Truce or Dare (Sweet Fortuity Book 1) (23 page)

Wes nodded. “Yeah, everyone was on the edge, especially him. But I much prefer it now than how it was when you both weren’t talking.”

As if on cue, Chase came back with my food, a plastic bag in one hand, a small basket of fruits in the other.

“Matilda said she wanted to give this as a peace-offering,” he told me, lifting the basket of fruits up. Then he went over to me, bent down and kissed me, and I think everyone left to give us some privacy.

I got out two days later.

Everything hurt like hell. I don’t think I’ve ever cursed so much in my life as much as I did in those two days, and I didn’t consider myself to have a trucker mouth.

Every time I so much as moved an arm a certain way, it hurt. Every time I bent, it hurt. Every time I breathed deeply, it hurt.

In short, everything sucked, and my mouth had no problem expressing it. I guess something about being shot brought out the worst in me.

Chase, on the other hand, was amused. “You need a swear jar,” he told me as he helped me out the car.

I frowned, knowing all too well what I really needed.

“I need coffee. Good coffee. Abe coffee. I’m having withdrawals,” I moaned.

He chuckled. “Right. I’m gonna grab some later, when we get you settled. Can you hold out that long?”

Hmm. “How long is later?”

He shook his head, the corners of his mouth tugging up. He brought me to my door, which I was just realizing was not Chase’s.

My heart stopped.

Was this his way of finally telling me he was letting me go? As if sensing my panic, he rubbed a thumb soothingly over my palm. “Your friends have a little something for you.”

I pushed the door open.

“Surprise!” Haley cried out, along with a dozen other people. I gasped in surprise as I took it all in. She came over to me with a hug, careful not to press my injured side, and kissing my cheek.

Everyone was there, including, Abe, Celine and Patrick, as well as the Denvers.

There were balloons stuffed on the corners, but nothing excessive.

Food was spread over the table, from fried chicken and fries, to pizza, salads and what I guessed were some homemade dishes and casseroles. There was a separate section for sweet frosted cupcakes, and– were those peanut butter cookies?

The walls were fully painted (in the correct colors this time), and my floor had the tiles I’d been meaning to get. I had a new awesome chair in my room. It was one I’ve been eyeing for a while now online and it was a shade of the deepest red. A new, clean copy of my third paperback book was stacked on my table with a couple of my other binders.

“You guys,” I managed, my voice was shaky as I choked back tears. I slung an arm over Paula and Haley. “Thank you!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Haley replied, beaming. “You made a lot of us worried.”

“Cherry,” Sierra came over, putting an arm over my shoulder. “Welcome back to the real world. By the way, avoid that corner,” she said, nodding towards Celine and Matilda. Then she leaned over me and whispered, “They’re talking grand-babies.” I didn’t miss the sparkle in her eye as she said it.

“Oh. Thanks,” I said, trying to shake off what I just learned.

She walked away with a spring in her step, and I watched as she slapped a hand away as she announced she saw the cupcake as hers first, then nabbing it.

As I made my way to get a glass of water, something caught my eye from the glint of the sunlight. The frame Paula handed me only a little over a week ago sat at the small space between the fridge and the wall, right where I’d left it. I skimmed my fingers over it. It felt like it’d been much longer than that. I pulled it out, and ripped open the paper that wrapped it. As it slowly revealed the full frame, I drew in a surprised breath.

It was an oil painting of me and Chase, my head leaned over his shoulder at the bench, the greenery and the small filter of light the sun shot through were captured perfectly, and the effect was mesmerizing.

I knew she painted, she had a lot of artworks framed in her house, but I didn’t know she did this one of us.

I walked over, scanning my eyes for Paula, and found her in the backyard talking to Abe, admiring the plants.

“Paula,” I approached her. “This… It’s amazing. When?”

“Months before you left, before the proposal. I didn’t think much of it at the time. It was Haley’s idea,” she said, pride shining in her eyes. “It was meant to be a wedding present. Knew you both would work it out once you’d talked.”

