Page 126 of Prey Tell
I slide into the buttery leather seat as he walks over to his side. Once he climbs in, I turn to face him.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you… why were your brothers at my engagement party?” I ask, smiling when he chuckles.
“I told Jackson that if I were going to pay for your engagement party and your wedding, the least he could do is invite them. I never expected all of them to show up.”
He turns on some music as we drive back to his apartment. I’ve been there since Thursday night, and we’ve hardly left the bedroom. Tomorrow is Monday, though, and it’s hustle time for my dissertation. I have a month until it’s due, and then I can focus on everything else. Just as we pull into Chase’s parking garage a few blocks away, I turn to face him.
“What happens if I get offered a position at a university in a different state this fall?” I ask, my hands nervously sliding along my jeans to dry them.
He pulls into one of his spots and cuts the engine. “Then you accept it.Ifthe terms are all right with you, that is.”
I worry my lower lip between my teeth as he opens his door and walks around to my side. When he pulls it open, I blurt the first thing I can think.
“But what happens to us? If I have to move to Wisconsin or Pennsylvania or somewhere like that?”
Chase hangs off my door, considering my words, and I can’t help but admire the way his white dress shirt pulls tight across his chest and how the dark jeans, black blazer, and black leather boots all somehow complement his frame.
“According to Liam, that’s a big possibility. As far as I know, and correct me if I’m wrong, but when it comes to academia, you can’t really be picky about location.”
He’s not understanding my question…
I swallow. “I know. But what happens tousif I have to move to Wisconsin?”
“Then I guess we’ll move to Wisconsin,” he says simply, looking at me with tilted brows, looking at me confidently with those intense, light-blue eyes. “Parker, there is no version of my future without you in it. So if we have to move, we’ll move.”
“But your job—”
“I can do my job remotely,” he tells me calmly, his lips lifting up into a small, comforting smile. “And fly into California when needed.”
My heart is racing, and I want to be sure he knows what he’s getting himself into. “But we’ve only been dating for… less than a week,” I blurt.
Chase gives me one of his earth-shattering smiles, the kind that tugs at his dimples and makes him seem so fucking young.
“Right, but I’ve been loving you for eight years.”
He grabs my hand and helps me out of the car. I love this—the way he’s always caring for me, touching me, making sure I’m all right… I swallow the emotion creeping up my throat, waiting to burst out. Leading me to the elevator, I’m still ruminating on his words.
I’ve been loving you for eight years.
I’ve been loving you for eight years.
I’ve been loving you for eight years.
On the elevator ride up, Chase watches me. I know he’s used to my mind working its magic, used to me overthinking every single thing. I grab his hand as we get toThe Penthouse,squeezing it once in a silent thank you. As the doors slide open, he tugs me to the right, away from the kitchen and toward an area of the apartment that I haven’t explored yet.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“You’ll see,” he says, looking down at me mirthfully.
We turn a corner, and I take in the sun-filled courtyard before us. And inside the courtyard is…
“Mr. Rooster,” I breathe, grinning as I open the door and walk outside.
A large rooster is prancing around the yard, and though I never imagined myself saying this about a rooster, I look at Chase and say, “He’s beautiful.”
Chase nods and walks up to the animal, patting his head. “He’s a wild Kauai rooster,” he explains. “No one wanted him after my father…” he trails off. “Anyway, he’s been my buddy for years. Their normal lifespan is five to eight years, but I’ve had him for over a decade.”
I take in the turquoise tail and the red and yellow feathers. “Does he have a name?”
