One Wish Left

CHAPTER 26: SURPRISE

Hello, my lovely readers! Due to the holidays and the length of this chapter, I'm getting this one posted a little later than usual. Sorry about that! Hope it's worth the wait :)

Thanks again for reading. I appreciate you!
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Late the next morning, Laura strolled out of her bedroom, quite pleased and somewhat amazed at how many hours of sleep she'd gotten in the last 24 hours.

She felt reborn.

She lazily (and only slightly painfully) grabbed a mug from the cupboard and filled it with the coffee her mother had already made. Looking at the clock, she knew Ma would be at church by now. She and Kieran often went with her, but not always. Sometimes on Sundays, Laura enjoyed the peace of just being at home, doing nothing.

Laura grabbed a banana and sliced it over her cereal, then she filled the bowl with milk and added a splash to her coffee. She was feeling absolutely ravenous, so she decided to add a drizzle of peanut butter to her banana-cereal concoction. Satisfied this might do the trick, she sat down at the breakfast bar with her feast and perused the Sunday issue of the Chicago Tribune.

She was reading an editorial about the potential influence of mentors on young lives when a knock sounded on her front door.

Speaking of mentors, that must be the guys, she thought.        

Thinking of Jesse only reminded her of their steamy (literally) interaction the day before and of the even steamier dreams she'd had last night. She flushed as she tightened her bathrobe around herself—not that he hadn't already seen everything—and went to answer the door.

"Hi, babe," said Chad with a rueful smile.

"Oh!" she cried, a hand to her chest. "Wow! What a... pleasant surprise!"

He reached up to grab the top of her doorframe and leaned toward her, his face framed by his oversized biceps. "That's nice of you to say, although I'm sure you're not feeling too pleasant about me after our little talk." She was shaking her head to contradict him, but he swept through the doorway and swung his arms down to scoop her up in a tight hug. "I'm sorry, babe. I was such a jerk on the phone. I had to come here and apologize in person."

She hugged him back. He was familiar. Comfortable. Strong. "You are too sweet, Chad. I can't believe you came all this way!" They stepped apart. "I meant to call you yesterday. I wanted to let you know I was thinking of you."

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her intently, his gray eyes searching her face for the truth in her words. "Are you sure? I've been kicking myself for two days for what I said."

She smiled and tucked her hair behind one ear. "I understand, Chad. I really do. And it means a lot to me that you are here now. I've been spoiled with your impromptu visits lately," she said, biting her lip.

Ugh. She definitely still loved Chad.

How could one feel so completely torn?

"Where's the fam?" he asked, glancing around the apartment.

"Oh, Ma's at church, and Kieran had a sleepover." She turned and went back to the breakfast bar where she plopped down in Kieran's chair to finish her food. "Do you need anything?" she asked, pointing to her meal. "There's coffee. Help yourself to whatever."

"I'm good. Thanks, babe."

He turned to grab his bag from the hallway and walked back into the apartment in the opposite direction. As she watched him disappear into her bedroom to deposit his things, Laura's cheeks burned with the irrational thought that he might be able to sense everything that had taken place there the day before.