Second Chance Daddy

Chapter Five

Elodie’s POV

Fallon’s voice is nothing more than a dull buzz in my ears; everything around me is a blur. I am utterly trapped, unable to tear my eyes away from Beckett as he stares back at me mutely.

‘Come on,’ Lena hisses suddenly. Her fingers curl around my forearm and tug at me insistently.

I blink, shaking off the trance, and look over at her in confusion. She is already on her feet, felix and Cassie standing beside her.

‘We have to go wave to the crowd,’ Cassie adds. She points toward the railing where Vanessa and our other female contestant, who I think is called Sicily are already standing along with five of the six bachelors.

I stand up on unsteady legs. Lena tightens her grip on my arm, supporting me as I find my balance. ‘Are you okay?’ she whispers in concern. ‘You don’t get seasick, do you?’

I force a smile as I shake my head. ‘No, I’m fine. I just . . . it’s been a long day. We uh . . . had to travel quite early to get to the port.’

Lena nods sympathetically as she starts to lead me toward the others. I follow automatically, quickening my pace to escape the man whose gaze I can still feel burning a hole into my shoulder blades. I try, but I am unable to stop myself from casting a quick glance back over my shoulder as I move. Beckett remains rooted to his spot, his attention pinned entirely on me, a dark, unreadable expression casting a shadow over his sharp features.

I snap my attention forward, reaching the wooden rail and wrapping my fingers tightly around the polished metal to steady my racing pulse. I stare straight ahead, forcing a smile as everyone around me waves and cheers. All around us, cameras click and whir in a deafening chorus. Below, a massive crowd I completely missed during arrival presses against a velvet barricade. They wave banners and scream frantically, dedicated fans of the show, presumably.

The massive ship shudders beneath our feet, engine vibrations rattling through the deck before we slowly glide away from the pier, heading into the open, choppy water as the crowd shrinks into tiny dots.

‘Okay, you true-love hopefuls!’ Fallon’s voice booms across the deck, pulling us away from the railing. He beams brightly as the heavy lens of a camera pans toward him. ‘Gather around! It’s time to pick our teams for our very first challenge!’

Just out of frame, a production crew member smiles fiercely, pointing to her own cheeks while another waves her hands in midair, frantically signalling for us to mirror the energy. We all cheer on cue, Vanessa striking a pose and cheering much louder than anyone else, beaming as the camera zooms in on her reaction.

‘Okay, if we can have our youngest sailors’ line up, they are going to pick our pairs!’

Vanessa wastes no time, shoving her son forward so takes the lead. Felix steps up behind him, dragging Callie with him, while Sicily’s daughter brings up the rear, keeping a little space between herself and my little girl.

Fallon beams at the children as a velvet bag is handed to him from off camera.

‘Right, kids,’ he states, his showman voice dripping with theatrical suspense. ‘In this bag are six cards. You need to reach inside, pick one, and hold it up high so everyone can see which lucky bachelor is going to try and win tomorrow’s game with you and your mother.’ He looks down at the five-year-old in front of him, his expression turning mock-serious. ‘Are you ready, young man?’

Dominic glances back at Vanessa. She raises a strict eyebrow, prompting him to turn back to Fallon and slowly nod.

‘Excellent! Well reach on in, and let’s see who will be teaming up with you and your mother tomorrow . . .’

Dominic reaches forward tentatively. He hesitates for a split second before shoving his small hand quickly into the bag, rummaging around before pulling out a crisp, white square of card.

‘Turn around and hold it up! Let’s see who will be our very first Love Liner couple!’

The little boy turns around nervously toward the camera, lifting the card as the cameraman zooms in on the bold black ink.

‘Everett’ Fallon yells with overzealous excitement.

One of the brown haired men steps forward, flashing a predatory grin at Vanessa. The blonde plasters on a radiant smile and moves to greet him, though a subtle ripple of annoyance tightness her jaw at her son's random choice. They meet beside Dominic, embracing each other like old friends, before Everett presses a chaste kiss to Vanessa’s cheek.

‘Well, I certainly got lucky’ he chuckles loudly, pitching his voice for the microphone as he winks at the camera, ‘I got the sexiest one here.’

I hear a muffled sound beside me. I glance over to find Lena pretending to gag behind her hand. I have to fight not to giggle as she catches my eye and winks mischevieously.

Fallon beams widely, introducing the pair to each other with practiced enthusiasm, wishing them well in the upcoming challenge, before ushering them to one side with the five year old who stands mutely beside them staring at the floor.

‘Okay my friend, step up, let’s see which lucky bachelor will be spending tomorrow with you and your mother,’ Fallon greets Felix.

The kid steps forward with confidence, unbothered by the cameras as he shoves his hand into the bag, yanks out a card, reading it to himself first and then turns around to the camera and proudly displays it to the camera. ‘Conall’ he declares loudly.

