Chasing Leah (Journey Series) (31 page)

“Leah!” I hear Ally shout from
the edge of the bounce house and I crawl on my hands and knees over to the netting
that encased the bounce house and pushed my nose up against it.

“Um having fun?” She asks with a
wry smile. “Oh this is a blast, let me tell you,” I say at the same time I fall
over onto my stomach after being knocked down by some massive jumping happening
right near me.

“Well I certainly didn’t expect
to see you hanging around all the kiddos,
that’s
not
usually your cup of tea. You can normally only handle Caleb and that’s about
it.”

“With Chases family it had to
become my cup of tea or else,” I teasingly reply. “His sisters have grown on me
and I’ve actually come to like kids a little more.”

“’Kay well
that’s always a good thing.
Chase sent me to grab you. Mary’s bringing a
cake out for him.”

I turn back to the group of kids
that has seemed to double since I agreed to come in here.

“Caleb, Caleb,” I call out
trying to get his attention but the kids are now having some kind of contest to
see who can jump the highest. I put my fingers up to my mouth and let out a
shrill whistle.

 
“Listen up, its cake time,” I shout out. I
should have been timing that with a stop watch. I think the place literally
cleared out in
under
ten seconds. Even Caleb stranded
me. I thought I was his favorite.

 
Apparently the promise of cake out rates me.
My stomach stops bouncing around and I finally make my way to the exit.
Never going in one of those things ever again.
How is that
fun?

I smooth out my dress and run my
hands through my hair, trying to tame the
frizziness
of my curls but know it’s a lost cause. A crowd has gathered around the tables
Mary has decked out with food and I figure there all anxiously waiting for the
cake. If these people know Mary at all, they know the cake will most likely be
a slice of pure heaven.

I stand on the tip toes of my
white wedge sandals trying to get a peek of the cake and see Chase sitting on a
stool with his beloved guitar in his hand. Even though he said he’s done with
the band, I know he’ll always have his guitar close by. It always turns me on
when I see him playing it with his big hands and long slender fingers splayed
over the strings.

He looks especially sexy today
in his black button up dress shirt that’s
untucked
and rolled up to his elbows, I can see a few of his tattoos peaking out. His
hair that’s grown out for the first time I laid eyes on him looks like he’s
been running his fingers through it repeatedly. Something I notice he does
often when he’s nervous. His beautiful green eyes scan the crowd until they
rest on me and I feel the instant connection of love flowing between us when
our eyes meet.

He nods his head to someone in
the crowd and I see his older sister, Katie, push her way through the crowd and
pull me up to the front until I’m standing in front of Chase.
Calebs
perched on a stool next to him and I’m surprised to
see him sitting so still. He must have been promised a really big piece of
cake. Chase motions me over with a finger and pulls me into a deep kiss until
he lightly pushes me back and begins to strum his guitar and I instantly
recognize the familiar notes.

As soon as we met he had teased
me about a song by Bruce Springsteen aptly named Leah that he said was written
especially for me. I always rolled my eyes when he said that because I had
always despised Bruce
Springsteens
music, when I
still lived at home with my mom.

 
That was the one singer she seemed to have
stuck in the
cd
player
blaring it into the wee hours of morning even though I was only 10 years old
and had to be up for school the next day. I always cursed Bruce the next day
when I had had to show up at school and focus through bleary eyes. I was
convinced that man was a devil.

Chases voice is so much
different though, as I listen along with the crowd and close my eyes listening
to the soft
raspiness
of his voice that I love.

“I
wanna
build me a house, on higher ground
I
wanna
find me a world, where love's the only sound
High above this road, filled with shadow and doubt
I want to shoulder my load, and figure it all out
With Leah
I walk this road, with a hammer and a fiery lantern
With this hand I've built, and with this I've burned
I
wanna
live in the same house, beneath the same roof
Sleep in the same bed, search for the same proof
As Leah
I got
somethin
' in my heart, I been
waitin
' to give
I got a life I
wanna
start, one I been
waitin
' to live
No more
waitin
', tonight I feel the light I say the
prayer
I open the door, I climb the stairs...”

Everyone around us bursts into
applause and cheers as Chase sets his guitar down. Mary leans in and gives him
a hug before she whispers into his ear while placing a quick peck on his cheek
and placing something in his hand.

 
Oh shit what is
that
in his hand? As he
gets closer to me I realize it’s a small black box before he places it into
Calebs
waiting hands.
A small black box
that normally signifies one thing.

