Page 60 of One More Chance
Day 53. Angie was at the gas station across from the clinic. She didn’t even look away when I saw her.
Day 54. Angie was in the same grocery store, a few aisles down. I heard her singing.
At night, my panic attacks were subtle, well-disguised, neatly timed. If I felt it building, I excused myself and pretended I had a call to take or needed to walk Rufus.
And Rufus... he knew. I swear he did. That dog barely left my side. Slept by the front door guarding it and watched the windows; alert and expecting. He was the best dog in the whole goddamn world.
It didn't help that the news was ramping up every day, inching us closer to the shutdown I knew was coming. First it was whispers, then footage, hospitals in chaos, people collapsing in the streets, body bags stacked outside clinics like sandbags before a flood. Radio stations called it a scare tactic, a giant hoax that we needed to squash. Despite all the negativity, I listened, knowing the truth of what was to come.
I almost hit my breaking point in the middle of one of Liam's soccer games.
I had been sleeping and eating less, taking care of the household and supporting Sloane more. Honestly, I don't know how my woman fucking did it, because I was tapped out. I admired her strength to have managed this for so long and I grit my teeth in silence. I had no right to complain when she had done this foryears.
On this particular day, Sloane came to watch Liam play. Her energy was still low but fuck me, she was as gorgeous as ever. She sat on the bleachers in one of my old hoodies, legs tucked beneath her, a thermos of peppermint tea clutched in her hands. Her hair was in a messy bun, loose strands teased by the breeze. Despite the fatigue in her face, the sight of her still robbed my breath.
Hell, that hoodie hugged her in all the right places. I didn’t mean to stare, but I did.
I made my way up beside her, leaned in close enough that only she could hear. “Pretty sure that hoodie was mine,” I murmured as my gaze slid down to the curve of her ass. “But you certainly wear it better. I might have to let you keep it.”
She glanced at me, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink, then rolled her eyes. I caught the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. “Levi,” she warned under her breath, "everything you own is mine."
“Well hell, Sloane. I’m simply admiring the view, but you still have to put me in my place like that?”
“I’ve got a leash and collar waiting for you at home if you keep this up.”
My balls tightened at the thought of her leashing me, commanding me, praising me. A growl curled in my chest. “We could leave the kids here. They’re old enough.”
She burst out laughing, her head falling slightly against my shoulder. “Levi!”
That laugh? I’d live a hundred lifetimes just to hear it again.
These were the kind of moments I used to take for granted. Now, it felt like a privilege to sit beside her, to earn a blush, a smile, or hell, a joke at my expense.
I looked out at the field where kids ran in uneven formations, limbs too long for their coordination then back at her.
“Thanks for coming out today,” I said, quieter now, meaning every word. “I know it wasn’t easy.”
She didn’t look at me but her voice was steady. “I wanted to try. Pregnancy or not, I don’t want to miss any games.”
My chest tightened with something fierce and fragile all at once. I didn’t deserve her, but I loved everything about her. She was my eternity.
Then, Violet came bounding up beside us, face painted in smudged pink and blue. “Bathrooms are so gross,” she announced with her usual flair.
I chuckled and gave her a hug. “Next time, stick with the house.”
"Yeah, right." She scoffed like a mini version of her mother. She was already hopping with energy, gearing up to scream every time her brother kicked the ball.
I stood up behind them, arms folded, eyes flicking between the field, the bleachers, and the creeping sky above. Dark clouds were rolling in fast.
Then I saw her.
Third row on the opposing team’s side, sitting alone on the end of the bleachers. She wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, but I’d know that posture anywhere, one slender leg crossed over the other, head tilted slightly, bored smile tugging at her garishly red mouth.
My stomach dropped. She looked directly at me, the edge of her lip twitching like she was daring me to react.
Sloane turned to me, sensing my tension. “You good?” Her hazel eyes squinted in the fading sun.
“Yeah,” I lied. “Just looking at those storm clouds. Hoping we don't get rained out.”
