Catching Chase

by Michelle Windsor

  “Oh.” Her cheeks flush the adorable pink I’ve come to love, her feet shuffling in place.

  “I made reservations at The Palm.” I babble on, my nerves getting the best of me. “It’s different than the one in L.A., but yeah, if you want, we can go.” I shrug, finally shutting my trap when I notice she’s standing in front of me again.

  “I’d rather stay in.” Her voice is low as one corner of her mouth ticks up in a suggestive smile.

  “We can stay in.” We can do whatever the hell you want. Just don’t ask me to leave.

  “We can order take-out.” She suggests, moving across the room now to place the flowers on a counter framing the kitchen. The apartment is a large, rectangle open space, the kitchen on one side, and a huge living room on the other. There are three doors on the far end of the wall, which I assume are bedrooms and a bathroom. Its decorated in a lot of creams and blues, with large area rugs placed strategically across the shiny wood floors.

  “This is a really nice home.” I tread slowly into the large space until I’m next to Megan at the counter, and hand her the bottle. “Happy Birthday.”

  “Thank you.” She smiles. “But you really didn’t have to bring me anything.” She shrugs. “We all celebrated last weekend.”

  “But I didn’t know it was your birthday, and what’s a birthday without a gift?” My mouth crooks up in a smile.

  “These are beautiful.” She runs a hand down the roses, turning her head to look at them, then swinging it back to me a second later, her mouth dropping open. “Oh!”

  “Those weren’t your presents.” I’m holding out a small, wrapped box, which she takes, her eyes crinkling around the edges as she smiles even wider.

  “You got me a present?” She starts tearing at the paper, her head snapping up to mine when she recognizes the light blue box. “Tiffany’s?” She laughs nervously. “It’s not an engagement ring, right?” Her fingers shaking just a tiny bit as she fumbles with the ribbon.

  “Don’t think we’re quite there.” Yet. I leave that part off, because I don’t want to totally freak her out, but it’s definitely something I can picture with her; forever. It was a feeling I had when we were together four years ago and being with her again is just reinforcing it. She finally gets the ribbon off and lifts the lid to the box, her eyes sweeping up to mine.

  “Jasper, it’s too much.” She traces a finger over the delicate chain of the necklace.

  “It’s not enough.” I step closer to her, pointing to two keys on the chain, one tiny yellow key, and then a larger key with white and yellow diamonds embedded throughout. “Those represent you and Chase to me. You both hold the keys to my heart now. You both decide where we go from here.” I place a finger under her chin and lift it until our gazes lock. “But I’m all in. For whatever you want.”

  She blinks rapidly, her chin starting to tremble under my touch before she surges forward to wrap her arms around my neck in a hug. “You keep saying and doing all the right things. But I’m so scared.” She tightens her hold as she keeps whispering in my ear. “So scared we’re going to mess this up again.”

  “We won’t.” I slide my arms around her, enveloping her tiny frame in my large one to hold her as close as I can. “We’ll take it slow. One day at a time. And we’ll make sure we talk to each other this time. No matter what. No assumptions. No letting anyone else get between us.” I pull back from her so I can look into her eyes. “I’m not losing you again. And I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with you since the moment I ran into you at that hotel in Los Angeles.”

  “Jasper.” Her voice is a surprised whisper as tears start to trickle down her cheeks. “This seems too easy.”

  “What?” I chuckle, my brows shooting up. “None of this has been easy.” I grin down at her. “It’s taken us almost four years to get here.”

  “Good point.” She giggles through the tears, her expression growing more serious when she stops. “I want it all with you, Jasper. And I know we have a lot to figure out.” She nods, rolling her eyes to indicate just how much. “But I’m in love with you.” She nods again, tears still falling from her eyes. “I am. And I want to try.”

  My heart swells at her revelation, feeling whole again for the first time in years. I always thought football would be the only thing I needed to feel complete. I had no idea until this very moment how incomplete I was until I heard her say she loves me. She loves me! I sweep her back against me, lowering my mouth against hers, sealing our love with a kiss, knowing that this is just the beginning of the love and happiness to come for us.

