The Trouble With Us: A Second Chance Love Triangle (The Forbidden Love 2)

In the throes of passion, I’ve committed a sin.

I can spin it in my head a thousand times, justify what happened outside as a momentary lapse, but nothing will change the fact that I allowed myself to succumb to temptation. I threw all caution to the wind, disregarded the feelings of the people I love, all to satisfy my own selfish needs.

And the guilt of my sins is a painful companion slowing my every move.

But despite the guilt weighing me down, the truth finally revealed itself. What me and Will have is something unexplainable.

It’s a magnetic force.

The air we breathe.

Being with him tonight only unraveled what my heart had fought against all this time.

Every touch was like fireworks. He commanded my body as if it belonged to only him. And with every kiss, every contact, I fell into a deeper spell, desperate to feel him all over me. My hands moved on their own accord, frantically touching every part of him for fear of never being able to touch him again.

I don’t want to lose him again.

There has never been a man to make me feel all the things Will Romano makes me feel, and that thought alone is terrifying. I’d been there years ago, and the last time I felt all those things—I climbed in a very dark place when it all fell apart.

The wound is still exposed, raw on the edges with never a genuine chance of healing. I tried by saying yes to marrying Austin, but it was all a lie.

A lie I’ve spun for myself and everyone around me.

As I walk back inside the house, I brace myself for seeing Austin, only to see my father walking toward the bathroom.

His eyes fall upon my own, growing still to observe me better. There is a look of disappointment, at least—it’s why I think he is quietly watching me.

“Amelia, is everything okay?”

I purse my lips, shaking my head. “No, Dad, it’s not.”

He releases a heavy sigh. “Do you want to talk?”

“I need to think.”

He doesn’t say another word. With a slight nod, he places his hands in his pockets and lowers his gaze upon the floor. But Dad is never one to keep his opinion to himself, so I wait for him to berate me for my careless actions.

“Amelia—”

I cut him off, raising my hand, too tired to run this circle anymore. “You warned me to be careful. But dad, Will is not the one causing the damage. It’s me, okay? So, if you want to blame anyone, blame me. I shouldn’t have said yes to marrying Austin, not when I am still in love with Will.”

I’m waiting for the yelling, the shouting, the ‘how dare you still love him’ speech. Although it never comes. Instead, he closes the distance between us to pull me into an embrace. I bury my face into his shirt as he strokes my hair, but my tears are nowhere to be found, trapped under all the guilt.

Despite my father being part of the problem, his love for me remains unconditional. Through all my mistakes and my many flaws—he always forgives me, and I cannot imagine my life without his love and support.

“I love him, Dad. And I know you don’t want to hear that.”

“I don’t,” he admits truthfully while pulling away. “But I am not going to lose you again.”

“You never lost me.” I barely manage a smile as he touches my cheek. “It’s not possible.”

I excuse myself to go outside with slightly more confidence from my talk with my father. Perhaps what I needed all along was the reassurance from the man I held high with regard. The ongoing feud between my father and Will plays a massive role in our future, but for now, I need to put it aside to focus on the person who deserves an explanation.

And more importantly—an apology.

I walk back outside to almost everyone up on a makeshift dancefloor and dancing. Uncle Rocky has requested UB40’s “Red Red Wine,” his go-to song for every event. He is having the time of his life. I choose not to join them just yet and sit beside Austin.

Seeing couples on the dancefloor, openly expressing their love, only cements my thoughts of Will. All our moments together were stolen moments, down to our New Year’s Eve in Times Square.