Lena grabs my hand, her eyes widening in a mix of shock and delight, as the oldest contestant with salt and pepper hair that caught her eye earlier, steps forward, offering a small, charming smile. I squeeze her hand encouragingly, letting go as she trips forward to meet him, looking a little dazed.

‘Conall, meet your partner for tomorrow, this is Lena, and her son Felix’ Fallon introduces them, reading off the autocue.

‘Hello Lena, Felix. It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I hope I can live up to expectations in tomorrow’s challenge for you’ the man rumbles. His voice is deep, smooth and rich like velvet chocolate.

‘Oh, I bet you can,’ Lena breathes before her eyes widen at her own lack of filter, and she slaps a hand over her lips as a brilliant blush stains her cheeks.

Thankfully, Conall laughs, a warm, genuine sound as he nods. ‘Well, the confidence in me is much appreciated, Lena,’ he replies smoothly.

As they move to the side, I return my gaze to the front, my entire body stiffening as I realize it is finally our turn.

Callie matches Felix's confidence, reaching into the velvet bag without a shred of hesitation and pulling out a card. She looks down at it, and I close my eyes, repeating a silent, desperate mantra: Please not Beckett, please not Beckett!

‘Murphy’ Callie states clearly.

and my chest immediately loosens as I step forward to meet the sandy blonde haired man who was first to come up the stairs earlier.

A wave of profound relief washes over me, loosening the tight knot in my chest. I step forward to meet the sandy-haired man who had been the first to ascend the ship's stairs earlier. Murphy meets me halfway, his smile broad and disarming as he takes my hand, lifts it, and presses a gentle, old-fashioned kiss to the back of my knuckles.

A blush flares across my cheeks against my will. Murphy smirks at my reaction, but the moment is abruptly cut short by a low, feral growl rumbling from the line behind us. We both glance toward the sound. I catch the fierce, dark scowl twisting Beckett’s features before he instantly smooths his expression back into one of cool indifference.

‘Well, Murphy, congratulations. You have the lovely Elodie as your partner tomorrow, along with her daughter, Callie,’ Fallon states, snapping our attention back to the host beside us.

Murphy’s grin is playful as he nods, his eyes sparkling with pure mischief as his gaze locks onto mine. ‘It is absolutely my pleasure to be your partner, Elodie,’ he murmurs, his voice low. ‘I can’t wait to show you what a great teammate I can be.’

I offer a weak smile. "Great," I manage to reply, before we are steered out of the spotlight so the last child can draw a name.

We watch as Fallon introduces Sicily’s daughter, Ayla. The little girl shyly reaches into the bag, pulls a name, and turns reluctantly to hold up the card without a word. My breath hitches, a sudden tightness squeezing my chest when Fallon reads the name aloud.

Beckett.

Sicily’s eyes go as wide as saucers. She stumbles forward as if utterly stunned to have landed the brooding, strikingly handsome man. Beckett steps up to meet her, offering a polite, practiced smile before extending his hand. She takes it, her chest heaving with erratic breaths as she stares up at him.

‘Beckett, this is Sicily and she will be your partner for tomorrow’ Fallon informs him, flashing a dazzling smile at the camera lens.

‘Nice to meet you Sicily’ Beckett mutters. He gives her hand a brief, formal shake, before letting her go again.

‘Uhh . . . it’s nice to meet you too . . .’ Sicily breathes, completely star struck.

‘That means that our two remaining bachelors, Leif and Alvaro will combine to make their own team.’ Fallon states, turning to the two men still standing together. ‘Remember guys, it’s up to you if you want to compete with the couples or not, but you don’t have to decide right now! You can let me know before the challenge starts tomorrow.’

‘Okay everyone, that’s all we have time for today! Fallon signs off, turning his charisma up to a blinding level. ‘Make sure to tune in tomorrow for the very first challenge! And if you can’t wait that long, you’ll find plenty of exclusive, first-day footage on our website! I’m Fallon Monroe, and remember’ he pauses dramatically, before adding, ‘love is just a luxury liner away!’

‘And CUT!’ a woman’s voice barks from behind the equipment.

Instantly, the blinding tally lights on the cameras die out, and the crew lowers their heavy lenses.

Fallon performance drops into a relaxed, genuine smile as he looks around us all. ‘Well done everyone, that was amazing! You are now free for the rest of the night! So, relax, enjoy yourselves, the bar is open . . .’ he winks, ‘and completely free. Get to know each other and then get a good night sleep because tomorrow we have our very first challenge!’

He turns on his heel and walks toward a woman who looks like the executive producer. As she stands up to greet him, the two immediately fall into an intense discussion while a production assistant scampers around them, unclipping wires and taking the microphone from the host.

‘Sooooo, it looks like we are partners’ Murphy murmurs from beside me, I open my mouth to answer when a rough voice growls from behind me.

‘Elodie . . .’ Beckett murmurs, the sound echoing through my body as I stiffen instinctively.