Page 86 of Second Chance Fate

Her brow furrowed deeply as she looked up at him in confusion. “Your parents are thekindestpeople in the world;of coursewe’ll be okay.”

Hearing her say that, to classify them in that way, made him love her even more. The three words were on the tip of his tongue; actually, they were trying to burst from his mouth likethe Kool-Aid Man through the wall. He’d said them to her when she slept, but he didn’t want the first time she heard him say them to be when he was leaving.

“Go,” she encouraged him again.

He pressed a quick kiss on her forehead before stepping away reluctantly and heading toward the Bat Signal of Responsibility.

With one final glance over his shoulder at Taylor’s calming presence bathed in twilight hues against the vibrant sunset skies to keep in his mind—a sight he tried to memorize to keep with him always—he put his mind to the task at hand so he could fulfill his duty as fast as humanly possible so he could get back to their shared cocoon of serenity, of love, of home.

26

Taylor sether phone on the bathroom counter, and keeping one foot planted on the black and white checkered flooring, she leaned into the shower to turn the knob to the H. As she waited for the water to warm up, she sat on the bench beside the clothes basket. She was tired. The last two days had taken a lot out of her, not so much physically, but emotionally and mentally.

The talk with Owen and then going to see Caleb’s parents, which was sort of like being initiated into the family, had been huge emotional hurdles, which, thankfully, she’d managed to clear both without any problems. George and Annie could not have been more welcoming, and she still could not get over how much Annie resembled her Imaginary Mom, not only in appearance but also in the nickname she’d given Taylor. “Sweet Pea” was not as common as, say, “sweetie” or “honey.” It was definitely on the unique side.

She’d never been a huge believer in fate; why would she when her life hadn’t exactly been fate-worthy. But lately her mind was beginning to change on the subject. It started months ago, when Casper came back to her after Leah found him thirty miles from Martin’s house, and then it had snowballed from there.

The nickname was just one piece of the fate puzzle. There was also her and Caleb getting married on the twelve-year anniversary of the day they met. He told her that nugget of destiny right after they signed the paperwork, and she got goosebumps. And then there was Minnie, who had several pieces of fate woven into the fabric of her story. The day that Caleb found her on the side of the road was the same day that Taylor left Martin, and what were the chances that she’d have the same chronic conditions as Owen?

Maybe this all was fate. Maybe for once everything in her life was actually going to work out for the best. Maybe she didn’t have to wait for the other shoe to drop.

She stood, leaned forward, and tested the water, making sure it was the perfect temperature before slipping out of her robe, the terrycloth slid off her shoulders and pooled at her feet. When she looked at herself in the mirror, shereally lookedat her naked body. It had been so long since she’d viewed herself through a sexual lens. Martin had made her feel so self-conscious, or at least added to how she already felt. He constantly pointed out her many insecurities. Her legs were too short. Her thighs were flabby. Her hips were too wide after she gave birth. Her breasts sagged after breastfeeding. He’d tried to insist on her having a “mommy makeover” when Owen was two, but she refused because she was scared to go under the knife in case anything happened to her. She wasn’t going to risk dying and leaving her very ill son for the sake of vanity.

Instead, she lived for years with him chipping away at her self-esteem. She hated being naked in front of him and went to great lengths to avoid it. After a while, she started to hate being naked, even alone.

But being with Caleb, only the one night, had given her a new appreciation for her body. It wasn’t that she thought she looked any better. This wasn’t about an inflated sense of appearance.It was about the way her bodyfeltwhen she was with him. Pleasure. Sensuality. Gratification. Fulfillment.

Even thinking about their time together now had her flushing with arousal and tingling. Her hand slid down her belly, and she closed her eyes as her fingers slid between her legs. The pad of her middle finger caressed her already sensitive nub and she flicked it, causing a thrumming sensation of pleasure to pool in her core when there was a soft knock on the door. She gasped, startled by the intrusion during her private moment, then quickly grabbed the towel off the counter. Caleb was still at the church dealing with the break-in when she’d decided to take a shower, but he must have gotten home since Owen was over at Jonah’s.

She opened the door and found herself staring at a very broad, very muscular chest. Her gaze lifted past Caleb’s strong neck, square jaw covered in stubble that had scraped against her inner thigh, up to his eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes filled with concern. “My mom said you were tired.”

“Oh, yeah.” She lifted her hand and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, feeling a little self-conscious. She wasn’t used to people being worried about her or discussing her when she wasn’t around. “I’m fine. I just yawned, and she asked what was wrong, and I said I was a little tired, so she insisted I come home and rest. She and your dad dropped Owen off at Jonah’s for me so I didn’t have to drive even though I told her I was fine and it was only a couple blocks away.”

He nodded, and she watched as he exhaled and his shoulders dropped as if he was visibly relieved. Had he actually been that concerned about her being tired? Surely not.

“Was everything okay at the church? Well, not okay, but…”

“Yeah, probably just kids. There was a broken window and a few drawers that were tossed on the ground, but it doesn’t look like anything was stolen.”

“Oh, good.” She nodded and tightened the knot in the center of her towel.

“In or out?” he asked, his voice suddenly dropping an octave.

Her head tilted to the side. “What?”

“Shower?” he rasped.

“Oh, I was just about to get in.”

He took a step forward, crossing the threshold to the bathroom, causing her to take a step back.

“What are you doing?” she asked, despite having a pretty good idea as her heart thumped so hard and fast she was surprised it didn’t cause her towel to slip right off.

“You just said you were tired.” The door clicked softly as he pushed it shut and twisted the lock—an unmistakable signal that they were alone and that nothing outside this room could intrude. “I can’t, in good conscience, let you take a shower without supervision.”

“In good conscience?” she repeated as her breaths grew more and more shallow.

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