Page 109 of Missing

“Chase, please stop fidgeting.”

“Will Mr. Doug be here soon?” He sighed with impatience and boredom.

I looked at the clock and answered, “He should be here any minute now.”

Before Chase could say anything else, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” Chase jumped off his chair and ran to the front door.

“What do we do before we open the door?”

He pulled his hand away from the deadbolt and yelled, "Who is it?”

“Mr. Doug.”

Chase unlocked the door and opened it. “We’ve been waiting for you.” He made it sound like we’d been waiting for hours instead of minutes.

“You look grown-up in your suit.” Doug’s wink to Chase had conspiracy written all over it.

Chase grabbed Doug’s free hand, the one not holding a breathtaking bouquet of yellow and pink roses, and dragged him to the kitchen where I was waiting.

I’d taken the opportunity to ogle Doug, who looked exceptionally handsome in his dark gray suit, while Chase was occupying his attention. His suit was clearly tailored to show off his strong muscles and accent his best features. The color brought out the gray in his steel blue eyes and made his short red hair pop.

“Look Mommy, Mr. Doug brought you flowers.”

The smile on Doug’s face as he looked down at Chase announcing the obvious could’ve lit the blackest night.

“Thank you, Chase.”

When Doug handed me the bouquet, I held it up to my nose and inhaled. I loved the smell of fresh roses; it was intoxicating. This bunch was even more so, because it was from Doug, on my birthday.

Doug loved giving me flowers. I thought back to the bouquet he'd sent me on Valentine’s Day. It was borderline ridiculous. It looked like he’d combined two huge bouquets to make a gigantic one.

Mary took a picture and sent it to John, who’d sent a perfectly reasonable, normal sized, bouquet to Mary. She meant to tease him, but in the end, it was John who ended up teasing Doug.

Then, because they didn't want to look cheap, John, Jamie, and Jack ordered more flowers for the women they loved.

Doug surprised me with a single red rose when he picked me up for dinner that night. It was far more romantic than the bouquet occupying half of my dining room table. He’d blushed when he apologized for the size, explaining it hadn't looked nearly that big in the picture.

Doug’s voice brought me back to the present.

“Happy Birthday, Beautiful,” Doug said as he kissed me in greeting. His pupils dilated as he looked me up and down. “I love your new dress.”

Thank you, Meg and Emily. They’d helped me pick it out last week. I wanted to look special, they insisted on saying sexy, for tonight and they hadn’t failed me. The dress was a pale yellow halter that hung just above my knees. The white leather belt matched the large daisies embroidered on the skirt and where the ties met the bodice. I had a darker yellow cardigan on to keep the early spring chill at bay.

“Thank you.” I blushed at the hungry look in his eyes.

I felt Doug’s gaze on my back, as I put the roses in a vase, and it was sexy as hell. It was moments like this when I wished I had the freedom to take him upstairs and have my way with him. I always felt a pang of guilt when I had thoughts like that, even though I knew I shouldn’t. I loved Chase and wouldn’t change a thing, even during my horniest moments.

When we got back from our Valentine’s Day dinner, I’d asked him to stay, grateful John and Mary had offered to keep Chase overnight. Doug hadn’t hesitated and practically dragged me upstairs.

That won’t happen tonight. I grabbed my purse and keys while Doug adjusted Chase’s tie, then we left.

We were only in the car a few minutes when Chase asked, “where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Another wink. I wasn’t sure Chase saw it, but I did.

---