  Epilogue

  Nine Months Later…

  “Oh my God! Oh my God! Yay!” I jump up and down, clapping my hands wildly as I look over at Leah and Tyler on one side of me, and Jasper’s family on the other, Chase standing in front of me. “We won! We’re Super Bowl Champions!”

  “Stop jumping around like that!” Leah admonishes, a wide grin on her face as she looks down at my swollen stomach. “That poor baby’s getting all jumbled around in there!”

  I look down, my engagement ring shimmering as I lay a hand over my expanding belly. We found out at Christmas we’re having a little girl. She’s due at the end of March. Perfect timing for all of us. Jasper has already decided to retire after this season, his dream of winning one more Super Bowl now achieved. He’s going to take a year off, then figure out what’s next for him. Most likely he’ll go into sports casting for one of the football networks. They’ve already been scouting him, rumors flying around about his retirement announcement.

  We’re planning a June wedding. It will be enough time after the baby comes that hopefully my figure will be somewhat back to normal. Jasper wanted to get married the minute he found out I was pregnant, but the last thing I wanted was a big belly under my wedding dress. We both decided an outside ceremony is what we wanted, and we’re trying to pull it off on the beach we visited the week we met. We’re not sure if there will be a dozen helicopters overhead, but so far, we think we’re keeping the location under wraps. It’s a whole new way of life trying to get used to being in a relationship with someone that’s recognized, but we’re adjusting. The flurry after the world discovered Jasper had a ‘love child’ was a bit overwhelming, but we made it through.

  Jasper’s been jumping between Boston and New York during the entire season, but now that it’s over, we’re going to relocate to his home in California. We spent a lot of time there last summer, and Chase and I both fell in love with it there. I left my job at the end of the year, a little hesitant after working so hard to establish my career, but knowing in my heart it was the right thing for me, for us. My family is my number one priority now. I’ve never been happier and know I can always go back if I decide that’s what I want. My mother obviously isn’t very happy that we’re relocating, but the California house is huge, and we’ve already set aside a room for her.

  “Mommy, let’s go see Daddy!” Chase jumps up and down, one hand tugging at the sleeve of my jersey, as he pulls me toward the door.

  “Okay, okay.” I take his hand, leading him out of the box we’re in, following his family down to the field. It’s complete chaos, everyone pushing and shoving as they try and reach the players on the team. I pull Chase a little closer, but then smile in relief when Jasper’s dad takes him and swings him up on his shoulders.

  “Do you see your dad, Buddy?” He calls up to him through the roar of the crowd.

  “I see him Poppa!” He wiggles around, excitement shining on his face, as he points in the direction we should go. “Right there!”

  We all surge forward, finally breaking through the crowd into an inner circle. Jasper’s talking to a reporter, but stops as soon as he sees us, a wide smile lighting up his face. He says something to the man, then starts sprinting in our direction. I can’t help myself, and break into a run, launching myself into his arms, my future, and the beginning of our happily ever after.

  The End

  Afterword

 
Thank you so much for reading Catching Chase. If you enjoyed this book, you’ll probably love Losing Hope. It features Hope Yorke, a beautiful, successful executive who’s just had her heart broken. After walking in on her boyfriend getting intimate with someone else, she escapes to her family lake house in Vermont. A chance encounter with handsome, ex-marine, Gage Flynn, turns her weekend into something completely unexpected. She thinks she may have met the man of her dreams until he discovers who her family is and walks away. How does she pick up the pieces and keep herself from losing hope?

  Keep flipping the pages, I’ve got an excerpt of the entire first chapter for you.

  Already hooked? You can download it for any platform using this link:

  Universal Link: books2read.com/u/brYoyY

  If you like things just a little bit steamier, you can also check out my book, The Winning Bid. It’s book one of The Auction Duet, and it’s absolutely free on any platform.

