VERSUS (Second Chances 2)

“No, let’s get to the part where she shows up in court to defend my client’s asshole of a husband.” I put the mug on the coffee table in front of me, so it doesn’t fall victim to the same fate as the glass tumbler.

“Back up the bus.” He settles into a chair across from me. “Lay out what happened here, Colt, because you’re all over the place and without a roadmap, I’m lost.”

I scrub the back of my neck with my hand. “I went to Veil East last night to blow off some steam before my court date this morning.”

“You went to the club you always go to so you could find a woman to fuck who looks like Eden.” He cocks a brow. “Don’t deny it. Every woman you’ve been with since high school looks like her.”

“I have a type,” I spit back.

“You brought her home and what?”

I raise both brows. “What the hell do you think happened?”

“I think that she didn’t tell you that she was Eden and you’re pissed.”

I am pissed. I’m confused. I’m fucking embarrassed that I didn’t see it her face, or hear it in her voice.

Both have changed since high school, but the pressing need inside of me to have her was different than the other women I’ve been with.

Kissing her was different.

Fucking her was so different.

I should have known.

“I fell asleep, she left, and I saw her in court this morning. That’s when she announced to everyone there that she was Eden Conrad.” I rake both hands through my hair. “I damn near passed out.”

Barrett lets out a deep laugh. “I would have paid money to see the look on your face.”

“Is there a chance in hell that she didn’t know who I was?” The question may sound arrogant, but I’m grasping for understanding here and I’m willing to consider every possibility.

“Maybe you weren’t worth remembering.” He loosens his tie. “Who the hell knows why she didn’t tell you her name.”

“Why didn’t I know it was her?” I ask the question, as much to myself as to him.

“You’ve been looking for her in so many faces over so many years, that you lost sight of her.” He takes a sip from the coffee mug in his hand. “Besides, how the hell could you have known she was in New York? The last we heard she was in Ohio. That’s the last we heard, right?”

He’s asking if I’ve tracked her since high school.

I have.

I Googled her name for years hoping to find a social media profile or a recent image, but I always came up empty.

The last time either of us saw Eden was at the house of one of our classmates. His parents gave him the green light for a graduation celebration for the entire senior class. We left for the airport just as the party was winding down. Exploring Europe ate up the next two months of our lives before we landed back in Chicago to go our separate ways for college.

Barrett headed west to the University of Southern California. NYU brought me east. Once I had a taste of the city, I knew it was home.

“That’s the last we heard,” I confirm with a nod.

“Let’s look at the bright side here, Colt. I know you’re thinking the same thing I am.”

I study his face. “What the fuck am I thinking, Barrett?”

“You’re thinking that Eden Conrad doesn’t blame you for what happened fifteen years ago. If she did, she sure as hell wouldn’t have come home with you.”

I don’t know what the hell I’m thinking.

He stands. “I’m beat. We’ll pick this up tomorrow but one last thing.”