“Miss you, too, Frog. Call me tomorrow.”
I nodded.
Khloe tugged on Beverly’s dress. “Mommy? Can I hold daddy in the car?”
“Sure, honey. Just hold it very carefully.”
Khloe nodded solemnly. “I will.”
And she did. She held the urn in her tiny hands, patting it lovingly every once in a while.
I quickly swiped away a tear that had escaped before anybody saw.
Beverly did not choose to have people back at the house. I completely understood, and was actually relieved that it would be just us.
Tanner went straight to his room, and closed the door.
Beverly made two cups of tea, and set them down on the dining room table.
“Thank you,” I said as she slid the cup over to me. I snuck another look at Khloe, who was sitting next to me with the urn in her lap.
“Merry, where are your dad’s ashes? Do you have them?”
“No. My dad is in a cemetery.”
“That’s the place where they put you in the dirt?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
Her nose scrunched up in disgust. “Yuck. I would never want to be put in the dirt with all the bugs.”
“Me neither.”
Chase raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
“The whole idea of being put in a box and buried under the ground is so…” I looked at Khloe and chose my words wisely. “Weird.”
Khloe nodded her head feverishly. “So weird!”
Beverly smiled. “I like the idea of having dad here with us.”
The tiniest Brooks child hugged the urn. “Me, too.”
“Have you visited your dad yet?” Chase asked.
I shook my head, and looked down at my lap. “No. I feel like he would understand. It’s not really him that I’d be visiting.”
“You don’t have to visit a cemetery to remember your father,” Beverly offered.
“Do you think about your dad every day?” Khloe innocently asked.
“I do,” I replied. “We had a lot of fun times when I was your age.”
“Can you tell me a story?”
“It’s time for your bath,” Beverly intercepted. “You can listen to stories another time. Say goodnight to Chase and Merritt.”
“Goodnight?!” She protested. “But it’s so early!”
“They’re going back to Merritt’s place now. You and I can watch a movie after your bath. How does that sound?”
“Can we watch Moana?”
Beverly smiled. “Of course.”
I hugged the tiny human.
“I love you, Merry.”
I held her face in between my hands. “I love you more!”
She giggled as I squished her cheeks around.
As we walked outside, Tanner followed behind us.
“Where are you off to?” Chase asked.
“Don’t you worry about where I’m going.” Tanner did not turn around when he spoke.
I put my hand up in front of Chase, to stop him from saying anything else. I pushed him towards the stairs to my apartment. “Just leave him alone.”
“Why do you always defend him?” Chase asked once we were inside my apartment.
“Why are you always riding him?” I countered.
“I don’t ride him.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “He acts like such an asshole.”
I nodded. “He does, sometimes. But sometimes you make it worse. Just let him do his thing.”
“You really think I ride him?”
“I do. But I know it’s only because you care. He doesn’t get that.”
“But you do.” He drew me close to him, playing with a strand of my hair with his fingers. “You always get me.”
I didn’t have to stretch up so far with my boots on. I met his lips with mine and hugged him as tightly as I could. “I will always get you. Even if I don’t, I’ll always try to.”
“I’m so glad I had you with me today.”
“I’m glad I was able to be there.”
“I can’t imagine you not being around.”
“You don’t have to imagine that. I’m here.”
He sighed. “You don’t know what it was like that night. You don’t remember much. But I remember every detail.”
“The night of my accident?”
“Yeah.” He took my hands and led me to the couch to sit. “I was following behind you, and you were all over the road. I tried to pull up next to you, but you almost sideswiped me. Then, you took off. You were going so fast, and I had to go faster just to keep up with you. I don’t know what happened but all of a sudden your car just veered to the right… you hit that tree so hard. I ran out of my car – I barely put it in park. There was glass everywhere. You were sitting there with your eyes closed, blood streaming down your face.” His eyes began to fill with tears. “I thought you were dead. When I tugged on your arm and realized that you were stuck, you opened your eyes. The flames had started, and smoke was filling the car, so I called my dad. He told me to stay away from the car, in case it blew up. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t leave you in there by yourself. You were coughing, and your eyes looked terrified. I tried to pull you out, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t get you out of there.”
I stroked his cheek with my thumb. “But you did get me out of there. You called for help and everything is fine now. I’m here. I’m okay, and I’ll never do something like that again.”
“Sometimes, before I fall asleep at night, I can see you stuck inside your car. It scares the shit out of me.”
I nodded. “My dreams were pretty scary, too. But it’s all over. We don’t have to think about that anymore. We need to focus on the present, and our future.”
He smiled. “Our future?”
“Yes. Eyes ahead, focused on where we’re going. Not where we’ve been.”
“And where do you see our future going?”
“What do I look like, a fortune teller?”
“Oh, you’re funny now?” He flipped me onto my back on the couch, tickling me relentlessly while I squirmed underneath him.
I squealed with laughter. “I’ve… always… been funny,” I gasped in between giggles.
