The Choice (24 page)

“Okay, spill it!” I demand as soon as the bathroom door is shut tightly behind us.

“What are you talking about?” Sophie turns away from me quickly, rushing to a stall so she can close herself in.

“You two have been acting weird all night,” I challenge. “Tell me what you’re up to!”

“Why do we have to be up to something, Ana?” she says in a shaky voice. “Why aren’t we allowed to be weird?”

“You are allowed to be weird,” I offer, laughing. “Actually, you
are
a little weird, Sophie, but I know you. I know you’re hiding something from me and I hate it! Spill it!”

“You’re so freaking nosy!” she yells from behind the door.

“Stop stalling,” I yell, laughing at my unintentional joke.

“I’m not! We’re not up to anything!”

“You know, I’ve been saying it for years, Sophie! You’re a shit liar!”

“You can’t even see my face!” she shouts, exasperated.

“No,” I admit. “But I can see your feet and you’re pacing instead of peeing.”

Stopping immediately, I hear her breathing hitch before she lets out a long sigh.
Hearing the latch release, she swings the door open and is biting her lip.

“I can’t tell you.”

“What? Why?”

“I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone!”

“That’s stupid! Tell me right now!” I order her.

“I can’t, Ana!”

“Oh my God! You’re pregnant, aren’t you? I knew it!” My hands immediately go to my mouth in shock and excitement, but the deadpan look in her eyes tells me I’m not right.

“No,” she says, rolling her eyes at me. “I’m not pregnant!”

“Well then what is it, Soph?”

“I can’t tell you! I promised Chase I wouldn’t tell anyone!”

“That’s so dumb!” I yell back at her, making her laugh at my reaction. “If you don’t tell me, I’m going to tell everyone you’re pregnant!”

“No, you won’t!”
she challenges me with a laugh.

“Ugh! Shut up!” I tell her as I shut the stall door in her face in frustration, knowing she’s right. When I get done, I walk out to find her standing in front of the mirror, drying her hands. She looks up to see my reflection and after smiling at me, she turns to face my pouting face. “Don’t smile at me,
you jerk.”

“Ana,” she starts with a chuckle. “I
will
tell you, I just can’t tell you right now.”

“Okay,” I say quietly.

“Why are you pouting?”

“Because
Soph,” I say, genuinely upset. “Listen, I knew when we moved out things would be a little different, but I just feel like we’re not as close as we were and I hate it. You used to tell me everything!”

“I still do tell you everything, Ana,” she says in a soft voice. “I love you so much. No amount of distance will change that.”

“Yeah, I know,” I confess, nodding slightly as I give her the best smile I can, still upset but knowing she’s right.

I’ve been drinking and it’s been a long day, so I’m more emotional than normal. I know that regardless of everything else in the world, Sophie and I will always be good. I’m about to tell her that when her voice interrupts my thoughts.

“Chase and I are engaged,” she blurts out, instantly throwing her hand over her mouth.

“What?” I yell out, shocked. “Are you serious?”

Nodding furiously, I can see the maniacal grin starting to form over her face.

“We weren’t really having sex this time,” she admits. “That’s why we were late to the reception!”

“Holy shit Soph! This is huge!” I yell out, still stunned by her news.

“I know!” she says, starting to jump up in down in place and making me laugh for a moment before I join her. Within a couple of minutes, we’re both squealing like idiots in the middle of the hotel bathroom.

After our girlish outburst, I pull her close to my chest and hug her tightly, unable to help the tears forming in my eyes. Sophie’s been through hell and I wasn’t sure for a long time if this would ever happen for her. I’d spent so many days wondering if she’d really get over losing Jack enough to give her heart to another. I couldn’t say I’d have ever picked anyone for her over my brother, but I could say if it couldn’t be him that there would never be anyone who loves her more than Chase.

Seeming to hear my thoughts, Sophie begins to cry with me, a bittersweet mixture more happy than sad.

“Sophie, I’m so happy for you,” I whisper as I pull away from her holding her face in my hands. “I know things didn’t turn out how we thought they would,” I choke out as she nods in understanding. “But really, I couldn’t be happier for you, Honey. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, Ana,” she whispers, smiling as she pulls me to her chest and squeezes me tightly
again.

After finishing our sisterly moment, we do our best to touch up our
now runny makeup. Realizing we’ve done all we can, we make our way to the door before Sophie turns abruptly, her hand hovering on the handle.

“Remember!” she says for the third time
in a harsh whisper. “You have to be cool! We can’t tell Chase that you know, Ana.”

