Not You It's Me (Boston Love #1) - Julie Johnson Page 0,139
when I find it, I see his eyes are edged with a sadness that makes my breath catch. Belatedly, I realize my beautiful, heartbreaking man has never had this – the kind of friendship that can withstand anything. (Even car chases and near death experiences.) He’s never been part of a family like this – never been a part of any family, really. He’s never felt the kind of unconditional love that I share with these crazy people I call best friends.
My brows lift as our gazes hold. I hope he can read the message in my eyes.
Come join us, Chase.
He shakes his head and I know it’s because he doesn’t want to interfere.
You’re part of this, now, I tell him, our stares still locked intensely. Part of my life, part of my friends, part of my family. Come on. Join us, love.
His eyes flash dark with emotion and I know if we were alone, he’d be kissing the breath out of me, right now. In steady strides, he crosses the room to my side, laying his hand on my shoulder and squeezing gently. I know it’s his way of saying thank you.
It’s a good way.
Shelby, Chrissy, and Mark all smile warmly at him as he takes his place in our small circle.
In our family.
I’m so overwrought, all I can do is look down at the baby in my arms, barely able to make out her features through the tears swimming in my eyes.
“She’s beautiful,” I choke out. “So beautiful.”
“Just like her godmother,” Chase says quietly, his voice warm. I tilt my head to look up at him, grinning through my tears.
He gazes at me with the baby in my arms and something a lot like longing flashes in the depths of his eyes. Before I can freak out too much, he leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead.
“Mark! Why don’t you ever say romantic things like that to me anymore, huh?” Chrissy is teasing — I can hear the laughter in her voice.
“Because we’re married,” Mark says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. His eyes are twinkling as he stares at his wife. “Isn’t that the whole point of getting married? So you never have to compliment anyone ever again? If not, I’m going to have to reconsider some things…”
“You’re going to get it, mister!” Chrissy yells, wheeling toward him with a murderous look on her face. “Come back here!”
Mark laughs as he backs out of the room and down the hall, away from his wheelchair-bound wife, who seems intent on revenge. Their laughter carries back to us long after they’ve faded out of sight.
“Those two.” Shelby rolls her eyes, then looks at me. “And now you two. For god’s sake, can we tone down the lovey-dovey crap? It’s enough to make me toss my cookies.”
“You don’t eat cookies,” I point out.
“It’s a figure of speech!” she grumbles. “You know what, I’m going to go make sure those two don’t kill each other.” Leaning down, she presses a kiss to Summer’s forehead, followed by mine. “Feel better, Gem. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.”
“Bye, Shelbs. Thanks for coming.”
With a final wink in Chase’s direction, she slips through the door and disappears.
I look up at him, then down at the baby in my arms. “I have a namesake. How cool is that?”
“Pretty cool, sunshine.” He settles in beside me on the bed and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Though, if she turns out to be half as much trouble as you, I pity the man who falls for her.”
I still, at those words, my heart racing in my chest. I almost say it, then.
I love you.
But something holds me back.
“Speaking of trouble…” I swallow. “Have you heard anything about Ralph and Vanessa?”
“Funny thing happened.” He chuckles lowly. “Turns out, before Chrissy ran out of phone battery, she managed to film a good portion of their conversation in that parking garage. It’s essentially a taped confession. The police caught them less than a mile away from the spot your car crashed — as soon as they got them in custody, they turned on each other faster than a flipped coin.”
“Wow,” I breathe.
“Yeah. And that’s not all.” He looks at me, his eyes suddenly serious. “When I went into the water after you, Knox chased down Hawkins — or, The Hulk, as you like to call him. He’s in police custody, facing charges for kidnapping, assault, reckless endangerment, and attempted murder.”