She nods. “Let’s do it.”
Grabbing my phone that’s lying beside me on the bed, I pull up the notes app. “Tell me what you want. Big? Small? Destination? Tell me and I’ll make it happen.”
“The cabin.”
“What about the cabin?”
“I want to get married at the cabin. That’s where we met. That’s where you proposed for real.” She grins. “I just want a small intimate ceremony at the cabin.”
“What else?”
“That’s it. All I need is you.”
“Is a month long enough? I mean, you have to find a dress and stuff, right?”
“I’m sure I can find something.”
“Don’t settle.”
“It’s not about what I’ll be wearing, or where we say our vows. It’s not about who’s in attendance or what kind of food we serve. It’s about us, Chase. It’s about the love that we’re going to pledge to one another. It’s about the miracle that is this baby we created together. Nothing else really matters. We can wear jeans for all I care. I just want the day to be a celebration of love.”
“Fuck.” I reach out, slide my hand behind her neck, and pull her into a kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Wow,” the doctor says, laughing. “Sorry to interrupt. I have your discharge papers here. Do you have any questions?”
“No.” I’m ready to get the hell out of here.
“This is Jackie, your nurse. She’ll go through your discharge and follow-up instructions. Once she’s done, you’re free to go.”
“Thank you,” Gabby and I say at the same time. Thirty minutes later, Jackie is wheeling me outside in a wheelchair.
“Why do you have Gwen’s car?”
“Because Colt drove me last night, and I wasn’t leaving you. I asked them to drop it off to me today. Colt can’t drive two cars. When they come over later, they’ll pick it up.” With that, she opens the door and Jackie helps me into the passenger seat.
All the way home, I keep my hand on her knee as we discuss our wedding. There is a lightness to her, and excitement fills her voice. I’m glad. I want this day to be her dream wedding. For me, I couldn’t care less where we marry, what we wear, or who’s there. I just want to give her my last name. Tie her world with mine permanently. It’s fast, but really when you think about it, it’s not. We’ve been dancing around our attraction for years. That’s one long stint of foreplay. I’m ready for the real deal. Anything life wants to throw at us, I’m all in, as long as she’s by my side.Chapter Twenty-OneGabby 21* * *They say men make the worst patients, and I’d have to agree one thousand percent. Chase has been stationed on the couch for the last two weeks, and to say I’m a little unnerved would be an understatement. The fact remains that he can’t sit, hates to sit for any period of time longer than four seconds, and refuses to follow doctor’s orders and stay put. It took me getting his brother involved to finally win the war over his utter stubbornness.
After two days, I was sent to work. Colton was home, and since Chase refused to listen to me, it was a welcomed reprieve. If he wasn’t up, trying to do things for himself that he shouldn’t, he was trying—mostly unsuccessfully—to get in my pants. There were a few times where I couldn’t fend off his charms and very persuasive hands… I mean, his penis wasn’t broken, right?
Now, I’m on my way home on a gorgeous Friday afternoon, eager to see what the weekend has in store. Chase had a post-surgery follow-up appointment today and refused to let me go with him. He said he and Colton could handle it, and I’m praying for a positive outcome: partial weight-bearing, with crutch support, of course.
When I pull into the drive, I find Colton’s familiar truck, as well as an unfamiliar black sports car. It’s not like anything I’ve seen around here before, and my mind tries to piece together who could possibly be here for a visit, driving a car like that. I pull into the garage and quickly slip inside the house. I can hear voices, two familiar and one very unfamiliar, as I set my purse down on the counter and head toward the sound.
“So we’re all set?” Colton asks as I step into the living room. I find Chase there, his casted leg propped on the coffee table with a pillow, Colton sitting beside him on the couch, and the mystery man across from them on the recliner.
“All set, Mr. Callahan,” he says as all three men notice me in the doorway.
“Hey, baby,” Chase says, trying to hobble up from his seat.
Holding up my hands, I walk in his direction as if pulled by an invisible magnetic force. “Don’t get up,” I insist, bending down and placing a kiss on his waiting lips. Chase, in true form, refuses to let our greeting be a chaste, quick kiss in front of company, and decides to completely devour my mouth, leaving me breathless and eager for more.