“I know!” I laugh. “Don’t worry! You’ll tell him before I do!”

“Don’t tell Drake, either! He’ll want to tell him, I’m sure.”

“I won’t,” I promise, miming an “X” over my heart.

“Okay,” she smiles, pulling the door open and walking directly into Chase’s chest. “Hey Baby,” she says quietly, grabbing her chest in surprise. “You scared me! What are you doing?”

“
Coming to check on you,” he says suspiciously. “You’ve been gone for a long time. What are you doing?”

“Nothing!” she blurts, making her lie even more obvious and causing me to stifle my laughter. “Why do we have to be doing something? Why are you so suspicious all the time? Geez!
Paranoid much?”

“You told her, didn’t you?” he smirks.

“No! I didn’t tell her anything! Not that I have anything to tell her because we’re not hiding anything from anyone anyway,” she stammers. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. We were fixing our makeup.”

“It looks the same to me,” he says, folding his arms over his chest and cutting his eyes at her suspiciously.

“Yeah, I know! That’s because we just spent this whole time fixing it and not talking about anything at all,” she attempts dramatically again, holding on to the lie even after she’s so obviously been caught. “Why are you being weird? Why can’t I pee without you asking me so many questions? Maybe
you’re
hiding something! Did you tell people things while I was in the bathroom? What are you hiding? Because I’m not hiding anything, Chase. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“Wow, Baby,” he tells her with a smirk. “You really are the worst liar
ever
!”

“I’m not
lying…”

“Congratulations Chase!” I say pulling him in for a hug, trying to help put an end to the ridiculous scene unfolding before my eyes. “You
better take care of her!”

“Shut up Ana!” Sophie hisses, causing Chase and me to both chuckle.

“I will, Ana. Thank you,” he tells me before turning back to her and laughing at her guilty expression.

“I’m sorry,” she finally says, releasing a sigh. “I couldn’t help it! I swear I wasn’t going to tell her and then she tricked me with her
stupid friendship! She’s so sneaky, Chase! You can’t imagine how sneaky she is!”

“It’s okay,” he laughs, pulling her over to give her a kiss. “
I couldn’t wait, either. I already told Drake.”

When the alarm clock begin
s blaring across our room at five Tuesday morning, I can’t stop the defiant groan that leaves my chest. When we’d come back from the reception Sunday night, we’d indulged in each other for most of the night before eventually passing out from exhaustion somewhere around five yesterday morning.

When we woke a few hours later, we spent the day with Chase’s family before Emily and Brad left for their honeymoon. We’d waited to tell everyone else until the next day over breakfast, but when we did they were all ecstatic.

The rest of our day was spent packing up to leave the hotel for the surprise Chase had planned for me. I’d tried in vain to get something, anything from him, but he remained tightlipped all day, driving me insane.

Needless to say, I
’m not exactly a big bowl of sunshine this morning.

“Good morning Baby,”
Chase says in his rugged, sleep filled voice, running kisses across my neck and instantly sending shivers of pleasure through me.

“Good morning,” I
manage through a stifled yawn, turning into his chest and nuzzling.

Chase runs his strong hand up my bare side slowly as he continues brus
hing his lips over my shoulder. Palming my breast, he groans when a shuddered breath leaves my mouth.

“
Wake up and give me some loving, Gorgeous,” he whispers, rolling onto his back and pulling me on top of him.

His hands instantly move to my ass, gripping me there
as he begins slowly grinding beneath me. Deepening our kiss, he pulls my legs apart so I can straddle him causing the lips of my sex to spread slightly and send shivers through me as he moves against me. He squeezes my ass harder with one hand as the other moves between my cheeks, massaging in firm but gentle strokes. The sensation pulls a low moan from my chest and as I reach behind him and grip the hair at the nape of his neck, I raise my hips and gasp as he slides into me.

“Good girl,” he groans against my mouth, biting onto my lower lip as I start moving on top of him. “Hmm, Sophie you feel so good, Baby.”

Releasing a moan, I bend my head down and run my tongue over his nipple, biting down and sucking as he begins bucking his hips into me. I can’t stop the low whimper that racks through me at the force of him rocking into me. Finding the energy I was missing only a few minutes ago, I sit up and begin riding him, greedily dropping down onto his cock with enough force to push the air from both of our lungs. He rests his hands on my hips, never breaking eye contact with me. As soon as he squeezes my sides, a shockwave runs through me.

“Oh my God,” I pant as my eyes begin fluttering
and my head drops back with the sensation. Returning my gaze to his, I shudder as he grips my side roughly and increases his speed. Bucking his hips harder into me, I cry out when he plunges in deeper. “Fuck!”

