage and just start over with him? Samuel had been so distant the last few years, all he got excited over was his career. I had just played my role in our story. Once we married he was very clear on the kind of wife he wanted me to be. He hated that I modeled and asked me to walk away from my career. He asked for children right away, so I got pregnant and we had our beautiful daughter.

I suffered another miscarriage two years after having Riley, and that’s when I decided I didn’t want any more children. To have to go through that loss again was too painful for me to go through again. Samuel was content on only having one, and he wasn’t the type of man that needed to continue his family lineage with a son. Samuel offered to get a vasectomy to calm my fears about getting pregnant again. I always respected him for that selfless act.

I felt so much better after my bath, and enjoyed a delicious glass of Barolo. Realizing that I didn’t phone Marsha at all today, I immediately dialed her number. She answered on the third ring.

“Well hello, Ms. Thing. For someone who wants to reconnect with her best friend, you sure have a funny way of going about it.” Leave it to Marsha for knowing the perfect words to use to make me feel guilty.

“Marsha, I’m so sorry for not calling you today. Something came up that couldn’t be helped.”

“Couldn’t be helped? Who or what had your panties all up in a twist today that couldn’t have waited until you met with Freddy?”

Oh my god! I loved her. She and Freddy should have been related. I hoped she was sitting down for what I was about to say next. “Walker.”

“What?! Come again? I thought I just heard you say ‘Walker.’ As in Walker Reed?”

“Yes. The one and only.”

“Oy vey! You have to give me a moment here. I think I swallowed my tongue.” I waited and silently laughed as she went on and on about her shock. She tended to be a bit melodramatic, but at the same time could be so entertaining. I missed my friend, and I so needed this laugh after the intense day I had with Walker.

“Reese, as much as I want to continue this conversation, I’m kind of in the middle of a party right now. Can we meet tomorrow?”

“Can I call you first before making plans?”

“Sure thing, sweets. You know I love you, and I promise I will not let Freddy out of my sight until you two can talk.”

“I know he must be busy with the fashion show, and I don’t want to take his focus away from that. As much as I want to reunite with him, he needs to have this moment without my drama.”