My lips crashed into his, wiping that cocky smirk right off his face. I pulled back to grab his bottom lip in between my teeth, lightly nipping at it before sucking into my mouth. He groaned into my mouth the minute our tongues connected.
His hands went to work on my dress, pushing it up over my hips quickly and I cursed myself for wearing underwear. “You could have told me this is what you had in mind. I would have been a little bit more prepared.”
“Oh come on, Leah. Live a little.” I awkwardly maneuvered one leg and then the other, somehow finally sliding my panties off and Chase sat me back down on his lap. “Yeah, I guess I see what you mean. Next time I’ll warn you when I have these types of things planned out.”
“Shut up, don’t be so cocky about it. Guys have it so easy, one flick of the wrist, raise the hips a little, bada bing, bada boom, there you are.” I reached down a hand to do just that and he helped me along by raising his hips, biting his lip at the same time, I’m sure to bite back his laughter.
His head sunk down to my neck once again and he quickly erased my anger at the touch of his lips. My hands wrapped around the back of his head, loving the way he set off every nerve in my body.
I wiggled my hips against him as I felt his erection beneath me and his fingers dug into my hips, easily lifting me up, but holding me for just a second longer to make the anticipation and need grow even more.
Chapter 31
Chase
With the way those gray eyes were glaring at me, I knew she was getting pissed and inpatient, but I loved to tease her and she knew it. The bare skin on her hips felt so soft underneath my fingertips, I wanted her whole body bare against me but I knew Leah would be a little cautious since we were sitting in a parking lot where anyone could see us.
I guess it made me a little nervous too, but the thrill of it made it all that more exciting. And we were to the point where either one of us couldn’t really give a fuck.
My lips curved into a smile as she squirmed above me and I finally gave into her, slowly lowering her down onto my hardness and feeling her wetness engulf me. We both let out a sigh when she was finally settled all the way down onto my lap and I leaned forward to touch our foreheads.
“I love you, baby.” “I love you too,” she whispered back. I had to get that out there before either one of us started moving, because once that happened I wasn’t going to be able to hold myself back.
This wasn’t a time to make slow, sweet love. This was a time for hard and rough, something I think we both needed right now. I could tell Leah felt the same by the way she was intently staring down at me and I had to grab onto her hips firmly to still her from bucking.
I finally let go of her hips and she smiled as soon as I released her, giving her the go- ahead. Her hips instantly circled me and I loved the feeling of her tightness gripping me from above. I ran my hands up her sides, underneath the thin material of her dress to cup each of her breasts that were bare.
I buried my head into the crook of her neck as she rode me at such a slow pace, it was almost excruciating. I think she was trying to get back at me for how I had teased her before and I guess this was payback, but I couldn’t take it.
So I dug my fingers into her hips once again, sliding her up and down over my length, setting a pace that I needed right then and it was anything but slow. Her head dipped down and she panted against my lips as she kept up with my rhythm.
She quickly pulled back and her full lips formed a perfect O as she threw her head back and she tightened around me. I pounded her body with a wild urge, her own orgasm sending me over the edge and I groaned out as I found my release. My head flopped back against the headrest, completely exhausted and Leah snuggled into my chest, letting out a soft sigh as I stroked a hand through her curls. I think we needed to christen the truck a little more often.
After we both adjusted our clothes, I threw the truck into reverse with a wide smile on my face. I could cross that off the list quickly. This day was going perfectly and it would continue on that way as long as my mom had everything ready at the house.
We pulled into the driveway and easily found a parking spot since there were no other cars in the long winding driveway.
“Jeez, I guess we did get here pretty early, even after our little pit stop. I guess that means I can help your mom out in the kitchen. Are Amy and Katie coming today too?”
“Mmhm,” I murmured as I tapped a message out on my phone before jogging over to scoop her small body out of the truck. Them and a whole lot more if all was going as planned. We stepped onto the wide wraparound porch and Leah pointed to the sign taped to the storm door. “I guess we’re supposed to go around back according to that. That’s a little strange. Are we having a barbeque today?”
“Um, I don’t know. Mom didn’t mention anything, maybe Chris suggested it since it’s such a nice day out. You know how he loves his barbeques.” I laced my fingers through hers and pulled her off the porch, smirking at her questioning expression. “C’mon, we’ll do as the sign says. I know how you’re such a rule follower.”
“Oh, yeah and you’re so much better,” she responded sarcastically but quickly followed behind me. As soon as we rounded the corner, a chorus rang out made up of all of our family and friends, gathered under a large tent set up in the middle of the backyard. “Surprise!”
Chapter 32
Leah
I jumped in surprise, pressing my body against Chase’s, when ‘surprise’ rang out through the back yard. I quickly scanned everyone who was gathered and spotted almost every one of our family and friends standing underneath a large white tent, staring back at us with wide smiles.
“You knew about this, didn’t you?” I hissed out through the smile that I had pasted on my face. He knew how much I hated surprises and I already knew without even asking that he had a part in this. I had no clue what exactly the surprise party was for, but it was apparently for us, unless they had awkwardly just yelled out surprise to the wrong people.