“You like that, Baby?” Chase teases me, his seductive smile stuck firmly in place as I moan my approval. Bucking again, I yell out his name as he increases the speed of his hips. “You want it harder?”

“Yes!” I scream in desperation. “Please Chase! Please give it to me harder!”

He gives me what I want immediately, taking me with so much force my palms fall roughly onto his chest. When I push myself back onto him, meeting him thrust for thrust, an animalistic growl vibrates through him and sends me into orbit.

“Ride it, Sweetheart!” he calls out, moving my hand between my legs and watching me as I start rolling my fingers over my clit and panting incessantly with the need for release. “Take what you need, Sophie. It’s all yours, Baby.”

His words are my tipping point and in no time, I’
m screaming out his name, begging him to fill me. When he does, I come undone again furiously, clenching around him as he pulses inside of me with delicious force.

Once our movement stills, I slowly bring my head to
heaving chest and gasp for air, loving the feel of him resting inside me as he traces my spine with his fingertips.

“Damn Baby,” he chuckles breathlessly beneath me in pleasant surprise. Tilting my head up to get a better look at him, I place light kisses against his lips and let out a low hum of pleasure
before biting onto his jaw and resting my head back onto his shoulder. After lying like this for a few minutes silently together, Chase breaks the silence again with his deep, rumbling voice. “You ready for a shower?”

“No,” I answer with a chuckle. “I’m ready to go back to sleep.”

“I know,” he smiles, kissing me on the temple. “I’m sorry we have to be up so early, but I promise it’s going to be worth it.”

“Well, whatever
it
is,” I say, eyeing him suspiciously, but getting no closer to discovering his secret. “I’m excited to spend the day doing it with you.” I kiss the lips I love so much and return his smile. “Unless it’s skydiving or some other crazy shit like that, then you’re on your own, Kitten Toes.”

“Nope,” he chuckles. “No skydiving for my girl today.”

“Ha!” I laugh, moving to rise from the bed. “No skydiving for your girl
ever
! If God needed my ass that close to my face, He would have put it there for me.”

His booming laughter
cuts through our quiet room, causing my heart to sing.

“You’re fuckin’ nuts, Baby!” he laughs, pulling me to his side and kissing the top of my head as he leads me to the bathroom. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

After taking a shower together, I finish dressing while Chase gets our bags ready to load into the Jeep we’ve been driving. Taking his advice, I’ve thrown on a pair of jeans, a long sleeved, black t-shirt and my
hot pink Converse. He’s gone down to the lobby to check us out and get some coffee, so I lie back down on the bed, fully clothed, and rest my head against his pillow. Between the exhaustion of the past few days, the early hour and the unique scent of Chase on his pillow, I’m out like a light in no time.

When I wake, Chase is lifting me into his arms where I rest my head on his shoulder, nuzzling in to his neck and loving the feel of his strong, muscular frame against mine.

“Do you want me to walk?” I offer, knowing he’s probably exhausted as well.

“Do you want to walk?” he asks, running his hand over my back before resting it just under my lower back beneath the fabric of my shirt.

“No,” I admit, making him chuckle.

“Okay, Baby,” he starts. “Go back to sleep then. I’ll carry you to the truck.”

Letting out a sigh of content, I kiss him on the neck before shutting my eyes and drifting off again in his arms. The feeling only lasts a moment before we’re assaulted by the harsh cold wind waiting for us outside.

“Fuckin’
brr!” Chase grumbles when he feels me tense against him. “Come here, Baby,” he says as pulls his jacket open for me. Immediately, I slip my arms in closer to him beneath the fabric.

“Oh! My God, Babe!” I whine. “Why is it so freaking cold? We’re in Florida!”

“I don’t know,” he chuckles, making it to my side of the Jeep and setting me inside before shutting the door.

Climbing in quickly, he switches on the engine and immediately gets the heat going, handing me his jacket to cover up with. Pulling my feet up into the
seat, I wrap myself up, shivering slightly as I greedily inhale his masculine scent.

I
drink my coffee and listen to Chase sing along to the radio for a few minutes, taking in the dark outside. The soft vibrations of his voice and the road beneath us have me drifting off against the reclined leather seat before long.

When I wake, Chase’s hand is reaching across the seat and resting on my thigh, squeezing gently.

“Wake up, Baby,” he whispers and the excitement in his voice is unmistakable. “We’re nearly there!”

Stretching my arms out in front of me, I let out a long yawn and look over to see him beaming. Looking around, I only see the usual highway attractions.

