Page 106 of Chasing the Sun

She choked up, and the tears started dripping down her cheeks. “I’ll miss you too, Dad, but I promise to come and visit.”

After she’d made all her phone calls, she flopped down on her bed, emotionally drained, and stared at the ceiling. She wouldn’t be human if she didn’t feel a twinge of guilt for leaving her family behind and making such a drastic move.

While she was lying there contemplating it all, Bryce tapped on the door and stuck his head in. “Finished with your calls?”

“Yeah. Come on in.”

He came in and closed the door behind him.

“Where’s Molly?” she asked, propping herself up on her elbows. It was seven o’clock on a weeknight, and she was surprised he’d entered her room.

“Rita and Sadie stopped by and asked if she could go to the playground for a while.”

Chloe hadn’t spoken to Rita since the incident that occurred over two months ago, but since Sadie and Molly were close friends, she figured she’d have to make amends. When she’d seen Rita in passing, they’d waved to each other, and Chloe wondered if Rita knew that she and Bryce were together now. In any case, she’d have to learn to navigate the world of the neighborhood moms, and soon the school moms too. She hoped she was up to the challenge.

“Everything okay?” he asked as he climbed up on the bed.

She shrugged. “Telling everyone I’m moving was harder than I thought it’d be.”

“How’d they take it?”

“My sister cried, my mom acted like she’d known it would happen all along, and my dad warned me about alligators.”

He chuckled at that but then caressed her cheek.

“But how are you doing? Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

She looked into his eyes and nodded. “I’m sure I want to be with you and Molly. But is it okay to admit I’m a little scared too?”

“Of course,” he said and gathered her close. “It’s a big move, and there are a lot of changes happening. It’s normal to feel scared.”

“You don’t seem scared.”

“That’s because I’m staying put and I get to have you. I’m the winner here.”

She smiled even though her eyes were welling up with tears again.

He kissed her gently on the forehead, the tip of her nose, and finally her lips. “I love you, Chloe, and I’m here for you, for whatever you need.”

“I love you too, so, so much.”

They shifted so they were lying on their sides, bodies touching from head to toe, her arms looped around his neck and his around her waist.

“I’m going to make sure you don’t regret this,” he said. “We’ll take everything at your pace, okay? One step at a time.”

She gazed into the eyes of the man she loved and felt some of her worries start to melt away. In that moment, she realized that the things she had to look forward to far outnumbered her fears. With him, she’d truly found everything she’d been looking for, and she believed him when he said he felt the same.

She’d not only gained the love of a wonderful man, but the love of his daughter and family as well. She’d be reminded of that in the months ahead when she was missing her own family. Plus, she knew that Bryce would travel to Michigan with her as often as she wanted him to, within reason, of course.

“Hey, you know what?” he said after a few minutes.

“What?”

“Molly won’t be back for about an hour. That should give us plenty of time to…”

She didn’t wait for him to finish. She pushed him onto his back, straddled him, and whipped off her T-shirt and bra.

He lay back and gazed at her with adoration before palming her breasts.