The Choice (22 page)

“You okay, Baby?” Chase asks and I nod up at him. “Okay, well I need to head up front so I can get ready to play. I’ll see you up there,” he says as he cups my cheek with his hand. “Do you need anything before I go?”

“No, thank you,” I smile. “I can’t wait to hear you play. Are you nervous?”

“I’m never nervous when I play for my girl,” he smiles down at me.

“Me and everyone else in the room,” I joke, making him laugh at the memory of the first time he sang to me.

“Baby,” he whispers in my ear. “You already know they’re all for you.”

Kissing me sweetly on the cheek, he tells me he loves me before heading out to the room where the ceremony will be held.

“
So are you freaking out yet?” Renee says from beside me as we wait for the ceremony to start.

“I’m sorry?”

“I heard what Emily told you at the house,” she smiles. “Before you ask, I don’t know what song he’s going to choose.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” I admit. “Emily just told me to pay attention to the song, she didn’t say why.”

“Oh no!” she gasps, throwing her manicured hand over her mouth. “I thought she told you the whole thing!” Watching me shake my head, she gives me a nervous smile. “Well, I guess there’s no harm in me telling you now. She couldn’t come up with a song for the recessional, so she told him to play something for you. She said ‘pick the song you’d sing for Sophie if today was your wedding day instead of mine.’” Instantly, my breathing hitches and unlike minutes before when she asked, I’m now starting to freak out. “Don’t tell them I told you,” Renee breaks me from my thoughts again. “She’s a sweet girl, my daughter, but she’s been a real nutcase over this wedding!”

I feel a little guilty about the way I’m absentmindedly nodding at Renee, but I just can’t keep my focus on anything besides Chase and this song right now.

A few minutes later, we’re ushered out to our places and the sound of the piano Chase is playing fills the air. I’m slightly familiar with the Chopin piece he’s playing, but I don’t know it by name. I’ll never forget it now, though, as I’m blown away by how effortlessly each note flows into the next.

I try my best to take in the beauty of the room in front of me. It’s decorated with thousands of the most beautiful flowers and candles. There are tiny lights hanging everywhere and the aisle is lined with a silk runner that probably
cost a small fortune. All of it is lost on me, however, as I’m handed my purple bouquet and sent down the aisle at my turn.

As usual when we’re in the same room, my eyes lock on Chase as soon as they find him. The black baby grand piano he’s sitting behind is covered in candles and the gentle glow emanating from them splashes across his bronze skin. He’s lost in the feel of the keys
beneath his fingertips as they glide in skilled, fluid motions. The emotion he’s able to put into the piece is amazing, so stunning that I find I’m on the verge of tears by the time I take my place near the front of the altar.

After watching Emily walk up the aisle, the song concludes and Chase stands, moving to his place in the front near Brad. His eyes lock with mine and when I swipe a tear from my eye, he offers me a gentle smile.

As they take their vows, mine and Chase’s eyes meet occasionally and my heart aches. I love this man so much, more than I thought was possible for one person to love another.

As the ceremony comes to an end, he winks at me before resuming his place behind the piano. Holding my gaze, he stares into me for a moment while he waits for his cue to begin. As Emily and Brad share their first kiss as man and wife
, Chase’s face is calm as he smiles gently at me and mouths that he loves me.

“Emily said to tell you to stay here,” Melissa leans over and whispers into my ear. I nod slightly, vaguely understanding what she’s saying, but
knowing I couldn’t move from this spot right now if my life depended on it.

Chase is about to play again
and this time, I know it’s just for me.

Nothing will keep me from hearing it
.

The first
gentle notes that come from the piano aren’t familiar to me. In fact, I’m sure I’ve never heard this song until Chase’s sweet, smooth voice begins to sing into the microphone, surprising me.

A slow, heart-wrenchingly beautiful ballad of ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ by
Sleeping at Last is the song he’s chosen.

As his voice weaves in and out in perfect melody, his ey
es hold mine. Never faltering, never wavering. The lyrics he’s singing describe his love and devotion to me perfectly. As he hits the higher notes his typically deep voice cracks slightly with emotion, cutting into my heart with the most sensual of strokes.

With every word, every note that leaves his finger
tips, his lips, Chase pours every ounce of his heart into mine. He doesn’t just describe his feelings for me, he describes mine for him. He paints a picture of the life we have in front of us while honoring the path we’ve left behind.

He couldn’t have picked a better song.

I thought it wasn’t possible for anyone to love another as much as I love him, but I was wrong.

He loves me just as much.

As he gives himself to me completely, I let his words speak to me. I remember the first night I met him, the first time I saw the eyes that are now staring into my soul. My breathing falters when I recall the way his fingertips felt on my cheek for the first time, then again this morning. I think about the flurry that entered my stomach the first time he smiled at me, the way my heart speeds up when he kisses me still, the way I get lost in him when we make love. 

