Page 30
Author: Bella Andre
He smiled at her, a smile so filled with love—and respect—that it took her breath away. “The reason he won’t hurt you again, sweetheart, is because you had him. You didn’t need me to hit him to make sure he didn’t come at you again. You had already won the battle. The scissors were genius. And perfectly aimed. ” He looked a little sheepish. “You didn’t need me to get in the middle of it all—I just couldn’t help myself. Not when I’ve been wanting to get at him all week. ”
Chloe didn’t care that grinning hurt her newly bruised jaw. She couldn’t have held her smile back for anything. Chase believed in her.
He wasn’t the only one. She finally believed in herself, too.
“You know what I’ve realized this week?”
“That I’m a sex god. ”
The laughter that rippled through her felt like it was washing all the hurt, all the pain away.
“Yes, Hotstuff, you are definitely a sex god. But also, I’ve realized that I like being a team. With you. ”
She’d wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Chase look happier, not even when she’d told him she’d fallen in love with him.
And she was just as happy. Because she hadn’t just been looking for warmth her whole life…she’d been looking to be part of something bigger than just herself, too.
A family. She wanted to know she was part of a family that loved her, no matter what.
Always.
Forever.
Just then the sirens blared through the Sullivan Winery gates. Chloe spoke with the police officers and watched them put her ex-husband into the backseat of one of their vehicles.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
Chase hadn’t let go of her hand for one single second and as the police cars drove away, she turned into his arms and rested her head against his broad chest.
“I’m a little sad,” she admitted. “All those years. . . I keep trying to tell myself none of them were wasted. ” She lifted her face to look into his beautiful eyes. “They led me to you, Chase. ”
Before she realized what he was doing, Chase was down on one knee in the middle of the garden. Reaching out for the lavender bush, he pulled off a flowering stem.
“Chloe Peterson, I love you. ”
She loved hearing those three words that filled her soul with such warmth—and endless happiness. But even if he never said them again, she would know what he felt for her simply by looking into his eyes.
“Will you marry me?”
Chloe no longer doubted that she was a strong woman. She also knew she didn’t need to be strong with Chase.
Which was a very good thing, because her legs suddenly felt weak, her eyes were wet, and it was all she could do just to nod and whisper, “Yes,” as Chase gently wound the lavender around her ring finger.
And as he stood up and kissed her, Chloe was amazed to realize that her fairytale wasn’t coming to an end, after all.
It was only just beginning.
Epilogue
Marcus Sullivan watched the waitstaff circulate through Chase and Chloe’s San Francisco loft with trays loaded with some of his best vintages. They’d announced their engagement a month ago, and tonight they were sharing their joy with the entire Sullivan clan.
Everyone had cleared or changed their schedules to be here tonight. Even Smith had flown in for the weekend from Italy, where he was shooting a big-budget thriller. Chloe’s parents were clearly overwhelmed, not just from meeting a big movie star, but by the entire Sullivan clan, minus Lori, who had gotten caught late at a video shoot for some hot new pop star. His mother, Mary, had been by the side of Chloe’s folks nearly the entire evening, working overtime to make sure they were comfortable.
Standing off to the side of the group, Marcus was happy for his brother. Chase had picked a good woman. A perfect woman, really.
Marcus downed his full glass without tasting it and took another from the young waiter before he could walk away. He never drank to excess. Drunk had never been his style, and given that he was in the wine business, a predilection to over-imbibing would have been more than a health issue, it could prove to be bad for business, too.
Tonight, however, Marcus, didn’t give a crap about business. Or remaining sober.
How could Jill have let him walk in and find her with—
His second glass went down just as fast as the first and he was reaching for his third when he realized his mother was coming toward him.
Just a handful of minutes ago, she’d told the entire crowd how very thrilled she was to—finally—see one of her brood take the plunge. What she hadn’t said was that she’d always thought her oldest would have been first to the altar.
Marcus had thought that, too. Now he knew better.
Now he knew that the past two years of waiting for Jill to be “ready” for the next step had been nothing but a lie.
Working to head his mother off at the pass, Marcus said, “They’re great together, aren’t they?”
His mother looked at the happy couple with a smile. “She’s perfect for him. Strong, creative, lovely. ”
Too soon, her eyes were back on him, just in time to watch him down his third glass. His tolerance was higher than most, but he didn’t usually drink that kind of volume that quickly.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
“Nothing. ”
But they both knew he was lying.
Marcus needed to get out of there before he ruined the party. “I’ll be back in the city next weekend. I’ll come by to see you then. ”
His mother put her hand on his arm. “Will Jill be with—”
Lori flew in through the front door just then, still wearing her dance clothes, before his mother could finish her sentence.
“Oh my freaking God, I never thought I’d get out of that studio!” In an instant, she zeroed in on the happy couple, exclaiming, “My new sister-to-be!” as she threw her arms around Chloe. “We need to do a big group shot!”
His mother happily went to give her camera to one of the staff to take pictures of the Sullivans and Petersons. Marcus stood stiffly on the edge of the group, and as soon as the picture-taking was done, he left before anyone could stop him.
He hadn't had a one night stand in two years, hadn't taken a beautiful, willing stranger to bed for twenty-four wasted months. Like an idiot, he'd given up hot sex for the false promise of love.
Well, Marcus was a hell of a lot smarter now.
And, tonight, he was going to make up for lost time.
~ THE END ~
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