Such was her belief in us that she’d always kept it.

“I… I didn’t think I’d have this. I never thought I’d have this after I left.” I felt wet tears sting my eyes, and this time, there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Lots of surprises today. All unexpected and amazing.

I heard the steps of someone coming over. “No crying,” I heard Wes say from behind me. Then he pulled me over to the table, nodding towards the direction of the cupcakes. “Just saying, might be gone if you don’t take at least one,” he whispered over my ear.

“Thanks for the warning,” I said, a laugh escaping me.

It was then that I heard the front door shut, and saw Chase carrying four cups of coffee in a cup holder.

I grabbed two cookies distractedly. Then he came over and gave me a quick kiss, but no less thrilling. It was heady. “My hero,” I whispered, smiling broadly.

The look he returned made my heart stutter.

He looked good, he brought me coffee, and he was all mine.

I always thought it would go away, but when I came back, what I felt for him only grew more intense. Stronger.

My heart sank a little when I thought of him leaving later, but it wasn’t like we lived that far away from each other anyway.

People wished me well, some even gave me presents. My heart was filled to the brim with gratefulness that they made the effort to come.

To my surprise, I got an apology from Matilda. It was a bit awkward at first because I had no idea what she was going to say. But when the next words out of her mouth was an apology, I was rendered speechless for a while. We weren’t going to become best friends, but we could finally get past what happened weeks ago.

* * *

H
ours later
, when everyone had left and I cleaned up the little that was remaining, I found Chase sitting on the couch, a movie paused.

His jacket hung on the chair, an arm slung over the couch, his eyes closed and his head tipped back. Briefly, I wondered if he fell asleep.

Then it struck me that he was still here– meaning, he hadn't left, even when everyone else had.

It only left me confused. I approached him quietly, a little unsure, and not really wanting to make any assumptions. “You’re… You’re not going back to your place?”

His eyes shot open as what I said seemed to penetrate. Guess that answered the sleeping question.

“Chase?” I prompted, when he still didn’t say anything. Then he got up, striding towards me as he muttered something inaudibly.

I took a couple of steps back, but he kept going. Then the back of my knee hit the adjacent couch, and I fell down, bouncing a little as I hit the soft cushion. “Ow.” The suddenness of the impact knocked my breath out a little.

Concern flashed in his eyes and he froze. I quickly added, "I'm fine, just surprised... I thought– I mean, last time, you told me you wouldn’t leave me alone, because someone was after me.”

“I thought that by now, you’d get it,” he said his voice low, but it held an edge of frustration. “How can you not know by now what I feel for you? Have I not made a damned thing clear?”

Oh crap.

“Uh– I guess that means that you’re stay–”

Both his arms caged me as he leaned over me, and he was so close, I felt like my heart was beating out of my chest.

“You think I’m only staying because someone’s after you?” he said indignantly.

He lowered his head, until his lips hovered over mine, until they met, and it felt like coming home. His tongue slid between my lips and tangled, warred with mine. He did it gently, as if seeking comfort, and giving it too, perfectly content to get lost in it than going anywhere further.

Too soon, he pulled back. “Whether it’s my place or yours, I don’t give a fuck. Let me stay with you, baby.” He looked at me like I was beautiful. “Not because someone’s after you, or you think I feel like I have to take care of you.”

Then he leaned in. “I. Just. Want. To,” he punctuated as he slid his nose along the back of my ear, a hand roaming along my side gently, like I was fragile. “The thought of losing you makes me go crazy.”

The full weight of his words sank in.

“You want to stay?” I whispered, not quite believing. Almost afraid to. “Even though no one’s after me?”

He released a deep breath. “Yes. Fuck. Sherr. Even though.”

“How are you real?” I sobbed. My fingers curled on his shirt.

Laughter rumbled in his chest, and his shoulders shook.

“You’re laughing at me again,” I mumbled.