He’s never broken a promise. No matter how screwed up things have gotten, Chase has always been right here with me.

I’ve said it myself a hundred times, from the very first moment I saw him,
I knew
.

My God, I’ve been so stupid
.

I’ve fought so hard to protect the last little piece of my heart that I never even realized it was no longer mine to protect.

Chase isn’t waiting for it any more. It’s already his.

It’s been his all along.

And just like that, the final wall shatters at my feet and I’m free. Finally, the high dive my dad told me about all those years ago makes sense and I know that this is it.

This is where I jump.

Dropping the forgotten bouquet at my feet as Chase’s fingers deliver the final notes
of the most beautiful song I’ll ever hear, I do what I should have done months ago.

I make my way over to him, never breaking eye contact as he stands before me, the beautiful, heart
stopping love of my life.

As I come to a stop in front of him, my breathing hitches as I take him in through new eyes.
For the first time, I realize the choice was never ours to make. Just like the sun must rise and set each day, my heart was destined to belong to Chase.

“Sophie,” he breathes.
His tear rimmed eyes match mine and as he speaks my name, his soft, husky whisper breaks with emotion.

“Ask me,” I whisper
.

“What?” he asks genuinely confused.

“Ask me, Chase,” I say again. I close my eyes briefly before opening them up in time to see the understanding cross his features. Reaching up to rest my hand against his neck, he shudders slightly. As he covers my hand with his, he turns his head slightly to kiss the inside of my wrist as a tear escapes his eye, causing my own to spring free. “Please Baby,” I beg in a whisper. “Please ask me.”

Running the pad of his thumb gently under my eye, he places another kiss on the inside of my wrist as he moves it from his neck, cradling my hands in his.

Holding my gaze, I watch him slowly bend down in front of me.

“Baby,” he starts, kissing my hand. “My
sweet, beautiful, perfect Sophie whose rogue dimples beg to be kissed and has the emerald eyes that take my breath away a million times a day. Please marry me,” he breathes, his voice thick with emotion. “Sophie, please be my wife.”    

Kneeling down slowly in front of him, I take his face in my hands and wipe the tears away from
beneath the blue oceans that own my heart. I whisper the word he’s always deserved, the answer that was only waiting for this moment.

“Yes.”

The ferociousness of my lips on hers couldn’t have been avoided even if I’d wanted it to be. When she finally whispers the word I’ve been waiting so long to hear, every emotion, every feeling breaks through a dam I’d never realized I’d been holding and I’m free.

We both are.

I’d thought she was mine a hundred times, but in this kiss, I know once and for all that this is what I’ve been waiting for. She’s the reason I’ve been floating around aimlessly for nearly thirty years. This is what I’ve been waiting for all my life.

This moment, this answer,
this kiss in the middle of this room. This girl.

My girl
.

The realization stuns me and has me pressing my lips against hers even harder, pulling a whimper from her chest that nearly does me in.

“Sophie,” I whisper as I pull away from her breathlessly. “Sophie, you said yes, Baby!”

“I know!” she laughs, her gorgeo
us green eyes as teary as mine.

Both of us beaming, I gently wipe the tears from her cheeks and grip her by the nape of her neck, kissing her again. Sweeping
my tongue against hers, she pulls my lower lip into her mouth before sucking gently and forcing a groan from me. We’re still on our knees in the middle of the aisle as I pull her closer so she’s straddling me, both of us lost in the feel of our kiss. Sophie rests her arms on my shoulders, gripping the hair on the back of my neck as our lips speak for us. After a long moment we pull away reluctantly, both of us panting.

“Say it again,” I manage, sending her into a blushing fit.

Gazing into my eyes, Sophie rests her palms on my neck gently.

“Yes,” she whispers, her voice thick with emotion as she kisses me lightly. “Yes.” Kiss. “Yes.” Kiss. “Yes.” Kiss. “Yes.” Kiss. “Yes.” Kiss. “Every day for the rest of our lives, I
will choose you, Chase. I can’t wait to be your wife, Baby.”

“Sophie,” I
say softly as I pull her as close to me as I can and press my lips to her forehead before resting my face in her neck and hugging her tightly. “You’re mine, Baby. I can’t believe you’re really mine.”

“
Chase,” she breathes, pulling away from me slightly to meet my eyes. “I’ve always been yours, Lover. The second my eyes found yours, I knew,” she whispers, pressing her hand to my heart. “The heart knows when it finds the other half to its soul, Chase. Don’t think for a second that I’ve never been yours completely.”

“Baby,” I say almost silently, completely overcome with emotion at her words as I search her eyes and run the pad of my thumb over her mouth
, resting my forehead against hers. “God Sophie, I love you so much.”

Grabbing my hand in hers and resting her lips against my wrist as I often do to hers, she holds my eyes. With a teary smile, she rests my hand against her pounding heart gently.

