Authors: Sabrina A. Eubanks
Chapter 20
C
hase couldn’t believe it was all for real. It was the best thing that had ever happened to him,
but he kept waiting for the rug to be snatched from under him. He convinced himself that
things couldn’t possibly be that perfect, even if it was only for this one moment in time. Chase had
wanted something small and intimate—and technically, it still was, he supposed—but thanks to the
former Bliss Riley, fifty people had shown up to watch him marry his bride in the sand.
Bliss had been his wife for four hours. Night had fallen, and Chase thought their little party
would have thinned out by now, but every single guest was still there, dancing, eating, and drinking
under their big tent on the beach. Finally, though, he found a moment to himself and retreated from
the epicenter of the party.
He took off his tie and his jacket to his white linen Armani suit and draped them over the back
of a chair. He took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, sat down by himself, and watched
Bliss dance with Corey. Chase sat back in his chair and undid the first two buttons of his shirt. He
smiled and sipped his champagne. Bliss looked beautiful. Corey was swirling her around in her
simple Vera Wang gown. She had flowers in her hair, and she was smiling at Corey like he was
her new best friend. Chase couldn’t wait to be alone with her. A hand fell on his shoulder, and he
looked up. Bliss’s father was standing over him, smiling.
“Can I sit with you, son, or do you want to be alone?”
Chase laughed and sat up in his seat. “I definitely don’t. Come on and have a seat.”
Lewis Riley sat down next to his brand new son-in-law and gave him a look. “You know, when
Bliss called us last week, the very last thing I expected to hear was that she was getting married
today. I was very surprised.”
Chase smiled. “Why’s that?”
“‘Cause from what I understand, you two haven’t been dating that long.”
Chase frowned thoughtfully. “To tell you the truth, Mr. Riley, I, uh…I don’t think me and Bliss
really
dated
. I mean, we went out and stuff, but dated? Nah, not us.”
Lewis frowned. “What does that mean?”
Chase smiled and leaned toward him. He looked him in the eye. “It means we didn’t have time
for all that dating stuff. We were too busy falling in love and tryin’ to get
here
, where we are right
now.” Chase looked at him seriously. “Mr. Riley, I loved Bliss the minute I saw her. I put the idea
of us gettin’ married out there to her a week after I met her. The only thing that would have stopped
me from marryin’ Bliss was a flat-out refusal from her. I’m a lucky man, though, because she loves
me as much as I love her.” Chase couldn’t seem to stop smiling, but for once, it wasn’t for a bad
reason.
Lewis tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “Nobody wants to tell me, but I picked
it out of the air that Bliss is pregnant. Is that true?”
Chase nodded, still smiling. “Yeah, it’s true. I did it, and it wasn’t a mistake.
We love each other,
Mr. Riley. You can relax.”
Lewis Riley stared at the handsome, brash young man and made his own evaluation. Finally, he
smiled at Chase and extended his hand. “Well, all right then. I guess you’ve told me everything I
wanted to hear. I like you, son…and please, call me Lewis.”
Chase shook his hand just as Corey brought Bliss back and plopped her in his lap. “Your wife
is wearin’ me out, bro. Your turn.”
Lewis stood up and pulled Bliss off Chase’s lap, smiling. “I’ll take this one with your
permission.”
Chase nodded. “You got it.”
Bliss planted a kiss on him first. “Gotta dance with my daddy! Be right back.”
Corey sat down next to Chase and sighed. “I’m happy for you and Bliss, Chase.”
Chase looked over at his brother and smiled. He thought he’d never speak on it. Some things
you didn’t have to say out loud, but there it was. “Thanks, Corey.”
“You’re welcome, ‘cause I almost stepped to her when she showed up late to that interview.”
Chase sipped his champagne. “I know.”
Corey looked at him carefully. “Then I guess I don’t have to say anything else.”
“Not a word. I’ve always known you had a crush on Bliss.”
Corey smiled, and it was a little woeful. “Maybe, but I’m glad you got some happiness, Chase.
I know how dark it’s been for you. I love you, man.”
Chase smiled and grabbed the back of his neck affectionately. “I love you, too, Corey. Don’t
come sniffin’ ‘round my wife, though, or I’ll have to beat your ass.”
Corey laughed. “Don’t worry, Chase. I’d never even think about doin’ you greasy like that.
Cyrus, maybe, but not me. Speaking of Cyrus—”
Chase sat back in his chair and rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I
wasn’t,
Corey, and don’t be
bringin’ him up. If you notice, he wasn’t invited. I don’t want to think about his ass, especially not
today.”
Corey leaned forward. “Yeah, but Chase, Cyrus has been blowin’ my phone up since we left
town. He been callin’ you too?”
Chase felt himself getting angry, and he leaned forward too. “I really wouldn’t know. I got
married today, Corey. I wasn’t tryin’ to take a call from Cyrus in the middle of the ceremony.”
