“I know one way to shut the story down,” he said, staring straight in her eyes.
“Good! Okay, what?” she asked eagerly.
His palms began sweating as he moved off the bed and lowered to one knee. Her eyes grew as big as saucers.
“I’ve dreamed of this moment since middle school. I never thought it would go down like this. I thought we’d be at the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building.” Looking around her room, he continued shaking his head, “But that’s just geography. The only thing that really matters is that I love you, Krista Sloan. You are the only girl I have ever loved and will ever love. I know you deserve the Eiffel Tower, but”—pulling the ring out of his pocket, he held it at the tip of her ring finger—“Krista Sloan, will you marry me?”
Her eyes darted between him, the ring, and the iPad and then back to him. “Did you have this whole thing planned?”
“What? No.”
“You just carry that ring around in your pocket?!”
What the hell is happening?
Why is everything getting all turned around?
“I got it when I was in Austin. I knew I wanted to ask you to marry me. I just didn’t know when,” he explained, still on bended knee.
“That’s your solution to killing the story? Our getting married!” She stood, brushing past him, and began pacing around her room as her hands waved around animatedly. “You don’t think that will just add fuel to the fire? Even if it worked, that’s not really a great reason to get married, Chase. Seriously!”
Feeling like an idiot, he stood. “That’s not the reason we would be getting married.”
Her eyes were wild as her hands flew up. “You just said, ‘I know one way to shut the story down’ and then you asked me to marry you!”
“Krista—” He moved towards her as he heard a knock on her door.
They both looked over to see Tully standing in the doorway. “Sorry, but, Chase, we have to go. The mayor of Atlanta is giving you a key to the city at ten and then you have to meet with—”
“Okay!” Chase raised his voice as he lifted his hand to stop Tully’s list of his responsibilities for the day. “I’ll be right there.”
Tully took a step towards him. “Chase—”
“I said I’ll be right there.” Chase’s tone did not leave any room for argument.
Putting his hands up in surrender, Tully turned and left the room.
Both Chase and Krista stood staring at each other for several moments. There was so much that needed to be said and not enough time to say it.
“Just go,” Krista said, motioning to the door, a look of defeat on her beautiful face.
“Shit.” Raking his hands through his hair, he felt so frustrated he wanted to scream. Stepping towards her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lowered his head, pressing his lips to her, pouring all the love, desire, and need he felt for her in his all-too-brief kiss. Then, resting his forehead against hers, he assured her, “This conversation isn’t over. I love you, I know you love me. We’ll figure the rest out.”
Her emerald eyes shone up at him and she nodded in agreement. It wasn’t a huge declaration of love, but he would take it. For now.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Four weeks and three days. That’s how long it had been since Chase had left her room that Sunday before the crack of dawn. Four weeks and three days since the media storm had blown into town and brought havoc on her life. Four weeks and three days since the man she loved had asked her to marry him. Four weeks and three days since she’d let him walk out of her room without giving him an answer.
They’d talked on the phone every day. Texted. FaceTimed. But things had been strained. They weren’t them. Something was definitely off. On the weekend they’d planned for her to fly out and see him, she’d come down with food poisoning so she hadn’t been able to travel. Then he’d planned on coming out this past weekend, but all the flights out of North Carolina had been grounded due to tropical storms.
Between the media, Mother Nature, and rotten food, it seemed like the entire world was conspiring to keep them apart. It was just like high school but on a global scale.
As she wiped down the traction bed for Mr. Yates, who was due here any minute, she was at least thankful that some of the media frenzy had settled down. There weren’t photographers posted outside on her yard or waiting for her in the hospital parking lot anymore. That first week had been a madhouse. Never would she have dreamed that she’d need to have security, but dang, she’d been glad that they were there.
“Well, hello there, young lady,” Mr. Yates greeted her as he took off his hat and placed it on a hook hanging on the wall. “How are you this fine morning?”