Up for the Chase

by Nicole Tetterton

  “What’s a matter?” I ask her, concerned

  “Do you realize how long that I have waited too hear that? It’s not just because of Av is it?” She asks me which causes me to laugh and she looks up to me confused.

  “I searched for you for two years without knowing about her.” And she laughs along with me. “Let’s go back.” I tell her as I pull her into me.

  “Wait, Chase.” I pause looking back to her. “Your mother hates me,” and I can’t help but laugh out, not exactly at her, but at the situation.

  “Baby, my mother hates everyone, even me. She told me this morning that I was an idiot.”

  “She assumed that we slept together last night, and thought that we were being careless.” She pauses, looking up to me worried, “Are we being careless?” She asked me.

  “Probably,” I laugh and look over to her, “Weren’t we always before.”

  Ariana

  There is something about the way Chase looks at me that manages to send me over the edge, it’s almost like the deep longing look that you can only look for someone who you have actually longed for, and I finally feel complete for the first time since he left me six years ago.

  I will admit that I didn’t want to come back home, but I finally had to, between work and school there was no way that I could get out of everything.

  I am walking through the terminal with Avery holding my hand next to me; she didn’t seem excited to come home either. I see Hannah waiting for us as we come out of the airport and she runs up to us.

  “How was it?” She asks us and Avery jumps up.

  “It was awesome.” She shouts as we slide into the car which causes both Hannah and I to laugh out.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Ariana

  Its seven thirty in the morning and my phone is ringing, it has been ringing for five minutes straight, and needless to say that I am not a morning person.

  “Hello,” I mumble into the phone which just comes out as one syllable.

  “Good morning baby,” Chase says into the phone but I can hear some sort of apprehension in his voice.

  “Ugh,” I let out as I sit myself up in my bed and look around, I can tell that the sun is just starting to rise. “What’s wrong, you sound like there’s something that you don’t want to tell me.”

  “Oh, well,” he continues to talk but I cannot hear what he is saying because simultaneously the doorbell begins to ring.

  “Chase, let me call you back because now someone is at my front door, apparently it’s the morning to wake me up.” I’m annoyed.

  “No, no, no, Ariana, that’s what I have to talk to you about.” He rambles out.

  “You know who’s at my door?” I ask him extremely curious.

  “Yes,” I open my bedroom door and begin to make my way down the stairs. I see the outline of a face in the window that sits next to the door as I descend the stairs and the doorbell sounds again, I hope whoever it is doesn’t wake up Av.

  “Well, you better tell me fast before I swing open the door because I don’t want him to wake up Av.”

  “It’s your father.” He says quickly.

  “My what?” I say stunned into the receiver.

  “You’re father, he called me about ten minutes ago and I panicked and didn’t know what to say. He said that he was in Savannah looking for you.”

  “How did my father call you?” I ask.

  “I found him when I was looking for you and gave him my number in case he found you first.” He admits.

  I stand before the front door terrified to open it and face the man that will stand in front of me, the man that threw me out of his house many years ago. When the doorbell sounds again and I am so angry that I cannot say anything back to Chase so I hang up, place my phone on the entryway table, and swing the door open stepping out and causing my father to step back abruptly.

  “Shh, it’s Saturday. You’re going to wake her up.” I bite out.

  “Can I come in?” he asks stunning me again.

  “No” I say, bluntly.

  “Why not R, I am your father.” He states and I can’t help but laugh.

  “No, you used to be my father. A father doesn’t throw his daughter out of his house.” I challenge him.

  “R, it’s freezing out here.” I sigh and cross my arms in front of me.

  “Fine, but you better make it fast, and if she come downstairs. You’re out.” He nods.

  “That’s good enough for me.” he says and I open the door looking up the stairs, God blessed me when he sent me a child who would actually sleep in during the morning. “This is an incredible house, R.” he says as we walk into the living room and sit down.

  “Thanks.”

  “So, how are you doing?” At first my mouth drops open until the laughter escapes it.

  “Really, after how you left everything, that’s what you, say when I let you into my house. Not I’m sorry.” He’s quiet as he looks to me unsure what to say and I continue to laugh. “Let me put some fucking coffee on first, it’s too damn early to deal with you un-caffeinated.”

  “Ariana, language,” this statement causes me to laugh even louder.

  “Really, you’re the one that taught me that.” I say it as harsh as I mean it to come out but I am still unprepared for his reaction as if I have stabbed him in the heart. For a moment, still with a stone-cold face, my heart hurts as well.

  “R, I’m sorry.” He says as I reach up to grab for the coffee and I freeze completely stunned as I slowly turn back away.

  “Who are you?” both of our faces turn to the sound of the small voice on the stair case.

  “Oh, Avery, why don’t you go back upstairs and get dressed.” I walk up to her and smile as she turns around and walks back up the stairs. I’m about to tell him to leave when he catches me off guard.

