Page 9 of Dragon Daddy's Second Chance

“I can’t, I still love her,” he said. “I’ve never gotten over her. It’s been six years, and I still miss her like she walked away from me yesterday. I just need to see her for a second; I just need to know that I didn’t dream the whole thing. I don’t know what I did, how I hurt her, but I never meant to; you have to believe me.”

He saw the moment Susan began to give in, saw the softening of her eyes, and waited, holding his breath, hope fluttering in his chest. “Fine, I’ll let her know that you’re here,” she said, letting out a long sigh. “But I’m not making any promises so don’t get your hopes up.”

He paced up and down the hallway, too nervous to stand still. The minutes ticked by on the clock on the wall, one, two, three, and he began to lose hope. But he reminded himself that this was his first try. He wasn’t going to give up that easily, not when he had Wren cornered on the island. She’d talk to him eventually, if not now, then tomorrow or the day after. He’d seen the look in her eyes, seen the passion he remembered so well, and he wasn’t going to let it slip through his fingers again.

Susan wasn’t exactly smiling when she came back out of the room, but his heart leaped anyway, and he took a deep breath, hoping he didn’t look too anxious. “I can’t believe I’m on your side, but I talked her into seeing you tomorrow,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “That’s the best I can do. I think she needs some time to get used to the idea, but let me give you a piece of advice: no more secrets; complete honesty is the only way that you’re going to get her back.”

“I never lied to her,” he said, defending himself. “I was always honest with her.”

“Lies of omission count too, and that’s all I’m going to say about it,” Susan said. “Wren will meet you in the village for breakfast at nine tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you,” he said, beaming at her. “I don’t know why you decided to help me, but I’ll be eternally grateful.”

“You’d better not screw this up,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him. “Wren has already been hurt enough.”

“I don’t want to hurt her,” he said. “I want to love her for the rest of my life.”

***Wren***

Wren climbed down the ladder, wishing she’d agreed to let Susan come with her. Then, she looked up at the doorway where her best friend was standing watching her, a look of concern on her face. Seeing Blake after all the time that had passed wasn’t going to be easy, especially when she was still in love with him, but she couldn’t risk losing her son and dealing with him now was the only way to make sure that didn’t happen. She had to find a way to make him understand that what they’d shared was gone and make him believe that she didn’t love him anymore, and would never love him again.

When she’d walked away from him six years ago, it had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done. This would be even worse, this time she’d have to face him, and there would be no running away. Taking a deep breath to calm her pounding heart, she reminded herself what was at stake, and when Theo’s little face popped into her head, she felt her resolve strengthening.

She’d do and say whatever was necessary to keep her son in her life and never complain again about her job, their crummy apartment, or the challenges of being a single mother. Her happiness would always come second to Theo’sneeds. He was her baby, and it was her job to protect him. They might not have all the benefits that come with being rich, but there was love in their home, something that was worth more than anything money could buy.

Her heart still skipped a beat when she saw Blake standing at the edge of the village waiting for her, but she was able to walk up to him without hesitating, reminding herself that he knew nothing about her life. A big smile spread across his face when he saw her, and she wished more than anything that they could have the reunion he clearly wanted, but she knew that was impossible, too much had happened since that day his mother had ambushed her at the dock.

“I’m so glad you came.” Blake said, searching her face. “I already ordered breakfast. I thought it might be easier.”

“Thank you, that was nice of you,” she said, fighting the urge to throw herself in his arms. “I can’t stay long though; I have a sailing lesson this morning, and I don’t want to miss it.”

“I’ve been taking lessons too,” Blake said, clearly relieved to find a safe subject. “I guess you still love the ocean as much as you used to.”

“I don’t get as much time on the water as I would like now, but sailing has been a lot of fun,” she said. “Montgomery is a great teacher. We’ve been having a lot of fun.”

“Yeah, he reminds me of some of the guys on your dad’s crew, he really knows his stuff,” Blake said. “Maybe we should go sit down. Our breakfast is probably getting cold.”

She followed him through the village to the food court, pausing when she saw a table draped with a white cloth and set for two. “It looks like you did a little more than just order us breakfast,” she said, touched at the effort and unable to hide the smile on her face. “You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Blake said, clearly pleased. “Come and sit down. I wasn’t sure what you wanted to eat, so I ordered a little of everything. You have to help me eat it all.”

She let him hold her chair while she sat down, and she found herself holding her breath when his scent drifted over her, making her feel warm all over. She fought off the feeling by taking deep breaths, reminding herself she just had to get through breakfast, and then she’d be free of him for good. As Blake filled his plate and they began to eat, an uncomfortable silence fell between them, all the things that had never been said all those years ago suddenly looming between them.

When Blake put down his fork and looked at her, she was sure that he was going to bring up the past. Instead, he studied her for a second. “You’re even more beautiful than I remember,” he finally said. “I want to know about your life now, Wren. I want to know all about you.”

She shrugged. “There’s not much to tell,” she said, pleased with how calm her voice sounded. “I manage a clothing store in one of the biggest malls in Dublin. It’s not my dream job, but it pays the bills, and I like the people I work with.”

“You didn’t go to nursing school?” Blake asked. “I thought…well…that was always your dream; I assumed when you left, that’s where you went.”

It took her a second to answer, the brief flash of pain in his eyes making it hard to speak. “Nursing school didn’t quite work out. I had to give up the idea,” she said. “Sometimes dreams don’t come true. We trade them for other things that become more important.”

Blake thought about that for a second, then shook his head. “I promised myself I wouldn’t bring up the past; I swore that I’d leave it alone, but I can’t,” he said, the pain back in his eyes. “When I thought that you left me to go to school, well, I could live with that, but now… What happened, Wren? Why did you leave without saying goodbye? Ithought we had the real thing. I thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together, and I thought that’s what you wanted to do, too.”

Her fork clattered onto her plate when a powerful wave of despair washed over her, laced with an overwhelming grief. The feeling was unlike anything she’d ever felt before, and it took her breath away and even made her feel a little dizzy. Trying to suck in a deep breath, she tried to push the feeling away, but it wouldn’t ease, and when she looked into Blake’s eyes, she saw the feelings mirrored there. Shaking her head, she could only stare at him, the realization that she was experiencing not only her own feelings, but his, slowly settling over her.

“It can’t be…this isn’t right…” she stammered rising shakily to her feet. “I shouldn’t have come…I can’t do this….”

Desperate to get away from Blake, she headed for the beach, hoping he wouldn’t follow her, but she heard his footsteps behind her and groaned as the emotions racing through her changed. Now filled with desperation, she fought for breath, beginning to feel dizzy just as she hit the shore and the waves washed over her feet.

---