Second Chance (A Secret Baby Romance Novel) Read online

  Second Chance

  Charity Carter

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  About the Author

  Also by Charity Carter

  Copyright © 2016 by Charity Carter

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  To everyone who believes in love

  Prologue

  Latrice

  Chance Sparks had a son he didn’t know existed, and that son needed his father now more than ever.

  I knew the time had come to reveal my secret to a man I hadn’t seen or talked to in over ten years. Pregnant at only sixteen-years-old, I had some very important decisions to make.

  At the time, my seventeen-year-old boyfriend was heading down a dark and dangerous path. He was hanging with a bad group and was constantly getting into trouble. The last time I saw him was when he was being taken into custody by juvenile officers.

  Chance and I had plans to go out that evening. I was going to use our date as an opportunity to let him know I was pregnant. Unfortunately, he left me sitting in the restaurant alone and feeling dejected.

  One of his boys had gotten into a fight and lost pretty badly. Chance and a bunch of his friends decided to go and even the score. It was the last straw for juvenile officers, who knew him all too well. He found himself locked up, and I made the decision right then and there to get away from Kansas City and went to live with my grandparents in Minnesota.

  It had been ten years since I’d stepped foot in Missouri and it felt surreal to be back. It felt even stranger to be standing inside the house I grew up in. I didn’t think I’d ever be standing in that living room again, but I knew the time had come.

  It was time find Chance and let him know that he had a son. He needed to know he had a son that was following the same path he was on many years ago. I just hoped that he wasn’t already in prison or involved with gangs. I’d have to do some checking around before going out to find him. If he was still doing the things he was doing before, I’d have to rethink everything.

  “I can’t believe you made me come here,” CJ yelled at the top of his lungs, a look of anger filling his eyes. “I don’t understand why we’re here. I want to go back to Minnesota. That’s my home.”

  I didn’t know what I was supposed to say to that. On one hand, he was right. Minnesota was all he had ever known.

  At the same time, he was hanging out with older boys at his school, which wasn’t a big deal because CJ was a lot bigger than most ten-year-old kids in his class. He could have passed for a teenager, so that’s who he chose to hang out with.

  The problem was, those teenagers were all troublemakers, and before I knew it, he was getting bad grades and constantly getting into trouble.

  Trying everything I knew to straighten him up, I eventually called my parents for advice. They had retired and moved to Branson a couple months earlier and suggested that I get my son into a new environment.

  Their house had been on the market but hadn’t sold, so they allowed me to move in rent-free. The company I worked for in Minnesota had a location in Overland Park, Kansas and they allowed me to transfer on short notice, which meant I didn’t need to worry about income.

  Things were happening so easily that I felt like the writing was on the wall. It was time to move and let Chance Sparks know that he was a father.

  I didn’t have a clue how he was going to react when he found out. I didn’t even know what I was going to say to him. I just hoped that he would be understanding of the fact that I truly loved him.

  I loved him way too much to stand around and watch as he ruined his life, and potentially mine as well. Although that decision was made to benefit my son, it had also cost CJ the opportunity to get to know his father.

  It was understandable that CJ was upset. I understood that it was a big change for him. He was leaving all of his friends to move to a city where we wouldn’t know anyone at all, but I secretly hoped he would make better choices when it came to friends at his new school. I hoped his attitude would change over time.

  I couldn’t worry about CJ’s attitude right then, however, as I had things on my mind as well. News always travels fast in Kansas City, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to put off getting in contact with Chance for very long.

  If word got out that I was back in town, surely it would make it to him. All he’d need to do was take a good look at CJ, and he’d know it was his son. Scared as I was, deep in my soul, I knew the time had come.

  Chapter One

  Chance

  “Listen, kid, we can sit here and go back and forth all day, but I don’t have time for that. I don’t know if you think this is a game, but I can assure you it’s anything but that. I’m going to give you one more chance to tell me what your name is and where you live,” I demanded of the young man I picked up that morning while I leaned over my desk and lowered my head until I was at eye level with him.

  “I’ve told you already,” the boy replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t talk to no cops. I wasn’t doing nothing wrong, so I’m not giving you any info. If you don’t like what I’m telling you, you can lock me up. Otherwise, let me get out of here.”

  I want to say that I couldn’t believe how the kid was talking to me, but I’d been in his place before. The hatred spewing out of his mouth might as well have been coming from mine.

  It was a very similar speech that I’d given law enforcement when I was a teenager. Kids like him reminded me so much of myself, which was why I took a job as a juvenile officer.

  If I can make a difference in just one kid's life and prevent them from going down the road I was going down, it would all be worth it.

  Frustrated, I stood up tall behind my desk, my six-foot-two frame feeling much older than twenty-eight. Wanting to choose my next words carefully, I looked down and stared at the boy, who claimed to be doing nothing wrong.