He carefully removed my hand from the grip on his shirt, and he pressed his lips against it.

“Because for all your intelligence, your loyalty to your friends and your diligence, you don’t get it.”

“Why do I feel like you complimented me and insulted me both at the same time?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said plainly. “I don’t care how long it takes until it sinks in baby, and I don’t know how I can be any more clear, but it’s happening.”

I opened my mouth, and when nothing came out, I gave up. And under him, hearing them say those words, I gave in.

“Let’s get you to bed,” he said softly.

* * *

I
t occurred to me later
, as I was tucked in bed, something I’d almost forgotten. I nearly fell asleep when the thought came to me, so before I forgot, I decided to ask him now.

“Chase,” I called out as he settled on the other side. “What did you want to show me?”

His eyes went to me, then followed his hand as he lightly traced a finger over my wrist. It was making me sleepy.

I wasn’t sure if he was trying to remember, or having an internal debate of whether or not to tell me.

“That night, before– before that happened. You said you wanted to show me something,” I explained.

As if he finally settled to some conclusion, he told me, “I’m gonna wait.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Giving you time to settle,” he went on, as if I understood what he was saying.

“What do you mean?” I repeated.

“You should get some sleep, Sherr.”

“How am I supposed to sleep when you talk in riddles?” I replied stubbornly. A yawn escaped me nearly straight after.

Damn it.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll show you when you’re feeling better.”

“I feel better already,” I mumbled, close to dozing off. And as a sleepy afterthought, added, “I’m with you.”

T
he news
of me getting shot spread like wildfire, and therefore so did news of our rekindled relationship.

Needless to say, a lot of people were surprised. A lot of people were also apparently psychics.

Considering the statement a whole bunch of flowers made from him just a few weeks before, people were intrigued. They asked questions, and they did so gleefully.

“Oh, I knew you both would work it out," a lady from Matilda’s salon said one time, when I visited. "A bunch of love-sick fools you were," she chuckled.

“I saw those flowers on Facebook too,” the woman next to her chipped in. “Were those real?” Her eyes were round as she looked at me expectantly, and so did the two other women next to her.

“They were real,” I answered.

They sighed collectively, a look of awe in their eyes. One of them took a tissue from her bag and wiped the corner of her eyes.

"When's the wedding?" she blurted out all of a sudden.

Oh, hell. I should've expected it. A lot of people were asking me that question these days, I was nearly able to answer it without batting an eyelash. Nearly.

"There isn't one," I replied.

They didn't believe me, but I left it at that.

There was another post about how the sole reason I came back was to continue our love affair. I debunked that straight away, but I think it was still making rounds.

The whole incident with Gavin became somewhat sensationalized, to my dismay. I didn't want to be reminded of it, but I couldn’t control what people thought anymore, and after the fifth call in a day after it made it to the local paper, I finally snapped and disconnected the cable. All the while Chase was laughing, telling me to calm down. I'd calm down when people stopped trying to ask about things that clearly were difficult to talk about, or maybe when they learned to talk about their own damn lives.

I'd also heard that a lot of women's hearts broke when they found out that we got back together.

Things didn't work out the way I thought they would when I packed my bags and drove all the way here, expectations low, and emotions running high.

But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

"
Y
ou're not writing
,” came Chase’s voice, rough from sleep but somewhat tinged with surprised as I lazed on the couch.

One month later– 'post-Gavin', as a lot of us would finally learn to call it– I finished writing the book and sent it to my editor. That time I tried not to obsess that I'd done something terribly wrong and the book sucked a whole lot, because it was out of my hands until I got feedback.

I fiddled with my tablet, trying to play a game I'd neglected for a while, and almost immediately got sucked in. I was shooting fire out of my mage's hands when Chase came in and expressed his surprise.

"Yep. Sent it for edits, I get time off until… Hey–" I protested when he came over pulling me backwards to him, until my back hit his chest.

