A Second Chance at Love

The boys had left over an hour ago with their mother and I had still yet to remove myself from the stool I was sitting on at the breakfast bar. The coffee tasted too good and the silence was too comforting. I was having trouble motivating myself to take the dog for a walk and get my stuff ready for practice. The silence in the house was welcomed. There aren't many minutes in a normal day where I can hear myself think, let alone just sit and relax.

I needed to reevaluate my life. I was luckier than most, blessed with three sons who kept me on my toes and a job I was passionate about. My ex-wife was the only negative in a life filled with happiness and accomplishment. After a year and a half of divorce hell, I would had gladly given her every penny just to leave me alone. I kept the boys as much as my job would allow and she begrudgingly took over during the time I was away.

Between the boys and my job, there wasn't much time for dating. My housemate and best friend, Claude, would often offer to watch the boys so I could as he put it, "Get a lil action". He didn't understand the last thing I wanted to happen was to have more drama invading my personal life and screwing with the life I was trying to put back together for my boys.

For the last year or so, I guess I sort of got used to spending nights alone. Not too say there haven't been women, I travel a lot and it allows me to meet people outside my residence in New Jersey. I try my best to avoid people that could disrupt my everyday life with the boys. They have been through enough.

Finally dragging myself off the stool, I grabbed Lola's leash. The only female in a house full of men she had become quite spoiled. "Let's go Lola, come on girl." She hopped up onto my chest and eagerly awaited to be hooked to her leash. I stood on the porch for a few minutes while Lola ran on the front lawn. It was definitely a beautiful day out, breezy but warm.

I noticed the moving truck across the street before I noticed her. Long brown hair hung down her back cascading in waves. She had on a light pink jogging suit with a grey tank top. Little to no makeup was visible on her face. Quite frankly, she was the most naturally pretty woman I had seen in a long time. I headed down the street with Lola my gaze still locked on her. She hadn't even looked up. I had to convince myself to stop staring, but yet I couldn't look away. I decided to take the long way back to the house and avoid walking by her again. I didn't want to embarrass myself by staring.

When I got back into the house, Claude had emerged from the shower and was rushing around collecting equipment for practice. "Hey Roo, did you meet the new neighbor yet?" I yelled into the living room.

"Didn't even see anyone over there, why?" Claude questioned me with a slight smirk. I knew if I answered him honestly the entire practice we had this morning would be hell. The guys would torture me about her and more than likely I would have quite the crew following me home from the rink.

"Just wondering, I noticed a moving truck over there." I answered quietly. I prayed he wouldn't notice her as we were leaving.

I grabbed my gear and jacket and started towards the car. "Yo Dan, look at the kid's bike in the driveway, she is probably married, eh." Shit- I didn't even look at him as I got into the car. I knew I was in for it. But I knew this afternoon would be worse, the guys would be clamoring to get her attention by this afternoon. ‹ Summary

Notes

Editing this as I go along. The first story I ever wrote and by far my favorite. Let me know what you think.