AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course. Lunch is on me. Take care of your sister.”
“Thanks for understanding. Let’s do this again soon. And I’ll call you about renting your place.” Cyn started backing away, looking even more worried and angry as she listened to whatever she overheard on the phone.
“Go. We’ll talk later.”
Cyn rushed out of the diner.
Shelby pulled out her phone and texted Chase.
SHELBY:On my way home
CHASE:Great! I have a surprise for you
SHELBY:I can’t wait
CHASE:♥♥♥
Shelby smiled, and her heart melted and lightened in her chest. She couldn’t believe this was her life. Lunch with a friend. A beautiful little girl who made her lifeso much more fulfilling and happy. The man she loved waiting for her at home with a surprise.
Maybe her life wasn’t extraordinary, but it finally felt normal.
And with Chase in it, she’d be happy with normal forever.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chase’s heart raced with every passing minute he waited for Shelby to arrive home. They’d gotten through the worst of things. Now he wanted them to have the best of everything for their future.
He patted Remmy’s head and checked out the window again, hoping to spot her car.
“She’s on her way. Take a breath and calm down,” Max advised. “It’s not like you don’t know how this is going to go.”
“I know, it’s just... I want to do it right.”
“You will.” Hunt lifted his chin toward the front of the house. “She’s here.”
“Mama!” Eliza jumped up from her little table where she’d been coloring and ran to the window. “Now, Daddy?”
“Yes, baby, now.” His heart sped up, but he also had a sense of relief that Shelby was here.
His dad slapped him on the back. “Go get her.”
Chase turned to Max. “Take her and Remmy around the back like we planned. Don’t forget to record it and take pictures.”
“I’ve got this,” Max assured him.
His brothers and dad took Eliza and Remmy as hestepped out onto the porch and stood waiting with his heart in his throat for the woman he loved.
He’d tried to think of a special way to do this, and in the end, the only thing that came to mind was to do it here, the place that Shelby got for him to make a home, and start a new life where their relationship really started.
Shelby stepped out of her SUV and walked to the path that led to the front door. She smiled down at the red rose petals he’d spread along the path, leading up to the porch where he’d made a huge heart out of the petals and Eliza sprinkled a bunch of colorful plastic gems. He waited inside the heart for her to join him.
It dawned on him that he should have done this at night with twinkling lights along the porch railing and eaves. But then she stood at the bottom of the steps, her sweet smile growing bigger, her gaze shifting to the half-dozen vases filled with flowers around the rose petal heart on the floor, and he knew she loved it.
“Chase, this is beautiful.”
He breathed a huge sigh of relief and held his hand out to her. “I’m so glad you like it.”
She took his hand and joined him on the porch. “I love it. Such a sweet surprise.”