It felt good, yet strange to laugh. The relentless storm had finally passed us, and sunlight was streaking through the dark clouds.
We could finally be happy. No strings attached.
Chapter Twenty-two: Full of Surprises
“This weather is so crappy. We should have just ordered in.”
Chase sighed. “It’s just a little snow. I am not letting my girlfriend order in on her birthday.”
I leaned over onto the driver’s side and kissed his cheek. “I love it when you call me that.”
“What, my girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
He grinned. “I know you wouldn’t have minded staying in tonight, but I just couldn’t do it. Not this time, anyway. We’ll have plenty of birthdays to stay in. This birthday is special.”
“Why, because of the whole I-almost-died-but-didn’t thing?”
“Yes, that… and because it’s our first time spending your birthday together. The first of many.”
“Fine. But if you think you’re always going to win every fight with your adorableness, you need to think again.”
“I will ride out these good looks as far as they’ll take me.”
“They got you this far.”
I stared out the window at the old Victorian-style house we were pulling up to. White with black shutters, string lights lit up the wraparound porch. With Valentine’s Day only a week away, red hearts decorated every window upstairs and downstairs.
“Aww Chase! I’ve heard such good things about this place. I’ve always wanted to try it, but it’s a little out of my price range.”
“Tonight, you don’t need to worry about the price. It’s your night. My baby eats whatever she wants.”
“Are you sure about that? Your baby is hungry.”
He chuck
led as he turned into a spot. “It looks packed. Good thing I made reservations.”
I loved seeing him in better spirits. He had his good days and his bad days since Tim’s passing.
We threw our hoods on when we stepped out of the car, and trudged through the snow as quickly as we could to get out of the whipping wind. Once inside, we shook off our coats. Chase gave his name to the hostess.
“Right this way,” she gestured with a smile.
“It’s so pretty in here,” I whispered to Chase as we followed the hostess up a flight of creaky wooden stairs. Upstairs, the same red and pink hearts in the windows hung from the ceiling. Small tealight candles sat atop each linen-covered table. I was too busy taking in the scenery to notice who was sitting at the table we were brought to.
“Surprise!” everyone yelled.
I jumped, and my hands flew up to my open mouth. Shelly, Brody, Tina, Kenzie, Beverly, Tanner, a girl I slightly recognized, and Khloe stood around the long rectangular table, laughing at my shocked reaction.
“Oh my God!” I turned to Chase and playfully smacked him on the arm.
“Happy birthday, beautiful.” He pulled me in and kissed my forehead.
“Well, don’t take all the credit!” Shelly scurried around the table and threw her arms around me. “Happy birthday, Merr!”
“You guys are the best. Thank you so much.”
I felt a small human clinging to my leg. “Happy birthday, Merry!”
I knelt down to give Khloe a proper hug. “I’m so glad you’re at my party!”
“Me too. Mommy said I can stay up later tonight.”
“Well, lucky you!” I looked over at Tanner, who had his arm around the new girl’s waist. “And who might this be?”
“His new flavor of the week,” Chase muttered under his breath.
“This is Charlotte.” Tanner introduced us.
I held out my hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Charlotte. You moved here not too long ago, didn’t you?”
She nodded shyly. “Yeah, about a year ago.”
She was not someone I expected Tanner to bring home. She looked like a sweet, girl-next-door type. She was pretty with blonde hair and blue eyes, but very plain. I was intrigued to see how their dynamic worked. Opposites do attract, after all. I looked up at Chase and wondered if people looked at us in the same way.
I sat in between Chase and Khloe, of course, with Shelly across from me. I looked around the table, amazed at how my circle had grown since meeting Chase. Once everyone had their drinks in hand, I raised my water glass.
“Thank you guys for being here tonight. This surprise means so much to me. I love you all so much.”
We all clinked glasses. Khloe made sure to cheers every person at the table with her plastic cup of apple juice.
Halfway through dinner, I noticed Chase periodically checking his phone.
“Everything okay?” I whispered.
“Yeah. I keep getting calls from this number.”
“Did they leave a message?”
“No.”
“Maybe you should just answer it. Tell them they’ve got the wrong number.”
“If they call back, I will.”
I nodded, and didn’t think about it any further. The night was filled with funny stories and laughter. After everything we had all gone through, it felt so good to come together under happier circumstances.
After the cake came out, Chase stood up with his phone in hand. “I’m going to take this. I’ll be right back.”
I nodded as I stabbed my slice of chocolate cake and shoved a huge bite into my mouth.
“Do you like it?” Charlotte asked.
I tried to speak. “It’s delicious.”
She giggled as the crumbs spilled out of my mouth. “Good. I’m glad. My parents own the new bakery in Woodrow Plaza. That’s where we got your cake from.”
I wiped my mouth with the napkin, trying to look civilized in front of the newcomer. “Very cool. I’d love to see what else they have there.”
