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Chase hangs his head, scraping his hands through his hair.
“Don’t go away, Chase,” I say in a voice soft enough that I might be able to take it back and blame the wind.
But his eyes shoot to me. He heard. Clearly.
“Don’t…” I reach my hand out and place it on his arm. “Don’t go away from me like this.”
Chase melts into my touch, moving toward me until his forehead hits my collarbone. “I’m sorry.”
I clutch the sides of his face. “I know.”
His hands find my waist, gripping tightly. The way I missed. The way I want forever. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I say. And I think I mean it.
“Please, let me –” Chase lifts his head. “Please let me have a chance. A real one. I could be good for you if we did things slow and regular and –”
I kiss him. How can I not when his lips are motoring on and on and he’s right there, looking just as beautiful as he always does, trying to beg for my forgiveness? The kiss is electric. It is all-encompassing across my body, overwhelming my senses, and making my nerves tingle. “You better never leave me at the altar again,” I say.
“Never. I swear.” Chase kisses me again.
I slink my arms around his neck, give myself to him as entirely as I can even though I know there are still parts of me that are afraid.
But… not to put too fine a point on it…
“Every day is a risk, Judy.”
Every day. Every single thing. Every moment.
All I can do is keep leaping. It’s what I was born to do.
To leap into Chase Gladstone now, after everything, barely feels like a risk. Because I know he loves me. He’s said it himself. Several times now. I’d be a total fool to turn away from it.
“I love you too,” I say, in a brief space between kisses. “In case you wanted to know.”
Chase smiles and kisses the corner of my mouth. “I want to start from the beginning.”
“Me too.”
“Take you out on a date.”
I nod. “I’d like that.”
“And work our way up to the rest.”
I nuzzle my nose against his. “I’d also like that.”
“Well, thank goodness, glad this is settled,” Gram calls out.
Chase and I look at each other in surprise. Faces red, lips bitten. We’d forgotten there was anyone else close by. We were so caught up in each other.
Gram and Caroline stand in the doorway, both looking quite pleased with themselves that this cockamamie plan worked. “Don’t mind if I do,” Caroline says, saunters over, and grabs the bottle of bourbon. She takes a sip. “Gram?”
“What the hell,” Gram says and then knocks back a shot.
Chase and I laugh and share a smile.
“I guess, if we had done this the right way round…” Chase looks to Caroline. “Sis, is it okay if I take Jude out on a date?”
