Second Chances: Novella One Read Online Free

wasn’t prepared for the effect that his presence still had on her.
    Cameron’s face broke into a bright smile when he noticed her, but Layla only had eyes for the other man in the room. A rush of long-buried emotion bubbled to the surface

Chapter Three
    Evan
    Noticing Cameron change the direction of his gaze in the reflection in the window, Evan turned around to fully face her, the woman he’d lost all those years ago. It was a loss he thought he’d die from as it hurt so deeply and profoundly.
    Evan didn’t trust himself to say anything at first and an awkward smile curved over his mouth in greeting. Neither could his eyes meet hers directly at first; instead they slid over her curvaceous body. Layla’s dress was gathered at the bust, enhancing the firm bosom. Lower down, the diamanté-detailed waist feature nipped in her slim waist before the skirt cascaded down over her shapely thighs.
    His inspection lasted but a few seconds before he managed to compose myself enough to engage Layla’s gaze calmly, not showing any emotion or sign of what he might be feeling. Inside he was trembling. Being in the same room with her made him breathless still. A raw ache thundered in his chest as the pain of what he’d lost swelled where his heart once lived.
    Layla smiled back slightly and said, "Hi Evan, thank you for sending your car to pick me up."
    Evan stepped forward to take the luggage handle of her case from her, planning to place it alongside his, for when they were ready to depart. "It’s the least I could do under the circumstances." At first, he could feel Layla’s resistance at his attempt to take her luggage from her grasp, but she seemed to think better of it when she caught his frown, and released it without further comment.
    His gaze followed her every movement as she stepped over to Cameron, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek. "How are things?” she asked. “What has the doctor said?"
    "He wants to keep her in for a couple of days, to make sure the wound caused by the bone breaking through the skin doesn’t pick up an infection." Both of them turned to look at the still sleeping Ava. "They think she’ll doze through the rest of the night due to the sedation."
    Layla nodded as her eyes suddenly darted to where Evan was standing. Her gaze on him was so unexpected that he did not have time to neutralise his stare. Embarrassed at being caught watching her so blatantly, Evan glanced away as he tried to coach his expression to be devoid of any emotion. His ego could not bear for her to know how much of an effect she still had on him. Breathe in. Breathe out.  
    Her eyes flickered in surprise.
    Air, I need air . I didn’t expect playing the indifferent ex to be this hard. Evan turned to the others. "I’m going to make a quick phone call and get a drink from the machine. Want me to get any of you something?" he asked.
    Both declined. Evan caught Cameron giving him a strange look as he almost sprinted from the room. If she guesses how strongly I still feel for her, she may never agree to be friends.  
    Five years was more than long enough to not have the woman in his life. Now that he’d discovered she was moving closer, Evan was determined to make her his again. Friendship was the first step.
    Layla
    When she was sure Evan had gone, Layla turned to her brother-in-law and questioned him in puzzlement, "Cameron, why is he here?"
    He smiled. "Evan helped me get Ava a bed here urgently. He is close friends with the orthopaedic surgeon who operated on her, and he’s the best in the country. The doctors in Canada were concerned the leg wouldn’t heal properly due to the brittleness of her bones. This surgeon is experienced with dealing with such a problem. If it weren’t for Evan’s help, I don’t know what I would’ve done as there is a high demand for this doctor’s time.”
    Layla sat down on the couch that was pushed against the wall, overwhelmed by the reality that Evan had gone out of his way to help