“This is fuckin’ delicious, Ma,” Chase said.
“Chase,” Emma said on a sigh. “Language, please.”
His laughter healed some of the broken bits of my soul. Without it these past few months, I’d felt hollow, devoid of warmth and light and love. The cadence of his voice seeped into the cracks of my heart and began filling the spaces in between. His presence soothed the erratic beating of my heart.
“Let’s have a toast!” Jay said, raising his glass. “To Chase, his first brunch home, and the whole family being together again.”
Much to Emma’s dismay, a white-out snow storm last weekend had prevented the family from getting together for their weekly brunch. It hadn’t stopped Chase from ensuring I was well-fed, though. He’d insisted on making the twenty-minute drive to Ashford to pick me up from the hospital because my tires were, apparently, “shit for driving in the snow.” We had breakfast at Rosie’s before he walked me up the slippery driveway and dropped me off at home.
A chorus of cheers rang out. After Chase took a sip of his orange juice, he said, “Can’t believe you’re drinking OJ withoutthe champagne, Tessa. Isn’t that against your”—he waved a hand vaguely in her direction—“entire persona?”
“What? No. I can make it through brunch without drinking. It’s fine.” Her words came out too quickly, too forcefully. Chase saw right through it.
“Uh huh,” he deadpanned. “I may have missed the last twelve, but this isn’t my first brunch. This house doesn’t need to become dry just because I’m not drinking. Hell, Kai’s sober and he runs a damn bar.”
Kai raised his glass of juice in Chase’s direction.
“Did they allow this much swearing in rehab?” Emma tsked. “Honestly…”
“Wanna see my room?”Chase asked with a waggle of his brows.
After brunch, we’d all gathered in the living room to watch the early afternoon football games—well, everyone except Charlie and Kai, who couldn’t care less and went back to their cozy little apartment above the bar.
I sat with one leg bent underneath me in the corner of the sectional, Chase on the floor below me. His head tilted back against the cushion as he looked up at me expectantly.
I smiled, and he took it for the agreement it was. When he stood, he held out a hand for me. When I placed my hand in his and our skin met, electric sparks shot up my arm. That skin-buzzing sensation I’d first felt more than a year ago and had written off as some sort of medical ailment was back, and it wouldn’t be ignored.
“Door open, you two!” Jay shouted as we hit the first step.
“Ha-ha,” Chase said. “Afraid I might knock her up?” He winked at me when laughter broke out in the living room. My body felt hot all over as Chased tugged me up the stairs behind him and across the threshold to his childhood bedroom.
“Wow,” I said when I took in the space. In all the weeks I’d been here, I’d never once come up to his room, too afraid that even the lingering scent of his all-in-one body wash would break me. But now that I was finally here, a laugh bubbled up and out of me. The sound, the feeling, the lightness all felt so foreign after weeks—months? years?—of aching sadness. “Leave someStar Warsposters for the other nerds.”
“I’ll have you know these are vintage collectibles,” Chase huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in mock offense. “And this room is a shrine to my superior taste.”
I ran my finger along a shelf filled with action figures still in their original packaging. “Superior taste, huh? Is that why you have three identical Darth Vaders?”
“They’re not identical!” He rushed to the shelf, pointing at each one with exaggerated indignation. “This one’s from the original trilogy release, this one’s the twenty-fifth anniversary edition, and this one—” He paused dramatically. “This one has a lightsaber that actually lights up.”
“Wow,” I deadpanned. “I stand corrected. You’re clearly a sophisticated collector.”
Chase narrowed his eyes. “You’re making fun of me.”
“Me? Never.” I pressed my lips together to suppress another laugh.
“I think you need to be taught a lesson, Dr. Ventura.” Hisvoice dropped an octave, and something in his expression shifted.
Before I could react, his fingers found my sides, tickling mercilessly. I squealed, trying to squirm away.
“Chase! Stop it!” I gasped between laughs, backing away until my legs hit his bed. “I’ll pee!”
“Admit my collection is awesome,” he demanded, not letting up.
“Never!” I twisted away, but my pregnant belly threw off my balance. I tumbled backward onto his narrow twin bed, pulling him down with me.
We landed with Chase braced above me, his weight carefully held off my body. Our faces inches apart, laughter fading into something heavier, more charged. His eyes darkened as they traced my features, lingering on my lips.
The air between us crackled with electricity. His twin bed felt impossibly small, forcing our bodies close. One of his legs slipped between mine, and I felt the hard press of him against my thigh.
