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“Oh, is that right?” Chase mumbles, his eyes searching my face as I tip my head up.
“Uh-huh.”
“What do you think about that?”
“Huh?” I ask, keeping my expression blank despite my burning curiosity.
“Babies, Ry. With me?” He raises a brow, but there’s a wistful sheen in his eyes.
“I think you’d be a brilliant dad, Chase,” I tell him earnestly. “And I can see it. You running around, chasing after two little terrors.”
“You think our kids would be terrors? And we’re having two, are we? Interesting.”
“I don’t think I ever said about them beingmylittle terrors, now, did I?” I taunt, wagging my brows before turning back to the table. Bailey steers the conversation, asking Sarah what movies Grace is currently into for our sleepover tonight.
I feel Chase’s breath on my ear as he leans in, and mine stutters, but I refuse to look at him, knowing I’ll see those stupid bloody dimples as he speaks. “There isn’t another person in the world I’d consider to carry my babies, Ry. So, yes. They’ll be yours. Yours and mine—two tiny terrors.”
“Rather presumptuous of you. What if I don’t want kids?” I ask, keeping my voice low despite the fluttering in my stomach.
I feel his shrug and finally flick my eyes back to his. “Then I keep you all to myself.”
“And if I want a whole football team of tiny terrors?”
I narrow my eyes, and he chuckles, drawing the attention of everyone at the table, who all wear varying looks of curiosity on their faces.
I expect Chase to move the conversation along and come up with some excuse as to why he’s laughing, but he pays them no mind, his eyes never leaving mine. “You want a football team; I’ll give you that. Anything for you, Ry.”
15
Chase
IexpectRyantofreak at my declaration, but she surprises me, smiling as she turns to pick up her glass of wine.
Eli chuckles at my side, sending me a proud smile as I twist to look at him. “Nailed it, bro,” he tells me, and I shake my head, turning to face the rest of my too-nosy family, who quickly busy themselves with their plates, pretending they weren’t straining to listen to every word of that conversation.
“There’s a new Hallmark film streaming tonight,” Bailey says, speaking to Daisy and Ryan. Ryan tries to keep the suspicious glint from her eyes but fails miserably, not that I can blame her. I half expected Bailey to go off on a huge spiel, but instead, she surprises me, letting whatever thoughts she has running rampant in her head stay right there for now. “We should watch it tonight after Grace falls asleep.”
“You’ll be lucky if that kid falls asleep before dawn,” Eli says, staring pointedly between Ryan and Bailey. “I’ve seen the snacks you two carted back from the store. The amount of sugar you’re about to ply my daughter with is worrying.”
“Just be grateful we don’t have to deal with it,” Sarah says with a laugh, sending a wink at the girls. “And thank them for letting us have a date night for the first time in months.”
He grumbles, pressing a kiss to his wife’s head. “Yes. Thank you three very much. What would a guy ever do without sisters like you?”
“Have fewer grey hairs,” Ryan teases, plopping her straw in her mouth and pulling a face of pure innocence. “In fact, I think you’ve grown some new ones since we’ve been here.”
“You’re such a little shit. I get it now.” He turns to me, narrowing his eyes as I muffle my laughter with my hand.
“You’ll get a hernia if you don’t stop biting at everything these guys bait you with,” Sarah says, running her fingers through his hair. “And I only see a couple of grey hairs, baby, don’t you worry.”
The table falls into a fit of laughter, and the conversation moves along, though everyone glances at Ryan and me periodically, watching and waiting. What they expect to happen, I don’t know. It’s not as if I’m about to throw her down on the old oak and have my wicked way with her. Obviously, I’ll save that until everyone is in bed. I do have some willpower.
“Right, everyone,” Dad says, clearing away his plate and kicking back from the table. “Ladies, disperse. Since Mum cooked and the girls helped, it’s up to us men to get this place straightened out. Off you pop.”
“Thanks, love.” Mum stands, pressing a kiss to Dad’s cheek as she stalks over to the wine cabinet in the corner of the room and pulls the door open. “Red, white, or rosé? What’s your poison, girls?”
“Rosé,” three voices chirp, and the girls stand. They start to leave, Daisy and Bailey linking arms as they trail through the doorway, but Ryan pauses, a pout on her lips as her eyes dart over the room before landing on me.
Her back straightens, and if I didn’t see the way her chest pulled in a shaky breath, I’d wonder if she stopped breathing for a moment. It’s as if she’s warring with herself, her lips moving quickly as she mumbles something under her breath. The room around me blurs as her eyes find mine, and she blows out a slow breath, closing her eyes for a beat.
