Sitting there, halfway through a meal, his hands curled into fists on the table, his ocean-blue eyes locked onto her like she was the only thing in the fucking world.
Savannah’s breath stalled somewhere between her chest and her mouth. The air in the tavern suddenly felt too thick, too charged with something she wasn’t ready to face.
Mallory, still oblivious to the tidal wave crashing through Savannah’s system, kept going. "I mean, seriously, look at him. He’s like some kind of dark, brooding, life-ruining fantasy. That jawline? Those arms? Tell me you don’t want to climb that man and ride him like your life depends on it."
Savannah barely heard her. The world had tilted on its axis. She was drowningin a tide she hadn’t seen coming, one that dragged her back into memories she had no business reliving.
Mallory finally caught on to the fact that Savannah wasn’t speaking, and wasn’t moving. Her grin faltered. "Savy? What’s wrong?"
Savannah’s gaze remained locked onto Chase, her pulse hammering. She swallowed hard, trying to find her voice, but it came out barely above a whisper. "That’s him."
Mallory frowned. "Who?"
Savannah dragged her eyes away from the past and met Mallory’s. "That’s Chase Montgomery."
Mallory’s reaction was immediate and dramatic. She blinked rapidly and looked back at Chase, then back at Savannah. "The Chase Montgomery? Your Chase? The one you never shut up about when we first met?"
Savannah nodded once, throat too tight to speak.
Mallory’s jaw nearly hit the damn table. "Wait a second. That’s him? That’s the guy? The one you let slip through your fingers? The one you used to stare off into the distance about like some tragic Hallmark movie heroine?"
Savannah clenched her drink. "I didn’t let him go. We never got the chance to start."
Mallory made a strangled sound, flailing her hands. "Okay, no offense, but why the hell did you never mention that he was this level of hot? Jesus, Savannah. That man looks like he was built to ruin lives in the best possible way. And judging by the way he’s eye-fucking you, he’s about two seconds from wrecking yours all over again."
Savannah swallowed hard, her entire body taut with the weight of the moment. She could feel the burn of Chase’s gaze from across the room, feel the way the years between them suddenly shrank to nothing.
Mallory leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Well, sweetheart, I think you just got your second chance. And you’d be an idiot not to take it."
Savannah dragged in a slow breath, forcing herself to tear her eyes away, but it was like trying to unhook herself from gravity. Chase had always been like this—magnetic, dangerous, a storm you saw coming but didn’t have the sense to run from.
Memories came rushing back in a flood she wasn’t prepared for. The way he used to look at her when he thought no one was watching. The way his fingers would brush against her skin, just for a second too long, enough to leavegoosebumps in their wake. The sound of his voice when he whispered her name like it meant something. Like she meant something.
Her chest tightened. No. She wasn’t going to do this. She wasn’t going to fall into that old trap, let herself believe for even a second that fate had decided to give her a redo. Because that wasn’t how life worked.
Savannah exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "It doesn’t matter. It was a lifetime ago."
Mallory scoffed. "Yeah, well, tell that to the way you two are currently undressing each other with your eyes."
Savannah’s fingers tightened around her glass. "Mallory—"
"Savannah." Mallory’s tone shifted, losing its teasing edge. "Just answer me one thing. If you could go back—if you could do it over—would you?"
Savannah’s heart pounded. "It’s not that simple."
"But what if it is?" Mallory challenged. "What if the universe is handing you something you thought you lost forever?"
Savannah forced herself to take another sip of her drink, to steady her shaking fingers. "Then I’d have to decide if I was brave enough to take it."
Mallory smiled slowly. "Well, sweetheart, I think you’re about to find out."
As if on cue, Chase shifted in his seat, his body language screaming indecision and restraint. He was fighting it—fighting the pull between them—but she saw the moment he lost the battle.
He pushed his chair back and stood, his eyes never leaving hers. The tavern around them buzzed with conversation, laughter, the clinking of glasses, but to Savannah, it was nothing more than background noise. White noise to the drumbeat of her pulse.
Mallory’s eyes widened, excitement flashing across her face. "Oh my God. He’s coming over here."
Savannah’s stomach dropped to her feet. "Shit."