“Calm down, baby. You know you love me. You can punish me later if you want to.” He winked a green eye at me, before pulling me towards the crowd of our loved ones.
I quickly forgot about being upset after I saw all who was there. Teddy, Ally, Mark, and Remy were all grouped together and I rushed that way to wrap each of them into a tight hug. Surprisingly, Mr. and Mrs. James were standing directly behind them and they each gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“Hi Leah, dear. It’s so good to see you.” Mrs. James patted my back gently and passed me along to Mr. James. “Now get out of here, kid, we’ll have plenty of time to catch up later. I think there are a few people who would like to see you.” I left them with a smile, knowing that we would have to do just that.
I hadn’t seen them in so long, it was strange. They had been like the parents I never had while I finished high school, always there for Caleb and me whenever we needed anything, even though I was never one to ask for handouts.
As soon as I stepped away from them, my legs were wrapped in a hug from behind by two sets of arms and I twisted my body around, my fingers instantly sinking into the dark brown curls of Caleb and grabbing lightly onto Belles tiny ponytail. I noticed Roy standing behind him with a small smile on his face.
“So, Chase conned you into this whole surprise thing too. I figured you out of all people would have told me, Roy. I thought we had an understanding here. You’re supposed to tell me everything, remember?” He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly and stepped closer to wrap an arm around Caleb.
“Sorry, there was no way I was going to ruin it. My lips were sealed, especially around this little guy. He had no clue where we were going today when I strapped him into the car, you should have seen how excited he got when we pulled into Grandma Mary’s driveway. When he found out they were having a party for you and Chase, I think he almost passed out from the joy. Surprises are fun sometimes, Leah.”
“I know, Roy,” I groaned out, even though a wide smile had broken out
onto my face. I was so happy to have Caleb here, I didn’t care what the occasion was and even that it was a surprise. I heard a shrill whistle and everyone’s attention turned to the makeshift stage that was set up near the front side of the tent.
I felt a hand wrap around my waist and even without looking, I knew it was Chase. The crowd of our family parted as he led me towards the front and we stopped right near the edge of the stage, where Mary was perched in the center.
She cleared her throat once everyone had quieted down and her eyes zeroed in on us. “Leah, you’re probably wondering right now what in the hell is going on. You surely know by now that my sweet boy had a helping hand in planning this entire thing out.” She waved a hand out in front of her, pointing to all of our loved ones who had shown up.
“I know how you hate surprises, sweetie but I think we all agree when we say you two definitely deserve it. So, happy anniversary you two!” She held up a glass of champagne in cheers and Katie shoved two glasses in our hands so we could raise them with everyone else.
I gave Chase a confused look knowing that our anniversary was still a few months away, he raised his eyebrows at me as he took a sip out of his glass and tilted his head back towards the stage.
“Now, I know what you all are thinking,” Mary continued on, setting her glass down carefully on the table set beside her that was draped in a white tablecloth. “These two lovebirds still have a few months to go before their first anniversary, but Chase wanted to celebrate early. If you think back to this day a year ago, it was the exact day that Chase proposed.”
Everyone let out a collective ‘Aww’ and I squeezed Chase’s hand tightly, loving how sweet and thoughtful he always was. Me, I could barely remember what today’s date was, let alone the exact day Chase proposed, but now it would be forever branded in my mind.
“Chase was so nervous on that day, having just graduated, even though that’s surely not what had him set so on edge. A mother always knows these types of things. He was so worried that Leah would run the other way, but in fact she ran right into his arms just like I suspected.” She grinned down at us, winking a twinkling eye at me, just like her son did so often.
“And then the journey you two have had together in this short time. It has definitely been a bumpy experience, one that some wouldn’t be able to ride through, but they stuck it out through thick and thin. I couldn’t be prouder of far you both have come.
“We love you both so much and wish you many more years of blissful happiness. Let’s hope that the coming years aren’t as rough as a journey and your love can continue to shine.” A burst of applause echoed through the tent and I leaned into Chase’s chest as it came to an end and music began to play softly through a set of speakers.
“Thank you so much. This means a lot that you would go to all of this trouble. I can’t believe you got everyone here.”
“So, you were surprised?” he whispered into my ear as he swayed me gently to the music. “I thought maybe after the whole truck thing, it would kind of tip you off.” I leaned my head back to look up into his green eyes that were twinkling with amusement and my mouth dropped open. “You set that whole thing up, didn’t you? You seduced me on purpose, Chase O’Neil.”
“Well, yeah.” His head dipped down and he nipped lightly on my ear before pulling back. “I wanted to recreate the day I proposed to you and that was the first thing that popped into my head.”
“Of course it was,” I replied. “That’s okay, I certainly didn’t mind. So my answer was obviously yes, the party’s in full swing now. What do you think we should do next?” I raised my eyebrows at him and he gave me a knowing smile, bending down to place his hands behind my knees and scooped me up into his arms. I giggled as he raced towards the house, dodging the well-wishers. We would get to them later.
I buried my head in the crook of Chase’s neck, feeling his pulse against my lips. I loved the way my head fit perfectly in this spot right here.
Mary was right; we had been through quite the journey. And through it all, Chase had been there right along my side, no matter how much I tried to push him away. Our journey might have been a bumpy one, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Each experience we had gone through, we had went through together and I think, it had changed us for the better. Together with Caleb, we were a family and that bond couldn’t be broken.
We might have not even made it through a year of marriage yet, but I knew without a doubt in my mind that we had a lot more years ahead of us and we would only continue to go stronger each year as they passed.
Epilogue
Four years later
“Chase, how in the hell did I ever let you talk me into this?” I grabbed on to the V of his shirt, pulling his body as close to me as possible as I glared back at him so hard, I almost felt firing shooting out of my eyes. I could tell I looked scary too by the expression on Chase’s face. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had peed his pants on the spot by the piercing look I gave him.
He reached down, gently prying each of my fingers off his shirt until they were completely removed. “At least you have a nice view, right baby?” He stated in a calm, low voice. I had no clue how he was calm right now, who in their right mind could be? And who cared about the damn view?
Yes, I guess you could see a couple trees out of the wide window and it was considered a top room. But truthfully, who the fuck cared? I guess I had a little bit of pull here since I had been hired almost four years ago to the day and now I was a patient.
After a few years of living happily married, Chase and I finally decided to try for a baby again. We were happy, our life was in order, and thankfully no other disasters had yet to occur. It was truly amazing and I was in awe at how perfect it all had finally panned out.
Caleb was one of the happiest eight year old boys I knew, which wasn’t a lot I guess, but I was always one to brag. Roy had stayed a permanent fixture in his life and had finally settled down with a perfectly nice, sane woman. We insisted on a background check when they first started dating, that’s how paranoid I was. Roy, thankfully, didn’t argue and although his new girlfriend found it a little strange, she agreed as well.
Another contraction pierced my body and I sucked in a quick breath, while Chase tried to remind me of the breathing techniques we had learned in our Lamaze classes. I squeezed his hand so hard, I was sure the circulation had been cut off and he finally shut up. Who in the hell really used those when they were in this much pain? More power to those women who did this drug free, but I definitely wasn’t going to be one of them.
I let out a sigh of relief as soon as Dr. Schneider walked in, already dressed in his gown. I knew him well since I worked on the labor and delivery floor. And right now, he was my new best friend. Screw Ally.
We worked closely together and now I could easily relate to those women who I thought were crazy when they would actually kiss Dr. Schneider when he was finished.
“Ah, Leah. Ready for this, are we? No worries dear, you are my top priority right now since you’re my favorite person. You’ll be relaxing in no time, I promise.” His bushy gray eyebrows bunched together as he laid all of his needed materials in front of him on the rolling metal tray and then moved behind my back to prepare the area.
“Okay, just hunch your shoulders forward, relax your body as much as possible and don’t worry, this will all be over soon.” I clutched Chase’s hand as I tried not to move and almost immediately felt relief radiate through my body. I was so ready for this now. Game on.
My labor progressed pretty quickly after that. And now that I was in a much better mood, Chase seemed to be too and squeezed in a small nap before the real action started.
I looked down at my husband, his head resting against my leg, the way his eyelashes fanned against his cheeks because they were so long. I felt so lucky for making it this so far, and really it was all because of him.
He was always there to push me when I needed one, even if I didn’t know it, and I truly appreciated
it. We probably wouldn’t be here today, if he wasn’t as stubborn as me. I leaned my head back just as the door creaked open and the doctor walked in.
“Well, dear. Let’s check you out here and see how far along you are.” Chase sat up almost immediately, dropping a kiss to palm as I was examined. One of my friends, Maxine, that I worked with on all the late night shifts, popped her head in and smiled at me. “How’s it going, doc? Is our favorite patient about ready?”
“In fact she is, I think a few pushes should do it and baby O’Neil will be having a very happy birthday. What do you think, Leah? Are you ready?”
I nodded my head, the reality sinking in that a little human body that Chase and I created would soon be coming into the world. And I was actually going to be pushing it out of my body. I guess it didn’t matter if I was ready or not, it was definitely game on now.
Within the hour, a cooing baby girl was being set against my chest, with a head full of dark curls, while Chase leaned his head down feathering light kisses down onto our cheeks, the love in his green eyes so apparent it was almost overwhelming. “Welcome to the world Ava Marie O’Neil. You’re already as beautiful as your Mommy,” Chase whispered as her eyes drooped close.
I loved the way her name rolled off his tongue. We had decided together on using my mother’s name as her middle name. Marie had never been the mother that Caleb or I had deserved, but without her being the way she was, our lives probably would have been set on a totally different path.
As our family members and friends filed in quietly to get a peek at our baby girl, I couldn’t help but be thankful for the life I had been given. Caleb led the herd, the ever proud beaming big brother. He was growing up way too fast, I wished I could just freeze time.
Mary and Chris followed closely behind and Ally and Teddy directly behind them. Those two had baffled everyone, and were going stronger than ever, even with Teddy having one of the most popular bands right now.
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