Second Chance Love
I could tell by the look on his face he wasn’t pleased with my gesture, but since the children were there, he kept his mouth closed. Before giving it another thought, I left them alone and walked down to my stateroom.
Once I was there, I realized I could still hear them through the open window in the corner of the room.
I was about to close it when Caleb responded, “Evie will forever be the love of my life, baby girl.”
I sucked in a breath.
“If she’s the love of your life, Dad, why aren’t you together like that?”
“Yeah, Daddy. Why can’t she be our new mommy?”
Talk about breaking your heart…
“Evie is your uncle Jax’s little sister.”
“Really?” Ariel exclaimed. “We love Uncle Jax!”
“We all love Uncle Jax,” Caleb agreed. “Especially Evie. When I met her for the first time, I didn’t know she was Jax’s only family. Back then things were complicated, and to make a really long story short, I didn’t want Jax to know I had fallen in love with his sister.”
“Why?” Ethan questioned while I hung on to every word Caleb was sharing.
“Jax was very protective of her. Evie didn’t grow up with the best parents.”
“Was her mommy like our mommy?”
“Something like that, baby.”
“Oh…” Ethan muttered.
“What about now?” Ariel requested. “Can she be our new mommy because we really love her?”
“There’s a lot I have to make up for.”
“What did you do?”
He didn’t respond to Ethan’s question for what felt like forever.
“I broke her heart.”
“Oh, no, Daddy, why?”
“I ask myself that every day.”
Yeah … me too.
“Did you say you’re sorry?”
“It’s more than an apology, son. I owe her an explanation.”
What does he have to tell me?
“Maybe you should tell her.”
“I’m trying, Ariel.”
“She will forgive you because I think she loves you too.”
I jerked back, not expecting her to say that.
“She looks at you like Jasmine looks at Aladdin.”
I scoffed out a chuckle.
“I’ll keep that in mind, baby girl.”
“Dad, maybe you should tell her you love her.”
“I’m trying, Ethan.”
“Maybe you should try harder.”
“You know what, son? I think you’re right.”
My hand instinctively went to my heart. Except he wasn’t breaking it again.
He was mending it instead.
Chapter 24
Evie
“Darlin’…”
“Hmm,” I mumbled, stirring awake beneath my tangled white sheets as I faintly felt someone’s lips laying soft kisses down the side of my neck.
“Wake up, birthday girl…”
My eyes fluttered, trying to wake up, but my body wouldn’t allow it, and sleep won out. I was tired from spending so much time in the hot sun, falling asleep fast and hard as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Dreaming only about Caleb.
Even in my deep slumber, I could still smell his intoxicating scent.
I could feel his soft lips trailing along my skin, making his way down my stomach.
“Should I keep going?”
“Mmm hmm,” I hummed. Kiss by kiss, he pecked every inch of my heated skin until he reached the edge of my panties, making my body shudder at the heady feel of his mouth so close to my core.
I fisted my sheets.
Wanting.
Needing.
His tongue on my pussy.
When I felt his fingers tug the waist of my panties, my breathing hitched and my eyes snapped open, big and wide. Coming face to face with the last person I expected to see, hovering above me.
Caleb.
There was no way I was still dreaming, but if this happened to be a dream within a dream, then I didn’t want to wake up. In that moment, the world stopped spinning, stopped moving, and time just stood still for us.
“What are you doing?”
“I think that’s pretty obvious.” He grinned. “You said I could keep going.”
“I was sleeping.”
“I was trying to give you your birthday present.”
With everything that was going on, my birthday had slipped my mind.
“Should I keep going?”
I shook my head.
“Are you sure, birthday girl? There’s nothing else I’d rather do than make you come in my mouth.”
I was so disoriented.
“Your pussy wants me to keep going.”
“Yeah, well, it’s always wanted bad things for me.”
“I’ll make you feel really fucking good.”
“Where are the kids?”
“I love that you always think about them, Evie.”
“If they barge in here like their daddy—”
“I could get used to you calling me that.”
I rolled my eyes. “Can you please back up?”
“What? You used to love my face in your pussy.”
“Caleb, I mean it. If the kids—”
“They’re with Jennifer on the island.”
“Island? What time is it?”
“Almost noon.”
“What?” I exclaimed, caught off guard.
“It’s your birthday. I wanted you to sleep in.”
I grabbed my head. “My mind is spinning.”
“Let me take care of you then.”
“You’re the cause.”
He smiled.
“That’s not a good thing.”
“I could think of worst things.”
“Yes, because you’ve done them.”
“I’ve done some pretty great things too.”
“I don’t remember it that way.”
“As much as I’d love to continue where my mouth was headed, you need to get dressed.”
“You sure are using that word a lot this week.”
He smiled. “I’m making up for lost time.” With that, he pushed off the bed, ordering, “Get dressed. We’re leaving in twenty minutes.”