  Universal Link: books2read.com/u/mey2KZ

  Sneak Peek of Losing Hope

  Chapter One

  Hope Yorke was not having a good morning. It started when her alarm clock didn’t go off, causing her to bolt upright in bed when the doorman called to let her know her car had arrived. After the fastest shower ever, and the heaviest morning traffic in ages, things only got worse. Just as she walked out of Starbucks, some asshole slammed into her, causing her scalding hot latte to spill down the front of her black Donna Karan wrap dress and drip all the way down onto her brand new pink satin Louboutin heels.

  She had waited three months for those shoes to come in on back order from Paris. Thankfully, she always kept several spare outfits in her office, so after another quick shower and change of clothes—a royal blue Calvin Klein belted Ponte knit dress with a black pair of Jimmy Choo suede pumps—she walked into the company board meeting quite late, a meeting in which her father sat at the head of the table. Taking her seat to his right, she didn’t miss the look of disappointment that flashed across his stern features as he nodded to her.

  “Nice of you to join us, Hope.”

  “My apologies to you all.” She glanced around the table, making eye contact with each board member at the table. She may be the boss’s daughter, but she expected no special treatment and had earned her right to sit at this table. Hope had graduated with honors from Columbia University with a major in Business Management and a minor in English and Comparative Literature, and for the last six years, she had worked her way up through the ranks of her father’s publishing company. At only twenty-eight years old, she was proud to be the youngest ever Senior Vice President of US Publishing to sit at this table.

  “I had a small accident on my way in this morning.”

  Her father’s hand immediately reached out and covered hers as he asked quietly, “Are you all right, Hope?”

  She nodded and smiled at him in return. “Yes, Father, I’m fine.” She patted his hand and then, addressing the board, continued, “If someone will just catch me up, let’s continue with the meeting.”

  The meeting lasted well past lunch and into the afternoon, so by the time Hope was back in her office, she had endless emails and messages to return. She was off to her lake house in Vermont that evening, and the sooner she could get through things, the sooner she could get on the road.

  Several hours later, Emily, Hope’s assistant, stood in the entrance to her office. “Excuse me, Miss Yorke, it’s after five. Billy is on the phone and wants to know if you’ll still require the helicopter this evening, or if you’ve changed your mind about heading North?”

  “Shit!” Jumping up, she gathered her computer and paperwork and stuffed them into her bag. “I had no idea it had gotten so late! Yes, please ask Billy to wait, and can you also have Ed bring the car around to the front? It’s faster if we leave from there instead of the garage entrance.”

  “Of course, Miss Yorke.” Emily was out the door and back at her desk making the necessary calls before Hope could say another word.

  Quickly pulling on her trench coat, she grabbed her bags and headed to take the elevator down to the lobby as fast as her heels would allow. She walked outside into the chilly fall air to find Ed waiting for her at the curb beside the car. He tipped his head in greeting. “Miss Yorke. Seaport Helipad?”

  Giving him a nod, she handed him her computer bag. “Yes, please, Ed, the quicker the better. I completely lost track of time.”

  She climbed into the back as he closed the door behind her. The car carried a light scent of the Old Spice aftershave he always wore, which Hope thought was better than any air freshener that could have been used. She heard him load her bag into the trunk, and then he was in the driver’s seat and pulling smoothly into traffic. “I’ll get you there as quick as I can, Miss. Traffic’s a little heavy right now, it being Friday night and all.”

  “Thank you again, Ed. Billy’s waiting at the helipad for me, so I appreciate it.”

  “Just you going up North this weekend, Miss?” Weathered blue eyes looked at her in question from the rear-view mirror.

  “Yep, just me. Need a bit of a break from everything.”

  Ed knew it was a little more than that. He knew that almost two weeks ago she’d come back early from a business trip and, instead of going home, had decided to surprise her boyfriend of two years at his place. The surprise was on her, though, when she walked in and found him screwing some redhead on the kitchen counter. Ed knew this because he was behind her with her bags. He was also the one to cold-cock that prick Dylan in the chin when he ran after her as she turned and fled. He then listened to her cry in the backseat of the car as he drove her back to her apartment. Yeah, Ed knew she needed a little break all right.

