The Second Chance

“That’s an understatement.” He repeated her words, except for his own reasons. “But I know it’s far worse for you. I want you to take your time, take care of yourself, and the baby.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

He was walking a tightrope, needing to give her space, but working with a ticking time bomb that meant she could remember their past at any moment.

For now, though, there was peace.

Since she was settled, this would be a neutral time to check on work without worrying about her getting angry at him.

He slid behind the desk and fired up his laptop, watching Shana out of the corner of his eye.

She shifted on the sofa and hugged a throw pillow over her stomach where their child was nestled, growing. “What are you working on?”

“Clearing away paperwork so I’ll have more days off to spend with you.”

“I’m not an invalid. And my mother will be here for a week.” She tipped her head to the side. “Are you one of those guys who can’t stand his mother-in-law?”

He weighed his words carefully as the truth could be tricky on this one. Her mom—Louise—had never seemed to warm to him. But then, she didn’t trust many people. Life had left her overcautious.

“About four years ago your mother took a job in California.” Louise was a civilian employed nurse at a military installation. “Most of the time, you visited her rather than having her coming back here.”

“Hmm...” Shana seemed to digest the information, glancing around the library, her gaze lingering on the laptop and the stack of files. “I’m sorry to keep you from the office.”

The words felt like a blow.

They’d had so many arguments over him being a workaholic. He didn’t think of his work that way since he loved his job. He’d been groomed to take over for his parents once they retired, except retirement hadn’t come. His father had died. His mother had doubled down, working to numb her grief. Only recently had she stepped back, since she’d fallen for her business rival. But now they were merging the oil companies.

It was a dangerous time for Chuck to take personal leave, but he didn’t have much of a choice. His wife needed him, and he needed to win her back. For his own sake, and for the sake of their child.

Their family’s future depended on it.

He felt the weight of her gaze on him and looked up.

Shana closed her book and reached for the mug of hot cocoa. “What’s going on?”

“Why do you ask?” He clamshelled his laptop, looking directly at her.

She set aside her mug and hugged her knees to her chest. “You look worried. I hate that I’m putting more stress on you. I know this has to feel even more awkward for you than it does for me.”

He shook his head dismissively. “What makes you say that? You’re the one who’s lost five years.”

“But I’m not the one whose spouse doesn’t remember me. I know that has to hurt, and I’m so sorry.”

She hugged her knees tighter, eyes locking with his. The heat rose between them in an undeniable connection, building like the crackling fire.

“I’m focused on what’s best for you.”

“Then what’s got you so worried? I don’t have to be a private detective to read the tension in you.”

He creaked back in the office chair, deciding to share. “We’ve been struggling with data leaks for a while, trying to follow the trails in email exchanges.”

“A mole in the company?” She uncrossed her legs and pushed herself off the couch. As she moved through the white room, her hands lingered on stray books on the coffee table. She walked to the fireplace and picked up a heavy crystal photo frame off the mantel—a picture of the two of them from a romantic train getaway, from Anchorage to the Arctic Circle. He’d been trying to cheer her up after a failed in vitro attempt.

“Seems so. We hired a new employee who, as it turns out, had a vendetta against us and the Steeles.”

“What does the spy have to say?” She set the frame down and drew closer. Lithe as ever. Hot as hell. She sank back into the sofa, curling up.

“She’s disappeared somewhere in Canada.” He righted his chair, then stood and walked toward her.

“And you’ve hired private investigators.”

“Of course.” He sat on the sofa, close enough that her toes grazed his thigh and the scent of her perfume tempted him to bury his face in her neck and inhale deeper. He recalled well how she always preferred floral scents in perfume, shampoo, even essential oils, all carrying through her love of flowers.

As much as he hated the unanswered questions at work, he welcomed the ease of being with Shana this way, without the anger of the past year that had torn their marriage apart.

“What do the investigators have to say about the data trails from her email exchanges?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing at all?” She shook her head. “That’s strange.”

“And you think you could do better.”

“I surely couldn’t do any worse.”

He snorted on a laugh. “Fair enough. What are you proposing?”

“I don’t know how I used to spend my time while we were married, but I will go stir-crazy just sitting around. Let me do my part and take a stab at finding this woman.” She tapped his mouth before he could talk.

The feel of her fingers on him made him ache to clasp her wrist and pull her onto his lap. Seal his mouth to hers and lose themselves in the way they connected best.

But pushing too far, too fast would only harm his cause. So he simply took her arm and pressed a kiss to her palm before lowering her hand. Her throat moved in a long swallow that sent a surge of victory through him.

“So, Shana, how do you want to proceed?”

“Have the human resources department send me her application and any other information on her. I’ll start by digging around on the internet to see what I can find.”

He wanted to wrap her in a cocoon, keep her close to protect her. Shana was strong-willed, and her fire had attracted him to her from the first.

But her fire, her determination, also made things tough right now. If he wasn’t careful, she’d apply those investigative skills to their past.

Perhaps internet research would distract her from the amnesia, keep her from digging too deep into how things had been between them.

The last thing he wanted was for her to find out that on the day of her aneurysm, they’d decided to separate.

* * *

For the first time since waking up disoriented in the hospital room, Shana could finally breathe.