Page 11 of Give Love a Chance


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He looked so devastated and shocked by her bitterness. “I admit I didn’t stop to see our relationship from your point of view. I was always leaving, but this changed me, too, Noelle. I get it will take time to make you see I am sincere. I don’t want to leave again. That is a promise. I was selfish. I was so worried about having no one tell me what to do. God, I am a bastard, but I don’t lie, Noelle,” he muttered angrily.

“I’m okay now, Chance. It was a long road to recovery, but I got better. I am good now. I swear,” she promised. She didn’t want him out of guilt, or because he saw her as some poor, needy woman. Life wasn’t always fun and easy. No one controlled life. It just happened, and you dealt with it the best way you could. She wanted to stand on her own and not always depend on him for her happiness. “Don’t pity me.”

“I could never pity you, angel. You are strong and beautiful,” he swore sincerely, rubbing his thumb across her lips.

She yawned. “I’m sorry. I still have trouble sleeping sometimes.”

“Rest here with me on the couch.” He sat down and pulled her onto his lap despite her protest. Once she laid her head on his shoulder, her eyes felt too heavy to keep open. She felt his lips in her hair. “From now on I am going to make sure you eat and sleep properly.”

Those were the last words she heard from him before she fell asleep.

* * * *

Chance sat in the armchair watching Noelle sleep on the couch. She looked so vulnerable in her sleep. He had covered her with a light blanket. She was in a deep sleep, and he knew she had to be exhausted. Every once in a while a little snore would escape her lips, and he found himself smiling like a fool. He held a beer in his hand, but so far he had only taken one sip. He was overwhelmed with so many emotions right now that his head was a jumbled mess. He could picture her round with his baby. He thought he’d never want that. The military had been his whole life, but he was getting tired of the coming and going even before he met Noelle. He just had been too stubborn to be honest with himself, and she had paid dearly for his mistakes. His deepening feelings for her had scared him. He wasn’t the heart and home type, but she was. He had convinced him

self that she was an adult and knew better than to expect too much from him. When he saw the seriousness in her eyes he had ignored it because he didn’t want to give her up either.

Noelle had been a breath of fresh air to his strict lifestyle. The passion between them had been like an inferno consuming any common sense. It had been a raw desperation to have her all the time, to own her and possess her. He could see now the love he felt, but he refused to admit it out loud to her or himself. He thought he didn’t want his orderly life to change, but she had swept through it like a whirlwind. Yet he had never given her any romance or seduction. She could see why she thought all he felt for her was physical desire. She had been so open with her feelings, but he had such a severe hold on his feelings. Now he was back to stay, and he would have to prove to her he was sincere and here for the long haul.

He had made a mistake thinking they needed breathing room. Hell no, his sweet angel needed to know he was here forever. He needed to bombard her with the knowledge she could depend on him. This time he would focus on taking care of her and making sure she was happy again. Friends? Yeah right. They could not be just friends. He would make her see that.

He heard his mom’s key unlock the door. She walked in and set her purse down on the foyer table. She gave him a concerned glance. He had one small lamp on, but the rest of the house was dark and quiet. She saw Noelle asleep and came to the conclusion of what happened.

“She told you about the baby?” she whispered.

Chance nodded and stood up. He walked over to his mom and hugged her tightly. He was still shaken up by Noelle’s news and had shed plenty of tears on his own once Noelle fell asleep. “She told me you visited her at the hospital. I understand why you didn’t call me, but you could have told me once I got home.”

“I promised her, Chance. I knew she would tell you on her own. Helen’s niece is a nurse at the hospital.” She spoke in a hushed tone, giving him a good squeeze before letting go. “She said Noelle was calling your name, and she was all alone. How could I not go and see her?” She walked toward the kitchen to get a bottle of water. She turned the light on and opened the fridge. “Later, her friend Quinn showed up. It’s tough to deal with. I cried my eyes out a few times.”

He put his hands in his pocket, not sure how he was feeling. Angry at himself. Sad. Guilty. “I feel so many things right now. My head is throbbing with all that I learned tonight. I am in shock.”

Polly patted him gently on the back. “You have the time now to win her over. She loves you. She might fight her feelings out of fear, but I see the love in her eyes when she looks at you, son.”

“I love her, too. I didn’t realize love would be so complicated. I guess I figured I’d meet a nice, quiet girl in my late thirties, early forties. I would settle down and live a nice, quiet life.”

“Sounds boring as hell.” Polly chuckled after taking a sip of her water. “I had a passionate marriage with your father. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. He passed away too young and it devastated me, but I know we’ll be together again someday. I couldn’t settle for some weak version of what I had with him. It is why I never remarried.”

Chance smiled. He knew his mom loved his dad. Chance wished he had his father longer, too. He had been a good and steady man. That is what he needed to be now. For himself, and for Noelle.

She smiled and patted his cheek lovingly. “Don’t fret so much. You and Noelle will work things out. Love is worth fighting for, sweetheart.”

She told him good night and headed for her room upstairs. Chance had renovated the basement for his own private space.

He nodded and walked back to the living room. Noelle hadn’t moved. He was tempted to put Noelle in his bed with him, but he couldn’t promise to keep his hands off of her. It had been much too long. She needed to rest. He hoped she made up her mind to belong to him again quickly. He ached for her, but he would wait if it killed him. No other woman would do for him. Noelle would soon see that.

Chapter 6

Chance sat at the back of the bar alone. He hoped the scowl on his face deterred anybody from wanting to socialize with him. He was in no mood to chitchat or be polite. His chest ached from the news Noelle had laid into him last night. He was still reeling from it. She had woken up a few hours later and insisted on going home. Seeing she had made up her mind, he followed her in his truck to make sure she made it home okay. The little peck she had placed on his cheek had been nice, but he wanted more.

It gutted him deeply to think she had been without him with the knowledge she was pregnant, then when she lost the baby. He should have been there for her. He should have been the one comforting her and telling her it was going to be okay. He would be from now on, but he still grieved for the child. Maybe someday when she was healed they could try again. He would make sure she didn’t lift a finger.

He felt a presence by his table. He didn’t bother to look up.

“I want to be alone,” he growled.

“Don’t we all?” said the voice in a reply laced with sarcasm. Chance looked up to see his old buddy Hank Winters. Chance gave him a smile and a salute.

Hank slid in across from him in the booth. His brown hair was shaggy and a little wild looking. It was just Hank’s style, along with his liking of crazy-colored Hawaiian shirts. “You come into my bar without saying hello? What’s up with that?” Hank was a big, burly man. His full beard and long hair made him look like some crazy biker dude. Their love of riding had always bonded them.

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