Tanner looked happy. His brows were not in their usual furrowed stance; his lips were curled up instead of down. I wanted to ask questions about how the two met, but I did not want to make them awkward. Everyone always gave Tanner a hard time, and I wanted to let him be tonight.
Chase returned to the table after several minutes, shoving his phone back into his pocket.
“Wrong number?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yup. How’s the cake?”
“It’s so good. Charlotte’s family owns a bakery.”
“Nice.” He took a bite of the cake waiting on his plate. He seemed uncharacteristically quiet for the remainder of the party. Planning a surprise party can be stressful, so I pushed the strange feeling in my gut down and away.
Driving home, though, Chase did not say two words. His gaze was far away as we pulled up to the house, and he killed the engine.
“Are you staying over tonight?” I asked. He had been spent every night at my apartment since Christmas.
“Sure. If you want me to.”
I scrunched my face up in confusion. “If I want you to?”
“Yeah, I mean if you’re tired we can just call it a night.”
“If I’m tired?” I sighed. “Alright. Who’s the girl?”
He turned in his seat to look at me. “What?”
“Your phone has been ringing with an unknown caller. You don’t seem like yourself. And now you’re too tired to give me birthday sex. These are clear signs that you’re talking to another girl.”
To my surprise, he started laughing.
“And now you’re laughing. Cool.” I swung open the passenger door.
“Merritt, no.” He got out of his car and chased me up the driveway. “Let’s go inside and I’ll explain everything. There is no other girl.”
I stopped just before the stairs. “If you try to give me some bullshit excuse, I’m going to know you’re lying… and then I’ll have no choice but to chop off your balls.”
He held my face with both hands. “You are the only girl I want in my life. I love you. Please let me explain what’s really going on… and please don’t chop off my balls.”
I quickly went to my bedroom to change into comfortable sweats, and swept my hair up in a bun. I sat on the couch, the suspense killing me slowly with every passing second.
Chase sat down on the couch beside me, his phone in hand. “Listen to this voicemail, and then I’ll tell you everything.”
I suspiciously took his phone from his hands and pushed play:
“Hey, Chase! This is Billy Montgomery, out in California. I got a call from Donnie the other day. He played our demo for an up-and-coming record label out here. They loved it, man. The guys and I were hoping you’d be able to come back. We need a lead singer, and you were the voice he heard on the demo. Hit me back at this number. This is big news, man!”
Silence filled the room after the voicemail ended. I was still, letting the message fully sink in.
“So,” Chase began. “Billy is the guitarist in the band I sang with when I was out in California last year.”
I nodded.
“I guess they are still using the demo we recorded, with me on the lead vocals.”
I nodded, again.
“Donnie is the guy who owned the bar I worked at. He’s the one who helped spread our names around town.”
I wanted to cry; I knew I couldn’t. I couldn’t show him that his leaving would hurt me. I was a college dropout who had no clear path ahead of me. I would live a simple life, with a simple job, living in a simple town. I couldn’t be the one to hold him back from greatness. He had the talent and the true potential to make something of himself. Who was I to stand in his way? I sat back on the couch and took a deep breath. “That’s great news. A new record label would be a great opportunity for you to start with.”
Chase’s eyes narrowed. “Merritt, I’m not going back to California.”
“You’re not?”
“No. Of course not. I have you now, and I’m helping my mom and Tanner at the shop. That ship has sailed.”
“You came home because your dad was sick. He isn’t here anymore. Your mom and Tanner are running the shop just fine. Plus now they have me.”
His mouth nearly dropped into his lap. “And what about us?”
I shrugged. “I’d still be here. This is your dream we’re talking about.”
“So, you’re telling me you think I should go to California and start a whole new life.”
“No. I’m telling you to go to California and live your dream. It would be a new chapter in your same old life.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “I can’t believe you’re saying this right now.”
“I can’t believe you’re saying you won’t go.”
“I didn’t think it was even an option.” He looked down at his hands in his lap. “I thought you’d want me to stay.”
I raised his chin up so he would look me in the eye. “I always want to be with you. I don’t want you to leave me. I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy when I’m with you.”
“Then don’t screw some California groupie chick, and you’ll have me.”
“I meant what I said before. I don’t want anybody else. You’re it for me.”
“Good. Then pursuing your dreams on the other side of the country won’t change anything between us. I’ll be here waiting for you when you come back.”
“Come with me.”
I laughed. “Yeah. Right.”
“Why not? You don’t have anything tying you to this place.”
“I couldn’t just leave Tanner by himself to work in the shop.”
“My mom was talking about selling the place.”
“Yeah, if they couldn’t keep the business afloat. I can help them keep it afloat. They would be crushed to lose your dad’s shop. Wouldn’t you?”
Chase shrugged. “It was never my thing. I always had other plans for my future. If they can’t make it work, they should just sell it and be done with all the stress.”
I played with the strings from my hood. “I couldn’t move to California. You’d be busy, but what would I do?”
“Why not go to school there? Finish getting your Bachelor’s Degree, and go from there. We can get an apartment together. I can bartend for cash.”
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