“He’s gonna be real pissed that he ain’t here, Chase.”
Chase laughed. “That nigga shot me in the chest, Corey. He didn’t want to come.”
Corey shrugged with one shoulder, looking at Chase like he was scared to voice his opinion, but
he did it anyway. “He didn’t really shoot you, Chase. He was drunk, and you had a vest on, so—”
Chase laughed again. “He
did
shoot me, Corey.
He did!
How can you sit there and say he didn’t?
You were there! Matter of fact, he would have shot
you
if I hadn’t stepped in front of you, and like
you said, you wasn’t wearin’ no vest.”
“Yeah, but Chase, Cyrus was—”
Chase banged his fist on the table. “
No, Corey!
” He yelled at him and instantly regretted it—not
just because of the look on Corey’s face, but also because everything in his immediate vicinity
came to a screeching halt. Bliss stopped dancing with her father, people turned to look, and even
J.T., Tasha, and Dee gawked at him from halfway across the room. He brought his shit down
1,000
at once. Chase put his hand on Corey’s shoulder and spoke into his ear. “I don’t want to hear
Cyrus’s name again until we get back to New York. Do you understand me, Corey? I mean it.”
Corey looked at the floor. “But—”
“I mean it, Corey.”
Corey nodded reluctantly. “Okay, Chase. I’m sorry. It’s just—”
“I know, Corey, I know. It’s gonna be okay. Just stop it now. For me, all right?”
“You got it.”
Chase rubbed his shoulder. “Good. All right, then.” He gave Corey’s shoulder a squeeze and
walked out of the tent to smooth himself out. He knew Corey’s only intention had been to keep
them together or at least talking, but Cyrus was the last person he wanted to think about on his
wedding day.
Cyrus
. That nigga had shot him like he was a dog on the street. If he hadn’t been wearing that
Kevlar, he would have been dead. Cyrus had meant to kill him. After everything they’d gone
through together—good and bad, right or wrong—he couldn’t believe Cyrus wanted to kill his
own brother. Cyrus clearly would have no problem killing Corey either. His brothers, yet he didn’t
give a fuck about them. Chase had always suspected it, and now he knew for sure. Nothing says,
“Fuck you”
like a bullet in the chest. Chase smiled cynically, put his hands in his pockets, and
started walking in the sand.
He hadn’t wanted to think about Cyrus. He’d pushed him out of his mind every time he’d
popped up since the day he’d shot him. With everything else going on, he’d managed to do that
pretty well—until Corey unexpectedly brought that nigga up right in the middle of his wedding
reception. Chase was pretty sure Cyrus had blown his phone up too. He’d called him every day—
sometimes two or three times a day—and Chase always let that shit go straight to voicemail. He
had absolutely no desire to talk to Cyrus. He was still trying to decide on the way he’d hold him in
his heart. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why he still loved Cyrus at all or even cared
about what he thought, especially since Cyrus had done so many things to make him justifiably
hate his ass—things that made him want to smoke his ass.
Chase heard something behind him and turned around sharply. Bliss was running across the
sand, holding up the front of her wedding dress so she wouldn’t trip over it. He frowned and closed
the distance between them. “Hey, Bliss! What are you doing out here running in the sand? You
can’t be doin’ that.”
She was a little winded, but it didn’t stop her from talking. “I was worried about you! Why did
you just run out of there like that? Are you okay?”
“I didn’t
run
out of there. I just came out here to get some air.”
“What happened between you and Corey?”
Chase shrugged indifferently. “Nothin’. He started talkin’ about Cyrus, and he wouldn’t shut
up. Not today, Bliss. Cyrus has no place here, even in conversation.”
Bliss touched his face. “I’m sorry, baby. I really am.”
He smiled at her. “It’s okay. It really doesn’t matter. Nothing really matters except what goes
on in this little circle we made—you, me, and whoever is in here,” he said, touching her flat
stomach.
She smiled at him. “Don’t forget about Uncle Corey.”
He laughed. “Yeah, Uncle Corey too.”
“You say the sweetest things, Chase.”
He looked down at her standing there, still a bit breathless with flowers in her hair, looking
beautiful in her wedding dress. She was the prettiest girl he’d ever seen, and she was his. God had
let him have this one, but he wondered what he’d have to pay for it. Whatever it was, the price
tag would come later, if it came at all. There was always the hope that He would just let Chase
have that one blessing on the house. Maybe Bliss would be his first freebie. But regardless, at that
moment, he was just grateful.
Chase pulled Bliss into his arms and kissed his bride with a sweet, smoldering kiss that quickly
turned into a raging inferno. There was so much passion between them. Chase wanted to slip into
her right there on that beach. He ran his hands over the soft fabric of her gown, wanting to tear it
away and get at her even softer skin. His fingers found her breasts as Bliss’s hand slipped into his
pants.