That Second Chance (Getting Lucky #1)(72)

“Nerves?” She’s nervous too?

“Yeah.” She snuggles in close. “You’re Griffin Knightly, this untouchable man with a beautiful heart and a drop-dead-sexy body. It’s hard for me to imagine that the guy who pulled me out of my wrecked car is actually holding me right now.”

“I could say the same thing about you. You know that, right? If you gave Jake or Tracker or Oliver or even my brothers the time of day, they would be all over you.”

“Are you telling me I have options?” she jokes. “Well, if that’s the case, I think I’m going to have to take a rain check on our little get-together.”

“In your dreams—you’re mine now.” I kiss the side of her head and savor the moment: Ren Winters pressed into my side, her hand on my thigh, her words hanging heavy over me.

This untouchable man . . .

Everything about that little sentence sets off a storm of anxiety. Untouchable. I’ve been untouchable for so long, to the point that Ren was the first woman to look at me with interest in over a year.

And yes, I miss Claire, so goddamn much, but I know she would want me to move on. She always wanted me to be happy, not to live like a hermit in our house, never experiencing love again.

But I swore I would never love again, that I wouldn’t subject another woman to the dark cloud I’ve been living under ever since our trip to New Orleans. My mom tried to tell me it was a coincidence, but I don’t believe it for a second.

So as I hold Ren close, finally letting myself feel for the first time in two years, I hope like hell it won’t come back to bite me in the ass. If anything happens to Ren, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.

“I’ve been thinking about something.”

“What’s that?” I ask, grateful for the reprieve from the thoughts swirling around in my head.

“You know how you said your family has been making it their mission to throw us together every chance they get?”

“Yeah.”

“Is that why Brig invited me to his wine-and-cheese event, because he knew you’d be there? And is that why when I ran into Jen the other day, she told me Jake’s Cakes was having a lunch special? Because she knew you and Rogan were going to be there? Or when I was getting tools at the general store to build my chairs, I ran into Reid, and he told me to mention the chairs to you? He said you just love Adirondack chairs, but I’m suspecting he had other intentions.”

Christ. I had no idea there was that much meddling.

“And hey, is that why my car hasn’t been fixed yet? Because every time I ask about it, Brig says he’s waiting on a part and to catch a ride with you. He insists you don’t mind driving me around.”

I could kill them all.

I work my jaw back and forth before answering. “Unfortunately, yes. That’s what they were trying to do. Get us together every chance they could.”

“I guess it worked, didn’t it?” She smiles up at me.

“Nah, I think we made it happen on our own. I would hate to give them any credit.”

“But let me ask you this: If they hadn’t pushed so much, would you have ever made a move?”

I drag my hand over my mouth. “Honestly? Probably not, and it would have been pure torture. I would have been a cranky, moody son of a bitch no one would want to be around.”

“So why deny yourself when you could have easily had me? Seriously, Griffin, if you’d asked me out on a date day one, I would have said yes so fast.”

I chew on my answer, trying not to let the black magic lurking in my past taint this perfect day. “I’m cautious. I lost my wife suddenly and can’t fathom something happening to you as well.” She rewards me with a soft cuddle, a reassuring squeeze, letting me know everything is going to be okay.

Nothing is going to happen. It can’t. Just like Rogan said a while back. I already lost a love. The curse fulfilled its promise. I can’t possibly still be cursed, right?





CHAPTER EIGHTEEN





GRIFFIN


The Port Snow welcome sign comes into view, and as I pull onto Main Street, the nerves that have been simmering in my stomach reach a full boil.

When we left the campsite, there was one thing on my mind: making Ren mine.

It’s what she wants.

It’s what I want.

It’s fucking necessary at this point from all the pent-up sexual tension between us.

But I also want to make sure Ren is ready for this, that she still wants me as badly as she did when we were in the pond.

“Did you want me to drop you off at your place so you can get settled in? I can meet up with you later.”

She lifts her head from my shoulder, confusion in her brow. “Uh . . . is that what you want?”

No.

“I just want to make sure you’re not regretting anything.”

“Griffin. There is no way—”

I slam on my brakes and brace my arm over Ren to stop her from flying forward; Rogan is flagging me down on the side of the street. I roll down the passenger-side window just as he steps up to it.

“Dude, what the hell?”

“Mom and Dad need help at the shop. Someone called in sick, and they’re drowning. I have a meeting in ten minutes—think you can help them out?”