Page 44 of Accidentally Sliding Into A Second Chance

My heart stops before it sputters back to life. Cat’s question catches me completely off guard and yet it’s all sensitivity and perfection. I glance at Ava and Duncan, both watching Cat closely, Ava’s eyes glassy.

I bring my attention to Scarlett, and my heart aches a bit when my gaze meets hers. The wisdom shining back at me is far wiser than her short eight years of life on this planet. “Mommy wrote in her letters that she wanted you to find someone to love Daddy. She said one day a person would show up and I should give her a chance.”

All of the air has been sucked from the room and I can’t breathe. Once again, Fiona made sure to cover bases I never even considered. Her words, from Scarlett, feel like she’s here guiding me forward to a future that I’m not sure I’m ready to embrace.

“I think she would like Cat,” Scarlett smiles brightly and then turns toward Cat. “Just like me and Emmy do. Right, Emmy?”

An ‘oink’ breaks the tension, and the emotional moment is broken as shaky laughs ripple throughout the room.

Scarlett’s eyes light up as if she just came up with the best idea. She grabs Cat’s hand and yells, “You’re gonna be the best fake mom ever!”

I glance at Cat and see a flicker of longing that’s quickly replaced with a question. She’s silently asking me if I’m still okay moving forward. The tightness in my chest loosens, and I nod as the corner of my lips lift.

Yes, this is crazy, and no, I’m not sure I’m ready for it.

I’m worried about my daughter getting attached, and maybe if I’m honest, me getting attached too. Yet the certainty I felt that day in the park is still here.

Cat is the right person, at the right time, and we both need each other.

She grins at Scarlett, then turns back to me and nods. Her smile lingers a bit too long, and my pulse quickens. “Guess that settles it, we’re getting married.”

“Areyousureyouwant to do this?” Duncan’s voice is laced with concern as we wait in my truck for Scarlett and Ava. Emmy is at Love It and Leaf It since I figured that would be easier than bringing her with us to the ceremony. “Finn’s not always right, you know.”

I turn toward Duncan and narrow my eyes at him. His tight lips start to quiver, and lift at the corner before he shrugs sheepishly. “Okay, maybe he is. But this is big, David.”

I called Finn for additional details about Adam and Susie’s wedding before me and Cat went to the county clerk’s office on Friday for a marriage license. He told me about the locationwhere they got married, which is beautiful, and then reached out to the officiant and photographer they used.

They’re meeting us there in an hour, and so is Finn.

To my surprise, Finn didn’t encourage me to get married. In fact, our conversation was very similar to the one Duncan and I just had, which was…unexpected.

I’ve had plenty of time to look at what I’m doing, and although I have doubts, a bunch of them, this still feels like the right thing to do.

“It’s okay, Dunc, I want to do this.” I run my hands over the steering wheel, then push out a breath, lowering my head. “Cat and I both need this. I know it’s big, but I’d be lying if I said there isn’t something between us.”

He clasps my shoulder and squeezes. “That’s why I’m worried.”

I nod.

“Things can get blurry really quick,” Duncan mutters. “And after Fiona—” He blows out a heavy sigh, “You were a mess, David.”

“I know, Duncan.” The front door closes, and I hear Ava and Scarlett talking happily as they make their way over to the truck. I can see Scarlett skipping, and my mouth pulls up. “I can’t explain why this feels right, but it does.”

He squeezes my shoulder one last time and looks pointedly at me before nodding. “Just be careful.”

The door opens, and Scarlett slides in like someone just wound her up, and Ava’s gaze shifts between the two of us before meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. Unlike Duncan, her eyes are bright. She had talks with Fiona about this situation, and like Scarlett, she has a feeling about Cat.

Placing a hand on Duncan’s shoulder from behind, she squeezes. “Who’s ready for a wedding?”

“Meeeeeee!” Scarlett bounces in her seat.

Putting the car in reverse, I pull out of the driveway and start the drive to Lookout Mountain Park, ignoring the knot twisting my stomach.

The car is filled with Ava and Scarlett’s chatter which is, thankfully, making it difficult to hear the thoughts running through my head.

Entering the park, I see the lot Finn mentioned on the left. Turning in, I park next to Cat’s CRV to find her and Finn talking on the other side, and my breath hitches at the sight of her.

Her blue eyes sparkle, her skin is slightly flushed, and her brown wavy hair is down around her shoulders as the wind gently blows through it.

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