Page 45 of Tempt (Peachwood Falls #1)

M egan

“The longer I sit here, the madder I get at your brother,” I tell Gavin.

Gavin holds his head in his hands.

“You’re not very supportive.” I sip my Sprite. “You’re a disappointing best friend. Calista is so much better at this than you.”

“Call her. I’m happy to turn over the reins.”

I gasp. He shrugs.

“I’m ready to get back to Texas,” I lie. “I might even return to my old job and give the West Coast another good ole college try. I didn’t hate myself there.”

The idea of doing those things makes me hate myself. I don’t belong there—in Texas or California. I belong here . There’s just no room for me.

I blink back the tears my strong girl persona has battled all morning. But the less there is to say, and the more there is to think and feel, the harder it gets to stay above it.

It’s also harder not to be angry.

I haven’t felt this way in a long damn time, and honestly, I hoped I was immune to it. I truly thought I had outgrown feeling lonely and unwanted—like the black sheep.

But I guess not.

“Do you guys need anything else?” Tabitha asks.

“A headache pill, if you have one,” Gavin mumbles.

I shake my head at him. “You aren’t helping.”

“A shot of whiskey?” he asks, looking at Tabitha with pleading eyes.

“Not at this time of day,” she says. “Sorry, buddy.”

The front door opens, and my attention snaps to the two people walking in.

Kennedy marches straight toward me. She doesn’t look around. She doesn’t smile at Tabitha or say hello to Gavin. Instead, she stops beside me before wrapping her arms around my neck and hugging me for dear life. Oh, this girl gives great hugs.

Behind her is Chase.

He’s a beautiful disaster.

His jeans have holes in them. His black T-shirt was in the dryer last night and is wrinkled to beat all hell. The blue-and-black flannel on top makes his eyes look even greener, and I can barely manage to keep my emotions intact.

I want to jump into his arms—have him hold me and make the insecurity I’m fighting disappear.

But I can’t. I refuse. I’m not giving him that.

“My father would like to say something,” Kennedy says, stepping back.

“He would? That’s nice.”

Chase dips his chin. “Can we talk?”

“Yeah.”

“Where do you want to go?”

Where do I want to go? I shrug. “Right here is fine.”

“Not right here.”

I look at my wrist like there’s a watch on it. There’s not . “It’s getting late. I have a plane to catch.”

“The hell you do.”

I steel my gaze at Chase’s. “Don’t worry. It won’t inconvenience you. Gavin is taking me to get a rental car so I can drive to the airport.”

Chase laughs haughtily. “No, he isn’t.”

“Gav …” I warn.

Gavin covers his face with his hands. “Don’t do this to me, guys.”

“You’re on our team, Uncle Gavin. You want her to stay.”

What? My insides soften as Chase’s features smoothen out.

“I have something to ask you,” Chase says.

“Yes,” I say, much to his surprise. I stand and grab my purse. “You can buy my brunch.” I head for the door. “Come on, Gavin.”

“Gavin, don’t you dare,” Chase growls.

“Megan. Wait,” Chase says.

I keep walking.

The sun shines high in the sky on this beautiful day. I walk across an empty lot beside The Wet Whistle toward Gavin’s truck.

“ Megan !” Chase shouts behind me.

“Nope. You had your chance to talk. Now that I’ve accepted that I’m leaving— oof .”

I’m spun around by a frantic Chase. Kennedy is on his heels. Gavin follows with his hands shoved in his front pockets like he’d rather be anywhere else besides here.

I pant, trying to catch my breath. “What do you want?”

“Talk to me.”

“Why? Because you decide it’s convenient for you?”

“Listen to him, Megan,” Kennedy pleads.

I take a long, deep breath and summon my strength. “Talk.”

Chase twists his hat around backward. “I don’t want you to leave.”

“Cool. What else?”

“What does that mean?” he asks.

“That means I heard you, so you can continue to your next talking point.”

He furrows his brow, annoyed. “Why won’t you just talk to me?”

“We’re talking, Chase. But you hurt my feelings last night. You embarrassed me this morning in front of your mother. And this …” I look at Kennedy, then Gavin. “This isn’t exactly great for my ego either—not that I care about my ego. It’s just that you aren’t doing me any favors.”

“I just need five minutes.”

“You get five seconds.”

His eyes widen. “What?”

“One. Two. Three.”

Chase panics, digging in his pocket.

“Four. Fi?—”

“Will you marry me, you giant pain in my ass?” he asks.

“—ve.”

My eyes grow as wide as saucers. I swear my heart skips a beat. I stare at a thin gold band he holds and wonder if this is real.

