Only You (Second Chances Series Book 1)

Call me lucky...

"Well, hello, Lily Michaels. I see you're feisty as ever. "

I can't believe my luck. After being back in town for just one day, I run into none other than Lily Michaels. It's amazing to see her again after all this time, and she's even more beautiful than I remembered. At only 5"3', she's petite, and I tower over her. Her hair is longer now, a rich chocolate brown cascading in waves down her back. At that moment, all I can think about is running my fingers through it and pulling her in for a kiss. I shake my head to clear my thoughts, trying to focus on the present. But it's hard not to notice her amazing curves, perfectly accentuated in her tight tank top and jeans. Memories flood back into my mind of our bodies pressed together, and I have to shake my head again to snap out of it. This is not the time or place for these thoughts. Finally, Lily speaks and brings me back to reality.

"Ollie, what are you doing here? I thought you were living in Chicago?" Her voice is steady, but I can hear the underlying tension. It’s been years since we last spoke, and I wonder if she’s thinking about the same things I am—the late-nights together, the laughter, the way we used to dream about our futures together.

"I was, up until yesterday. I got a job offer here in town that I couldn't pass up." I give her a crooked smile. "Happy to see me?" I shouldn't ask that question, not after the way things ended between us. Besides, the answer is most likely no, but that doesn't stop the words from coming out of my mouth.

She hesitates. A look of sadness crosses her face, and for a minute, I think she's going to turn and walk away.

"Ollie, of course, I'm happy to see you. It's been a long time."

"Seven years." We both stare at each other, remembering that last night together. She finally looks away and clears her throat. "I should -"

I take a step closer, placing a finger under her chin so I search her eyes for a hint of the girl I knew all those years ago. She's harder now, more closed off, but I still see her in there.  "Do you want to tell me what that was all about in there?"

She seemed frozen for a minute, and I wondered if she felt the same jolt of electricity that I did when I touched her. She steps back, and her heavy breathing leads me to believe that she did. Interesting.

"That was my asshole boyfriend of two years showing up at the bar with another woman and then proceeding to tell me that it's just not working out between us anymore."

"Ouch."

"I'll show him ouch!" She starts to try to move around me again, but I reach my arm out to my side and grab her around the waist.

"Wait," I say, my voice low and steady. "Before you go off and do something you'll regret, let’s talk about it."

She looks up at me, her eyes wide and a mix of anger and vulnerability swirling within them. "What’s there to talk about? He just tossed me aside like I was nothing."

I can feel the tension in her body, the way her muscles are coiled tight, and ready to spring into action. "I get it. It hurts. But trust me, going after him right now won’t change anything. You deserve better than that." Her body softens some. "Besides, you promised, no ripping of balls. Remember?" I don't let go of her. And she doesn't try to pull away. Instead, she turns her head and looks at me with those beautiful brown eyes, and I see that some of the anger is gone. It's now replaced with hurt. Her eyes start to shine with unshed tears.

I pull her in front of me, cup the sides of her face as I bend down so that we're eye to eye. "Hey, that asshat is not worth it. Do you hear me? You, Lillian Marie Michaels, deserve so much more than what someone who would treat you like that can offer you."

Apparently, that is the wrong thing to say because the waterworks start then. I pull her close to me and just hold her as she lets it all out. Finally, she pulls back and looks me in the eye. "How can you say that after the way I treated you? Ollie, I was awful to you, and here you are being nice to me. Why? "

As I look into her eyes, I contemplate telling her the truth, but I know that if I do, she'll run. Whatever it was that had her scared out of her mind seven years ago is still there. I see it clearly in her eyes. So I know I have to take it slow with her and not spook her.

I push the hair out of her face and wipe away the tears with my thumb. "Because we're friends, and I'm a nice guy, and I can't have you thinking you deserve to be treated like that. Because you don't, Lil."

She wipes away more tears with the back of her hand, her eyes searching mine for understanding. "But I pushed you away. I was awful to you."

"You were going through something back then, and I get that now. It doesn't change the fact that you deserve to be respected and loved."

"So were friends? "

"Yes, of course, unless you have too many already and don't have room for one more." She laughs and shakes her head. "Of course not. I would like for us to be friends."

Just then, her friends, along with mine, all come out of the bar. Kate, who I remember from school, is the first to speak. "Oh my God, can you believe that dickhead?"

Another woman that I don't know chimes in, "I threw my drink on him."

That gets a smile out of Lily, "Of course you did, Emma. I bet that went over well."

Kate shrugs, "He deserved it and poor Brittany may or may not have been caught in the crossfire."

Millie, who I also remember from school runs over to Lily and hugs her. "Are you ok?"

"Yes. Oliver talked me out of ripping Steven's balls off." Just then all three of her friends turned in my direction like they just now realized I was there.

Millie looks surprised. "Oliver Scott, well I'll be damned. What's it been five? Six years? "

"Seven." Lily and I say at the same time. Everyone's quiet for a minute and then Lily turns to me. "Oliver, you remember Kate and Millie. This is my good friend, Emma, we work together. Em, this is Oliver Scott, an old friend from school." I look at Lily with raised eyebrows. Old friend, that's really what she's going with? I guess I can't say anything since we just had the "friends" talk. But still, that stung a little.

"Ladies, these are my good friends Hunter, Andrew, and Noah." Everyone exchanges hello's. "Would you ladies like to join us for a drink somewhere else?"

Lily starts to answer, "No, I-"

Kate laces her arm through Lily's and says, "We'd love to. Where to?" Lily gives Kate her best, I'll kill you stare, and Kate just rolls her eyes. "Lily, you are not going to go home and cry over that loser, Steven. I won't allow it. So let's go get a drink with these fine gentlemen." Kate is my new favorite person.