The Choice (23 page)

“Oh! My God, Drake!” Sarah says excitedly, grabbing my arm. “Do you remember the time we got kicked out of the Embassy Suites?”

“Yeah,” I laugh at the memory of us being thrown out of the bar near the lobby.

“You have to tell Ana!” she says before facing
Analise. “Can I call you Ana?”

“Oh, I wish you would
,” she answers quietly with a small smile.

“Oh man! That was hilarious! He has to tell you about that night! I think we’re the only idiots who were ever thrown out of a hotel for noise complaints!”

“Are you serious?” Analise grounds out, shocked at Sarah’s words, shaking her head at me in disappointment. “Excuse me I think I’d like a drink.”

“I can get it for you,” I offer, but she shakes her head.

“No thank you,” she answers, taking a step away from me as her eyes find the bar. “I’m sure the two of you would like to catch up without a third wheel.”

“Baby,” I tell her
as I catch up to her, spinning her to face me. “It wasn’t anything like that at all.”

“
Drake,” she says softly and I can see the tears threatening. “Can I please have a minute to myself?”

“No,” I shake my head. “Not yet. Come here,” I tell her as I lead her to the corner of the room.

Reluctantly, she follows me and when I sit her down in a vacant chair away from the commotion, I crouch down in front of her to face her.

“What’s wrong? Why are you upset?”

“Why am I upset, Drake? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“
Analise,” I warn, watching her take a deep breath and shaking her head defiantly.

“I’m sorry, Drake, but she’s being
incredibly
inappropriate! How can you not see that?”

“You’re completely overreacting,
Analise. She’s been nothing but nice to you and your jealousy is unwarranted.”

“First of all, I’m not jealous, Drake, I’m pissed off! She’s all over you and she just told you to tell me a fucking sex story about the two of you!” she hisses through clenched teeth. “You bring her over with no warning, force me to talk to her and now you’re telling me I’m overreacting?” She begins shaking her head at me again before she continues as I tak
e in everything she’s saying, all of it making sense now. “I’ve agreed to giving you control over a lot of things, but this is too far. I won’t sit here and be disrespected by anyone, especially your ex.”

When her eyes meet mine, I see the hurt there and instantly feel like an ass. Knowing the whole story I’d thought nothing of it, but I can only imagine what she thinks.

“I’m so sorry, Love. You’re right. I realize how that sounded and I assure you, Analise, it was nothing like that at all. We got kicked out for acting stupid in the bar when we were kids, nothing more. I’d never allow anyone to talk to you like that if I’d thought she’d been doing it on purpose. You have to know that, Baby.”

Watching her breathing slow, I wait for a moment before she breaks the silence.

“I don’t like her, Drake.”

“I’m sorry,” I say honestly. “To be fair, she’s really very sweet, I just think she’s not thinking before she speaks.”

“Really? Well, I think she’s trying to fuck you,” she says harshly, earning another disapproving look from me. “Sorry,” she says quietly, biting her lip. “As you’re seeing firsthand, I don’t deal well with jealousy and insecurity.”

“You have nothing to be jealous or insecure of,
Analise,” I say firmly. “Sarah isn’t trying anything and even if she were, I’m leaving with you. Take a deep breath, move past this and come back to the table with me.”

Watching her do as I ask, I stand slowly in front of her and extend my hand. Releasing the breath in her chest, she takes my hand and stands to meet me. Lifting her chin gently, I wait for her eyes to meet mine before speaking.

“You’re a beautiful, strong, intelligent woman and there’s no one I love more than you, Analise,” I start. “Stop worrying about things that don’t matter.”

Placing a kiss on her lips, I see her lips begin to curl into a small smile before I take her hand and head to the bar. Grabbing another glass of champagne, she rejoins the table where Sarah is still waiting for us to return. After pulling her onto my lap, she visibly relaxes
and is able to maintain a conversation with us before she excuses herself to the ladies room.

Watching her leave, I smile a small smile remembering her this morning in our hotel room before Sarah’s words pull me back to the present.

“She seems great,” she says.

“She is great,” I agree with a smile.

