“I’m sorry, things got—”
She grabs my hand. “I know, sweetheart, but that didn’t mean things had to change for us.” Her words hit me hard. She’s right.
“It was too hard.” A lump starts to form in my throat. I want to ask her about what the girls meant about Chase being promised to someone, but I don’t want to put her in a weird position.
Arranged marriages aren't a thing, but they kind of are at times. It would make sense why Rebecca would be pissed that Chase would bring random girls back to his home with him if he has a bride that is soon to be announced.
A deep, rich, familiar chuckle reaches my ears. I peek over to see Chase speaking to a tall woman in a black dress that has a slit that goes all the way up her thigh. Her legs must be a mile long. I swear I’ve seen her before, but I can’t place it. She has to belong to a family I know, but seeing him with her laughing has my mind all muddled.
“I need to go check on Molly,” I lie to Rebecca. That’s the last thing I’m checking on. I already know what’s happening with her, but what I do need is air.
“But the cake,” Rebecca reminds me.
“I’ll be back.” It’s a lie, and I know it, but everything is too much. I’m happy for everyone. My father has Grace now, and my brother is with Molly. I’m not the odd one out, but for some reason, I’ve always thought I was.
I feel my phone vibrate from inside my small clutch. I open it to see a text from the last person I thought I’d ever hear from again.
My mother.
9
Chase
What game is she playing? It’s been over a week since Emily has been in my bed. She’s done everything she could think of to avoid me. So far, I’m letting her get away with it. School is wrapping up, and it’s only fair I give her the space she deserves. If she only knew how long I’ve actually been chasing her, maybe she wouldn’t keep avoiding me.
That doesn’t stop me from texting her every day. Morning, noon, and night I’m lighting her phone up. She hardly responds, but every now and then I’ll get an emoji. I used to hate when my workers responded with them, but with Emily, I’ll take it. Even if it’s the black heart one which I find to be my favorite because I know it’s out of character for her. I take it as I’m getting to her.
She slipped right out of the party last weekend. I stepped back for a moment to let her have her dance with her father, and then she was surrounded by a group of girls. Emily has always been popular.
I suppose that’s what happens when you’re into half the activities a school has to offer. The other half she can’t do because her schedule wouldn’t allow it. Her face was one of shock as the girls spoke to her, and I’d wondered if gossip about who was dating who traveled that fast between the ladies. Thankfully, my mom stepped in to save her.
One second, my mom was talking to her while I chatted with Riley, and the next, Emily was gone. Riley has been on the security team for my family for years. Her main task has always been to watch over Emily. I didn’t only want a woman keeping an eye on her because I’m a jealous fuck but because I knew she could get into places other men couldn’t. She blended well. Whenever something came up, her husband, Jericho, would fill in for her. He’s madly in love with his wife, so that helped temper any of my emotions about another man trailing my woman.
Emily is a beautiful girl. Not only that, she comes from a very rich family. In my opinion, she should always have security. I’ve tried to not intrude too much, making it clear to Riley I only needed to know things that could potentially be a threat or piss me the hell off. I know it might be fucked up that I’ve kept boys away from Emily over the years. But she gave herself to me the day that she admitted her feelings for me.
At the time, I hadn’t realized I’d done the same. I still thought I was playing some big brother role even if she was keeping me at arm’s length. Thankfully, I wasn’t out there banging random women, which had never been my thing. Asher was my best friend, and he didn’t want women anywhere around us, and my mother would kill me. I didn’t have a disdain for women the way Asher did, but I knew that I wanted what my parents have.