A Second Chance

Chapter 11

As Evan’s day dredged on, his anxiety kept rising. He had his administrative assistant send Ally the requested files. E-mails kept rolling in. Tasks kept being added to his list. However, he was making little to no progress. This was truly a cruel twist of fate. His career and the future of his team now sat firmly in the hands of a woman who had every reason to hope for his ruin.

He had been spineless. Evan feared that if he faced Ally again, he wouldn’t be able to comply with his mother’s wishes. He feared the repercussions of that would come with that choice. She deserved an actual explanation. She deserved to know his heart. Instead he just left. Evan hoped that she could forgive him, and that she would stick to the contract.

He was facing his guilt. He was struggling with resurfacing feelings of lust and attraction. Ally was a beautiful woman. He had memories of her kiss, how her skin felt under his touch and the sound of her gasps and moans replaying in his head. The reality was, while he exited her life, she never left his mind. Evan had loved Ally, and had every intention of making a future with her. Instead he broke her heart and left her behind.

He and Lauri were married for eight years. While they were committed and loving parents, they were not committed to each other. Evan never cheated on Lauri, but he discovered that she hadn’t given him the same courtesy. After the accident, he considered reaching out to Ally, but he heard from Jake and Josh (her best friends) that she was seeing a local photographer, She was happy, and he decided to let it go.

Evan met Miranda about a year ago. He had no complaints with that relationship. Miranda was beautiful and smart. She cared for him and did her best to connect with his daughter. While Evan suspected she wanted more from the relationship, she never broached the subject.

She had moved into the mansion about six months ago, and while he wasn’t completely happy, he did believe he could get there with Miranda. She wasn’t Ally, but he could see things working.

Now he was faced with trying to explain that not only was he working with the woman he compared all others to, she was living in the damn guesthouse. His daughter Kiana would undoubtedly be interested in the new tenant as well. He knew Ally would stay true to her word, and even without her promise, she would never actively disrupt his life, but he couldn’t escape the thought that this was not going to end well for him.

As the day ended, we saw his sister duck into Ally’s office and then both women headed to the elevator. He would stay a while longer to allow time for her to get home and settled before he arrived. An awkward conversation awaited him once he made it home.