Page 185 of Billion-Dollar Attitudes

"I'll bet it's soon," Amy said, patting my arm. "Tell me how you're doing on the grant?"

"Glad you brought that up, Amy," Guy chimed in, closing his empty food container. "How long are you in here for?"

"At least four more days," I moaned. "This is going to be so boring. Soon, Chase will have to return to work, and I'll be stuck in here alone."

I was taken aback when Chase and Guy exchanged worried looks. Then finally, Chase spoke up. "There's a lot I need to fill you in on. I haven't had a chance to tell you why I was incommunicado the other day."

Guy held up his hand and then motioned to Amy and Ariel. "Let's let these love birds have some time. They have a lot to discuss...." With that, they gathered their things and kissed me goodbye.

As soon as they were out of earshot, I asked Chase, "Sounds like I have a lot of catching up to do. You need to go get our laptops!"

"Are you sure? I don't want to wear you out! Or cause you more anxiety."

"Come on, Chase! You know me. Not knowing will drive me over the edge." I giggled.

"How about we talk over some tiramisu?"

Chapter Twenty-One

Chase

Three Weeks Later

"One, two, three, go!" I counted before Meagan pressed send on the grant application.

"We did it!" She squealed, clapping her hands. It was a dream come true for Megs. I was so proud of all she'd accomplished and of the huge load that had been lifted from my shoulders.

For Rosedale, this was an opportunity of a lifetime. I couldn't help but feel immense gratitude and pride for all Megs had achieved in such quick succession — not only would our financial prospects be secure for the foreseeable future, but also Rosedale would gain international recognition as a leading software developer — that is if we got the grant!

"Now, let's get out of here and celebrate!" I twirled her around in my arms.

"Not at a bar. I can't drink!"

"You can now, your clean... no more meds." I reminded her.

"No, silly. Now, it's because of the baby!"

“You’re right, but it doesn't matter because I wasn't suggesting a bar, anyway," I said, picking up her purse and grabbing the keys to her Mustang.

"Then where are we going?" Megs asked as we headed toward the elevator and descended to the parking garage where Meagan's Mustang was parked next to my Escalade.

"I told you it's a surprise." I winked, patting her leg.

As we drove away, Meagan drew back the convertible top and ran her hands along the luxurious leather seats. She then plucked a tiny leaf from the floorboard, watching it flutter behind us in our wake. "Chase, where are you taking me? It looks like you're headed to Guy's house," she said, confused.

I grinned, my hands firmly on the wheel. "You'll soon find out," I said before fishing a sleep mask from my pocket, which had been hidden away for years and never worn. "When the time comes, put this on!" I said, handing it to her with a flourish.

Meagan eyed the sleep mask suspiciously before she gave me one of those looks—the kind that says, 'you're up to something,’— of course, I was. I just smiled and kept driving, knowing that what came next would be amazing.

"This is definitely the way to Casa Palacious," she said as we climbed the hill near the estate's entrance.

"Now, go ahead and put on the mask. Since Martha is living there, we aren't going to Guy and Ariel's home or back to the guest house."

Following my directions, she tilted her head and relied on her acute hearing to determine where we were headed. As I basked in her beauty, now that she was unaware of me admiring her, my heart filled with joy. Here was the woman I loved and cherished who was carrying our unborn baby — and her baby bump was beginning to show. When I ran my hand gently over her belly, she jumped, "Oh, my gosh, you startled me." She raised the mask a tiny bit to look at my hand.

"No cheating. I just noticed your tiny baby bump."

She flashed a proud smile and put her hand on mine, softly replying, "Yeah, I'm showing."

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