“Hi!” Asher scampers up to me and wraps his arms around my leg.
“Well, hello.” I grin, looking at Jessica, and she beams with pride.
“He’s really come out of his shell.” She ruffles his hair. “Just wants to be everybody’s friend now, don’t you, bud?”
Asher looks up at her and nods eagerly, racing away to go find Elliot.
“He’s amazing,” I say, giving Jessica a warm hug.
“He’s tied for the love of my life.” She shrugs and sips a drink. “My heart is totally owned by the two of them.”
Elliot shoots us a smile and a wave.
I find Chase, and my heart flips and squeezes, still utterly in shock that he’s mine. He’s actually totally and completely mine. We’ve been an official couple for a few months now, and it’s basically like being best friends on mega steroids.
I never knew happiness until I opened my heart to Chase, and I’ve fallen so deeply in love, I can barely see straight.
He catches my gaze, and his deep-brown eyes crackle with joy and admiration and some sweet, sexy, fiery love. He seems extra bubbly tonight, like he gets more excited and vibrant every moment.
I make my way over to him, accepting a cocktail from a server with a tray, my gaze totally fixed on the man of my dreams.
He’s talking to Matt McKenzie, who, though Chase will deny it to the grave, has become a new friend this season.
“This right here…” He wraps a rock-solid arm around my waist and pulls me close and tight against him. “This is what it’s all about.”
Matt smiles and shakes his head slowly. “You two were really in a literal baby group together? What a story.”
I laugh and turn to my boyfriend, lost in the flawless cut of his jawline and the playful smile on his mouth. “It’s true. Mommy and Me.”
“She was always my best friend. And she was always the one. My dumb ass just took way too long to figure it out.” He kisses my cheek, and my chest swarms with butterflies.
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being loved by Chase. It gets more magical every day.
“Y’all are inspiring, that’s for sure.” Matt chuckles.
Chase places a firm hand on Matt’s shoulder. “The torch is yours now, Junior. The fates of all single women in South Florida are in your hands. Don’t let me down.”
I give an exaggerated eye roll and stifle a laugh just as I turn to the door to see Melody bouncing in.
“You made it!” I rush over and give her a squeeze.
“Uh, duh! You think I’d give up a chance to see my favorite cousin? I’ve been practically dying of loneliness since you moved out to live with Chase.”
I snort. “Mel, I only officially moved out a couple weeks ago.”
“And my heart has yet to heal,” she teases. “Although I can’t lie. I’m so insanely happy for you. The glow is so, so real. You found your fated mate.”
I narrow my eyes. “My fated mate? You are something else, cuz. Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
I drag Melody around and proudly show her off to all the Riders guys and their families.
“Who’s that?” she whispers into my ear, nodding subtly at Dylan Rivera.
“Dylan. He’s the kicker. He and Chase are super close. He’s a pretty laidback, focused kinda guy.”
Melody bites her lip and fixes her gaze on Dylan, who notices her and nods, looking intrigued and curious.
“Go say hi,” I encourage her, feeling a burning and magnetic need to get back to Chase. I’ve really become one of those people.
I walk back to him, leaning against his shoulder and sipping my drink, letting a smile pull at my lips as he tells some exaggerated story about the national championship when we were in college.
I drown out the noise and let myself float in the suspended joy of this moment, of this man, of the feeling that I’ve spent my whole life searching for, having no idea it was always right in front of me.
“Give us a second. We’ll be right back.” Chase slips his hand into mine and pulls me away from the crowd.
I giggle and hold my hand to my mouth, buzzing with the constant magic of Chase. “Where are we going?” I lean into his ear as we rush out of the room. “There is no way you want to bang again already.”
He raises his brows and gives me a cocky smile. “I mean, I’m down if you are. But that’s not my plan, you little wild thing.”
I squeeze his hand, and he takes me into the elevator, hitting the button for the ground floor and kissing me passionately as we glide down.
