Love Me: Oakville Series:Book 5 (31 page)

C
hase and I are in his room getting ready for our special dinner with Taryn. Chase thought we should be dressed in suits because it is such a special occasion. He looks so damn handsome in his little black suit and red silk tie. For me, he chose a grey suit and a lavender tie. He says it’s Lexi’s favorite color. The way he is with Lexi is what made me know, without a doubt, she’s the right woman for me. He loves her and she loves him right back. She’s amazing with him. She has a way of including him in everything and always thinking of him and his feelings. Lexi treats him the same way Taryn would. She is the woman Taryn wanted us to have in our lives.

“So, how do I look, Daddy?” Chase asks as he fiddles with his tie. I reach down and help him get it straight.

“You look perfect, little man,” I tell him, rustling his hair a little. He swats at my hand and rushes to the mirror.

“Don’t mess up my hair! I worked hard to get it perfect,” Chase scolds, and I have to laugh at his serious tone. He steps back in front of the mirror and combs through his hair with his fingers. When he seems satisfied, he turns to me with a grin on his face. “Can I see it one more time?”

I know exactly what it is he wants to see. I reach into my pocket and pull out the black velvet box. Chase came with me to help pick out the stunning diamond engagement ring. The ring is made of fourteen karat rose gold. On each side, there are two rows of smaller diamonds. The center diamond is a two karat round solitaire. Chase said it was perfect for her. Not too big, not too small. I almost choked at the price tag. Engagement rings sure have gotten expensive since the last time I bought one. Although, back then, I was a struggling musician with no money. Lexi is worth every penny.

He takes the box in his hand and turns it, watching it sparkle in the light. “Daddy, can I ask her?” he questions. I look at him, my brow raised. “Well, you did say she was marrying us both in a way, right?” I did. I asked him if he would like Lexi to be with us forever. Before I could add that I would only do it if he was okay with it, he was jumping up and down. His face lit up at that idea and I knew his answer before it left his mouth.

“What would you say to her?” I ask.

“First, I’d get down on one knee. That’s what they do on TV,” he explains. The rest, he whispers in my ear, and I smile. My boy is going to be a ladies’ man when he gets older.

“I think that will be perfect, little man,” I tell him. He carefully closes the box, puts it in his pocket, and runs over to me, wrapping his little arms around me.

“I love you, Daddy. I’m so glad we found Lexi. She made us happy again,” Chase tells me.

“I love you, too. I’m glad we have her, too,” I say, hugging him back.

Chase and I go into the kitchen to finish dinner. I stir the sauce and put a pot of water on to boil. Chase sets the table and puts out some candles. Together, we make a salad. Once the pasta is done, I strain it and place it on the table with everything else. I grab a bottle of wine for Lexi and me, and a bottle of sparkling grape juice for Chase from the fridge. Chase grabs three wine glasses and sets them next to our plates. He then hands me the grill lighter so I can light the candles.

“Wow. This all looks and smells amazing,” Lexi says from behind us. We turn around, and she gasps. “You two are the most handsome men I’ve ever seen.” Before I can speak, Chase does.

“Lexi, you look beautiful,” he says sweetly. And she does. She has on a lavender sleeveless dress and her hair is down, resting on her shoulders. Her eyes begin to water from Chase’s words. Walking to her, he takes her hand, leads her to the table, and pulls out her chair. Thanking him, she takes a seat. Chase smiles at me and gives me a thumbs up. The kid is smooth as silk. He makes a dad proud.

Throughout the entire dinner, we talk easily. Lexi seems to be glowing. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s happy or the candlelight, but either way, she’s absolutely breathtaking. When we all finish our dinner, Chase and I clear the table.

“Now, Daddy?” Chase whispers. I laugh. He’s been so anxious, I almost expected him to break out the ring and ask her in the middle of dinner. I nod and he suddenly looks nervous. He wipes his hands down his pants. Poor kid has sweaty palms. Come to think of it, so do I. My stomach is in knots.
What if it’s too soon and she says no?
Shit. Is that really a possibility? I didn’t think of that before. Chase must sense my anxiety. “She’ll say yes, Daddy. Don’t worry,” he comforts, and I give him a wink.

Chase and I walk back to the table. I take a seat across from Lexi so I can see the expression on her face when he asks her. Lexi looks at us curiously and I nod to Chase, letting him know it’s okay. He pulls the ring from his pocket, then kneels down on one knee in front of Lexi. Holding the box out, he opens it up, and she gasps. Chase clears his throat.

“Lexi...you make Daddy and me happy again. We want you to be ours forever. Will you marry us?” he says. Lexi smiles, then bursts into tears, nodding her head yes. Like the gentleman he is, Chase pulls the ring from its box and places it on her finger. She holds her arms out wide and he jumps into them. His body shakes in her arms from his tears of joy as she hugs him tightly. Tears stream down her cheeks as she smiles over at me. I smile back at her. My heart swells with happiness.

“You both make me very happy, too. I love you both so much.” Lexi says as she looks me in the eye. After Chase calms down, he smiles up at Lexi, then at me.

“See, Daddy, I told you she’d say yes,” he says.

“You sure did, little man. Why don’t you go put on your pajamas and brush your teeth?”

“But, Daddy, I want some more family time.” Lexi looks at me with her big eyes. I know she wants to give in. Honestly, so do I. As much as I want to bury myself in her right now, I think some family time is in order.