"Oh my God. You made me die."

The RIP message popped up on my screen.

I scowled at him, or tried to, not that it really worked. He nuzzled my neck. I turned to face him, straddling him. He cupped the back of my head, pulling me in for a kiss. I felt it all the way to my toes.

“Morning beautiful,” he said softly.

I rolled my eyes, setting the tablet on the table. “I’m a mess.”

A spark of amusement danced in his eyes. “I love you. That means you can walk around naked or wearing my tee, or those bunny slippers you like to wear, but you’ll still be beautiful to me.”

I probably stopped breathing, because I did not just hear him say that. He said it like it was nothing, like he’d told me that about a million times.

“Y-you do?” I stammered, stunned by the admission.

“Mmm.” He nipped at my lip.

Wait a minute…

“You never asked me what I felt about you.”

“That’s because you already told me.”

“What? When?” I demanded. He couldn’t have gotten it from me without me ever knowing. That was crazy.

A corner of his lip tugged up. He raked a gaze over my body. “Several times.”

He shifted us until I pushed closer against him. “The first time? When I fucked you against the wall that first night from dinner.”

Suddenly, my clothes felt too tight and sensitive on my skin. “I don’t remember that.”

“I’d be offended by that if you hadn’t said it over and over again.”

My eyes slid down to his lips as he said it slowly, as if he was tasting the words. Crap.

Focus. I needed to focus.

“When– when did I say them?”

“The second time was when you fell asleep after.”

He put a hand over my waist. His lips touched my eyelids, my nose, my lips. I gasped against his mouth as his tongue swept in. He pulled back just a little, his lips still on mine.

“That doesn’t count,” I said against his lips.

He chuckled, then he moved back. He took my hands and led me to his room. He shut the door, placing both his hands on them, caging me in.

“The third time was the second night I stayed with you. You mumbled it. The fourth was the next day, and the next, and a couple more when you were at the hospital. Still don’t count?”

It stunned me into silence. I opened my mouth to say something, and he cocked a brow up, daring me to deny how I felt.

He took my silence as my acquiescence.

“I guess I forgot to say, you don’t just snore, you also talk when you sleep.”

I glared at him, but he only proceeded to nuzzle my throat. “If you don’t like it, then–”

His teeth grazed the shell of my ear, and he whispered, “Baby, who said I didn’t like it?”

Well, when he put it like that–

“Chase–”

“I like every damn part of this body.”

He rolled my nipple. Then bent his head down and sucked deep.

Oh God. "Chase."

Then his other hand gave the same attention to my other breast, and I was wet by the time he was done. I ground against his thigh, pressed in between mine.

I heard the sound of a zipper open. Then finally he pulled my summer dress up, sliding inside me.

“Oh.”

His voice turned deeper, gruff. "Sherr. That's it, baby."

I let out a whimper against his throat. He slid out, then slammed back in. Despite the rough way he thrusted inside me, I could feel that he made an effort to be gentle with the way he held me.

He looked at me the way he did, his intense gaze focused on me, and I knew, I
knew
he didn’t just say the words because I wanted to hear them. I felt it with every touch, with every time his lips collided with mine, and with every look he gave me. The way he himself got when he was with me made me clench against him, and I came hard.

Sliding a hand down to my back, he asked, to my surprise, “Want to go for a drive after?”

I glanced out at the blinds, the sun spilling over the small folds. It was warm today, the perfect weather to go out. I could spend a free day somewhere out. Why not?

* * *

W
indows rolled all
the way down, the wind blowing away my hair. I leaned out the window a little bit, soaking in the warmth of the sun and the crisp wind.

In the background, the radio played softly.

He stopped over by a familiar crossroads sign that led away from Fortuity. It was a little weathered, but it stood strong.

“Oh my God.”

He didn’t say anything.

“I remember this place!” I said excitedly. This was where we shared our first kiss. Back when it felt like it was us against the world, and when I first realized I was starting to fall for him.

