Chapter 1
Second Chance Love by Violet Stone
Sally shook. She grabbed the full coffee mug in front of her just so she had something to do with her hands.
It had been a long month.
Ella, her daughter, now grown up with her first child on the way—how had that happened—eyed her knowingly.
“Mom, calm down. You’re meeting your wife, not a stranger down a dark alley.”
Sally smiled at her daughter over the rim of her mug.
Strangers they certainly were not…but it sure felt like she and Harriet were drifting apart recently.
No one had cheated, there was nothing dramatic going on—it was just one of those things, or so their couple’s therapist said.
The one-month trial separation had been their therapist’s idea.
No contact for one whole month to really think about what they wanted for the rest of their lives and if that included each other.
Sally had moved in with Ella, and Harriet had stayed in their house.
It had been the longest they had ever gone without speaking in twenty years, and Sally never wanted that to happen again. She just hoped that Harriet felt the same.
Sally drank a few more sips of her coffee before glancing down at her watch.
“I better get going,” she said.
Ella followed her out to the front door.
“And Mom, whatever happens, I love you both.”
Emotion swelled in her as she dropped a kiss to Ella’s cheek.
“I love you too, darling. Remember, you are the best thing we ever did.”
With that, Sally began her walk to the park.
What began as light rain had turned into a full-on downpour.
Sally blinked against the rain that blurred her vision.
The park was mercifully quiet, with people deciding that today was not a day to venture outside.
Still, a few people milled around, some walking their dogs, others practically running to escape the rain.
Oak trees lined the edge of the park, and a fountain stood proudly in the middle, eliciting the soothing tinkle of water.
If Sally had a coin, she knew what she would wish for.
As she stood at the fountain, she attempted to run her fingers through her sodden curls. She hopped from foot to foot, like she was trying to physically repel the nerves from her body.
“Hello,” came a soft voice from behind her. A voice she would recognize anywhere.
Her wife.
Sally turned to meet the gaze of the woman she loved. Harriet’s bright blue eyes danced with amusement.
“Anyone would think you were nervous,” Harriet said, her eyes sparkling.
Sally swallowed past the lump in her throat.
“Please, please just tell me.”
Sally couldn’t help the desperation that snuck into her tone. Any amusement left Harriet’s eyes, and before Sally knew it, their lips were meeting in a tender kiss.
Harriet pulled back. “Does that answer your question?”
“I’m not sure…” Sally tried to mimic Harriet’s earlier jokey tone, but the relief that flooded her was so powerful it crashed into her.
They shared another long kiss in the rain.
When they finally broke apart, Sally said, “I missed you so much. All I want is for us to be together. To work this out.”
Harriet reached forward and brushed away a raindrop on Sally’s cheek. The cool brush of her fingers was akin to magic.
“Me too. And we will.” Harriet smiled and tipped her head toward the sky. “The rain. Just like on our wedding day.”
Sally smiled as memories flooded her of their rainy wedding day and she couldn’t help but think that everything had come full circle.
“Come on, let’s go home.”
Hand in hand, they walked home together in the rain.