by Rita Herron
His heart thundered in his chest.
Cynthia checked her watch and frowned.
"What is it?"
"I bet she's already left."
"Left for where?"
Cynthia gnawed on her lip as if she'd said too much. "The show."
"What show?" Chase asked, trying for patience.
"Mr. Oglethorpe was going to surprise Maddie by apologizing to her on that Sophie Lane show. He wants to ask her to marry him."
Chase ground his teeth together, seeing red. Maybe that was the reason Sophie had phoned.
"The show should be starting soon." Cynthia checked her watch again, a forlorn expression on her face. "If you hurry, you might be able to catch her before..."
"Dammit." Chase glanced through the window at his car and groaned. "I'll never make it in time. I have a flat tire."
Cynthia smiled and flashed a set of keys. "Come on then, I'll drive. My car can do zero to ninety in six seconds."
* * *
"She really just wanted to date me?" Lance asked.
Maddie shot him a venomous look. "Yes."
"I guess I blew it big time."
"I'd say that's accurate."
"I still don't understand why you thought Sophie was our sister," Maddie said.
"I assumed Dad had had an affair with this Maria woman, so I thought maybe Sophie was our half-sister when she seemed so interested in our family."
"This P.I. I hired—" Reid started to say.
"You hired a P.I.?" Lance interrupted.
"Yeah, his name is Knobby Smaltz."
"KS," Lance mumbled. "That's what the notation in the book meant."
Maddie jerked Reid's hand. "You hired a P.I. to investigate my best friend?"
"Oww, Maddie, you're hurting me."
"Good, you deserve to be in pain—"
"Shh," several people behind them hissed.
"What did he learn?" Lance asked.
Maddie fumed at him. "You two should be ashamed of yourselves. Don't you dare ask him what he found out about Sophie. She would be devastated if she knew you were snooping into her private life!"
"I'm sorry, Maddie, I guess I overreacted," Reid said.
"Promise me you won't say anything about the P.I. to Sophie," Maddie whispered.
"All right," Reid agreed.
"How could I? She's not even talking to me," Lance muttered.
Maddie pinched his arm. "Promise me, Lance."
"Okay, I promise. If she ever speaks to me again, I won't tell her about the P.I."
Maddie released his arm. "Thank you. And you'd better mean it."
"But the P.I. thinks Chase may be right about Oglethorpe," Reid whispered.
"What about Jeff?" Maddie asked.
"Chase thinks he's responsible for our problems at the sites," Lance explained. "He wanted revenge on us for scaring him that night after you dumped him on TV."
"Or maybe he wanted you to fail, Maddie, so you'd come running back to him," Reid suggested.
Maddie wanted to scream. She would kill Jeffrey Oglethorpe. The sneaky creep had actually taken her mother's heirloom from her, wanted her to fail, then sent her all those flowers and gifts, pleading with her to come back to him. And to think, once she'd wanted to marry him! "This is unbelievable."
Lance and Reid patted her hand sympathetically.
"I have a request," Maddie said.
"What now?" Reid massaged his aching wrist.
"Could we please not keep any more secrets from one another?"
Both her brothers stared at her, then broke into grins. "Fine by me," Lance said.
"Gladly," Reid mumbled.
"Either be quiet or leave, the show's beginning!" a lady with helmet hair hissed behind them.
"Here's our host, Miss Sophie Lane," the director announced. Music floated through the speakers, and Sophie pranced in front of the audience. The stage lit up, and Maddie gaped at the title of the show—"Forgive Me, I Was a Fool."
"You guys all need to be in this one," Maddie muttered.
"Shh!" several people whispered.
Off to the side, she saw Jeff Oglethorpe hiding behind a screen. Reid and Lance both sat up straighter, looking nervous. Her stomach clenched. They obviously knew the reason she'd been asked to appear on the show, and it had something to do with Jeff.
She should have known better than to trust them. No more secrets? Ha!
Next time she asked for a promise, she'd make them sign their names in blood the way they'd done the bachelor pact. So far, it was the only promise they'd kept.
