After a great night with Langley and the kids, I was exhausted, the good kind of exhausted, and I’d slept better than I had in years. The sun was just coming up as I got in my car and started towards the gym. It had been weeks since I’d had a chance to work out with my brother Seth, so I gave him a call and asked him to meet me there. He was a regular at the gym, so he was more than happy to meet up. Besides, I’m sure he was eager to hear how things were going with me. As a shrink, he was always trying to get me to talk, hoping that he could make some sense of the jumbled mess in my head. I played along but never really put too much value in what he had to say about my situation, mainly because he’d never lost a wife and child. There was no way he could understand what my life had become, but I had to give him credit for trying.

When I arrived at the gym, Seth was already on one of the ellipticals, so I walked over and hopped on the one next to him. “Morning.”

“Morning. You look mighty chipper today. You win a big case or something?”

“Or something.” I looked over at the empty elliptical next to him and asked, “Where’s your friend?” The last few times I’d worked out with him, Grace’s mother, an older lady in her early sixties with platinum blonde hair and overdone makeup, was usually working out next to him, prodding him with questions. There was a time when we both thought she was actually hitting on him. It wasn’t until later that we found out that she wanted to fix Seth up with her daughter, Grace. Turned out that he already knew Grace and had been interested in her for quite some time. He used her offer for a blind date to get to know Grace better, and they’d been dating ever since. “Has she found another guy to harass?”

“She doesn’t exactly harass me, Colton. Besides, I can’t help it that I’m so damn charming.” He chuckled.

“Yeah. It’s your irresistible charm that draws them in. Those poor elderly women just can’t seem to help themselves.”

“Even cougars need love, Colt.”

We both laughed, then I asked, “How are things with Grace? Is she still putting up with you, or has she finally wised up?”

“Grace is a smart girl. She knows a good thing when she sees it,” he smirked. “What about Langley? Have she and the kids settled in?”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

“That’s all I get?” he pushed. “It’s been almost a month since the wedding.”

“Not much to tell. We’re all adjusting.”

He cocked an eyebrow and said, “I’m betting it’s been a bigger adjustment for you than for them. You’ve been alone in that house for years.”

“Honestly, I kind of like having them there,” I confessed.

He stopped the elliptical and looked directly at me as he said, “You know, it’s okay for you to feel that way. It’s okay for you to be happy. I know that. Hell, everyone around you knows that. It’s just you that has to find a way to believe it.”

“I don’t know if I can. I have so many fucking regrets, man. I just don’t know if I deserve a second chance. It just doesn’t seem right.”

“Sure, you do. Think about it this way … Regret isn’t about reminding us what we did wrong. It simply reminds us of what we could do better.”

“That sounds like therapy talk. Should I go lie down on a sofa or something?” I mocked.

“Don’t be a dick. You know what I’m saying is right. That’s why you’re trying to blow me off.” He started up the machine again and looked straight ahead. “Hannah loved you. Morgan, too. They would want you to be happy.”

“I wish I could believe that.”

“Don’t you see … everything you want is right there within your grasp. You just gotta have the balls to reach out and take it. Stop standing in the way of your future.”

“Okay. Enough of all this. I just wanted to work out, not get an earful from my little brother. Damn,” I huffed.

“You are a piece of work, Colton Michaels. I hope Langley has a sledgehammer big enough to knock some sense into that thick head of yours,” he grumbled under his breath as he turned off his machine and started walking towards the locker room. “I’ve got to get to work. I hope you’ll actually think about what I said.”

“Will do, doc. Next time, I’ll make an appointment with your office.”

“Later, dickhead.”

