Page 10 of Dragon Daddy's Second Chance

CHAPTER 6

***BLAKE***

Blake caught up to Wren on the shore, but resisted the urge to reach out and pull her into his arms. He had done exactly what he’d promised himself that he wouldn’t do and brought up the past. He hadn’t meant to go down that path, but hearing that she’d never fulfilled her dream of going to college had made the loss he was already feeling even more intense. He’d always seen her living the life she’d always dreamed of, the sacrifice she’d made worth it, but that illusion had now been shattered with all the rest.

“Wren, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said. “I’m sure you had very good reasons for walking away from us. I shouldn’t have brought it up, but all these years, I’ve been imagining you making your dreams come true. It helped me make sense of you just disappearing like you did. It helped me get through the days and nights without you.”

Wren stood motionless for several long minutes, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as the waves washed over her feet, then he saw her relax just a little. “You’ve been thinking about me all this time?” she asked, her voice barely above awhisper. “I thought you’d move on, that you’d find someone…better suited for you than me.”

“Better suited for me? That doesn’t sound like you,” he said, taking a few steps toward her. “You’re the only woman for me, Wren; you’re the one who’s suited for me, as you put it. It was true six years ago, and it’s still true now.”

Wren started shaking her head. “It wouldn’t have worked then, and it won’t work now,” she said. “I’m sorry, Blake, we come from different worlds, a fact you hid from me, which tells me that you know I’m right.”

“Different worlds, what is that supposed to mean?” he asked, stepping closer. “I didn’t hide anything from you. We were planning a future together, Wren.”

She whirled on him, eyes flashing with anger. “Oh, I see, and when were you planning on telling me about your rich parents and their plans for you?” she asked, taking a couple of steps toward him. “At least if I’d known I wouldn’t have looked like an idiot when your mother ambushed me on the dock, I would have been prepared for the vile things she said to me.”

“My mother?” he asked, not sure that he’d heard correctly. “When did you meet my mother?”

“The day I left, you idiot,” she said, shoving him. “She showed up on the dock and explained very clearly why she would never let me marry you, made it very clear what our lives would be like if you did. I was too shocked at first to understand exactly what she meant, but she was happy to elaborate, happy to let me know exactly how I would be treated by your family and friends.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, stepping up to her until they were almost touching. “I was ready to give it all up for you. I hated that life, Wren. I wanted to do something real with my life, and that’s why I was working for your dad. I didn’t want what my parents were offering me; I wanted you.I didn’t care about the money or the social status, and I still don’t.”

“You would have been sorry eventually. You would have grown to hate me for making you give up so much,” she said, shaking her head. “Don’t you see, your mother was right, and I wanted…to remember you the way I’d seen you the last time.”

“She wasn’t right; she’s a mean, controlling woman who was only out to get what she wanted. Walking away from her and that life wouldn’t have been a great sacrifice,” he said. “If you’d just come to me, we could have worked it out. We still can, it’s not too late. I still care about you, Wren, I still want you in my life.”

Her eyes filled with sadness, and his heart sank. “It’s too late, Blake,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself again. Too much has changed. We can’t go back to the kids we were back then; we’re different people now.”

“Not that different. My heart still pounds when I see you; I still want to hold you in my arms as soon as I get close to you; I still recognize your scent, Wren,” he said, reaching up to stroke her cheek. “Fate brought us together again, I can’t just walk away from you. I’ve waited too long to have you back in my life. Isn’t what we still share worth something to you?”

Tears began to roll down Wren’s cheeks. “Oh, Blake, please stop. You just don’t understand,” she said, stepping away from him. “What we had is gone. There’s nothing left. It died out long ago. You’re just holding onto a memory. It’s time for both of us to move on.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do, but I’m trying to do it with you,” he said, then closed the distance between them and took her face in his hands. “If you can look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t care about me anymore, I’ll walk away and leave you alone. I’ll never bother youagain, even if it feels like I’m having my heart ripped out.”

Wren wouldn’t meet his eyes at first, but he waited her out, and she finally looked up at him, then let out a little sigh as her arms dropped to her sides. She opened her mouth and closed it again. A fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks, and he used his thumb to wipe them away, but he still didn’t say anything or let her go.

“I can’t,” she finally croaked. “I don’t want you to leave me alone, I’ve missed you every minute since we’ve been apart, but it’s not just about what we want…”

Before she could finish her sentence, he pulled her into his arms, lowered his mouth to hers, and kissed her, instantly igniting the passion between them. It felt so right to have her in his arms again; he never wanted to let her go. He broke off the kiss, not wanting to push Wren too hard, then stood arms wrapped around her, thanking the powers that had brought her back to him.

“Will you have dinner with me tonight?” he asked, pulling back and looking down at her. “I promise we don’t have to talk about the past; we can focus on the future if that’s what you want. We both made mistakes, but it doesn’t matter anymore; we’re together again.”

***Wren***

“He kissed you,” Susan interrupted, her face filled with surprise, bouncing on the couch. “Oh my God, he actually kissed you. What was it like?”

“It was a kiss,” she said, but felt her cheeks turning pink, the memory making her entire body begin to fill with warmth. “It was just a quick kiss, actually. It only lasted a few seconds, so it was no big deal.”

“Liar, it was a big deal, wasn’t it?” Susan asked, narrowingher eyes at Wren. “And don’t you dare try to lie to me. I always know when you’re lying, missy.”

She let out a long sigh. “Fine, it was one of the best kisses I’ve ever had,” she said, feeling like she wanted to cry. “It was like coming home after being gone a long time, and I just wanted it to go on forever and ever. Now, are you happy?”

“I’m sorry, Wren, I was just happy for you,” Susan said, then hesitated. “Wren, you should tell him about Theo; Blake really cares about you; he wouldn’t try to take him away from you.”

“But his mother would, and I can’t take that risk, at least not right now,” she said, shaking her head. “It might be different if I knew for sure that I’d have Blake on my side, but I don’t trust him yet. I just can’t risk it. I need to find out what kind of a man he is now, I need to know that he’ll stand up to his parents. Theo is my entire life, Susan, I can’t risk losing him.”

Susan was silent for a second, then a smile spread across her face. “Well, telling him that he’s the father of a five-year-old boy would certainly be a test of what kind of man he is,” she said. “You could do a gender reveal kind of thing, light some blue sparklers…”

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