Blitz (Blast Brothers #3) - Sabrina Stark Page 0,111
more so because I was now wondering if maybe I'd been the one who messed up, and not Chase.
Or who knows. Maybe we'd both messed up. After all, I'd realized weeks ago that I'd fallen for him. But had I said anything? No. Cripes, I'd barely admitted it to myself.
Desperate to cheer myself up, I bought a bunch of tickets and went on ride after ride, looking to reclaim some of the happiness I usually felt here at the festival.
It was no use.
Still, I kept on trying.
And although I had plenty of people I could be spending time with, I was now going on the rides alone, because somewhere along the way, I'd decided that I'd rather sulk in solitude than ruin anyone else's good time.
It was almost nine o'clock, and I was about to embark on my third solitary Ferris Wheel ride when the carnival worker said the same exact thing he'd said the last two times I'd come through his line. "Just one?"
In my current mood, it was all I could do to keep from snapping at him, telling him that of course it was just one, because after all, I was standing here by myself, wasn't I?
But of course, it wasn't the guy's fault. It was my own.
So instead, I replied with a smile and a nod, only to pause when a familiar male voice from somewhere behind me said, "No, it's two."
My breath caught. Chase?
Chapter 76
Mina
I whirled to look, and there he was, standing almost close enough to touch. His gaze probed mine as he added, "If she'll have me."
When I gave a happy nod, Chase thrust a giant wad of tickets into the guy's hands and said, "And we're not coming down 'til we're done."
The guy frowned in confusion. "Done what?"
"Done talking." And with that, Chase took my hand in his and led me to the waiting passenger car. Ten seconds later, we were locked in and rocking upward along the Ferris Wheel's path.
The sky was dark, but the carnival lights were sparkling in the summer night as Chase turned to face me. "I need to tell you something."
By now, I felt nearly breathless. "You do?"
"Hell yeah." His gaze warmed. "I love you." He gave my hand a tender squeeze. "And I'm sorry."
I stared in amazement. I wasn't sure which statement surprised me more, but both of them warmed my heart. "Really?"
His eyes filled with an emotion that could only be love. "I should've said it sooner. Hell, I should have said both things sooner."
Already, I was blinking back tears. "I should've, too. I mean, you're not the only one who's sorry."
"Screw the apology." He grinned. "Now tell me what I want to hear."
It was vintage Chase, and I couldn’t help but laugh through my tears as I admitted what both of us already knew. "I love you, too."
"You'd better." And with that, he wrapped me in arms and pressed his lips to mine. My heart gave a crazy little flutter, and I leaned into his kiss, savoring the feel of him, the taste of him, and even the scent of him, as his mouth claimed mine, right there on the Ferris Wheel.
The kiss left me not only breathless, but dizzy, too – and happier than I'd been in days, possibly years or maybe a lifetime.
Chase pulled back and reached once again for my hand. "Listen, I want you know something."
I stared deep into his amazing eyes. "What?"
"With the 'I love you' thing, you wanna know why I did such a sorry job of it?"
I shook my head. "You mean…just now? Because, actually—"
He laughed. "No. I mean earlier."
"Oh." Now I was laughing, too. "Yeah, I think I know what you mean."
"The thing is, you're the first girl I've said it to – the only girl I've said it to."
I blinked in surprise. "Seriously?"
He nodded. "And you want to hear something really messed up?"
"What?"
"I've loved you for weeks, maybe months. And my family – some of them, anyway – they saw it as clear as day. And I kept denying it because, well…" He gave me a sheepish grin. "I guess I was an idiot."
By now, my heart felt almost ready to burst. "If that's true, you're not the only one, because I should have talked to you too. When I overheard you saying that thing about dumping me, I should have asked you about it. But instead…" I gave him a sheepish smile of my own. "Well, I guess I was an idiot, too."