Page 76 of Once Upon A Second Chance

Bare.

Alive.

Then I laugh—a shaky, watery sound that feels like it’s breaking something loose inside me—and say, “Screw the rules.”

His mouth is on mine before the words even finish leaving my lips.

It’s not a gentle kiss. It’s heat and desperation and relief all tangled together, months—years—of walls crashing down in one glorious, messy collapse.

I fist the front of his shirt, dragging him closer, and he groans into my mouth like he’s been waiting forever to kiss me like this without permission, without hesitation, without rules.

“Penny,” he says, voice rough, desperate, like a prayer he’s been holding inside for years.

“I know,” I whisper against his mouth. “Me too.”

Then—His phone rings.

Sharp. Loud. Impossible to ignore.

Richard lets out a groan of pure agony, forehead dropping against my shoulder.

“Don’t answer,” I mumble, trying to pull him back to me.

He kisses my collarbone, lingering, reluctant. “Could be the hospital.”

I let him go because that's what adults do, even when every cell in my body screams otherwise.

He digs the phone out of his back pocket, still half holding me, and squints at the screen.

His whole body goes stiff.

“Who is it?” I ask, pushing up onto my elbows.

He grimaces. “My mother.”

I sit up fully now, tugging my shirt back into place. “You should answer.”

Hescrubs a hand over his face like he’s already regretting it, then taps the screen and puts the phone to his ear.

“Hey, Ma,” he says, voice dropping into that clipped, careful tone I’ve only ever heard him use with his parents.

I stand and start gathering the coffee mugs from the table, pretending I’m not eavesdropping.

There’s a pause, then Richard says, “Yeah, I’m still in Mount Juliet. At least a little longer.”

He listens, nodding.

His free hand gestures vaguely like he’s trying to shoo me away, but I just lean against the counter, arms crossed.

Then, his mother’s voice—sharp, nasal—crackles just loud enough for me to catch a word here and there.

"New... relationship... someone serious?"

My heart beats a little faster.

I don’t know why I’m holding mybreath.

Maybe it’s stupid.