* * *
Chase slipped into the audience, his nerves tied in knots. A wide sweep of the crowd, and he spotted Maddie sitting between her brothers. A glance at the stage, and he read the title of the program and instantly knew Cynthia's suspicions had been right. Oglethorpe intended to propose.
A sick feeling rose in Chase's throat. His father's words haunted him—"The day the judge sentenced me to prison for life, I lost a lot more than my freedom. I also lost my son." Could he stand by and lose his chance for happiness, the chance for a life with the woman he loved, the chance for a son of his own?
He pulled out the bachelor pact he kept in his wallet and stared at it, his hands shaking.
"Today we have a special guest with us, Jeff Oglethorpe, one of Savannah's prominent bankers. Mr. Oglethorpe, would you like to tell us why you're here?"
Oglethorpe stood in the limelight, his perfect suit and perfect hair and perfect manicure probably intoxicating half the female population watching. Oglethorpe had no scars or ghosts in his past to deal with.
He'd also never slept with Maddie.
That had to mean something, didn't it?
Hell, yes, it did.
Oglethorpe pasted on a charming smile. "I'd like to talk to someone in the audience. Maddie Summers, will you come up here, please?"
The beam of light focused on Maddie. Chase watched her stand, saw her hands trembling by her side as she slowly walked up to the stage. She looked absolutely breathtaking in that shiny blue dress, every stitch of fabric molding to her curves, her long, wild hair curling around her face. And damn if her cleavage wasn't showing and the wuss was staring right at it.
Oglethorpe took Maddie's hand in his. "Maddie, you surprised me and brought me on this show a few weeks ago, for Valentine's Day, and I was so stunned, I didn't handle the situation very well. But I've given a lot of thought to our relationship and that day and realize I made a terrible mistake—"
"Jeff, you don't have to do this," Maddie said in a strained voice.
"Yes, I do." Oglethorpe squared his shoulders. "So, please let me finish. I don't want to lose you, Maddie."
Chase had always called Oglethorpe a wuss but maybe he was really the wuss—too afraid to stand up and fight for something he wanted.
And there was no doubt in his mind now that he wanted Maddie.
Even more than he wanted his friendship with her brothers.
If they thought Oglethorpe was right for Maddie, they didn't know Maddie as well as they should. As well as he did.
He knew every sweet inch of her by heart. And he wanted to be the only man in her life.
If he had to perform a song and a dance to prove it to her, he'd damn well do it.
Oglethorpe suddenly dropped to one knee. "Maddie, forgive me I was a fool, I want to—"
"No, Maddie, forgive me, I was a fool!" Chase shot to his feet and fisted his hands by his sides as the light zoomed to him. The audience gawked and gasped.
"Chase?" Maddie whispered.
The light swung back to Oglethorpe as he wobbled on his knee. "Holloway?"
Lance and Reid jumped up from their seats. "Maddie?"
Sophie rushed forward to take control, but Maddie stopped her.
"No, wait! You two stay out of this!" Maddie held up her hand to ward them off, then stared at Chase long and hard. Tension thrummed throughout the set. The air grew tight with anticipation. Finally Maddie sighed and spo
ke in a low voice. "I'll hear what Mr. Holloway has to say."
Mr. Holloway? Chase swallowed, gathering his courage.
"This is an outrage," Oglethorpe wailed. "This is our moment, don't let him ruin it."
"Shut up, Jeff," Maddie hissed.
"No, listen to me. Please." Jeff thrust a huge diamond ring toward Maddie. "Marry me, Maddie."
Chase dropped to his knee. "No, marry me, Maddie!"
The light swung back to Chase. "What did you say?" Maddie whispered hoarsely.
"I said, marry me, Maddie." His voice was rough with emotions when he spoke again, "Please, Maddie."
"Why... are you doing this, Chase?" She glanced at her brothers, suspicion darkening her tear-filled eyes. "Did they make you come here, are they forcing—"
"Nope, my interfering days are over." Lance rocked back on his heels with a goofy grin. Reid was staring at Chase as if he'd morphed into an alien.
"Chase?"
"No one's forcing me to do anything, Maddie." Chase's gaze locked with Maddie's, his eyes pleading. He'd always fought for what he wanted. First, with his fists when he was a kid. Then, with his head when he'd worked his way through school. Now, it was time to fight for his woman with words.
"I'm doing this because I love you, Maddie. I..." His voice broke, but he didn't care; he cleared his throat to continue. "I love you with all my heart."
Oohs and aahs rippled through the room, but Maddie's soft cry of joy echoed above the noise. "Oh, Chase, I love you, too."
"This cannot be happening." Oglethorpe waved to the cameramen. "Will someone get him out of here? He's ruining everything!"
Instead, Lance and Reid rushed onstage, hooked their arms under Oglethorpe's and hauled him aside. Cynthia raced over to console him.
Maddie had already left the stage and was running toward Chase. The crowd clapped and cheered as Maddie flew into his arms. She covered his mouth with a kiss that was deep and tender and sweet and so erotic that Chase had to fight the urge to throw her down on stage and have his way with her. Later, he would....
Finally, when they pulled apart, tears glistened in her eyes.
"You didn't answer me," he said in a husky voice. "Will you marry me?"
Maddie toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck and cocked her head sideways with a grin. "What about your bachelor forever pact?"
Chase kissed her neck, then held up the sheet of paper and ripped it in two. "I'll trade it in for a husband forever one if you'll have me."
"Oh, yes, I'll have you." She kissed him again. "Now and forever." Then Maddie turned to Sophie, "Hey, Soph, you wouldn't happen to have a preacher in the audience, would you?"
Chapter 30
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're here live, bringing you the wedding of Maddie Summers and Chase Holloway." Sophie smiled radiantly, and the cameras zoomed to the centerstage where Sophie had had the staff throw together a small wedding set during the commercial break. She had even managed to find a wedding dress for Maddie from props, complete with veil, and a tuxedo for Chase.
"Here, this will have to do as a bouquet." Sophie grabbed the silk flower centerpiece off the set table and stuffed it into Maddie's trembling hands. Maddie giggled and whispered, "Thanks."
Both her brothers stood beside her to give her away, tears glistening in their eyes. Sophie took her place as Maddie's bridesmaid, then Lance and Reid stood beside Chase as his best men.
The justice of the peace held up an open Bible. "Mr. Holloway, please repeat after me..."
Chase squeezed Maddie's hand. "I'd like to say my own vows, if that's okay."
The justice of the peace gestured toward Maddie, and she nodded.
A flush crept on his tanned face, but his gaze never wavered. "Maddie, I met you when you were just a little girl. I watched you tag along after your brothers when you were a knobby-kneed kid, and I saw you turn into a spunky teenager."
Maddie laughed softly, aware her brothers and the audience were also chuckling.
"Then suddenly you turned into this incredible, beautiful creature right before my eyes." He hesitated, his voice growing thick with emotion. "Most of my life I hung around your house trying to fit in, just wanting to be a part of the Summers family, feeling I didn't belong. Not thinking I deserved anyone as wonderful as you."
Maddie's chin quivered as she brushed at the tears seeping from her eyes.
"But you made me feel welcome, and for the first time in my life, you made me feel loved." He thumbed a strand of hair away from her cheek. "You've given me light when the world looked dark. You took the hollow place in my heart and filled it with love and hope and all those things I was too afraid to admit I even wanted...." He cleared his throat. "I may not always remember to be romantic or give you gifts and flowers, but know this, Maddie—" He placed their joined hands over his heart. "—I love you now and will love you forever."
Maddie sniffled, then brought his hand to her mouth and gently kissed his palm. "Chase, what you don't seem to realize is that without you, the world is a dark place. Without you, the Summers family would never have been complete, because we needed you as much as you needed us." She took a deep breath, her chest swelling with love and affection. "I admire your strength, your strong will, and the determination and grit it took for you to overcome the obstacles in your life." She pressed their hands to her heart. "Chase Holloway, forget the roses and gifts; I'd rather have you. I loved you when you were a wild little boy, I loved you when you were a bad-ass teenager, and I love you more with every passing day. Now and forever."
The justice of the peace completed the ceremony, and there was an awkward moment when he asked about rings.
