Page 98 of Second Chance Saloon

She drew air in through her nose, closing her eyes for a moment to gather her courage to say what she’d been wanting to, not just for the past few days, but for years. Looking up at the sky, she whispered on the exhale: “I’ve never stopped loving you either.”

Mitch drew her to him, winding his arms around her and pulling her into his lap. “I don’t want to wait another ten years to see you again. We can make this work.”

The weight of his palms on her back anchored her in the present, reminding her that it couldn’t be as easy, as romantic, as this.

“You need to hear me out first,” she said.

His face buried in her neck, and she pushed her fingers into his hair. “Mitch, you have to know what happened, before you decide if you can forgive me.”

He raised his head. His forehead leaned on hers. “Tell me tomorrow. We can talk about it tomorrow. Tonight, I only want you. I want us, this moment. I want to hold you in my arms.” He swallowed hard. “I want to do so many things with you tonight. Talking isn’t one of them.”

With a smirk, he slid her off his lap and sprung to his feet, extending a hand to her. “Let’s take that dip in the sea.”

Jackie stared at him. “What, now?”

“No time like the present.”

She eyed his hand, wondering if her legs would cooperate if she decided to stand. Putting her hand in his was a no-brainer, that part was easy. He helped her up to her feet, and even though she was wobbly, even though her pulse felt jagged, when his arm encircled her waist, she’d never felt steadier.

Eyes focused on her, Mitch took off his T-shirt.

Jackie’s breath caught as he shrugged off her dress, leaving only her black one-piece on. “Now what?”

He chuckled. “Now, I get to dunk you in the water.” One of his hands moved under her knees, the other firmly on her back as he lifted her up in the air.

She squealed, clutching his neck. “Mitch!”

Laughing, he walked into the sea with her in his arms. “I’ve always wanted to do it but didn’t want to scare you. Seeing how comfortable you were in the cenote yesterday … I know you aren’t scared of water anymore. So, there’s no stopping me.”

“What if I asked really nicely?”

He waded into the sea, water covering his waist. “How nicely are we talking?”

Jackie bit her bottom lip, considering the question. “A kiss?”

He shook his head, loosening his grip. “No can do.”

“What about a mind-blowing kiss?”

Mitch looked down at her, his face so close, she could count his eyelashes. “You’ve got my attention.”

She raised her hand to cup his cheek. “Well, this isn’t the best position for—”

The rest of the sentence drowned in her squeak as he removed his hand from underneath her knees; she wrapped her legs around his waist and he hoisted her up, their mouths half a breath away from each other.

“Any other excuses?” he whispered.

Smiling, Jackie shook her head. “No more excuses.”

Then she kissed him. Layers of heartache, unraveled apologies, and core memories that had shaped them into who they were all spun around, merging into one feeling: love.

Fireflies of hope fluttered in her chest as he deepened the kiss.

Could they really work? She knew she had to tell him everything, and she would. She wanted to—she had finally felt ready earlier but it seemed tomorrow would have to do. And even if he hated her afterwards, they had tonight. Maybe it would be the only night she had with him, forever.

She was sure going to make it count.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE