by Jane Anthony
“Thank you. We cool, man?”
Nikos nods and extends his hand. “For now, but if I hear you’re using again, I’ll make sure your ass stays in jail permanently.”
The corners of my mouth quirk into a grin. I feel my lips sticking to my teeth. Getting this squared away wasn’t my only reason for coming. “There’s one more thing I need to ask you for.”
“What’s that?”
“Your blessing.” Nikos lifts a bushy brow. “Kat holds you in such high regard. She’d never admit it, but she craves your approval. It’s something she never got from your father, and she needs it from you. I still want to marry her, and I want your consent to do so.”
“Would my disapproval stop you?”
“No. But it would make things really awkward at Christmastime.”
A genuine smile crosses his lips. “You’re just as big of a smartass as she is. The two of you were cut from the same cloth; you know that?”
“Is that a yes?”
“That’s a yes.”
That weightless feeling from earlier comes flooding back. Nikos and I are far from friends, but a new understanding bounces between us. His love for Kat differs from mine, but we’re still two men with the same goal.
Chapter 24
Kat
Hot water beats down on my back as I give my hair a final rinse. It’s been six months since Chase returned, and life is officially back to normal. Well, as normal as it can be for people like us.
I spin around and grasp the handle. The spray sputters and disappears as I reach beyond the curtain and blindly feel for the towel hanging on the rod. I tug it into the shower, wrapping my wet body in terry cloth warmth before stepping out.
Firecrackers pop inside my stomach. Now thirty-two weeks pregnant, it’s big and round. “C’mon, baby,” I coo, looking down. If I crane my neck, I can still see my feet, but standing like this, those fuckers are a distant memory. It’s not that much of a loss, really. They hardly look like toes at all anymore. More like sad little sausages attached to canned hams. “Settle down.” I run my hand over the swollen bump, trying to soothe the constant somersaults. He never stops moving for a flippin’ second.
Steam fogs the mirror, turning my reflection to a blob. When I pull open the door, cold air blasts against my damp skin as I step into the bedroom. A bassinet already sits in the corner waiting to be filled. Yellow with brown and white dots, it rocks and plays music. Stuffed giraffes dangle from the mobile hung overhead. A gift from Athena. One of many. I swear the woman is more excited than I am.
I grin and turn toward the dresser, but the smile falls off my face too fast. My eyes scan the little plastic shell that sits in the middle, my heart already beginning to pound. “Chase!” I call, stepping back to check the floor around the furniture.
“You all right?” He pokes his head in, concern clouding his light blue gaze.
“Did you see my ring?”
“No.”
“It’s not here!” I shout, storming back to the bathroom. Heat rolls up my face and stings my eyes. I tear through the basket of makeup sitting on the sink. Shadows and liners, blush and gloss, colorful compacts of all shapes and sizes skitter into the basin and onto the floor as I feverishly look for the two-karat diamond that’s mysteriously disappeared.
Chase comes up behind me, resting his hands on my arms. “Whoa, babe, relax. It will turn up.”
“Take the drain apart!” I demand, tears breaking over my lashes. Yes, I went from smiling to crying in one-point-three seconds. It happens. A lot.
“I don’t have time to take the drain apart. I have to get to class.” Chase cocks his head and gives me a look. Something that sits between logic and sympathy that doesn’t appease me at all. “But when I get home tonight, I’ll help you look for it, okay?”
A lump forms both in my throat and the side of my stomach as I drop onto the closed lid of the toilet and cry like someone drowned a puppy in front of me. It’s not just a matter of my missing engagement ring; it’s what that ring symbolizes. It was his grandma’s ring. The only thing he has left of her, and he entrusted me to keep it safe. It can never be replaced.
He squats, wiping my tears with his thumbs. “It’s okay. It’s in the house somewhere. We’ll find it.”
“You’re not mad?”
“No, baby, I’m not. But I really have to go, okay?”