  They reached the heliport, and Ed helped her out of the car and grabbed her computer bag from the trunk. After entering the terminal and confirming their identities, Ed walked with Hope to the helipad where Billy was waiting next to the helicopter. He smiled wide at Hope and nodded to Ed in greeting as he walked out to meet them.

  “We’re all set to go, Miss Yorke. I’m sorry I can’t take you all the way up this time. Tower says the rain and wind are a bit too strong to take the chopper.”

  “It’s no problem at all, Billy. At least we can still take the plane.” Hope was getting seated in the chopper now, with Billy making sure her straps were buckled securely. He circled around the chopper, hopped in on his side, and strapped himself in.

  “It should be a quick fifteen minutes over to the airport. The plane is ready and waiting for you at the terminal.”

  Hope nodded in acknowledgment as the chopper took flight over the river and then banked to the left toward LaGuardia. These were the perks of being a Yorke. Hope had private helicopters and planes to take her wherever she needed to go, when she wanted to go, and this weekend, all she wanted was some time to herself. She was looking forward to curling up with a book in front of the fire, drinking wine, sleeping late, going for long walks around the lake, and just forgetting about the last couple of weeks.

  What a prick Dylan turned out to be. She knew she wasn’t in love him and probably wouldn’t ever have married him. But still, what happened to having a little respect and just breaking things off with someone, instead of cheating on them? They were supposed to be damn grownups, after all. Humiliation still burned in her gut. Of course, within hours, there were endless deliveries of flowers and calls from Dylan asking for forgiveness. After one phone call back, calmly telling him to go fuck himself, or better yet, the redhead, she threw herself into her work, putting in sixteen-hour days to try to numb the pain of her new reality. That was almost two weeks ago, and the long days had caught up with her.

  As promised, fifteen minutes later, they landed at LaGuardia. A shuttle was waiting to drive her over to the private terminal where the company jet was housed. Upon arrival, she boarded the plane and made herself comfortable in one of the white leather seats.

  “Good evening, Miss Yorke. It’s nice to see you.” Sylvia, one of
the regular flight attendants on board, seemed to appear from nowhere, ready to make sure Hope was comfortable and didn’t need anything.

  “Hello, Sylvia. Nice to see you, as well. Do you think you could get me some coffee?”

  “Of course. Are you hungry? I can make you anything on the menu.”

  “Just the coffee for now. Thank you.”

  Sylvia smiled and made her way to the small galley.

  The Captain boarded the plane and greeted Hope with a warm smile. “All pre-checks are done, Miss. We can leave as soon as the tower gives us clearance.”

  “Wonderful, Glenn. Thank you.” Sylvia appeared and handed Hope a mug of freshly brewed coffee, of course, prepared exactly to her liking, and then disappeared back in the galley.

  “There’s a pretty good storm going on from Montpelier and up through Canada, so things may get a little bumpy at the tail end of our flight.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Any reason to be concerned or delay my flight?”

  “We’ll get you there no problem. Your father would have my neck in a noose if I did anything to harm his most precious asset.” He gave her a friendly wink and headed to the cockpit.

  Several minutes later, they were in the air and leaving the island of Manhattan behind. She felt lighter and lighter as the distance between her and the city grew. Going up to the lake house was her sanctuary, and she couldn’t wait to get there. Her grandfather had built the house on Lake Champlain over seventy years ago. It wasn’t an extravagant house in any way. In fact, it was the complete opposite of what her home and life were like in the city. The lake house was rustic, all wood and stone and everything a house on a country lake should be.

  The first floor was one big open space that contained the kitchen, dining, and living room. The entire back side of the living room wall was made up of windows that overlooked a huge deck and, of course, the beautiful lake. There was a stone fireplace that made up one side wall in the living room and was surrounded by big, over-stuffed sofas. The sofas were strewn with throw pillows and lap blankets made of the softest fabrics. She loved to sit on those couches for hours just staring out at the lake, watching the world swim by.