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“Promise?”
He kisses my lips gently. “Promise.”
I want to kiss him a hundred more times. Want to pull him into my car if I could find the goddamn keys and have him, and I do meanallof him, in the backseat.
One thing at a time though.
Chapter 14
Chase
Thehouseisasleepand full to the brim in every room. Gram insisted the bridal party all stay here at the house. Groomsmen in the west wing, bridesmaids in the east.
I’ve been lying in bed with the covers tucked under my chin for an hour now. Wide awake.
Thinking.
Tomorrow is the big day. The day I’m marrying Jude Parry. And then it’s all wrapped up. Vows said, marriage certificate signed, behind the scenes contract ironclad.
I no longer know where the ruse begins and where it ends.
My heart has been beating just a little too quickly since the rehearsal dinner. Caroline gave a toast that had her weeping. I mean…weeping.
“My two favorite people found each other. And I’m sad I missed the beginning but can’t wait to see the journey.”
Jude and I looked at each other, guilt on both our faces.
We robbed everyone of our “relationship”. At first, it was a necessity. My fortieth is only a few weeks away. Gram’s inheritance had to be locked down.
Now, though, there is something there between Jude and me. I don’t know if we would have found it if we hadn’t been forced into it. However, it’s there. A spark. More than a spark. A whole fire I wouldn’t mind stoking my whole life. And, given tomorrow’s ceremony, one I might very well stoke that long.
But… I can’t help shaking the feeling that Caroline spoke to. We stole everyone’s chance to watch our story.
It’s a roundabout way of thinking, of course. A chicken and egg situation. Trying to find any logic in it is fruitless.
Jude and I faked a wedding and in the midst of it found a semblance of love.
That should be satisfying enough, shouldn’t it?
I roll over and check the ticking clock.
Going on eleven.
If I snuck out now to see Jude, it wouldn’t be seeing the bride before the wedding, would it be?
Seriously, Chase? You’re sitting here wondering if seeing Jude before you get married is going to somehow jinx things? This marriage wasn’t even supposed to be real.
Yeah, screw it. I want to see her.
I tiptoe out of my room and down the hall, cursing each creaking floorboard. At night, the lamps are low, casting an ethereal glow through the house. Gram is a light sleeper, so I have to be particularly quiet as I pass the central foyer of the second floor.
As I pass Gram’s room, I can hear her snoring. Almost like it's ripped off from some sort of cartoon.Honk… mimimimi…
Ah, Gram. In the day she might be an ice queen, but at night she’s just a little baby.
I creep further and further down the hall. I can hear Caroline laughing in one room, talking to one of the bridesmaids. I’m tempted to press my ear against it for a moment and listen in. Just an older brother's curiosity. Making sure everything is alright.
But there’s no need to waste time, especially when my mind is on one person and one person alone.
