Chapter 3 First Life, Second Chance

Liam's pov

She's alive, f**k, she's alive.

I find my eyes straying off to her endlessly; I can't help it. This is unreal.

She's brushing her hair in front of the mirror; the hotel robe isn't exactly her size, so it slides off a bit from time to time. She adjusts and returns to brushing.

I'm seated on the heart-shaped bed, encircling the wine glass in my grasp as I look at her as though she's one of the wonders of the world.

She has to be. She-

"Why'd you say yes?" She asks, setting her brush down and spinning around to face me.

I held my breath for a second.

She's really here.

Close enough that I could smell the scent of lavender rolling off her skin. That those sapphire eyes were looking at me and me alone.

"It's already been arranged by our grandfathers that we'd have to build a marriage bond with the Willow family. If my brother flaked out, I was the only one left to step in."

That was only the partial truth; she'd be too overwhelmed if I told her why I didn't hesitate to accept her impromptu proposal...or why I arranged for us to spend that wedding night in one of the most exclusive invite-only hotels in Los Angeles.

"One year..." She said, lifting a manicured finger for emphasis, "...that's all the time I need from you; we build up our places in our respective family companies, then cleanly divorce, no loose strings. What do you think?"

I was quiet for a moment, too long able to make it appear like deep reflection when in truth I was taking the word 'divorce' like a physical blow.

Carefully, the wine glass came up to my lips.

"Aren't you being too cold? Talking about divorce on our wedding night?" I said it with the casual breeze of a man that was completely unbothered, when that couldn't be further from the truth.

Her plump lips gaped open slightly, but she said nothing.

"What?" I asked when the silence had stretched out for too long.

"No, it's just…" she said, pausing contemplatively, "...you just don't look like the type to tell jokes,"

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me Aurora," I sipped my wine again, "...but you don't have to worry. I'm a good teacher,"

Her lips parted again and now for a completely different reason than the first time, she coughed and turned around quickly.

I set my wine glass aside taking long strides until I was behind her then I leaned down until my chest brushed against her and I smiled to myself from the heat that came through her robe.

She wants me too...even if it's just physically for now.

Her brush was wrapped around my fingers and I began to brush her hair with intentional ease.

"Oh, you don't have to do tha-mh..."

The last sound that came out of her lips almost broke the joke I called my self control. But on the surface I was as calm and icy as a frozen lake, that's what was expected of me...but where did doing what was expected of me ever really take me?

I brushed her hair, those lovely auburn strands I thought I would never see again.

She's alive... she's alive...for the first the in years I wanted to cry.

She turned around, eyes calling like ocean.

And I've never wanted to drown any harder.

"Are you having cold feet?" She asked standing up, tension filtering into her shoulders, "... because if you're not up for this we can-"

"No"

Her eyes blew open, then her facial features softened into a smile that stirred me.

"Good," she walked towards the bed, "I'll be taking this side and you'll take the other,"

I followed her towards the bed, waiting for her to lay down first and sleep, I was awake.

Fear was something I haven't allowed myself to feel for years but when I sleep settled on my eyelids I was terrified about dropping them because what if I woke up and she wasn't anymore.

I watched her sleep and I still couldn't believe it.

She's alive...how is she alive?

My phone began to vibrate at the night stand, I quickly reached for it to turn it off so it wouldn't wake up from her sleep then I noticed that it was from my rat of a brother.

I slid off the bed and went to the balcony before connecting the call.

"Where is she?" He demanded  like a demented felon, "where is my wife?"

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"What wife? Last I checked I'm the married one between the two of us,"

He fumed from the other side of the line, "Don't play with me Liam, Aurora is mine. She was just trying to be petty getting married to you... But in the end she always comes back to me,"

My finger subconsciously gripped the phone tighter.

I hated that he was right.

Seven years

And she never failed to run back into his arms, no matter how many times he made her feel like an option. There was always the small space in her heart she left for him and he pierced through to enter her life again.

But not this time, not if I had something to say about it.

"She's moved on, Nolan. Now the person she wants is me,"

He snorted at this, "Don't delude yourself Liam, she's like a pet; the moment I wave a little treat in front of her. She'll be wagging her tail for me again. As a good brother I'm trying to save you some embarrassment when it's finally happens,"

I took a deep intentional breath then said to him; "The next time you compare my wife to a pet I'm going to make you swallow your tongue-and I don't mean figuratively."

I had no more words to waste on him I ended call and went to join her back on the bed, some of her hair had fallen in her face and I gently pushed it back my fingertips brushing on her cheek and feeling the warmth there.

There were no words to describe how much I missed that warmth

And I thought I would never feel it after she died in my first life.