As I finished my workout, I thought about what my brother had said, and as much as I hated to admit it, he was right about some things. I’d spent the last few years making myself miserable, and if I wanted things to change, it was up to me to do so. I had to learn to let go and start embracing life’s unpredictability, otherwise, I would never be truly happy. I left the gym with a new resolve, and after a long day of work, I was looking forward to having the weekend off. Since Richard was getting the kids, I thought I might take Langley out to dinner and maybe a movie. It would be a great way to end a long week. By the time I got home, it was almost eight, and she was already curled up on the sofa watching TV. She’d changed into a pair of sweats and a long-sleeved t-shirt, and her dark hair was flowing down around her shoulders. She was clearly tired, but when she noticed me walking towards her, she smiled and said, “Hey, you’re home kind of late.”

“Yeah. It was a long day. I was thinking of asking you to go to dinner and a movie, but maybe a night in would be better.”

“Would you mind? We could order a pizza and watch a movie here, if that’s okay.”

“That would be more than okay. I’ll go take a quick shower and change.” As I turned to head upstairs, I asked, “How did things go with Richard? Did he get the kids okay?”

“As a matter of fact, he did. I talked to them right after he picked them up from school, and he was taking them out for a bite to eat.”

“Good. Glad to hear it. I’ll be right back.”

After I showered and changed, I went back downstairs, and while Langley was busy picking us out a movie to watch, I ordered a couple of pizzas. Once I was done, she asked, “Okay. We have several options. What are you in the mood for … action, comedy, or romance? I also found a scary one if you’re up for that.”

“I’m good with anything, even a scary one if you think you can handle it,” I teased.

“Oh, I can handle it. In fact, I kind of have a thing for scary movies, but I don’t get to watch them very often because of the kids. They always seem to want to watch them with me, and that’s never a good thing.”

I sat down on the sofa next to her and said, “Well, start it up.”

She pointed over to the lamp next to me and said, “Hit the lights. We can’t watch a scary movie with the lights on.”

“You got it.” I chuckled. Once I turned off the lights, she reached for a blanket and pulled it over her legs and smiled when I asked, “You ready now?”

“Yep. I’m all set.”

The movie started to play, and in no time, we were both drawn into a story about a young boy whose dreams become a reality. The kid was cute, but those dreams were a little out there. Just as things were about to turn dark, the doorbell rang. “I bet that’s our pizza.”

She paused the movie and said, “I’ll go to the kitchen and grab us some plates and a couple of drinks. What would you like?”

“A beer would be good.”

“You got it.”

By the time she returned, I had the pizzas laid out on the coffee table. We each made our plate, and as we started eating, I remembered there was something I needed to discuss with her. I wasn’t sure how she would feel about it and was concerned that it might put a damper on our evening, but no matter the consequence, it had to be said—the sooner the better. “I did something today. I probably should’ve discussed it with you first, but I think it was the right thing to do.”

“Okay. What did you do?”

“I hired Larry Turner.”

A puzzled look crossed her face. “The private investigator?”

“Yes.”

“Why? For what case?” she asked as she took a bite of pizza.

“Yours … I thought he might be able to find something on Richard. I just have a gut feeling that something is up with him.”

“Do you really think that’s necessary?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“But why? Are you concerned that us being married won’t be enough?”

“Langley, you know me well enough to know that I don’t put all my eggs into one basket.” Our next court date was less than two weeks away. I’d hoped that Judge Avery would see that Langley had provided the children with a stable home environment and would leave the kids with her, but there was no way to be sure what he’d do. “I don’t want to take any chances. It may be a total waste of time, but if there is anything to find, you and I both know that Larry will find it. He’s the best there is.”

“Kaleigh has always said that if he cheated once, he’d would cheat again, but he seems really happy with Jody.”

“We’ll see soon enough.”

“I know this might make me sound like an awful person, but I really hate Richard for all this.”

“No. It doesn’t make you sound like a bad person at all. I totally understand, especially since he’s involved the kids like he has.”

“There was a time when he’d never do something like this, but he’s changed so much. It’s like he’s a completely different person from when we met.”

Her past was something we’d never really talked about, so after I took another sip of my beer, I asked, “So, what was he like when you two met?”

