Page 72 of Second Chances

Because the man couldn’t take a hint, he followed her, but thankfully her cousin, Felix, rescued her once they reached the restaurant. “Hey, Montgomery, did you find your sister?”

“You two know each other?” Surprised, Cait looked from her cousin to the mountain man.

“We met briefly, right after Lana left,” Montgomery explained.

“I’m trying to convince him to come work on my team.” Felix, an architect, built low-income housing around South Dakota, concentrating mainly on reservations. “We’re just starting up a project on Rosebud, and I think Monty here would fit right in.”

“But…he doesn’t live here.” Although she truly didn’t care what this lumberjack did, the idea of him being anywhere in the state disconcerted her. And it shouldn’t.

Felix shrugged. “So? I floated the idea to him.”

“Ever heard of moving, princess?” Montgomery grabbed two glasses of champagne from a waiter passing by and handed one to Cait, raising one of his black eyebrows.

Felix plucked his own glass from the waiter’s tray. “I need a foreman I can trust, especially since we’ll be living on-site during the project.”

“And that’s…him?”

Felix grinned, “Isn’t this fortuitous?”

“That’s one word for it,” Cait dryly replied.

Text from Melanie

How could you hang up on me, Henry?

After the life we shared, and the love I thought we shared, I would think that my existence as the mother of your son would rate an invitation to the wedding.

I have apologized so many times that I have run out of ways to say I’m sorry. But I am, and I will be forever.

Haven’t you ever made a mistake? All I’m trying to do is be in his life.

Please.

Henry shook his head. On what should have been one of the happiest days of his life, the day of his only child’s wedding, his ex was bombarding him with angry, hurt texts. Although this mode of communication was preferable to the phone call he had mistakenly answered from her immediately following Josh and Effie’s ceremony.

“Henry? They’re looking for you to take pictures.” Charlotte placed her warm hand on his arm, and he drew her close, pressing his mouth to hers in a deep kiss. Hand in hand, they walked to the gazebo, where Josh and Effie stood across from the photographer, along with Diadema, Burnside, and Hamilton. Before he ascended the stairs, his mouth grazed Charlotte’s hand. He caught DD’s gaze on him before she quickly averted it.

The photographer said, “Okay, now how about one with just Dad and the happy couple?”

Posing with his son and his new daughter-in-law, Henry’s heart expanded seeing Josh not only so in love but also at ease, making him prouder today of his son than he ever recalled. After moving on from so many things that could have brought him down, Josh was truly happy with his life.

Josh suggested, “How about one with Charlotte in it?”

“I don’t want to intrude.” Charlotte’s cheeks flushed the color of a ripe peach.

“No, Josh is right. You belong up here,” Effie insisted.

“I don’t know.” She hesitated, looking up at Henry, who rushed down the stairs of the gazebo to wrap his arm around her.

“I think it’s a perfect idea,” he assured her, and his arm encircled her waist, keeping it there are the photographer took the photos.

“Now, both sets of parents.” Henry regretfully let go of Charlotte as the photographer took a drink from a stainless steel thermos, while DD and Burnside began walking up the steps.

“Sorry, but maybe I can sit this one out?” Burnside panted, his hand on his chest.

Effie asked, “Burnie, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just a little winded. I guess the stairs are too much for me.” Burnside sat down in the front row of chairs. Hamilton jogged over to a cooler behind the gazebo, pulling out an icy bottle of water for his dad.