“Yes. I might need to pump you for more information.”
I couldn’t control my snicker as he tugged me down to the mattress and rolled his weight on top. I gasped as he nipped at the tendon in my neck playfully.
“Pretty sure this is for your eyes only ...”
The next morning, I awoke to Chase’s big body next to mine. Light filtered into the bedroom, highlighting his tousled bedhead and the fresh stubble on his chin. I could definitely cross take a romantic risk off of my to-do list. I’d accomplished that many times over with Chase. I traced a finger over his warm shoulder, watching as he smiled in his sleep. Chase. He’d changed my life. Scratch that—I’d changed my life. I would never have even met him if I hadn’t started my list of challenges.
I wasn’t the same person who began her thirtieth year; I was stronger, more confident, and more willing to take risks. And wasn’t love the greatest risk of all? Love. Chase. I swallowed.
I loved Chase.
Chase’s lids fluttered, and I smiled as his blue eyes met mine. “Good morning.”
His wonderous expression softened my heart, and the gruff morning gravel of his voice sent heat zinging through my body. “Good morning, beautiful.”
My inner critic stepped in to refute his statement. Beautiful? Unlikely. Unbrushed teeth and hair didn’t equal beauty. “What’s wrong?” he asked, watching as the light died from my eyes.
“Nothing.”
“Tamra, what’s wrong?”
He pushed up from the sheets, and my hormones wanted to lose myself in him, but he wouldn’t let it go.
“Tamra.”
I swallowed before meeting his gaze. “Do you ever have that voice inside? The one that tells you you’re not enough?”
His blue eyes narrowed. “Only all the time. But don’t listen to it. Listen to me tell you you’re amazing instead.”
My lips twisted. “That’s easier said than done.”
“Then I need to speak more loudly and carry a big dick to drown it out.”
“Chase. That’s not the saying.” I giggled.
He grinned back before sobering. “How about this one then—I love you.”
“Those are some pretty big words,” I whispered.
“But not as big as my—” He stopped as I slapped him on the shoulder.
Was his admission a joke gone wrong, or how he really felt? I silenced the voice that whispered joke. Chase wouldn’t. Not about love. Giddy relief filled me. We’d both worked too hard to give up easily.
With a smile he leaned in, brushing his lips gently against mine before falling back against the sheets, tugging me on top of him in a tangle of arms and legs. His thigh slid between mine, and I nearly forgot what I was going to say at the growing pressure there.
“You’re not supposed to say that,” I said on a laugh when I caught my breath.
“Too soon?”
His face was serious. Uncertain. I couldn’t resist.
“For dick jokes? Absolutely.”
He grimaced. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re mean?”
“Most recently? I’ve been told I’m loved.”
I rocked gently against the growing bulge between us. Chase groaned; his eyes watchful. “And?”
“I love you too.”
“You’re not just saying that for access to my—”
“Chase. I love you. Now shut up and kiss me.”
The rough stubble on his cheeks scraped mine as he smiled against my mouth. “Who says you can’t believe in happily ever after?”
Chapter 31 – Chase
I loved Tamra. I’m not sure who had more fun as I tried to convince her it was true and that we’d last. Tamra had stayed that night, partially because she’d lost her bet, but mostly because the wooing had worked. Jimmy would be proud.
I loved that I could express myself freely with Tamra. She never turned up her nose when I said something awkward. If anything, she’d double-down and add her own irreverent twist. She was adorably blunt in the bedroom, and it kept me on my toes, but never to the point I found myself sliding back into uncertainty.
For the first six months of our relationship, I was hyperaware that any misstep on my part could spell doom and vigilantly maintained my writing schedule. I’d feared that my success writing on a schedule with The Wedding Date had been a one-time fluke; however, my discipline helped me write more efficiently, and in my modest opinion, more powerfully too. It may have helped that I had endless inspiration in Tamra.
I waited to see how Tamra would react when I messed up. Because that was inevitable. But Tamra hadn’t quit on me. When I got wrapped up in writing on my night to cook dinner, she stepped in. No recriminations, just help. Her cooking had been punishment enough. Her culinary skills had improved a lot thanks to our time in the kitchen together, but I wasn’t the only one who could get distracted. The smoke alarm helped break me out of my writing fugue, but we were both able to laugh about it.
I was putting the finishing touches on a special dessert for her birthday dinner when I glanced at the clock. Only a few minutes until Tamra would be home. I had threatened to make vagina cupcakes and bring them to her at work today, but she said if I did, I’d end up with them smeared all across my face. Gina would have thought it was funny, but as far as the rest of Tamra’s coworkers knew, I was a nice, normal boyfriend, and I didn’t want to disillusion them too quickly.
Instead, I scoured Pinterest for cute birthday quotes to decorate the layered cheesecake she’d requested. I’d finally settled on, “I baked you a cake, I asked you to marry me, I made it awkward.”
I’d consulted long and hard with Jimmy on how to ask Tamra to marry me. I wanted something that reflected our relationship, but he convinced me not to post the cake to social media or bring it to her at work. Sometimes I still had to ignore my raw instincts.
The front door opened, and I quickly covered the cheesecake. I poured a glass of