  “R, she is beautiful.” I hear my father tell me.

  “I know.” I’m getting ready to tell him to leave when he adds…

  “She looks just like. . .” he trails, stunned.

  “Chase. She looks just like Chase. I know.”

  “Chase?” he asks me, “the one that was looking for you.”

  “Yeah, Dad.” He laughs sitting down and looks up to me. “What?”

  “Nothing, it’s just I liked him.” he tells me as my phone begins to buzz on the table.

  “Yea, I did too.” I silence my phone again.

  I watch his mouth open as he begins to say something as we both are sidetracked by a loud bang from Avery’s room and then her scream I rush up the stairs and walk into her room to see her lying on her side clutching her arm.

  “Sweetheart, what happened? Let me see your arm.” I say quickly.

  “I fell off of my bed” she says sitting up and as she lets go of her arm I feel my head begin to get foggy as the middle of her arm hangs down.

  “Everything all right?” I hear my father asks as he enters the door.

  “Do you have a car?” I ask him feeling as if I am going to pass out.

  “Yes,” he says quickly.

  “Can you take us to the hospital?” Because I can’t seem to focus on anything I imagine that he looks to Avery and then he says.

  “Yes, let me pull it around meet me downstairs in five minutes.” I get up and force myself to stay focused until I put on her shoes and jacket as we walk down the stairs. I am surprised that she has yet to cry. I am still feeling woozy as I slide into my father’s BMW and we begin to slide away to the hospital. I think I finally let myself black out until I feel us slide to a stop. I open my door and usher out Avery as we walk into the doors and I sign her in... It feels so surreal. When they finally call her back I look to my father and smile.

  “Thank you, you can go if you want to.”

  “Not a chance. I’ll be here to take you home when you get done.” I smile at him and for the first time in a decade I am grateful that he is here. I begin to follow them as I remember something.

  “Shit, dad can you call Chas
e and tell him what’s going on?” I ask him.

  “Not a problem.” He smiles and as I am walking back into the hospital I hear my father punching in the phone number. I remember halfway through the entire process that I have forgotten my phone on the entry table in my haze that I was in.

  When we walk back out into the waiting area I see my father and I smile to him until the doors slide open and I see Chase step inside of them. I feel my face fall as I walk over to him and in a hushed whisper say. “What are you doing here?”

  “My daughter broke her arm.” He says matter-of-factly.

  “'That’s not a reason for you to drive five hours here.” I say to him.

  “Ariana stop.”

  “No,” We sit in a standoff as a squeal comes from behind us and we hear Avery rush over and latch around his legs.

  “Daddy,” she lightens the mood slightly as we are discharged and we can leave. “Did you see my cast, look how cool it is.” She holds it up and he nods looking her over as if trying to make sure that it was all that was wrong with her.

  “How are you feeling?” he asks her.

  “I feel fine.” She smiles at him in between glances at her cast. Chase looks up at me and I shrug. “I feel like Jello; green Jello.”

  “She’s on some pain killers.” I tell him and he nods his head, slightly chuckling. As if he’s not sure if it’s alright to laugh at his five year old daughter, high.

  I clean the kitchen from the dinner that everyone just ate as I hear the footsteps on the stairs; they can only be Chase’s. I’m still mad at him, even if my father’s visit wasn’t completely terrible.

  “Ariana” he says to me as I put up the last plate and turn around. “I’m sorry, can I just explain?”

  “No, you can’t. Because anything that you say it’s going to matter you still broke my trust.” I bite out coldly.

  “Giving your father your address broke your trust?” I hear the aggravation in his voice.

  “No, giving the man that I am trying to avoid, who threw me out of his house. And the man who tried to make me abort my daughter, our daughter, that was breaking my trust.”

  “R, you are being fucking ridiculous.” I stand dumbstruck for a moment as I am trying to figure out what exactly is going on.

  The only other time that Chase had called me R and meant it was during the week that we were in Laguna. We had gotten into a fight and I probably deserved it. We were out at the beach and we had been drinking since noon when a man approached me.

  When Chase came back up to the blanket I was laughing and with him for about seconds before Chase flipped his shit and cussed the man out.

  “What the fuck was that R?” he shouts at me.

  “Nothing, he just came up and we were talking.” I admit, technically that’s all we were doing.

  “No, don’t play stupid you knew that he was flirting with you.”

  “And?” I glare back at him until he huffs and turns around and begins to start walking to the hotel. I finally cave in and say “Chase, wait?”

  “What?” He snaps

  “You called me R? You never call me that.”

  “Well right now it suits you pretty fucking well.” It had been our first real fight, and that night he had slept on the couch that was across the room from the bed. I cried in the bed once I sobered up.

  I can only guess that my crying woke him up. Because he crawled into bed around two and held me telling me that he was sorry and kissing my face.