“I love you, too, Chase,” she mouths as a slight tremor of emotion rips through her chest. “Hopelessly.”

After staying there together like that for a few more minutes, Sophie
’s soft voice breaks the silence.

“People are waiting for us, aren’t they? Probably wondering where we are?”

“I don’t care,” I tell her honestly, pushing her soft waves away from her eyes. “I’ve waited for you my whole life, Sophie,” I whisper. “The world can wait ten more minutes. This moment is just for us.”

The blush stains her cheeks as her rogue dimples come out of hiding and I kiss them softly, loving the sigh it pulls from my girl.

Holding her in my lap and rocking her gently, staying wrapped in each other, I let time stand still. Softly singing ‘Forever’ by Ben Harper into her golden hair, I relish in the way she holds me tighter.

Once I’ve finished, Sophie slowly pulls away from me and wipes the fresh tears from her eyes.

“I’m so sorry
I made you wait so long, Honey Bee.”

Pushing the stray hair from her face, I kiss her gently and shake my head.

“You’re worth the wait, Sophie,” I say softly. “I’d wait for you forever, Baby.”

***

“I wonder where are Sophie and Chase are?” I say, looking around before allowing my eyes to fall back on the blue ones I love so deeply.

“No telling,” Drake answers with a small smile. “Knowing those two, they’re probably debasing a coat closet somewhere.”             

“Yeah,” I snort
. “You’re probably right!”

Standing, Drake looks down at me and smiles, taking my hand.

“Would you dance with me, my Love?”

“
Aww,” I blush, taking his hand and standing to kiss him. “Yes, of course I will.”

Leading me to the dance floor, Drake pulls me to his chest before beginning to slowly sway to the beat of ‘One and
Only’ by Adele. He sweetly whispers some of the lyrics as he spins me around the floor, drowning the rest of the world out.

By the time we return to our seats, we’ve danced to half a dozen songs and are both covered in a light s
heen of sweat. Drake walks me to our table before making his way to the bar to grab us each a drink.

Halfway back to me, I see his head turn, his attention seemingly grabbed from someone else. The crowd makes it impossible for me to see who it is, but I don’t miss the look of pure excitement that covers his gorgeous face. Whoever has stopped him has him very happy to see them.

After a few long minutes of my curiosity getting the better of me, he finally turns to face me. Gesturing for his mystery guest to follow him, I’m a mess of nerves knowing I’m likely to be meeting someone pretty important to him. When the crowd finally allows me a peek, I’m more than a little floored.

Following the love of my life is a woman who looks like she’s stepped straight off of the red carpet.
She’s wearing a shimmery, green off the shoulder evening gown that looks like it was sewn on to look exactly right. Her skin is perfect, her hair the color of cocoa with a slight hint of cinnamon. Her almond shaped hazel eyes are the only thing more attractive than her perfectly painted, full lips which are smiling massively in my direction.

“Baby,” he says to me, pulling my attention
to him immediately. “Meet my friend,” he tells me before turning his attention back to her. “This is my girlfriend, Analise. Analise, this is Sarah.”

This
is Sarah?
What the actual fuck?

Clearing my throat, I take her in again and watching the way she’s looking at Drake, I hate her immediately.

“Hi Analise,” she smiles warmly at me, extending her hand.

Bitch
.

“Hi,” I say, forcing a smile
and willing my unreasonable jealousy to subside. “It’s nice to meet you, Sarah.”

“It’s so nice to meet you finally, too! I’ve heard so much about you from Drake!”

“Really?” I ask, my eyes suspiciously moving to find him smiling back at us.

I’d had no idea they’d spoken
at all. I’m hoping she’s just being polite, but her words smash my hopes immediately.

“Of course,” she says. “Every time I talk to him, he’s
‘Analise this’ and ‘Analise that.’ Just the other day he was going on and on about how great you’re getting along with the family.”

“Yes,” I say as sweetly as I can. “They’re all very nice and have made it very easy on me.”

“Have you met Uncle Pops and Aunt Renee yet?” I nod my reply, the shock of this situation numbing me. “They’re a riot, aren’t they? Listen, if he bullies you anymore about that luggage situation, you just let me know and I’ll handle him for you,” she laughs, resting her hand on his arm far too affectionately for my tastes. Strategically sitting down in the seat between ours and pulling me down to the seat next to hers, she gives me another smile as she angles herself closer to Drake. “I’m so happy you could come! I feel like I already know you!”

“Here Baby,” Drake s
ays as he hands me my champagne before turning to Sarah. “Would you like me to get you something from the bar? I’m headed that way.”

“That would
be great! Thank you!” she smiles.

“Sure,” he
grins. “Anything specific?”

“Oh, I trust your judgment
,” she winks at him before her eyes come back to mine. “You know what I like.”

I want her dead
.

***