Page 47 of Mine Forever
And the fact that I’m lusting after this man when his wife is hardly cold in the ground makes me feel like I made a mistake coming here.
He gives me that smile. The smile that once upon a time I foolishly thought was just for me.
Even though I know it isn’t true, it still sends the butterflies in my stomach intoa tizzy.
“Hey, Eden.”
“Hey, Chase.”
He opens his arms and as if I’m stuck in a tractor beam, I gravitate to him.
For the first time in six years, I’m in the arms of Chase Hanover.
I feel like I’m home.
His chest is warm, and he smells the same way I remember.
“Eden.”
His voice is a soft whisper against my hair, and he holds me tighter.
After a few moments we pull away and I look down. “Where’s your sling?”
“How do you know I have a sling?”
“I, uh…I was at the funeral.”
His eyes widen. “You were? I didn’t see you.”
“I was in the back.”
“You should have come and said something.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t feel like it was the right time or place.”
He makes a noncommittal sound and looks down at his arm. “I took the sling off. I hate wearing it.”
I open my mouth, and he places a finger over my lips with a smile. “I know, I know. I should follow doctor’s orders. And I will. But I was just about to get into the hot tub.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I see steam rising from the large hot tub in the middle of the terrace.
“Oh,” I say, turning back to him. “I’m sorry, I’ll go. I just wanted to see how you are.”
He takes my hands. “No, please stay. It’s nice to see a friendly face.”
“You just had a bunch of friends here.”
He frowns. “With the exception of a couple of myteammates, none of those people know me. Not like you. Want to sit down?”
“Sure.”
Taking my hand, he leads me over to the L-shaped couch near a small rooftop bar. Once we settle down with a couple of drinks, he stares at me.
“I can’t believe you’re here.”
I tilt my head and sip my wine. “Why? We’re friends, right?”
“Yeah.” He clears his throat and looks down. “It’s just been a long time.”