  What he didn’t realize was that, not only was he skipping school, but I’d also witnessed him trying to hit cars with rocks from an overpass on the highway. It was a crime that could get him placed in juvenile detention if he wasn’t careful.

  I didn’t know anything about this kid at all. It was certainly my first run-in with him. Nobody else that worked in the office had seen him before either. I guessed him to be about thirteen years old.

  Most of the kids I’ve dealt with know that I’m a no-nonsense kind of guy. Because of that, most kids know better than to backtalk me. I figured this boy had to be new in town.

  “Why do you want to make this so hard on yourself?” I asked. “All you have to do is give me your name so I can call your parents and have them pick you up.”

  He didn’t reply. Instead, he sat there, looking up at the ceiling.

  “Okay, you can have it your way, I guess. Right now, I’m placing you into custody until someone shows up looking for you.”

  “Fine. Just show me where to go. I could use a nap anyway.”

  “Oh, you think this is funny? There won’t be any napping here. You can follow me, and I can show you the first of our many
bathrooms in the facility. You’ll be spending the day cleaning them. If at any time you want to cooperate with me, just let me know.”

  I led him out of the reception area and up to the second-floor bathroom. I didn’t know who this kid was or who his parents were, but I was sure they had their hands full with him at home, and I didn’t envy them one bit.

  * * *

  Latrice

  “Hello?” I answered the phone after giving up on my groggy eyes making out what the caller ID said.

  “Hi, is this Miss Walker?”

  “Yes, who is this?”

  “Miss Walker, this is Robin Oakley. I’m the assistant principal at Whittier Elementary school. I was just giving you a call to confirm your son's absence from school.”

  “Confirming his absence?” I rubbed my eyes. “What do you mean? He isn’t absent. He left to get on the bus this morning.”

  “I’m sorry Miss Walker, but your son isn’t at school today, and he wasn’t here yesterday either. We always call on the second day so we can get the absence excused if your child is sick or had an appointment.”

  I jumped out of bed and went to see if CJ was in his room. It was empty. “No, he definitely should not be absent. I’m going to drive around and see if I can find him.”

  “Sometimes a juvenile officer will pick kids up if they catch them skipping school. Check with the juvenile department down on Armstrong Avenue. Ask for Officer Chance Sparks. He should be able to help you.”

  I hung up the phone without realizing I hadn’t even said goodbye. Did she just say Chance Sparks? Officer Chance Sparks? There was no way she could be talking about the same Chance Sparks I knew, was there?

  I knew I was just kidding myself. It wasn’t like Chance Sparks was a common name. Whether I was ready or not, I knew that I may have been coming face to face with my past much sooner than I had anticipated.

  Wanting to make perfectly sure I couldn’t find him on my own, I searched for CJ for nearly two hours before coming to the conclusion that I needed to call to see if someone had picked him up. After looking up the number to Juvenile Hall on my cell phone, I took a deep breath and made the call.

  “Justice Center, Juvenile Division, how may I help you?” the friendly sounding woman on the other end of the phone answered.

  “Hello. My son didn’t show up for school today, and I was told by the assistant principal that I should check to see if anyone from your office had picked him up.”

  “Okay, I don’t have any official bookings today. Can you give me a description of your son and I can find out if he’s in holding?”

  I gave CJ’s description and was told that she believed he was in custody. She informed me that I’d have to come down to the office with two forms of identification to pick him up. I thanked her for her help and hung up the phone, relieved that I knew where my son was, but furious that he had put me in that situation.

  I sighed as I made my way to pick up my son. The woman I’d spoken to didn’t ask for CJ’s name, and she said herself that nobody had been booked. There was a chance that Chance was not aware of who he was.

  As I walked up the reception area, I knew there was no turning back. All the excuses I’d told myself over the years had run out. I needed to tell the truth and fate was making sure it happened.

  * * *

  Chance

  “Officer Sparks?” my secretary asked, lightly tapping on my open door. “There’s a woman in the lobby. I think she’s the mother of the boy you picked up this morning.”

  “Oh, good,” I replied, looking up from the mountain of paperwork I was trying to catch up on. “Where is the boy now?”

  “He’s just finished mopping the floors in the kitchen. I’ve been keeping him busy.”

  “Good. Maybe he’ll realize he doesn’t want to come back here. Go ahead and send her in and then give us a little privacy. I need to explain the importance of discipline at home so this won’t happen again.”

  I stood up from my desk and walked over to the window that looked out into the kitchen. The boy looked miserable pushing that thick, heavy mop around, but he brought it on himself. I was still trying to figure out what it was about him. There was something about him that seemed eerily familiar.

