Beautifully Awake

I gave my dad a sheepish smile while Chase excused us and tugged me in the direction of our dinner. I flashed back again to our first night. The table in front of me was much the same, covered in a colorful display of sushi rolls, sashimi, seaweed salads and even some steak and chicken teriyaki skewers I’m sure he planned for my dad, just in case. No detail was left unturned when it came to Chase. Surgeons and their details.

“I figured if we had an assortment everyone could just dig in, family style.” It was perfect. He was perfect. It was exactly what I would have wished for. Simple, casual and family style. Because this was my family. Surrounded by everyone I loved. I was over the moon happy.

“Before everyone starts eating, I would like to make a toast.” Everyone quieted and looked toward Chase and me. He snaked his fingers between mine. “First, I would like to thank everyone for coming to celebrate Lili’s birthday with us. I know everyone in this room has a special place in her heart, and she loves you all to pieces.” Shit, he was totally going to make me cry. “And next, I want to thank Lili for finding me and waking me up in more ways than one. I love you, Blue, so much.” He ran his hand along my cheek.

My heart swelled at the double meaning of his words. This man held my fragile heart in his hands and he knew it. And I reveled in the idea that he would do everything in his power to keep it safe.

“And last, I would like to raise our glasses and toast to Lili’s birthday with years of health, happiness and triple digits...”

Oh my god!

My face turned seventeen shades of red again and no one had any idea what he was talking about except me. Damn him, making my swollen heart flip out with his double meanings. And damn my dad for my sucky poker face. Sierra’s eyebrows rose. Yeah, she would definitely be questioning my color change later. Damn, everyone around me knew exactly how to push my buttons. The eye daggers I shot at Chase got me a tight squeeze.

“Whaaat?” he whispered in my ear. “I want us to live to be one hundred.”

“Mm-hmm,” I sarcastically hissed. “I’m sure that’s exactly what you were thinking.” But hell, if I hadn’t wished for at least that many years with this man myself.

“Oh baby, you love me and you love when I do stuff like that.”

I couldn’t argue because he was damn right. He loved to tease me and I freaking loved every second of it, even if I got embarrassed every time.

“Happy Birthday, Blue.” He lightly kissed my lips before releasing me to sip my sake. “What? No wine glass tonight, baby?” Sexy bastard and his play on words.

“Cheers” and “Happy Birthday, Lili” rang throughout the restaurant as everyone clinked glasses and sipped their drinks. I smiled for my loved ones and then turned to look at Chase.

“You looked starved, Dr. Tease.” I could play too. The promise of triple digits radiated from his pores into mine. I raised my voice several octaves. “Let’s eat, everyone.”

Chase’s sexy grin told me he knew exactly what I meant.

At a little after eleven, the party began to wind down. We said goodbye to my guests and finished loading two of the three tiers of my birthday cake into the back of Chase’s car. I had giggled when the chef at the restaurant wheeled in front of me a completely over the top three layered, for all intents and purposes, wedding cake.

The first words out of Sierra’s mouth were, “Holy hell, Chase, that’s the size of a freaking wedding cake, um ... you’re a brain surgeon right? Think you miscalculated.”

Everyone laughed at my ridiculously enormous cake. I thought it was fabulous because he picked it out.

“Did you have a fun party, baby?”

“So much fun, thank you for everything. You’re always so generous.”

He leaned me against his car—Pete was driving, of course—and ran his soft lips over my mouth.

“Ready to go? We have one stop to make before your birthday is over, I want to take you somewhere.”

“Okay.” I was dead on my feet and ready to crawl into bed, but I would go anywhere with this man. We slid in the back, he buckled me and we took off to our unknown destination. I rested my head against his shoulder; I was exhausted. “Why did you and Asher leave the party after cake?”

“Oh, just some business.”

“Hmmm.” I didn’t push him further because I probably didn’t want to know. I closed my eyes and was easily lulled to sleep by the motion of the car.

“Baby, we’re here.”

I opened my eyes to pitch black.

“Where are we?”

“At the river. Come, we drove a little further because I wanted to bring you to the area where they hold many of the rowing regattas. More grass here than in City Center.”

I stretched a little and got out of the car. I wasn’t really sure what he was talking about, but whatever. When my eyes adjusted to the dark, I focused on an illumination coming from the bank far ahead.

“What’s going on?”

He smiled, saying nothing. He encircled my hand with his, coaxing me forward.

“Kick your shoes off, baby.”

I stepped on the grass and did as I was told.

“Mmm.” It felt great to get those shoes off. I wiggled my toes in the grass and continued to follow Chase’s lead. I had no idea what was going on, but I wasn’t surprised that Chase had planned something else.

“I want you to feel the sand between your toes.”

“Sand?” I questioned. It was dark, which made it difficult to see, but the coarse grass almost immediately turned into cool, silky sand. “Chase, why is there sand?” I was so confused.

At the river’s edge, a row of small lanterns encircled a small beach blanket in the middle of this giant patch of sand. The only light was from the lanterns and the crescent moon shining in the clear summer sky. The moon reflected off the water, creating streams of light that mixed with the flickering and twinkling of the candles.

“I wanted you to feel like you were at the beach.” I looked up into his eyes. Just the glow from the small lantern was illuminating his face. He was stunning. “Sit, baby, I have one more gift for you.”

“You made this beach. You’re crazy.” I looked around. It was like we were on our own tiny island. He kissed my lips and laid me back so we were facing each other propped up on our elbows. “Chase, you don’t need to give me anything else. You’ve already given me so much. This bracelet, my outfit, the party, and most importantly, you … you are everything I need. Ever. I love you so much.”

“Well, this is a present for us. I know I’ve been a little off this past week, and I could tell you noticed.”

“Does this have something to do with why you kept leaving the room on business phone calls and rushing around the hospital acting weird? Why you left the party tonight with Asher?” His small smile was smug. “It is, huh?”

There was a small basket at the edge of our blanket with a bottle of champagne and two flutes. The yummy champagne. He handed me a glass before he reached deeper into the basket. He placed an irregularly shaped stone into the palm of my hand. It was smooth and in the dim light it resembled a larger piece of blue sea glass from my bracelet. Attached was a small silver chain and ring that held a single vintage key.

I gave him a questioning look. “What’s this?”

“It’s ours,” he said quietly.

I sat up a little bit, trying to absorb what he was telling me. “You want to live together?”

Chase made a throaty noise, a seriously sexy noise, and lifted the corners of his mouth. “That goes without saying, that’s already a done deal. Wherever we’re waking up together is where we live, as far as I’m concerned. Yeah, it would definitely be more convenient if all of our shit was at one place, but that’s your call, baby. If you want to keep your apartment or get a new one altogether or sleep in a different place every night, it doesn’t matter to me. It’s just an address, a technicality. The spot where your head is laying against my chest is where we live. Got me, Blue?”

What was I to say to that? I said nothing. I just stared in amazement.

“So I guess the answer to your question is yes, we live together, but this is something else.” He rubbed the key in my hand. “This is our peaceful place.”

I was confused. “I don’t understand?”