She sighed, “Back in the day, he was a real heartthrob. I probably would’ve never talked to him if he wasn’t best friends with my college roommate’s boyfriend. He was tall, dark and handsome. And he was funny. All the girls were crazy over him, and I didn’t think he’d even notice someone like me, but whenever we went out as a group, the two of us would spend the whole night talking. One thing led to another, and we started dating.”

“College sweethearts.”

“Not for long. I was finishing up my sophomore year when I found out I was pregnant. We’d been dating for over a year, so it made sense for us to get married. I started my junior year, but when the twins came, it just got to be too hard.”

“That had to be tough.”

“It was, but I liked being home with the kids. Once they got a little older, I started my online classes, and now, it’s just a matter of me deciding if I am happy where I am, or if I want to keep going and take the bar.”

“You should definitely take the bar. You know as much about the law as I do. You’d make an incredible lawyer.”

She smiled as she said, “Thank you for saying that, but I’ve had a great teacher. I wouldn’t know half the things I do if it hadn’t been for you.”

“Well, I certainly haven’t made it easy for you.”

“You haven’t been all that bad.” She paused for a moment, then asked, “What about you? How did you and Hannah meet? I mean … if you’re okay with talking about it.”

“Not much to tell, really. We met at the campus cafeteria.” I felt my chest tighten as I said, “She was paying for her lunch when I first spotted her, and right then and there, I knew she was it for me. I walked straight over to her and asked her out. Of course, she told me no and tried to blow me off, but I kept trying. It took several weeks, but she eventually agreed to go out with me.” I smiled as I said, “On that first date, I told her that I was going marry her, and she laughed in my face. She thought I was crazy, but by some crazy luck, we were married two years later.”

“I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been for you. I’m really sorry that she was taken away from you so soon. Morgan, too.”

“Me, too.” Hoping to change the subject before things took a depressing turn, I asked, “Beatrice isn’t exactly a common name. Is she named after someone special?”

“She’s named after my grandmother.” She practically beamed as she explained, “She was a true southern belle with all her home-cooked meals and family traditions. Oh, and she never met a stranger. I loved her dearly, and as soon as I found out I was having a girl, I knew I was going to name her after my Grandma Bee.”

“Sounds like she made quite an impression on you.”

“She did. Very much so. And it wasn’t just me. She made an impression on everyone she met, just like my little Bee.”

“You’re right about that, and her brother, too. You’ve got two great kids, Langley.”

“Thanks, Colton. It’s sweet of you to say that, but I know they can be a handful, too.”

“I’m sure they’d say the same about you.” I teased.

Once we were finished eating, Langley got each of us another beer and turned the movie back on. With each scary moment, she’d inch a little closer to me, and it wasn’t long before she was nestled in the crook of my arm. It was then that I was glad we’d decided to watch the scary movie, and I was hoping that before we called it a night, I might be able to convince her to watch another one. As soon as the credits started to roll, I turned to her and asked, “You up for one more.”

“Sure. What do you have in mind?”

“I thought we could watch one that was actually scary this time.”

“What? You didn’t think that movie was scary?” she asked with surprise.

“Did you?”

“Um … yeah. Did you miss the part where that thing got the dad?”

“I didn’t. I thought it was a bit anticlimactic.” I lied.

“You are so full of it.” She took the remote in her hand and started searching through the horror flicks. A sparkle of mischief flashed through her eyes when she finally stopped on a movie and said, “Let’s see what you think of this one, tough guy.”

I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was having her so close, or the fact that I’ve been thinking about it for so long, but when she looked up at me with those beautiful, dark eyes, I found myself leaning towards her. I felt like a moth drawn to a flame as I inched closer, and suddenly, we were both suspended in time as our eyes met, and an overwhelming sensation of anticipation hovered over us until my mouth finally landed on hers. The world around us disappeared. It was just her and me, nothing else, and as the kiss became heated, my entire body was engulfed with a longing I couldn’t begin to comprehend. I was consumed with need, and I knew one kiss would never be enough.