 
One thing that I don’t know if we’re ready for
we haven’t talked about this before, why is he doing this in front of such a
big crowd with everyone he knows and loves. Maybe he’s doing it on
purpose,
he knows I won’t have anywhere to run.

I slowly back up seeing if I can
lose myself in the crowd, but I feel a set of hands on my back and a slight
push as I turn my head around and see that those hands were attached to Ally
who’s standing behind me with
Teddys
arm wrapped
around her waist.

Wait, what? Teddy?
Eww
doesn’t she know he’s practically a walking STD. I’ll
make sure we’ll have a talk about this later but for now I need to concentrate
on my current situation.

I give her the stink eye before
whipping my head around and crashing into
Chases
broad
chest. Chase. My head instantly gets fuzzy as I’m wrapped in his embrace and
his soft full lips come crashing down on mine and I’m wishing he’ll just stay
there and forget about whatever plan he has in the works but he abruptly pulls
away.

Chapter 28

Chase

The moment the crowd parts for
Leah I can see how nervous she is. She looks like a
freakin
’
deer caught in the head lights and like she’s trying to devise some sort of
escape plan before Ally lends her best friend a helpful shove back in my
direction. I’ll need to thank her for that right after I question her about the
whole Teddy having his arm wrapped around her waist possessively thing. I know
Leah saw it too and she’s probably debating on whether or not to ask that very
question right now by the way she’s chewing on her lip and darting her eyes
back and forth between the two of them before locking her eyes back onto mine.
Well here we go.

“Leah the first time I looked
into your beautiful gray eyes I knew I was in love. Some people might say
there’s no such thing as the one true love or laugh when I say I instantly knew
I was going to marry you but I just call bullshit on that.
Too
bad for those people.
I know in every part of my heart that I want to
marry you and have you and Caleb be family with me. I’m ready to start our
journey together.”

I keep my eyes trained on Leah
who looks like she’s still contemplating taking off and I can tell how nervous
she is by the way she’s running her hands back and forth over the hem of her
white dress that barely reaches mid thigh. The moment I saw her in that dress
with her sexy curves and her dark curls skimming her bare back I knew I had to
have her right there but I didn’t think my mom would approve. Luckily I was
able to wait until after the graduation ceremony till we were in my truck alone
but it didn’t last long before I had my hand under her dress and her pulled
onto my lap cupping that sweet ass of hers.

I walk over to Caleb who is
still sitting perfectly still like the good little wingman that he is. I
figured Leah would have a little problem taking off without Caleb and I managed
to con him in to staying put with the promise of the biggest piece of cake he’s
ever had.
And a puppy.

 
Pretty sure the little dude almost had a
freakin
’ heart attack when I promised him that one and I
told him if he moved an inch, the deal was off. He gives me a high five before
dropping the little black box into my shaking hands. I’m not nervous at all
about asking Leah to marry me, I’m more nervous of what her answer back to me
will be.

Leah

Chase fumbles his shaking
fingers around after he walks over to me until he finally manages to open the
small black box and my breath catches in my throat at the sight of the ring
nestled into a bed of silky ivory material.
There’s
a
million thoughts running through my head when I see that ring and can’t even
begin to describe the feeling that tugs at my heart when I see it but I can
tell Chase put a lot of time and thought into it. The ring itself is platinum
with a band of diamonds and a round diamond at the center and has an antique
feel to it that I instantly fall in love with.

I feel the tears start to stream
down my cheeks as the reality of the question he’s about to ask sets in. Chase
reaches up with his thumb and brushes my tears away and I can see unshed tears
of his own glimmering in his green eyes. I don’t know if I’m ready for this. I
don’t know if we’re ready for this. What will I do to him if I say
no,
I don’t think I can stand to cause that pain to him.
Would we just be over then? We could always have a long engagement and talk
about getting married later but knowing Chase he’ll want to get married
tomorrow. He obviously likes things to move quickly.

What
do I
do, what do I do I repeat over and over in my head. And unfortunately I don’t
hear any other voice talk back to me with any kind of advice. I take a deep
breath and look back into Chases eyes. It’s started to get late and the low
landscape lights flicker in his beautiful eyes. He chews on his lip before
taking a big breath and blowing it out. He grips my hand again and rubs small
circles across the top and I don’t know who he’s trying to calm down more him
or me before those words finally slip out of his mouth that could change
everything.

“Leah Rossi, will you marry me?”