  Whenever I looked at him, I thought of myself when I was his age. I was a hell-raiser of the worse kind. There are times I wonder how my parents ever put up with me. My concentration was broken when my secretary knocked again.

  “Officer Sparks, this is Latrice Walker, the boy’s mother.”

  I knew the name instantly and swung my head around to make sure I wasn’t hearing things. When our eyes met, my mouth instantly turned into a desert, and I forgot how to breathe. Every muscle in my body seemed paralyzed, and memories of the woman I’d once loved came rushing into my brain.

  What do you say in a moment like that? Words weren’t coming to me. It was hard to even think about forming a coherent sentence when my mind was busy having flashbacks to the first time I’d met her in school, the first time we kissed, and the first time we had sex in the backseat of my beat up Buick Skylark.

  I moved my gaze from her face and studied her entire body before returning to her face again. It had been so long, yet still, there was a fire of desire in me just from looking at her. I knew I had to get it together, or she’d soon be seeing more than she bargained for pressing against the inside of my zipper.

  My brain was having trouble processing the fact that Latrice was in front of me. Her dark hair and creamy cocoa colored skin looked as inviting as ever. Her skirt revealed her legs, which had always been my favorite part of her body.

  They were smooth and felt amazing when they were wrapped around my waist. I couldn’t help but allow a sigh to escape my lips when I realized that she was even more beautiful than she was the last time I saw her.

  When I was locked up in juvenile, I thought about her every day. She was the only thing in my life that was good at the time, and I had done everything I could have done to push her away.

  Still, she stood by my side through everything. I counted down the days until I got out, ready to reconnect with her and try to turn my life around.

  Unfortunately, when I was released, she was gone, and I never heard from her or saw her again. That was all changing. It was my day of reckoning.

  “Latrice.”

  “Chance.”

  As strange as it was, it was as if the previous ten years hadn’t happened. I got the same feeling that I always used to get when I watched her walk into a room. I wondered if she was feeling the same thing.

  “Thanks, Barbara,” I said to my secretary as I cleared my throat. “Go ahead and leave Miss Walker and me to talk for a little while.”

  Barbara looked at Latrice and me with obvious confusion. She didn’t say anything, though. She simply shrugged her shoulders slightly and closed the door as she walked out of the room.

  With all the privacy in the world, I was able to turn my attention back to Latrice. I studied her lips. They were plump and inviting, the same lips I used to love to kiss over and over.

  My body was starting to respond to what my brain was thinking. I had to get myself together and fast. I’d always felt like she was the one who got away and being in the same room with her proved it.

  She was the beginning and end for me when it came to desires. I couldn’t believe that she was back in Kansas City after being away for so long.

  * * *

  Latrice

  As if the situation couldn’t have been any more uncomfortable, I wasn’t prepared for Chance to be staring at me so intensely when I arrived. I was having trouble keeping my emotions under control.

  As attractive as I used to find him, there was something new about him that made him unbelievably gorgeous. Back in the day, the fact that he was a bad boy was hot to me. Now, seeing him there in a position of authority was much hotter.

  He’d changed so much since the last time I saw him. The skinny boy I knew had turned into a bigger, mo
re muscular man. He was still extremely handsome and was definitely easy on the eyes.

  Even as much as he’d changed, there were still things about him that were exactly the same as I remembered. My favorite feature was always the dimple that appeared on his left cheek anytime he flashed a smile.

  There was also his gorgeous deep blue eyes that seemed like they could penetrate deep down into my soul.

  The reminiscing was nice, but soon turned to panic when I snapped back into reality, remembering the reason I’d moved back to Kansas City in the first place.

  I was there to tell Chance that CJ was his son, but I couldn’t do it right then, standing in his office. It wasn’t the right time. I needed to have an opportunity to pull myself together. I planned on telling him the first time I saw him, but standing in the same room with him had completely messed up my mind.

  There was no way I was going to be able to think straight. All I wanted to do was pick up CJ and get the hell out of there as fast as I could.

  “I’m here to pick up my son. I’m pretty sure he was brought here today,” I finally said, my voice cracking as I tried to sound strong and confident.

  Chance took a seat behind his desk and held his hand out to a chair on the other side, asking me to sit. I wanted to get right down to business and not think about the past that the two of us had, but he seemed to have other ideas.

  “Wow, it’s been a really long time,” he said. “How have you been all these years?”

  “Things have been pretty good. What about you, Chance? How have you been?”

  “I’ve been good. Obviously, things have changed a lot in my life.”

  “It sure looks like it. Can I see my son?”

  His brow furrowed and he seemed like he was getting annoyed at the fact that I wanted to keep things as impersonal as possible. I wasn’t there to reminisce about the past. There would be a time to talk about the past later.