Page 38 of Your Second Chance
“Uh-huh.” She leaned forward, smirking. “But y’all need to figure it out. You go a whole month not talking to each other, and then, boom, he’s back like nothing happened, inserting himself into your life like he belongs there.”
I crossed my arms, shrugging, trying to play it cool. “He feels bad for me.”
“Psh.” Luna scoffed loudly, waving her hand dismissively. “Bullshit.”
Before I could fire back, a deep, familiar voice cut through the hum of the pub like a blade. “Bullshit’s right.”
My heart nearly stopped. I turned slowly, and there he was.
Ollie towered over me with that infuriatingly confident smirk playing on his lips.
“I don’t pity you, love.” His voice was low and steady, the words rolling off his tongue like they were absolute facts.
Before I could process what was happening, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.
I froze, my brain short-circuiting.It’s European,I told myself, clinging to the excuse like a lifeline.
Behind him, his mum bustled in with a beaming smile and pulled out a chair next to Luna.
“I’m so excited I can hardly contain myself,” she said brightly, settling in like this was the highlight of her week.
Luna’s eyes lit up as she extended her hand enthusiastically. “Hi, I’m Luna, Nova’s baby daddy.”
Ollie’s mum laughed and took her hand with a firm shake and a matching grin.
He glanced down at the remaining chair, then at me. “Guess that leaves me next to you,” he said, his eyes playful as they flicked to my stomach. “And my maybe competition.”
I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the warmth spreading across my cheeks, but Luna? She nearly fell off her chair laughing.
“What’s the plan here?” Ollie asked, leaning back in his chair, however much he could with his gigantic body.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Are we cutting a cake? Getting a colored pint?”
“What?” I blinked. Why did he know that? I would never do such a thing and have the spotlight on me. Way too much. “No. We’re all going to open this envelope, and that’s it.”
“Lame.” He waved to the waitress. “A pint for me and Mum will take a whiskey over ice.”
Ollie’s mom reached over and grabbed his shoulders. She had her hair up in a similar hairstyle to when we saw her last time, with two chopsticks holding up her wiry hair. She was dressed in a long, black dress with a red overcoat.
I pulled the envelope out of my bag and set it on the table.
I stared at it for a few long, hard seconds before I looked around the table. Luna was eyeing me warily.
“I’m going to go to the restroom first.” I stood up, leaving the envelope on the table.
I turned to head toward the bathroom, but instead found myself pushing out of the pub and into the street.
I needed some air. Just a little air, because all this was suffocating me. There was so much pressure, and somehow finding out the gender of the pomegranate would make it not a fruit but a person, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for it.
“Hey, love.”
I didn’t need to turn around to know exactly who it was.
“You forgot your coat.”
My warm coat was suddenly draped over my shoulders, and I turned to look at Ollie standing outside in the small light of the bar.