“I mean it,” he says, cutting the distance between us.

“Wha … Did you just propose to me?”

“He did,” Kennedy says. “You should say yes.”

I shift my weight from one foot to the other. “What’s going on here?”

“What’s going on here is that I can’t let you leave,” Chase says. “Kennedy and I can’t let you leave us.”

“We love you,” Kennedy says.

Tears fill my eyes, and my bottom lip trembles. A flock of geese flies overhead, calling to one another.

My breathing is ragged, but I’m afraid to reach for Chase. Instead, I pull Kennedy toward me, and she buries her head in my chest.

My gaze falls on Chase and his bright green eyes.

The way my soul calms when I look at him is remarkable.

It’s amazing how the situation between us remains, I think, yet just being close to him feels right.

It doesn’t feel over between us. I don’t know if it could ever feel that way with him and me.

“What are you doing?” I whisper to him.

Chase smiles shyly. “I love you, Megan.”

My heart jumps so wildly that I take a step back. Startled, Kennedy pushes away from me. My sneaker hits a mud puddle, and the sole doesn’t grip the wet surface. It slips, sending me flailing through the air. I land on my back with a huge, noisy splash.

Chase runs to me and takes my hand, pulling me to my feet. Kennedy watches, unsure of what to do. Gavin, the prick, laughs.

I blow dirty hair out of my face and feel the muddy water drip down my forehead.

“Are you okay?” Chase asks.

His voice brings me back to the present, and I can only do one thing—I laugh.

I laugh not because it’s funny or because I’m embarrassed. I don’t laugh because mud finally got the best of me.

I laugh because my heart slowly melds back together.

“One day, you’ll wake up and realize that a piece of your heart resides outside your body.

You’ll feel a draw to that place no matter where you are in the world.

You’ll only feel whole and content when you’re there—and that will be your home.

That’s where things make sense. That’s where you’re meant to be. ”

I get it now. I understand what my mom was saying.

Peachwood Falls is where my life makes sense. I’ve only ever felt like myself, with intense peace and contentment, in the walls of Chase Marshall’s home. I’ve never been drawn to a place like I am in Chase’s arms.

I suppose that’s why nowhere else has ever worked out. I belonged here with this beautiful man, his adorable daughter, and his goofy brothers.

Maybe I had to go through everything in my life to prepare me for this moment—I don’t know. But I’m absolutely positive that I’m supposed to be here.

My heart is here.

Chase gets down on one knee.

“You’re in the mud puddle,” I say, grinning so hard my face hurts.

“I acted like an idiot. I started thinking I knew what was best for you, and that’s ridiculous.”

I glance at Kennedy and catch her grinning.

“If you’ll forgive me for being an asshole, I promise never to do it again.”

I reach out and brush a strand of hair off his forehead. “Ever?”

His eyes twinkle. “Ever.”

“Ask her already,” Gavin says. “I have shit to do today.”

Kennedy smacks him, making me laugh.

My heart is full. My soul is at peace. All of the questions I’ve had about my life—where I belong, what I should do, who I am—I now know why I didn’t have the answers.

Because I hadn’t met them yet.

“Marry me,” he says. “Marry me today. Tomorrow. Next week. Just marry me, Megan.”

“I’ll stay without marrying you.”

Kennedy’s face splits with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on her.

“Did you ask her to marry you?” a voice says from the road.

We look over to see Tucker’s Towing truck crawling down the road. Tucker’s head sticks out the window.

“I’m trying to get her to say yes,” Chase shouts.

“It’s rude to eavesdrop, Tucker,” I say.

He chuckles and gives us a wave. Then he continues down the road with a honk of the horn in his wake.

I turn back to Chase. “You don’t have to do this.” But please do .

“You don’t get it,” he says. “You’ve already agreed to be mine. So now we’re committing. We’re trusting each other. You’re not going to walk around and feel like it all might end someday because you and I are never ending, Megan.”

I bite my lip to keep from crying.

“Let’s start a family,” he says. “Me, you, Kennedy—maybe a baby or two.”

“Yes!” Kennedy squeals. “Have a baby. Please.”

“I think I’m gonna puke,” Gavin mumbles.

I laugh. “One thing at a time, okay?”

Chase slides the thin band on my finger. “I’ll get you another ring. This one is Kennedy’s. It’s all I could find.”

“I don’t need a ring, Chase. I just need you.”

“Is that a yes?” he asks, his eyes twinkling.

I hold his face in my hands and plant a kiss on his lips. “That’s a yes.”