The Second Chance Hero Read Online Free Page A

at her, smiled, or winked, she could feel a little pop down low in her belly. Damn.
    Fifteen minutes after leaving downtown Huntington, Owen pulled down the long driveway of Harper and Kevin’s house in Oyster Bay.
    It was a large, ornate Victorian with a huge wraparound porch and gingerbread trim. They’d finished remodeling only recently and had moved their little family and Kim from the city as soon as they could. It turned out Harper loved living there, and Kim did, too. There were quiet beaches close by and there was room to breathe and move. Something she’d never had a lot of. She’d grown up in a neat little three-bedroom, Cape Cod-style house in Seaford on the South Shore. But four kids and two parents in a small house put privacy at a premium. Now she had the entire guest cottage to herself. Two bedrooms, a big bathroom, and blessed, blessed quiet.
    “Wow,” Owen said, looking at the house. “I never thought Harper would end up in suburbia, but she did it big. That’s some house.”
    “It’s even more beautiful inside. Gorgeous moldings, big open rooms, and the kitchen is amazing.”
    “Cool. Give me the dollar tour.” Killing the engine and exiting the truck, he made his way around the car faster than she could gather her things.
    He opened the door for her, smiled that lady-killer smile, and when he offered his hand, like an idiot, she took it. Good Lord. The man made her ovaries ache.
    When he touched her, when he folded his large hand around her small one, her world rocked. More than the earlier handshake, his touch, his scent, his presence made her feel calm and safe. Over the past year, Kim never felt safe, never felt calm. This connection was personal, and Kim had the sense she’d been here before. Been with him before.
    “Is something wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
    She shook it off. “Just a little déjà vu. Weird.”
    “You want to talk about it?” He held onto her hand and Kim didn’t want to let go of the feeling. The déjà vu was strongly connected to him, and as much as she felt compelled to tell him, there was no way she was going to.
    Owen Kent represented something, but at this point, she didn’t know what. He was connected to her past, a past she really wasn’t prepared to share. But he seemed so grounded, so down-to-earth, that she considered his offer. This was a good guy. One who probably understood what she was going through, but who wasn’t going to tell her how to think or feel.
    That morning with Tom’s family was a hard reminder that for most of her life, someone had been telling her how she should feel about things. Whether it was her family, Tom, or his family, everyone had some expectations. The Albaneses were a close Italian family, and Tom was the only boy among three sisters. They’d been neighbors since his family moved next door to hers when she was five and he was seven. It was quite possible she fell in love with him then, but it wasn’t until ten years later, when they were both in high school, that he noticed her as something other than the pest from next door, more than his younger sister’s friend. He was everything and he always made sure he had total control of his environment.
    That kind of attitude made him a great marine. He moved up quickly, took charge, and if he was afraid, he never let it show. Men like him tended to absorb everyone around them and Tom was no different. He’d certainly absorbed her.
    And now his family was trying to do the same thing.
    “Kim?”
    Oh, shit. Owen was talking to her.
    “Are you sure you’re okay? You kind of zoned out there.”
    “Sorry. I’m fine. Really. I was at the cemetery this morning, I guess my mind wandered. It’s nothing . . .”
    She moved toward the house, but Owen caught her hand again and all of that lovely warmth filled her instantly. “The offer is real. If you need to talk, all you have to do is ask. Okay?”
    “What, should I just call you up