Page 55 of Chase

“I saw that,” he says, without even looking at me, “you’re supposed to be teaching her not to beg.”

“But she’s so cute and fluffy!” I say in a stupid voice, to which she wags her tail in agreement, or in the hopes I’ll give her more titbits. “It’s actually your fault for picking such a lovable dog.”

“Actually, I chose her because she wasn’t wanted anymore,” he says. “I thought about a puppy but that’s not you, is it? You want to help those who’ve had a bad start in life, so I found a dog who needed a break.”

I smile genuinely over his thoughtfulness. He returns it and then looks away while shaking his head over my goofy expression.

“I went and saw Ethan on Friday,” he drops into the conversation, completely out of the blue. “I told him not to come near you. I also warned him I was submitting a restraining order against him.”

“Ah-ha, I bet that was pleasant,” I shrug, for it honestly doesn’t surprise me that Theo would do something like this.

“Your father interrupted us; he tried to make out you were lying, making it up, just like you had done so before?”

He looks at me, waiting for some kind of explanation. Even though I shouldn’t be surprised by my father’s reaction, it still feelslike someone has stolen all the breath from my lungs. He would never even consider looking into the things I’ve said, just calls me a liar because it’s so much easier for all concerned. Except me. I can rot.

“I tried to tell on Ethan before,” I begin, awkwardly playing with the leftovers on my plate, “I even called the police.” I look up at him for a moment and he meets my gaze but remains silent. “My parents told them I was a compulsive liar, that Ethan had been left in charge of me and this was my way of ‘acting up’.” He places his elbows on top of the table and links his fingers together, furrowing his brow as if listening more intently. “They believed them, and I was lectured about wasting police time. Nothing changed…except perhaps Ethan becoming that much more vile toward me. He now knew for certain that he could do whatever he wanted, and I couldn’t do anything. I had no power or voice whatsoever.”

He drops his head in abhorrence over my words and shakes it, all the while sighing heavily into his lap. I begin to feel even more sick, worrying about what he’s going to do or say, but then he gets to his feet and walks over to me. With careful movements, he kneels before me, takes my hands inside of his, and looks at me in such a way, it brings tears to my eyes.

“I promise I won’t rest until that bastard pays and your family sees him for the piece of shit he is. Because that is how I’m going to makethempay, Izzy. They will see what their neglect has done to you.”

I blink away my tears and try to offer some semblance of a smile before running my hand through his soft, silky hair.

“I really don’t care about them, Theo. I stopped caring a long time ago. But the fact that you believe me, without question,is all that really matters.”

He drops his head onto my lap and wraps his arms around my waist so I can feel his warmth spread through me.

“I love you, Izzy,” he declares, and I smile. Wide and genuine, I smile, all for him.

_____

Izzy

About an hour later, we’re watching my childhood favorite movie,Labyrinth. This film was perhaps one of the only things that would soothe me during the years that followed Theo’s departure back to the States. He frequently laughs at my ability to sing all the songs word perfect, even if I do sound terrible. It’s my escape film, my break from reality, no matter how nightmarish it becomes at times.

“Poor Bowie,” I sigh, thinking of how the genius of a man was taken far too soon. “Kind of makes the film sad now.”

I snuggle into Theo, prompting him to lay out a blanket on top of us, just like he used to when we were kids. In fact, this time twelve years or so ago, we could have been in the exact same position in his bedroom. I keep that thought to myself, enjoying the moment in the here and now, even when he tuts at me whenever I pre-empt each character’s lines. Stella snores by the fire and I consider how perfect this is.

“Hey?” I ask, sitting up suddenly and looking at him with a firm frown. “Did you ever tell people how you fake proposed to me?”

“I did,” he replies without expression. “I told them I took you to New York and proposed to you in Times Square.”

“I’ve never been to New York,” I comment while in thought over it. “It’s a bit cliché, isn’t it? Wait, that sounded bratty. What I mean to say is, it’s not very me…or you, is it.”

“Yep, it is veryTilly,” he says with a smug smirk, “but then, I never said that’s how I would do it in real life.”

“Really? Do tell!” I smile as I excitedly rise onto my knees.

“Nope, not telling,” he says, causing me to sag my shoulders with disappointment. “What happens if I actually need to use it? I would have given away the surprise.”

“Yeah, but only to me, and I won’t tell anyone. So, there’s no way your future wife will find out,” I argue, zipping my lips for theatrical emphasis.

The smile slowly drops from my face the longer he stares at me, looking pensive and confused. The more he studies me, the more I feel stupid about something I’m not even sure of. Before I turn away, he lifts his hand to my cheek and moves in a little closer, reminding me of when he had given me my very first kiss.

“Izzy Chase, you are the only woman I want to marry; always were and always will be. There is no one else.”

My mouth drops open in shock, my mind devoid of any words with which to answer him after such a declaration. He moves away to put his glass on the table, but when he returns to where he just was, so close to me, I take a chance, a chance I haven’t taken with anyone…ever. I slam my lips against his and kiss him.

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