  I stand staring at Chase knowing the reason he just used my nickname that he never says to me. “Get the fuck out of my house, Chase.” I stare back at him. I stare into his soul, and I can see his eyes sadden as he realizes the mistake that he has made.

  “Ariana, I’m so sorry.” He apologies. I swear, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

  “Get out of my house.” I say again, not letting my voice wavier.

  “Can we just talk?” he begs me.

  “Chase, get out of my house.” I scream and then quiet my voice, “You can come pick up Avery tomorrow, and spend time with her, but right now you need to get out of my house.” he finally nods his head and walks out the front door, before it shuts I see him look back one last time and sigh. I think I sec a tear fall down his check as he closes the door.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chase

  It’s been three days since Ariana kicked me out of her house. I am still in Savannah, and honestly I was on my way up here before I got the call concerning Avery’s broken arm, that only caused me to drive faster.

  I should have never used her nickname; I knew that instant that I said it she thought of the fight that we had in California. The awful words that I said to her that night that I wish to this day I could take back.

  Five Months later.

  I file into the auditorium after Ariana as we sit down and we see the small children sitting several rows in front of us. We instantly know which one is ours as she stands up on her chair and waves to us. We smile back and then try to tell her to sit down. Only a few more minutes later the entire room goes quiet as the ceremony starts and I feel Ariana’s hand wrap around mine. My stomach tightens at her touch.

  “Kindergarten is over.” She says and I see the tears beginning to fill her eyes. I want to tell her I know, but I really don’t I have only just came into Avery’s life, so as emotional it is for me I know it’s only intensified for Ariana.

  Since the night where she kicked me out things have seemed to calm down. It took me weeks to get Ariana to talk to me again, she never had a problem letting me see Avery, but she would drop her off or let me in and out and that was all I would see of her. With her sitting at my side holding my hand I know that it simply because she needs me right now, because our daughter is growing up quickly. Even in the few months that I have been in the picture she has never ceased to amaze me. Every time I see her, even if I only go a work week without seeing her, she has managed to grow.

  Today is Avery’s graduation from Kindergarten and tomorrow is Ariana’s graduation from College; it’s an important weekend. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world even if Ariana and I are not together. She is such an important person in my life.

  Throughout the ceremony she cries and she claps as our daughter walks across the stage and accepts her award. Trying to make light of the topic I lean over and whisper, “You know, I never remembered getting one of these when I was a kid.” I watch as she smiles and bites down on her lip trying to stop the chuckle and the tears that she wants to let out. “What kind of crap is that... ‘Here’s an award for completely the easiest grade that you will have, you won’t get another one until you graduate high school.” She looks at me from under her eye lashes and I cannot think of another time that I have known her where she looks more gorgeous than in this moment.

  “Stop,” she whispers at me poking me in the stomach as she lets a chuckle escape and I hear a grunt behind us followed by a woman’s ‘Shh’. I look over to Ariana who definitely cannot compose herself after the people around us. I watch as she begins to laugh, trying to remain quiet I see shoulders jumping up and down and when she finally turns to look at me I see the tears filling her eyes, only this time it is because she is laughing so hard.

  Looking at her now, I begin to feel nervous about the graduation gift that I have gotten her. I am going to give it to her tonight.

  When the ceremony finishes we begin to make our way towards Avery. “Did you see me?” she shouts and runs up to us, jumping up and down. I laugh as I pick her up, throwing her over my shoulder as we begin to walk towards the room as the teachers are throwing a party for the students. “Do we have to go?” she asks and I look to Ariana, I know that she makes these types of decisions, because if it was up to me we wouldn’t go, especially if Av didn’t want to.

  “Yes, sweetheart, just for a few minutes though. Okay?”

  “Fine,” Av and I both sigh neither one of us wanting to go, and I swing her down to walk next to me. As we walk into the
classroom everyone stops and stares at us, I’m unsure why at first. Finally when one of the mother’s approaches us and smiles before looking down to my hand first this notion confuses me at first until I look down to see that she is no longer wearing a wedding ring either, but I can still see the indent of where one sat for years and I can only guess that she is divorced. As I begin to gauge our surrounds I slowly notice that we are the youngest parents in the classroom and that I am the only dad, and I am now slightly uncomfortable. I feel eyes on me with every move I make. I’m starting to panic.

  “You two are an adorable couple, how long have you been together?” She asks us and before I can say anything; hoping that Ariana saw the look that she gave me, the look that makes me afraid to walk out into the parking lot alone.

  “Oh, we’re not together.” She bites out and the mother looks back over to me like a leopard about to pounce on her pray and l look over to Ariana sending her a pleading look, when she looks from the mother to me she tries not to laugh. “I mean, we’re not married, although I’ve been trying to get this one to take the plunge for years now.” The other child’s mother blows out a huff as I let out a sigh of relief as she finally leaves me alone.