“It was last-minute,” Nichole said. “Vick mentioned they’d understand if we couldn’t make it.”
“But...” Uncertain how to finish his sentence, Chase let his voice drop away. He should tell her to go without him. It was her deal—her dream—after all. Yet Drew might find something. Something that would change her mind. What if she signed tonight and Chase wasn’t there to caution her to wait?
“It’s fine.” Nichole started the truck. “I don’t want to go without you anyway.”
Neither do I. But they were both going to have to go on without the other one soon. That had always been the plan. “Maybe we can reschedule for later this week.”
“They’ll be out of town until Friday.” Nichole chewed on her bottom lip.
“Friday we’ve been invited to dinner at Travis’s house.” Chase opened the invite in his email. “He wants to go over our statement and some publicity things.”
“Then I’ll schedule Vick and Glenn for early next week.” Nichole nodded. A grin relaxed across her face. “That gives me more time to work on a few coding errors in the app before I show the full program to them.”
“Then movie night is back on.”
“Absolutely,” Nichole said. “I call first pick.”
And Chase called one more night to pretend. A few more hours to pretend they could be a real couple. That movie night was their own weekly tradition. That what they shared could be enough.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
TWO MORE MOVIE nights rounded out the week. One had been a given after both Chase and Nichole had agreed they couldn’t leave the fantasy trilogy unfinished. The second night had resulted from Chase’s confession that he hadn’t seen The Maltese Falcon and Nichole’s determination to resolve that oversight.
Between therapy sessions, visiting Nonna and Nichole’s work on her app, it had been go, go, go. Chase had even stepped in as a test user on In A Pinch. He’d also introduced Nichole to one of his local sponsors who wanted to become a vendor on her app. More than one kiss had been shared. But it was holding her hand, sitting beside her and simply being with Nichole that had enriched every day.
Chase parked his truck in Travis’s horseshoe-shaped driveway, grabbed Nichole’s hand and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. “If I failed to tell you before, you look terrific.”
“Thanks.” Nichole squeezed his fingers. “Why am I nervous? It’s only dinner.”
“With the man who negotiates my career.” Chase opened his door and laughed. “He’s no big deal.”
“That’s not helping.” Nichole shut her door and scowled at him.
Chase wrapped his arm around her waist. A motion that was becoming more and more natural. If Nichole was in a room, he wanted to be right beside her. Letting her go was quickly becoming less and less appealing. “Travis likes details as much as you. You’ll like him.”
Nichole stopped on the doorstep and turned to Chase. “Will he like me? Will he believe we’re married?”
“Of course.” Chase almost believed they were married. He should eject himself from the game. He’d stepped out of the neutral zone. And yet he kept running toward Nichole. He tipped her chin up and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. “He’ll like you because I like you.” A lot.
But his feelings were nothing he couldn’t handle. Nothing he couldn’t control just as he controlled the plays on the field to help earn a win for his team. Besides, liking Nichole a lot was far from confessing to something stronger. Something deeper and terrifying, like loving Nichole.
Nichole set her hand on his chest, her voice confession soft. “I like you too.”
Time-out. Offside. Too many men on the field. Chase searched for a penalty flag. All he saw was Nichole. All he felt was her hand resting over his heart. She said the word like delicately and carefully as if the word deserved special handling. As if the word possessed more meaning. His pulse raced, loud enough for his own ears to listen. She liked him too. But they hadn’t agreed on that.
The front door swung open and Travis flung his arms wide. “Security cameras are a thing of beauty. Welcome and get in here. You’ve had more than enough private time. We can’t start the festivities without you both.”
“Festivities?” Chase frowned at Nichole and linked his fingers with hers. His pulse tripped over his sudden unease.
Travis greeted Nichole and ushered them through the foyer and massive great room. An expansive outdoor living area spread from the patio doors toward an infinity edge pool. The view would’ve been spectacular if not for the crowd gathered outside.
Nichole’s hand clenched his. Chase’s steps slowed. His words came out measured and deliberate. “Travis? What’s going on?”
Travis nudged them onto the patio and shouted, “They’re here. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs have finally arrived!”
The one hundred or more guests cheered and yelled, “Surprise!”
Nichole gasped. Chase swallowed and searched for his smile.
At the front of the crowd, Mallory and Brooke high-fived each other. Mallory pointed at them. “We did it. We surprised you both.”
Brooke pressed champagne glasses into their hands and announced, “Happy wedding reception.”
Wedding reception. This was only supposed to be a simple dinner to discuss publicity and appearances as a couple. Later, Nichole and Chase would’ve added their own private discussion: their breakup plans to the conversation. Chase lifted his glass, greeting Elliot and his teammates, several offensive coaches. He anchored his smile into place and willed his cheeks to relax. The Pioneers’ owners, Charles and Claire Faulkner, and the team’s general manager, Keith Romero, waved from the opposite side of the pool.
Nichole’s friends descended from the outdoor bar and kitchen area, wrapping Nichole and Chase in enthusiastic hugs. For the first time ever, Chase had no interest in being the life of the party. He wanted to tug Nichole through the side gate and disappear. Before he could anchor Nichole to his side and plot their escape, his sisters swept her away.
“Before you follow your new bride, and I don’t blame you, can I have a