His hands are holding my waist tight, and his eyes are even more sparkly than usual. His smile is reckless and expressive.
“What on earth are we doing, Six?” I say through a laugh.
Chase presses a finger to my lips. “Just follow me.”
The doors slide open, and we walk out into the stadium corridor. There’s no one around, and my heels click on the concrete as I grip Chase’s hand and hurry to keep up with him.
Suddenly, we turn a corner, and we’re in the tunnel, looking out onto the field. It’s completely dark, and there’s not a soul in sight.
“Oh, I get it,” I say quietly. “You wanna have sex on the field.”
“Once again, wild child, I would be down. But that’s not actually why we’re here.” He nods toward the dark field and tightens his grip on my fingers. “Come with me.”
As we step onto the grass, I look around at the stands. The stadium is enormous and overwhelming, and I’m pretty amazed that this place can feel some comfortable for Chase when it’s filled with people.
The air is slightly chilly, a typical South Florida December night, and he is still dragging me out to the middle of the field.
I laugh and follow him, until we finally reach the fifty-yard line.
He stops and fixes his gaze on mine, holding both of my hands and looking at me like I’m the most precious and beautiful and treasured thing Chase Kennedy has ever seen.
Suddenly, a low boom sounds all over the field, and every blaring light comes on at once. The field lights up, and a white glow pours over us. Passion and love and the deepest of friendship mixes and explodes between us, and my knees feel weak just looking at him. Still.
“Nit Whit,” he says slowly, squeezing both my hands, his lips inches from mine.
“Six…” I smile, looking around and feeling a swirl of excitement racing down my spine.
“You’re the most perfect, hilarious, and brilliant woman I’ve ever met. I never knew how lost I was, how empty I was, until I fell for you. I may have taught you sex,” he says softly through a charming laugh, “but you taught me love. I’ve had the absolute honor of being your best friend for twenty-eight years. And tonight, I want to ask you…”
He drops to one knee, and my heart flips a hundred times. I can barely breathe as I feel a tear of joy start to fall from my eye.
“If you’ll be my best friend forever?”
I let out something between a laugh and a happy sob and nod as fast as my head can manage. “Yes. Oh my God, yes!”
He opens a box containing a glittery diamond and slides it onto my shaking finger. He stands up and kisses me, lifting me off the ground.
I laugh and hold him tighter than I’ve ever held anything, looking around at the stadium and feeling like the luckiest girl on the planet.
“I’m so glad you said yes,” he says through an emotional laugh, “because…”
He looks at the giant Jumbotron on the side of the stadium, and it lights up in blaring aqua and white—Riders colors—with the words SHE SAID YES! shining and flashing.
“You’re freaking kidding me, Six!” I melt into him and let the purest joy I’ve ever felt wash over me like a tidal wave.
“Now I’m gonna be the king of married life!” he says excitedly.
“You can’t do anything small, can you?” I wipe a tear of happiness from my cheek and admire the moment.
Then everyone comes running out onto t
he field, hollering and cheering. Elliot pops a bottle of champagne, and Asher jumps up and down.
“You did it, man!” Leo throws his arm around Chase’s shoulders. “Now…there isn’t anyone but Whitney.”
Chase smiles at me and shakes his head, beaming with love. “There never really was.”
The Ride Isn’t Over!
Coming soon:
THRILL RIDE
Fall in love with Dylan and Melody when these total opposites can’t help but attract. Click HERE to purchase Thrill Ride, book 4.
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About the Author
Breezie Bennett has had her fingers on a keyboard since she was a middle schooler writing sports romances about her brother’s baseball team. A graduate of the University of Florida, she is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, can dance on pointe, and has been known to shotgun a beer in 5.2 seconds. When not writing romance, you’ll find her on a Florida beach with her two dogs, Ginger and Rosemary, and a playlist full of Pink Floyd and Lil Wayne.
Easy Ride (South Florida Riders Book 3) Page 18