Chapter Ten: Part Two - Second Chances

 **** Somehow Part II posted before I so if you are going through chapters by hitting the Newer Post bottom at the beginning of the page, Part I is actually after Part II. Sorry! :) No matter how many times I tried to fix it, it kept posting that way. So if you see the picture below and think "How did we get from a truck ride to this?!" That's why. Just go to the next chapter and then come back to this one.

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As Chuck and I stood there kissing in front of the lake, it seemed like a million thoughts were going through my mind.

Am I really standing here kissing Chuck? What does this mean? Wow, Chuck is a really good kisser!

As I was having all these thoughts, Chuck pulled away.

“Amanda?”

I opened my eyes and looked at him.  “Hmm?”

He looked at me and opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again. He sighed and looked past me.

“Chuck, what is it?”

“I don’t know what to say.  I never thought you’d forgive me because I fully believed that what I did was unforgivable. One minute, I think you’re still mad at me, the next I realize that you have forgiven me, and then we’re kissing.”

“Is that bad?” I was confused by what he was saying.

“No…I just never expected that we would ever…kiss, or anything like that considering I thought I’d never get a chance to. First you were with Johnny, then you were heartbroken from your breakup, and then I thought I’d blown any chance I would ever have that night at my house.”

“I wish we could forget about that night; pretend it never happened. I said some things that I wish I never had. I realized that night that I was acting so childish and selfishly.”

“I realized that even though I was in love with you, I had probably blown any chance I had to show you.

Did he just say…”Chuck…”

He started to hold me.

“I’m not going to miss another opportunity to tell you how I feel Amanda. You can tell me you don’t feel the same way, and I’ll respect that. But if I still have a chance to be with you, I want it. I was a fool before to wait to tell you how I felt. You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever met, inside and out. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you.”

My heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to come out of my chest. “Chuck…”

I closed my eyes expecting to hear her say she didn’t feel the same way.  At least I could walk away knowing I had told her exactly how I felt and would have no regrets.

“Chuck…” I opened my eyes and looked at her. She reached up and touched my cheek and with tears in her eyes said words I never thought I’d hear her say.

“When I told you my dream about moving to the country, there was a part I left out. I did tell my parents that I had a dream about living in the country and on a ranch. But I also told them about how I would meet a cowboy who would one day sweep me off my feet. I had all but given up on that part of my dream. Then one day, I realized that it had already happened. I thought for sure that after that night at your house that your feelings for me had to have changed. I couldn’t imagine how you would have any feelings for me after the way I treated you."

It felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I couldn’t comprehend what she had just said to me.

“I…You…What…Did I hear you right? Are you saying…”

She smiled up at me while she spoke. “I’ve fallen in love with you too.”

That was my breaking point.

How in the world have I been so fortunate to get this second chance with her? I don’t deserve this and yet here she is.

We stood there kissing under the stars for a while. Neither of us seemed to want it to end, but eventually I looked at her and started hugging her. “It’s getting late, I should probably take you home.”

She sighed and snuggled into me. “I guess you should.”

We packed up the food and got back in the truck.  As I drove her home, we held hands and rode in silence. I don’t know what she was thinking but I was still in shock from what had just happened.

I pulled up to her house and got out to open the truck door for her. She got out and we walked up to the front door.  We turned to each other and I held her.

“Do you want to come inside for a little bit?”

“Maybe next time; it’s been a long day and you’ve got a date with a horse tomorrow.”

“I see you haven’t changed your mind about that.”

“Nope, how about I pick you up tomorrow morning around 8 o’clock.”

“Sounds good.”

A strand of hair blew over her face and I moved it back in place.

I grabbed the back of her head and kissed her. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Okay.”

I kissed her one last time and walked to the truck. After watching her walk into her house I sat in the truck for a minute.  If I’m dreaming, I don’t want to wake up. But I knew I wasn’t dreaming. Somehow, someway my dream had just come true.