Page 14 of The Biker's Second Chance
She's not wrong. If I knew she was carrying my child, I would have moved heaven and earth to be here for her. I would have risked a life sentence for her.
Instead, Gina was alone, and she bled out our baby all alone.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
I enfold her in my arms, and she leans into me. I rub her back, wanting to comfort her, but it doesn’t feel like enough. I’ll never make up for not being there when she needed me.
“I was so lonely, Sean. I was so scared.”
Her body starts to heave as tears fall down her cheeks.
All the years I’ve known Gina, I've never seen her cry. Now the tears slide down her cheeks, tears that she’s kept back for the last seven years.
And they're not delicate tears either. They’re big wracking sobs. Snot drips from her nose, and her mascara runs down her cheeks. It’s messy and raw and makes me love her all the more.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper over and over again, knowing it will never be enough.
We don’t talk anymore; I just hold her as she lets all the hurt and anguish out. Everything she’s been holding inside for the last seven years.
I don’t know if it’s the whiskey, or the confession, or the hurt that’s finally being shared, but eventually she sags against me, exhausted.
I help her into bed, peeling her shoes off and tucking her under the blankets.
“I’m glad you told me, love, and I'm so sorry. I can't change what's happened. But I can promise you that from now on you’ll never be alone. I never stopped loving you, Gina. I thought about you every single day since I left. It’s you I’ve come back for.”
She squints up at me, her eyes raw from crying.
“Once I got over the shock of it and the pain and the heartache and the loss and the grief, I promised myself I'd never let a man get close to me again. It’s too risky, to lose a man and a baby within a few weeks. I couldn’t go through that again.”
I hate that she made that vow to herself, that she was so damaged and broken. I take her hand in mine.
“I’ll stick around, I promise. Now go to sleep.”
Her eyes flutter shut, and she leans back on the pillow. I keep her hand in mine until her breathing gets steady and regular.
7
SEAN
Once Gina’s breathing gets deep and regular, I unclasp her hand from mine and lay it gently on the bed. I’m almost to the door when she stirs behind me.
“Stay.” Her voice comes out as a whisper so faint I almost miss it.
“I thought you were asleep.”
“Stay with me.”
Her arm is outstretched, reaching for me. She looks so vulnerable, and after what she’s just told me, I don’t blame her for not wanting to be alone.
“I’ll stay as long as you want, love.”
Slipping off my shoes, I slide onto the bed next to Gina and pull her toward me so her back’s pressed against my chest. She feels familiar and yet different, her body fuller and more sensual.
I run my hand over her hair, smoothing down her locks and tucking them behind her ear. Her neck is exposed, and her soft skin is too tempting.
“Gina,” My lips press against her neck. “It feels good to hold you in my arms again.”
My kisses move down her spine as far as her t-shirt will allow me. I feel her shiver under my touch, and then she moves her hips against me.