“Where are we?” I ask, looking for any signs of what he’s got planned, but finding nothing.

“Do you know how much I love you, Baby?” he asks, holding my hand in his and ignoring my question.

“Yes,” I say suspiciously. “Do you know how much I love you?”

“Yep,” he smiles, squeezing my hand and shooting me a wink.

I wait, sure he’s going to continue, but he doesn’t. Finally, the suspense gets the better of me and I let my head fall back against the seat in exasperation.

“Oh! My God, Chase! I can’t take it anymore, Baby! Where the hell are you taking me?”

Shaking his head, he laughs at my outburst, but says nothing for a few minutes while I stare at him impatiently. Finally, I let out a frustrated sigh and surrender to the fact that he’s never going to tell me as his voice sounds out across the truck.

“Close your eyes, Baby.”

“Seriously?” I whine defiantly as he nods at me with a wide grin. “Ugh! You’re so lucky I love you!”

“I know I am, Sweetheart,” he says sweetly as he laughs gently at my joke as he squeezes my hand affectionately
before kissing my wrist. “I love you, too.”

The soft hum
of ‘Come Away with Me’ by Norah Jones on the radio is all that I hear before he begins to speak again.

“Do you rememb
er our first date? Not when I came to your apartment to gross you out over lo mien,” he laughs. “I mean our first real date.”

“Of course I do,” I
return the smile I know he’s wearing even though I can’t see him. “And I think lo mien zombie fest was very romantic. Not gross at all, Snuggle Monkey.”

Lifting my hand to his lips, he lets out a light laugh before speaking again.

“Do you remember what we talked about in the park?”

“Yes,” I say curiou
sly. “We talked about a lot, though, Baby. You may need to be more specific.”

“Yeah, we did talk about a lot,” he agreed. “There was one thing we talked about specifically, though. About places we’d like to visit
, things we’d like to see.”

I thought back over o
ne of my favorite days and remembered everything vividly. Chase’s arm was stretched out behind me on the bench as he told me about his desire to travel. His fingertips skimmed my arm gently as the breeze ran through my hair, both sending tingles through me I’d not felt in months. It was one of the first times I’d known I could still
feel
. The memory makes me smile at the same time my eyes begin to swell with tears, my heart with emotion.

“I remember,” I whisper.

Sensing I need a moment, Chase remains quiet for a second before he speaks again. When he does, his words shock me.

“You told me when you were a little girl, there was a place your dad always promised to take you someday, but you never got the chance to go,” he says quietly
and that’s when I know exactly where we are. “Do you remember that?” Unable to speak through the emotion lodged in my chest, I slowly begin to nod as I squeeze his hand harder in mine. “Open your eyes, Baby,” he whispers.

“No,” I whisper in my tear stained voice.

“Why not?” he says softly with a gentle laugh, rubbing circles over my now trembling hand.

“
Because it’s too good,” I admit, letting out a shaky sigh. “My heart can’t take it, Chase.”

“Come on, Baby,” he says softly as I feel the Jeep come to a slow stop. “Look and see.”

As they flutter open, I’m faced with the entrance to the place that holds the most famous mouse on the planet and I was right.

My heart can’t handle it
.

“One of these days,
Babygirl, we’re going to make it to Florida and I’m gonna take you to see that Mickey Mouse,” he’d said, pulling my attention from my favorite princess on the television screen in front of us.

“Do you promise, Daddy?” I’d asked
him, my youthful voice full of excitement.

“Of course,” he chuckled. “They won’t know what to do with themselves when
they get a look at my beautiful Princess Sophia!”

“I can’t believe you remember
ed that,” I marvel, facing him as tears run unashamedly down my face.

“
Of course I remember, Baby,” he smiles sweetly at me, kissing my hand again. “I remember everything you tell me. I love you, Sophie.”

Releasing his hand, I climb across the seat and kiss him deeply before settling across his lap. The position we’re in is awkward, but I can’t bring myself to separate from him as I wrap my arms around his shoulders and grip him to my chest.

“I love you so much, Chase,” I manage softly, still sniffling at the overwhelming feelings I’m experiencing. “Thank you.”

“You
’re welcome, Sweetheart,” he replies, kissing my hair as our car moves forward in the line.

“I can’t believe you’re taking me to Disney World!” I squeal in excitement, finally facing his beaming face.

“You make my dreams come true every day just by loving me, Princess,” he says softly as he brushes his thumb under my eye, tenderly wiping the tears away. “It’s an honor to be able to fulfill this dream for you.”