Second Chance Hero by Kimberly Readnour

Author:Kimberly Readnour [Readnour, Kimberly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rae-Allen Publishing
Published: 2017-10-23T04:00:00+00:00

15

ZACH

Current Day

I swirl the golden nectar around the glass before taking a sip. Tonight calls for something stronger than beer. I still don’t like to drink much during the season, but tonight’s an exception. Tonight, I’m getting drunk. After all, that’s what the Pritchett men do best, right? Shocking news occurs … get drunk.

AJ and a few teammates occupy a corner booth, but I’m not up for socializing. My ass perched on this barstool suits me just fine.

“It must be pretty bad for you to be hitting the hard stuff,” Jax says. He slaps a hand on my back and then sits beside me at the bar. “I must admit. After last night, I thought you’d be in a better mood.”

I grunt, barely acknowledging his presence. He knew who I was with last night, so his comment comes as no surprise.

“Just keeping up the family tradition.” I raise the glass and take a swig.

“Man, AJ wasn’t exaggerating when he complained about your foul ass mood. What the hell happened between you and Lacey?”

I study the amber liquid and with the slightest movement, shake my head. Where do I even begin? No one knows my history with Lacey better than Jax. Hell, after Lacey and I broke up, he listened to my endless whine sessions. He never once agreed with my decision, but he respected me enough to offer sympathy. That is, if “you’re a dumbass” is considered consoling.

“Last night,” I say with a huff. “If you’d seen me this morning, I would’ve told you it was like old times. Those suppressed feelings for Lacey resurfaced with a vengeance.” I take a swig of my whiskey and plop the glass down a little too hard. Aware of how wimpy I’m sounding. “But after I went to visit her this afternoon ... it was as if I’ve never known her.”

Jax’s eyes darken with confusion, but he remains quiet. The good friend he is, he waits for an explanation as I plan my next words. There’s no way he’s more confused than me. Never in a million years would I ever suspect Lacey capable of being dishonest, but that’s what this feels like—complete betrayal.

“Turns out, the reason behind Lacey’s reluctance to meet me was a huge secret she never intended for me to find out.”

“What do you mean? Don’t tell me she’s seeing someone else. I mean, I’m surprised she’s not married, but...”

I wince and toss back the last of my drink. Motioning for a refill, I set the empty glass back down and turn toward Jax.

“Apparently, I have a daughter.”

I should’ve waited for Jax to swallow his drink because the second my words spill out, so does his beer.

“What?” he sputters.

“Yeah. I have the cutest little four-year-old daughter you’ll ever see.”

“Holy fuck.” Jax takes a swig of his beer and readjusts his shirt. “How? I mean ... why? I mean … what the hell are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I’ve missed four years of her life. Fuck, I’m still missing out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.