Still, he didn’t say a word. His lack of response was starting to bother me.

Then a horrible thought occurred to me. I turned to face him and impassioned, bluntly stated, “If you’re here to break up with me, I won’t let you.”

It seemed to pull him out of whatever he was thinking. “What?” His brows furrowed, and he shook his head at my words. “You have no idea,” he murmured quietly.

Pain twisted in my chest. It felt like he’d grabbed my heart and pulled it right out. After making me fall for him, he was done with me.

“I can’t believe this,” I managed to say, but he looked perplexed. I pulled the handle and slammed the door shut. Then I got the hell away, lengthening my stride to compensate for his height. Anywhere to get away from him.

“Sherr!” I heard him call my name behind me.

I ignored him and went further. He caught up to me in no time, a hand on my elbow.

“You– you asshole!” I snarled, poking at his chest. “You bring me to where we had our first kiss, and then you’re breaking up with me?”

“Sherr– Calm down. I’m not breaking up with you. Jesus. How the hell did you come to that conclusion?”

I froze, realizing he’d followed me all the way here even though he was breaking up with me. Then his words registered somehow through the fog of hurt and confusion.

“You’re not?” I frowned. “But–”

“Shhh.” He put a finger over my lips and let out a deep breath. “I want to get this right.”

It effectively silenced me, and I looked back at him, puzzled.

“I spent a long time trying to remove you from my life. Now you’re here.”

Him too? My eyes widened, and my heart pounded loudly in my chest.

“Two months ago,” he went on, “I bumped into you again after you left for years, not expecting this. Not expecting you.”

“I was determined to keep things as they were until you left again. But there you were at Gem’s service, unable to talk to anyone, looking like you wanted to shoulder the world.”

I couldn’t imagine now how I was back then. I felt so alone.

His voice was warm and rich as he continued, “I decided with the truce that I wanted to get to know you, and find out what you were so scared of.”

My jaw dropped open. What?

“It wasn’t to keep things peaceful while I was here?”

“I didn’t want to go over past anymore. The day I stood on Haley’s porch, I decided I wanted you back, the past be damned. You just didn't know it yet."

I blinked once. Twice. I couldn't have heard that right.

"You–what?" I whispered, the reality of what he said was overwhelmingly huge.

"I decided I wanted you back."

"You just–you decided, just like that?"

"Damn straight."

Then he slipped a hand in the pocket of his jacket, and he pulled a small box out. I recognized it, because it was the same one he held in his hands years ago.

Oh. My. God.

I think I stopped breathing, because everything felt like it hinged on this one moment.

“Never stopped thinking about you,” he went on, his eyes focused on me. His eyes were piercing, and right now, he saw right through me. His hand went up, cupping my jaw. My eyes fluttered closed, as I took it all in.

Then he carefully brushed away a stray tear with a thumb, one I didn’t realize had fallen.

Then when my eyes opened again, he lifted the lid open slowly. The diamond ring glittered under the sunlight, one large stone cut perfectly, sitting on a delicate gold band.

“This was what you wanted to show me,” I whispered.

Then louder, I said, “You knew this a month ago. That… That guy delayed my proposal?” Suddenly, I found myself enraged at him for a completely different reason.

A grin tugged at his lips. “I knew it for a lot longer than a month, baby.”

Oh. That meant… That meant he was certain even earlier on that he wanted me. Wow.

“Tell me… What do you think this means?”

It’s our ring. It’s the ring you proposed to me with, the future you promised me we’d have, and the future I was too scared to accept.
But I didn’t say that.

“Baby,” he urged, pulling my gaze away from the ring and back to his eyes. “It’s a promise. No matter what happens, I’ll take care of you.”

I felt a tears sting my eyes.

"What I'm saying is," he continued carefully, as if ensuring it would sink in, “You tell me no, it’s fine. It makes you happy, we stay as we are, we do what we do. I’m gonna wait. No matter how long it takes.”