Second Chance at Forever (Forever Book 2) (5 page)

I left Jackson to be on his own for a while, as I processed all he had told me. I found solace in my office and took some calming breaths. I opened my wallet and took out a worn picture that I carried with me in secret all of these years. That familiar ache was always present, but it also gave me comfort. After listening to his heartfelt words about Riley, what could I say after that? My son was me, but with almost two decades between us. It was like when I fell in love for the first time. The time I fell in love with Reese Mitchell.

As soon as we landed, Jackson turned on his phone to call his girl. I just took it all in as we stepped off the plane. My heart began to beat faster. I always felt anxiety when I was in New York. As controlled as I appeared to be, this city held no good memories for me anymore. It would be a long week for me to endure. You would think after all of these years, I would have lain to rest the ghosts of my past, but no…they still haunted me. They seemed to all come crashing down at me at the same time every time I was in New York.

My driver, Stephen, met us at the gate.

“Welcome to New York, sir. How was your flight?”

“Hello, Stephen, long as usual. Has everything been arranged back at the apartment?”

“Yes, sir. The apartment has been fully stocked with everything you and Jackson will need while you’re here in New York. I will drive you, and I have Richard driving Jackson anywhere he wishes to go.”

“Excellent. Has everything been sent over to the Four Seasons Hotel?”

“Yes, sir. Jenny took care of all the arrangements before leaving on her vacation.”
Thank god for Jenny. I would be lost without her, but even the most perfect assistant needs a vacation once in a while.

“Dad, I already arranged a welcome package to Riley’s hotel. What else did you have Jenny send over?”

“Jackson, you need to relax, son. I arranged for flowers and a basket of treats to be waiting for them upon their arrival. I thought it would be a friendly gesture to welcome Riley and her mother to New York. Now they’ll have two packages, I guess. This is the first time you’re meeting her mother, and good manners always win out. Jackson, I am sorry about missing your mother’s dedication. You have to know how displeased I was having to depend on your grandfather to step in for me. I would have rather had Grandpa Henry escort you, but Phillip insisted. Not being there for you will always be a regret for me, and now that I know how much it hurt you, it will be a long time before I can forgive myself.”

“Dad, this is one of the reasons why I never shared my feelings with you about this. You take on so much and always put me first above anything else. The first time you couldn’t, I didn’t take it very well, but instead of talking to you about it, I hid it from you. I shouldn’t have done that. You have always been honest with me, so I owed you the same in return.”

“Jackson, telling me then wouldn’t have changed how I feel. I can’t stand the thought of hurting you…ever. The one true thing in my life is you, my son. Your opinion means everything to me, and I will never disappoint you again.”

“You could never disappoint me, dad. You’re amazing in everything you do. I know mom was shining down on all of us. You worked so hard to see your vision come alive in that building. Dad, I am so proud of you and honored to be your son. I love you, and mom would have loved it too.”

“Thank you, Jackson. I needed to hear that.”

“I’m happy I told you the truth, dad. I promise I will never keep anything from you again. I’m going to have Richard drive me over to Riley’s hotel, so we can go grab some coffee. Wish me luck?”

Giving him a friendly slap on his back, I said, “Everything will be fine, son. You’re incredible, and you already know Riley thinks so. When you tell her the truth, give her time to process it, and let her work it out on her own. I think Riley will understand. Hell, if I could, then she could.” My son laughed at me. I guess we needed that to lighten the storm we just survived. “Once you kiss and make up with your girl, it will only be a matter of time before her mother loves the Reed charm too.”

“Let’s hope so. I’ll be back soon.”

I couldn’t help but be jealous of Jackson. He was so happy and in love. I hadn’t had feelings like that for many years now. I still couldn’t find someone to share my life with, but I still only desired one woman who still remained bonded through the deepest depths of my soul.

I thought my world had shattered the day I discovered the note left for me by Reese. She explained why we couldn’t be together, and I should move on without her. I clutched the note to my chest and wrapped myself around a bottle of scotch until I couldn’t feel anything.

She left me, and all I was left with was a note. I didn’t know what I had done to make her decide to do that. I searched for her all over the city, leaving no stone unturned. Her apartment had been emptied, leaving no trace of Reese. I banged on the doors of the few friends she had known, but they were all shocked as much as I was.

The only person I knew who would have known something was Freddy, as he was her roommate when she first arrived in New York. They were very close, and he had to know something. Arriving at his apartment left me with another dead end. He had left town days before, and no one knew when he would return. Freddy’s uncle had been there cleaning the already abandoned apartment. He was my last hope, and I was at a loss.

I left numerous messages on her voicemail until her inbox was full. She never returned any of my phone calls.
Why, Reese? Where are you?
I was angry and hurt by her betrayal. My actions only proved to my old man that he was right about her and I should forget I ever knew Reese Mitchell. I tried my best to keep Reese isolated from my family. My mother was always kind, but Phillip was another story. He had a plan for me that didn’t include Reese. I argued constantly with him and told him to mind his own business. Now after Reese left me, it gave him the opportunity to say, “I told you so, Walker.” Oh, how that killed me.