"Here," Sophie said, thrusting two simple gold bands at them. "I found these in props, too. You can get the real ones later."
Maddie and Chase laughed, then exchanged rings, their hands intertwined just as strongly as their lives would be from this moment forward.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the justice of the peace announced.
Chase cupped her chin in his hand, lowered his mouth and kissed her.
Applause rang through the crowd.
Lance and Reid pulled them apart and pounded Chase on the back.
"Congratulations, man," Lance said.
"Too bad you've fallen from the pact though," Reid added.
"But at least now we'll know Maddie's taken care of," Lance said.
Maddie slugged Lance on the arm. "I plan to take care of him guys."
"You were right about Oglethorpe. I'm sorry I ever doubted you, man," Reid stuck out his hand for a shake. "Welcome to the family."
Chase nodded and accepted the gesture.
Lance's expression turned serious, and he pulled Chase into a hug. "I can't think of a better man to be my brother-in-law." He brought her into the circle of his arm as well. "I should have known the two of you belonged together."
"You said no more interfering," Maddie whispered with a warning look.
Lance and Chase both laughed.
Jeff approached, looking oddly remorseful. "Maddie can I talk to you for a minute?" Chase glared at him and threw his arm protectively around Maddie. "We're married now, Oglethorpe."
Maddie rolled her eyes. "It's okay, Chase. I'd like a minute with him."
Chase hesitated, and Lance stepped forward, as if to back up Chase.
"Look, guys, I can handle it," Maddie warned.
Chase nuzzled her neck, smiled at Oglethorpe as if he'd publicly laid his claim, then let Lance pull him aside.
"Before you say anything, Jeff," Maddie said, hands on hips. "I know that you sabotaged the boys' business."
"I'm sorry, Maddie." Jeff shoved his hands in his pockets. "That was wrong. I shouldn't have taken your mother's pendant as collateral, either. I guess letting you go was harder than I thought it would be."
Maddie bit down on her lip. "I'd like us to be friends, Jeff. I want you to be happy." She gestured toward Cynthia. "I think she really likes you."
"Yeah, she's pretty nice." A blush stained Jeff's face. "I want you to be happy, too. You deserve it. Even if Holloway was a hellion—"
"Watch it, Jeff. You're talking about my husband now."
They both laughed, then Maddie hugged him. Sophie came up and Jeff left to meet Cynthia. "God, I'm glad that worked out today," Sophie said with a whistle.
Maddie laughed. "Thanks to you, Soph. Hey, I saw you talking to Lance. Will my brother be the next one to walk down the aisle?"
Sophie winked at Lance. "I don't know, but at least he's talking to me now instead of treating me like a leper. And he agreed to come on the 'Dating Game' episode to make things up to me."
Lance and Chase moved closer. "Blast it all to hell," Lance mumbled. "I figure I've got a one-in-three chance that I won't get picked for the date." Maddie exchanged a knowing grin with Sophie. Her poor dumb brother had no idea Sophie would be the contestant, and the show would be rigged. Sophie would finally get her date with Lance.
"I'm sorry we didn't have time to send for a wedding cake," Sophie said.
Maddie hooked her arm through Chase's. "Don't worry, Soph. I think I can rummage up something at home to make us a dessert. I have this incredible recipe book."
Maddie leaned on tiptoe and whispered in Chase's ear, telling him about the erotic dessert cookbook.
"Time for our honeymoon," Chase growled.
"Wait, I have to throw the bouquet!" Maddie waved her arm for the single women to form a line. Several of the stagehands appeared, but Sophie lingered in the background, looking sheepish. Maddie turned and tossed the silk flowers over her shoulder, then spun around at the sound of laughter and squeals. Sophie stood, holding the bouquet, a shocked expression on her face. Maddie glanced at Lance and saw him staunchly avoid looking at Sophie. She laughed in delight. Maybe Lance would be the next man to fall from that bachelor pact.
"Let's go." Chase scooped her into his arms and carried her off the stage, the audience whooping and hollering.
In the limo on the way to his house, Maddie told Chase all about the secrets she and her brothers had been keeping. "So, you see, our family wasn't the perfect family we thought it to be."