Sniffling back my emotional outburst, I nod. These pregnancy hormones are a bitch and a half. Everything these days becomes instant tears. Last night, I cried because Mom was a rerun. Seriously. It’s bad. This baby can’t come out fast enough.
Chase drops his lips to mine in a chaste kiss before leaving. A few minutes later, the front door clicks, and I’m alone. I force myself through the rest of my morning routine. Moving around when you’re roughly the size of a prize-winning pig is no joke. Hair, makeup, clothes, then off to the kitchen to fill my trough, but a small bowl of strawberries and yogurt are already waiting on the table. “Chase,” I whisper under my breath, grinning like a fool.
Another emotion. See? I’m a mess.
That man has been so incredible, though. Between working part-time and going to school full-time, he still finds a way to dote on me whenever he can. I’m so proud of him. He’s working so hard, but for the first time since I’ve met him, he’s excited about something. The change in him is remarkable.
The salon is already buzzing when I get there. Every nail desk is full, and the client list for services is packed. Lainie looks up from reception as I waddle through the door. “Holy shit, you get cuter every fuckin’ day.”
“If you think baby orcas are cute,” I whine.
“Whatever, chica. Soon as that baby pops out, you’ll be smoking hot again. You’re, like, all stomach.”
“Tell that to my ass. You got a second? I wanna talk to you about something in my office.” Lainie lifts a manicured eyebrow and pushes back a lock of Easter pink hair. I hike past the desk and into my office with her on my heels, waiting until she’s settled in front of me to start. “You’ve been doing an excellent job, Lain. Between everything that happened with Chase and me flaking out for doctor’s appointments, you’ve really taken the reins. I want you to know your work hasn’t gone unnoticed, and I appreciate it. Thank you.”
Her sparkle gloss picks up fragments of light when she smiles. “You’re welcome.”
“And, well, with the baby coming, I’m confident that you’ll be able to handle the place in my absence, but as a sign of good faith, I want to promote you to manager.”
“Oh my God, thank you!” With a high-pitched squeal, Laine jumps from her chair, her thick lashes hitting her brow bone.
“Don’t thank me. You earned it.”
“I won’t let you down, Kat! I promise!” The scent of designer perfume hits my nose as she hurls her arms around me.
“I know, hun. Now that that’s settled let’s look at the schedule for today.”
Purple and orange streak across the sky, highlighted with shades of hot pink and blue. Nature’s watercolors lining the skyline outside our home. It’s beautiful. Serene. With my keys in my hand, I slide them into the lock and turn the knob.
It’s quiet.
Far more silent than my house ever is.
An uncomfortable feeling rests on my shoulders as I push open the door to the darkened house. Flickering light steals my attention. I drop my stuff and walk to the candle burning on the entry table. “Hello?” I call, stepping past the dancing flames and flower petals that create a walkway through the living room and stop at the back door.
My heart flutters, a layer of goose bumps breaking out across my arms. When I come to the door and pull it open, the twinkle of a thousand lights illuminates our yard. Torches burn in each corner, and kneeling on one knee in the center of it all is Chase.
With my ring.
My hands spring to my face as my eyes begin to dampen. “There’s no way to get back what we had,” he starts, his voice trembling like my e
ntire body is right now. “The best thing we can do is start from scratch.”
The earth is soft under my feet. I stand before him, watching the way the tiny bulbs highlight his eyes as he looks up at me from the grass. “You’re an amazing woman. Strong, beautiful. I’ve spent months wondering how on earth a fool like me could ever end up with an angel like you. God has a divine plan. Through all the ups and downs, the times of doubt, when I feel like I’ve lost my way, you’ve stuck with me. When I was at my worst, I asked God to give me a sign. I asked him to give me a purpose, a reason he spared me. He never did, and I continued to live in my own little world trying to keep my head up. What I didn’t realize until recently is that he answered my prayer. He gave me you. I didn’t save you; you saved me. You gave me a life, Kat. All I did was give you a ride to work. So I ask you again, Katarina Maria Andropoulos, tha me pantrefteís?”
His Greek is terrible, but it doesn’t matter. It’s not about the way the words fall off his tongue; it’s the meaning behind them. Tears plummet down my face as I stare at the man I love proposing to me a second time. Back then, my head swam in doubts and fear. I accepted his proposal waiting for the inevitable moment he’d open his eyes and realize it was a mistake. That’s all I’ve ever been my whole life. A fucking mistake.
Chase never saw me like that, and I get it now. Chase and I were forged in fire, our hearts twisted and fused, forever burning. We’ve been through hell and back, yet with every snag, we come out stronger. If that’s not meant to be, I don’t know what is.
“Yes. Tanner Chase Junior, I will marry you.”
The minute he slips the ring on my finger, I feel the energy around us shift. My skin hums with a passion so profound I can feel buzzing all around me. I’m ready now. I’m all in, and I don’t want to wait.
I open my arms and wait for him to stand, but he stays on his knees and takes my hand. “There’s one more thing I need from you, Kat.”
“What, baby? Anything.”
“Your name.” I pull my brows together trying to make sense of that. “Tanner Chase has dragged me down for too many years. It’s a name I was never meant to have, and one I no longer want.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I want to be Chase Andropoulos. Legally.”
My jaw goes slack. Naturally, I assumed I’d become Katarina Chase. “Are you sure?”
“As sure as I am about us. I don’t need any ties to that life anymore. All I need is you.” He drops his hands to my stomach, grinning when a swift kick comes from inside. “Both of you.”
Chapter 25
Chase
Dad,
I’ve spent most of my adult life hating you. What kind of person abandons their own child? For years, this question haunted me, and then your journal surfaced with the answers I needed. Jim Waterson. After all these years, the truth finally surfaces. I won’t be looking him up. Maybe someday when I’m a little stronger, I’ll change my mind, but right now, the last thing I need is another bogus dad.
Guess I’m supposed to thank you, huh? You knew I wasn’t yours, but you raised me anyway. You spoiled me. There, I said it. You gave me everything a kid could want but neglected to offer the one and only thing I truly needed. Love.
I always wondered what I did wrong. Why you didn’t want me. Why I was never good enough. You made me believe I was stupid and ugly and would never amount to anything. You were supposed to be my father. A person I trusted, a man I worked so hard to make proud, and all you did was tell me how worthless I was every chance you got. You know what that does to a person?
I failed out of school because of you.
I became an addict because of you.
I almost died because of you.
Everything wrong in my life is because of you.
You’ve been my crutch. My greatest excuse. I blamed you for everything. I let you take the fall for my own shortcomings, but no more. The true mark of maturity is when somebody hurts you, and you try to understand their situation instead of trying to hurt them back. A lesson I learned from my fiancée as she stared at my wasted face through a plate glass window. She wouldn’t let me give up. Even when I’d hit rock bottom, she helped me wade through the darkness until I was finally able to emerge into the light. That’s what love is. It protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Love never fails.
But I’m so tired of being mad at you. I’ve held onto the anger for far too long until it devoured everything I liked about myself. It poisoned me. Made me think I was nothing but a useless waste of life that doesn’t belong here. It’s all bullshit. I let you get inside my head. But you know what? I no longer need to make you proud because for the first time in my life, I can honestly say that I make myself proud. I turned out great, with no help from you. Yeah, I made bad choices, but I’ve also made good ones, and right now, I choose to be happy with no regrets from my past weighing me down. I have people who love me. I don’t need you. So I forgive you. I don’t like you. I don’t have to like you, but I need the hate to end. I can’t continue blaming you for the mistakes of my past. My life isn’t your responsibility. I take responsibility for myself.
So there ya go. You’re off the hook.
Rest in peace, old man.
The reflection staring back at me is one I don’t fully recognize. Sure, the nose, the hair, the chin—all those things I’m used to seeing. It’s not in the features; it’s what’s hiding inside. It’s the twinkling gleam in my eyes, the jovial smile fixed on my lips, the trace of pink coloring my cheeks. It’s the way I feel inside bubbling to the surface.
The idiosyncrasies only found on the face of a happy man.
A black tie hangs around my neck. My shirt, crisp and white, is tailored to fit my slim frame. The only thing I’m missing now is my bride. We’ve cast aside the old traditions, choosing to forego silly superstitions about bad luck. We’re better together than we ever were apart. Besides, the wounds on Kat’s heart haven’t fully healed. The idea of another morning where she wakes up alone is something I’m not willing to put her through again. Not now, not ever.
In a few hours, she’ll be my wife. For real this time.
“Kat! Are you almost ready?”
“I can’t come out!” The strain in her voice makes my heart seize. We’ve come this far, too close for another round of doubts implanting themselves inside her fragile mind.
“What’s the matter?”
“I look disgusting! I can’t walk down the aisle in this dress. I look like a snow beast!”
Resting my head against the door, I finger the grain of the painted wood, my hands bright and bold against the stark white surface. “Baby, c’mon. It can’t be that bad.”
“I’m huge,” she whimpers. “I wanted to be beautiful for you.”
A shadow passes under the door. I feel her pressed against it as I am. “You are. Even when your hair’s a mess, and you’re wearing my sweats with no makeup and dog hair all over you. It doesn’t matter. You’re still the most beautiful woman in the world. The one I want to wake up to every morning and fall asleep with every night.”
She lets out a gurgling sort of snorting laughter. “Why are you so obsessed with me?” she jokes, the sound of her smile riding on her voice.
“What can I say? I’m a masochist. Now come out, and say ‘I do,’ woman!”
I stand back, listening to the clicking of the lock as she slowly starts to open the door. “I see someone’s taken that love, honor, and obey crap to heart,” she quips, but I’m too stunned to devise a witty retort.
“Whoa.”
My mouth falls agape, my eyes wide as she steps fully into view. A deep V splits her chest down to the high waist cinched above her belly. On the left, a cluster of flowers undulates over her shoulder and down her breast, the material kissing her body and floating around her feet. A golden band of laurels rests inside her raven hair. A Greek goddess, glowing and gorgeous. The picture of utter perfection, and I’m completely blown away.
“Is
it that bad?”
“You’re stunning.”
With her thumb and forefinger, she gently grasps the airy fabric and twirls around. Spindly branches reach across her exposed back, the gnarled bark etched into her golden skin with exquisite detail. A dark-rimmed eye peeks over her shoulder. “It’s not too late to change your mind.” Thick black lashes flap like bat wings.
I shake my head, my lips twisting in a smirk. “It’s not too late to bend you over this dresser either.”
“Ooh, keep threatening,” she jokes, but the grin falls off her face, replaced by a sudden grimace as she cries out, clutching the wall behind her.
“Jesus, baby. You okay?”
“Oh my God,” she whispers on a heavy breath, bracing an arm under her stomach. “Yeah. I think so. More Braxton Hicks. Fuckin’ A, that one hurt.”
“You want some water or something?” I couldn’t have made a more perfect statement if I’d planned it. As the question tumbles from my lips, a shrieking gasp flies from hers.
She jumps back, a puddle forming between her ballet slippers, one arm draped above her belly, the other cradling it from below. “What’s happening, Chase? I have four weeks left!”
“Looks like he’s ready right now.”
“No, no, no!” she wails, her black eyes wide and manic. Her knees buckle under her weight as I run to her side. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this!”
“Kat, look at me.” I cup her face in my tatted hand. “There are no rules. Our lives are messy and unpredictable, and that’s okay. As long as we have each other, everything else will fall into place.” She nods, sucking in a stuttering breath. “I’m going to call the doctor. You sit tight, okay?”
“Chase,” she blurts as I head for the door. “Call Father Eliades. Lainie and Nikos, too. I’m not planning a third wedding. This is happening today.”