“I can tell you’re very taken with her.”

“I am.”

“Good, I’m glad you’re happy, Drake,” Sarah says with a guarded look.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she starts. Noticing my look of disbelief, she offers a small smile before continuing. “It’s nothing, really. She seems very nice, it’s just that…”

“It’s just that what, Sarah?”

“Are you sure she’s right for you, Drake? Are you sure you’re right for each other? She seems awfully interested in some of the other men in the room,” she says quietly, judgmentally.

Analise’s
eyes haven’t left mine the entire night. It’s then that I see that I was wrong. Analise’s feelings were spot on and I stubbornly didn’t listen. Not only that, I’d defended Sarah. I can’t imagine how that had made her feel, but I could be sure I wouldn’t make the mistake again.

“I’ve never been
more sure of anything in my life, Sarah.” Letting that sink in, I see her eyes begin to blink in understanding, “I’m also sure that I want to maintain the friendship I’ve developed with you. That being said, if you ever question Analise again, if you ever make her feel the way you did earlier again, you’ll leave me no choice but to walk away from you.”

“Question you? Drake, I only mentioned it because I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“That’s not what it was and we both know it,” I counter, watching the embarrassment cloud her features. “Meeting an ex-lover isn’t easy for anyone and Analise has been more than gracious with you, Sarah, even when you didn’t deserve it. I expect you to offer her the same courtesy in return.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

“No need to apologize to me, Sarah,” I cut her off. “But believe me when I tell you that I will cut you out of my life in a minute before I let you manipulate her or cause her questions in her heart. I love you very much, Sarah, but I love Analise more. Do not put me in a position to choose between the two of you because you won’t like the outcome. Are we clear?”

Taking a deep breath, she nods slightly before meeting my eyes again.

“Yes.”

“Good,” I smile
, genuinely happy we’ve cleared the air. I really do love Sarah. Some of the best times in my life belong to her and she deserves the piece of my heart she claimed back then. Despite her competitive streak, she’s one of the best women I’ve ever known. I hope that she and Analise can become friends so we can stay close. “Are we good?”

“
Yeah, we’re good,” she smiles before letting out a defeated sigh, making us both chuckle. “I need a drink. Go grab your girlfriend so we can go get kicked out of another bar.”

“Do you think we can keep this between us for a couple of days?” I ask Chase as I rest my hand in his.

“I guess so,” he says, looking down at me. “I’m not really sure I understand why you want to wait to tell people, though.”

“I just think we need to let Emily have her day to herself,” I explain. “We can tell your family, Ana and Drake later tonight if you want I just think we should wait until after the wedding. Emily’s waited a long time for this day
. I think she deserves to keep it all to herself.”

“That’s thoughtful, Baby,” he says as he smiles down at me
before letting out a long sigh. “You’re right, we should wait, let her have her moment.”

Smiling inwardly, I slow my steps causing him to stop and turn to look back at me. He gives me a small smile, causing my heart to skip another beat and takes a step toward me.

“What is it, Baby?” he asks, resting his hand on my neck and staring down at me with his gorgeous blue orbs. For a moment, my emotions cripple my ability to speak.

“I’m just really, really happy, Chase,” I admit, shaking my head in amazement. “For the first time in… God, I don’
t even know how long… I’m just so happy I can hardly stand still.”

“So am I, Gorgeous!
I can’t wait to tell everyone!” he beams, leaning in to kiss me sweetly on the lips. “You’re right, though. We really should wait.” I can’t keep the smile off of my face as I take him in. “Not to mention, I don’t have to share you with everyone yet,” he winks.

“That’s true,” I laugh.

“This whole having a secret thing is pretty hot, actually,” he grins down at me as we start walking towards the reception area. “We’ve never had one before.”

“I know,” I smile. “Usually, I out us before we have a chance to tell anyone anything!”

Relishing in the sound of his booming laughter, I follow him as we round the corner and take in the lavish reception in full swing.

After making our way to the bar, Chase and I walk around taking everything in. Every so often, we’ll stop so he can make small talk with an old friend of his family. By the time we’
ve finally found Ana, Drake, Nick, Trina, Tommy and Savannah sitting with a pretty brunette named Sarah who Chase has told me is Drake’s ex, I’m exhausted.