“Okay, both of you go get ready for bed. I’ll make a bed on the living room floor, pop some popcorn, and we can watch some movies. We’ll have a slumber party. Does that sound okay?” They both jump up and down, clapping their hands, and race to get ready. I throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave and go into the laundry room. Stripping down to my boxer briefs, I pull a pair of sweats and a t-shirt from the dryer and put them on. After pulling all the pillows, blankets, and comforters from the linen closet, I spread them out on the living room floor until there’s a nice fluffy bed big enough for the three of us. I take the popcorn from the microwave, put it in a bowl, and place it on the makeshift bed, along with three bottles of water. Searching through the DVD cabinet, I decide on the first Harry Potter movie and pop it in the player. Chase and Lexi both love the Harry Potter books and movies.

By the time Lexi and Chase come into the room, our movie night is all set up. I turn out the lights and we all snuggle up together, Chase sandwiched in between Lexi and I. This right here, right now, is pure heaven.

T
he past two months have been amazing. I never knew I could be this happy. Some people may say we’ve moved too fast, but I don’t believe that. When you know, you know. And when it’s right, it all just seems to fall into place. We have easily become a family and settled into our routines as if we’ve all been together for years, not months. It’s become so comfortable, I’ve heard Chase slip and start to call me mom. Don’t get me wrong, I would love for him to call me mom; I just want to make sure he’s doing it because he really wants to, not because he thinks he has to. I would never ask or expect him to call me mom. I don’t want to take anything from Taryn, and in my mind, that will always be her title.

We are now only one month away from going to Aruba to get married. The excitement I feel is overwhelming. We decided to turn it into one big vacation for us and all our friends. Neither of us wanted a huge wedding, so we thought a destination wedding on a beautiful beach would be perfect. And instead of spending a crazy amount of money on the fancy ceremony and reception, we can pay for everyone to join us for the week before the wedding. We will stay an extra week for our honeymoon. I told Marcus I wanted Chase to stay with us for our honeymoon. He was surprised, but his smile told me how happy he was that I was wanted to include Chase. That sweet little boy shocked us both by turning us down. He told us we don’t need a third wheel on our honeymoon. How he can be so mature at his age, I have no idea.

The last week or so, I haven’t been feeling all that well. At first, I thought it was food poisoning. Then I thought maybe the flu. But when I started to list the symptoms in my head, I began to suspect something completely different. Nausea mostly in the mornings, feeling tired more often, tender breasts, and no period—yeah, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know what it is. I decided to forgo the home test and go right into the doctor for a blood test. I haven’t told Marcus yet about my suspicions, only because I want to be one hundred percent sure first. So, here I sit, in the exam room, waiting on my results. The room is freezing and my skin is covered in goose bumps. For the last ten minutes, I’ve been pacing back and forth, too anxious to sit still.

Marcus and I have talked about having kids. We both want them—at least one, possibly two, more. Marcus told me before Taryn got sick, Chase was begging for a brother or sister. I just hope he still wants one. I also hope Marcus doesn’t freak because this is happening so quickly. I shake my head and smile. Everything happens quickly with us. This whole relationship has been a whirlwind, might as well be consistent.

A light knock sounds on the door and my stomach knots. On one hand, I’m really excited at the possibility of a baby, but on the other, I’m still worried we are moving too fast. Is it wise to add another member to our family so quickly? The three of us haven’t had much time together...

The door opens and Dr. Delaney walks in. He’s an older man, maybe mid-fifties. His salt and pepper hair makes him look distinguished and handsome. I take a seat in the chair as he sits on the stool across from me. Opening a manila file folder, he browses through it for a moment, then closes the folder and looks over to me.

“We got your results back. You are most definitely pregnant,” he states with a smile, and I smile back. I can’t help it. Any fears or reservations I had just disappear. If it wouldn’t make me look like a complete nut case, I’d be dancing around this room right now.

After a quick pelvic exam and a prescription for prenatal vitamins, I’m sent on my way. I get in my car, excited to get home and tell Marcus. Chase is spending the day with Angel and Chelsie, so I will have a few hours alone with Marcus to tell him the good news. A bit of the apprehension I had before returns. I push it aside and pray he is as happy as I am.

I smile when I pull into the drive and see Marcus is home. Rushing into the house, I stop in my tracks as I enter the front door. The piano along with Marcus’ melodic voice floats through the house. Closing the door behind me, I follow the sound. The song is all rock, but sweet at the same time. Marcus told me he hasn’t been able to write a song that wasn’t angry or depressing since Taryn passed away, but this song is beautiful—there’s nothing angry or depressing about it. He’s singing about second chances in love and finding someone who takes away the darkness and heals all the broken pieces. Tears fill my eyes. Is he singing about me? Oh, I hope so, because he has done the same for me. He makes all the pain I’ve gone through seem like it was for something.

Slowly, I walk into the family room, following the music. I stand in the doorway and watch him. His eyes are closed and a smile is playing on his lips. He is breathtaking. Butterflies invade my belly as I watch him in his element. His movements and facial expressions reveal how passionate he is about his music. He opens his eyes and sees me, but doesn’t skip a beat. I can see his love for me in his eyes, and I swallow the lump that forms in my throat. God, I love this man. He finishes the song and I clap and whistle, causing him to laugh. Oh, that laugh. I love when he laughs from deep down in his belly like that.