The months that followed, I found myself lost. I was just merely existing, and my full life that I had was reduced to an empty shell. I retreated from everything that mattered. I was nursing my broken heart the only way I knew how…alone. This should have been a happy time for me; I was about to graduate and begin working with my father. Reese had planned on joining me in California; she was going to continue with graduate school and model part-time.

My last night I spent with Reese was amazing. We had dinner delivered and made love through the night in front of the fireplace. I knew every inch of her body, and she knew mine. We worshiped each other as I made her mine over and over again. I could never get enough of Reese, especially when we made love. Reese willingly gave herself to me in every way possible. We made promises to each other that night and planned our future. I believed with my whole heart that she loved me and that we would be together forever.

The next morning while she was still asleep, my phone rang. I answered it quickly, not wanting to wake her. It was my father’s assistant asking me to come down to the office. An emergency had arisen, and my immediate attention was needed. I was hesitant at first but was assured that it shouldn’t take long. How wrong she was. If I hadn’t left Reese that morning, then she wouldn’t have left me.

My biggest regret was leaving her, as well as the events that followed. I had other plans that were occupying my mind, but if I could hurry and finish up with whatever was happening at the office, then I could return home to Reese. I leaned in and kissed Reese on her forehead and whispered “I love you” close to her ear. I had left my beauty sleeping soundly. When I finally did return home, she was gone. The lights were off. The darkened room was cold. Something felt not right. I searched and called out for Reese, and only silence greeted me back.

“Where are you?” I whispered, as panic rose in my chest. I entered my bedroom to find her letter left for me. The sight of the letter instantly sickened me. Bile was rising up into my throat as I reached for it.
What the hell happened?
I began pacing the bedroom as if she would materialize at any moment.

My eyes traveled the room looking for her once more, now seeing that her things were gone, and confirming what I had known the minute I stepped inside my apartment. Reese had left me.

I held her note with my shaky hand. It read…

Her words left me emptied and broken. Why did she think that leaving me was better? Her goodbye letter shattered me and splintered my heart into thousands of pieces. I was left to question every detail of our relationship from the moment I laid eyes on my beautiful girl. Why did she leave me? And in the manner she did? Reese vanished without a trace. No matter who I hired to find her, it was always a dead end. She was a ghost that just vanished. Her actions proved to me that she didn’t want me to find her.

Before meeting Reese, my entire future was planned out for me, and then she turned it upside down and changed the course of my life with just her smile. I loved that girl with every fiber in my being, and I never doubted her feelings for me. I begged her to trust me and not run, but in the end, that’s exactly what she did. If it weren’t for my best friend Elizabeth pulling me out of my self-induced circle of suffering, I think I would have sunken even lower into the depths of my despair. I drank too much, and I cut out my friends and family. All I wanted was Reese, and it was clear to everyone but me that she wasn’t returning home to me, where she belonged.

Elizabeth was my lifeline during that time. Growing up together, she knew me better than anyone else. Elizabeth loved me, and never missed a beat telling me so. I always cared for her, but never returned her affections that she so desperately wanted. I knew my rejection and parading endless girls around Elizabeth had hurt her. I guess I was a bit of a man whore back then. I was a Reed, and my name carried clout around town. My entire perspective changed the day my eyes met Reese’s in the library. Reese had stopped me in my tracks, and the days of bedding nameless faces were over for me.

I only had eyes for Reese Mitchell. My entire life shifted off course, and I had never been happier. I remembered everything about her and how in the end, she was the one person that hurt me the most. Then there was Elizabeth, my friend, my savior.

While mourning my lost relationship with Reese, Elizabeth put me back together again. At times when I was cold and heartless, Elizabeth set me straight, and in the end, I let my defenses down. One weekend in the Hamptons was the game changer for Elizabeth and me.

Glancing down at my watch, I was brought back into the present. It had been a while since my son left. I was about to call him when I heard him call out to me first.

“Dad!”

“Hey, there you are, and you’re smiling. I guess all is well with you and Riley?”

“She’s amazing, dad. Richard drove us to the coffee house that I had taken her to when we met again last year. She was so happy to see me. All I wanted to do was hold her, and pray she would understand and forgive me. I guess she sensed my tension and asked me what was wrong. Dad, she actually thought I was breaking up with her. I quickly explained to her that was not the case, and just blurted out my real name. She was taken aback at first, and then I explained everything, and she told me that there was nothing to forgive. I knew what I was hearing, but still had a difficult time believing it until she wrapped her arms around my neck. She pulled me down to kiss her, and I was in, head over heels. She’s amazing, dad.”

“Yes, son, you’ve said that. I’m happy you worked it out. It will make our evening go a lot smoother knowing all the secrets are out in the open. Did she say how she will explain it to her mother?”

“Riley wasn’t too worried about it, so I’m not either.”

“Like I said earlier, women have a hard time resisting the Reed charm. Her mother will love you.”

“Well if anyone can charm a woman, it’s you, dad. I learned all my skills from you.”

I now let out a much needed laugh and looked back over to Jackson.

“You better believe it, son.”