“Where have you two been?” Ana
asks.

Facing each other and smiling
guiltily as Chase rests his arm across my shoulders, we both quickly realize we’re completely unprepared. Luckily, our reputation is enough to save us from lying.

“Oh for the love of Pete!”
Drake rolls his eyes at us, shaking his head as a look of amusement crosses his features. “Can’t you two get through a family function without humping each other in the back seat of something?”

Unable to hide our amusement, we laugh along with the small group at the table as my cheeks begin to blaze.

“Looks like you caught us,” Chase chuckles as he takes a long pull from his beer before winking down at me and kissing the top of my head. “I just can’t get enough of her.”

Wrapping my arms around his waist, I lean into his embrace feeling whole as he lowers his head to kiss me. What starts out innocently enough is quickly propelled when
we pour our emotions into each other. Resting his hand on my lower back, Chase deepens the kiss and we quickly become lost until collective groans sound out from Drake, Ana, Sarah and the others seated at the table behind us.

“Dude, are you seriously making out with your girlfriend
again
? Get a freaking room!” Nick says from behind us, causing Trina to smack him playfully. “What?”

“Leave them alone,” she laughs. “
Let them enjoy their new love, you hater!”

“I’m not a hater!” he says defensively before facing Chase again. “I’m just saying, man! Get a
freakin’ room already! We’re at a hotel, for crying out loud! A hundred and fifty bucks and you can go nuts!”

“All the rooms are already taken,” Chase laughs as he sits down, pulling me onto his lap. “Trust me, I checked.”

“Of course you did,” Nick shakes his head in amusement before leaning back and smirking in my direction when I laugh. “And here I thought you were a good, wholesome young lady. What do you have to say for yourself, Sophie?”

“What can I say?” I shrug
nonchalantly as I take Chase’s beer from his hand and take a sip. “I really dig backseats.”

“
Woohoo!” Chase laughs with the others as he squeezes my side affectionately and plants another kiss on my neck. “That’s my girl!”

We spend the next hour or so talking and before long, dinner is served. After hearing Chase’s heartfelt speech, my love for Emily multiplies when I realize I’m not asked to make one myself. His words of commitment, loyalty and love mean even more to me than before. He wraps it up with a John Lennon quote, making me swoon, and once he’s finished, there’s not a dry eye in the place.

“He’s always had such a sweet heart,” Trina whispers over to me as she takes my hand in hers. “But you’ve really brought out the best in him, Sophie. He’s lucky to have you.”

“No,” I disagree, smiling back at my new friend
as I squeeze her hand. “I’m the lucky one.”

***

After dancing and drinking for a few more hours, our t
able is getting a little rowdy by the time the reception is coming to an end. Although I’ve had a lot more fun than I thought I would, I’m anxious to leave and spend some time alone with Sophie. Not only am I looking forward to our private celebration back at the hotel, I’ve nearly spilled the beans on our new engagement half a dozen times already. I cut it so close earlier, in fact, Drake and Ana haven’t stopped eyeballing us for the past thirty minutes.

“Yeah, man! There’s supposed to be a ton of great bands there!” Tommy tells me.

“Who’s scheduled?”

I’m in the middle of talking to Tommy about an upcoming music festival in Houston when Sophie places her hand on my chest.

“I don’t even know…” Tommy starts, but with one touch, my attention is no longer on him.

“What’s up, Baby?”

“Sorry,” she says apologetically in Tommy’s direction before meeting my eyes. “I’m running to the bathroom. Where are they?”

“Over there behind the bar,” I tell her, pointing her in the right direction. “You need me to go with you?”

“No thanks,” she smiles. “Ana’s coming with me. I’ll be right back.”

Leaning down to kiss her neck, I nuzzle quickly making her laugh.

“Love you, fiancé,” I whisper into her ear, making her blush.

“
Love you, too, Babysaurus.”

After watching her head into the direction of the bathroom, I turn back to Tommy and resume our conversation, but my attention stays with her.

***