Chapter Forty

“Chase? Wait! Chase!” Polly shouted even as she took off at a dead run towards the gate at the end of the driveway, her heels clicking rhythmically as she fought to catch up with Chase. As she rounded the corner, she saw him standing near the gate, a cell phone to his ear and his broad back to her. “Chase!” She shouted again, and he turned, startled, and clapped his cell phone shut abruptly.

“Polly…” Chase said, his voice uncertain. “Um, hi.”

Polly put her hands on her hips and glared at him as she tried to catch her breath. She hadn’t worked out in four inch heels in a while. “’Um, hi.’ Really? Really? That’s what we’re going with?”

Chase bit back a grin. “I was in the neighborhood?”

Now it was Polly’s turn to try not to laugh. “What… what are you doing here? I nearly fell through the floor when Matthew said you were at the door. What… why… what?”

Chase looked at her for a long moment, and then back up to her house. “In a moment of clear folly, I thought I would fly out here, and, I don’t know, rescue you. From your apparently really diminutive and rough life.”

Polly continued to glare at him. “A big house doesn’t mean a good life, and you know that as well as I do, so stop staring at the house that way.”

“I met Matthew,” Chase said quietly, and Polly looked down at the ground worriedly, all the fight going out of her stance. 

“Yeah?” she said uneasily.

“He’s nice,” Chase said evenly. “Charming, even. A little short, but… I can see why you fell for him.”

Polly nodded curtly, and then took control of the conversation again. “What are you doing here? Seriously, this time. Why?”

Chase shrugged. “I don’t know. I dropped Parker off at the airport so he could get back overseas, and on the way we talked about things—“

“What things?”

“Manly stuff. And we traded some casserole recipes,” Chase said sarcastically, and then continued. “What do you think we talked about?! You, you infuriating woman!”

“And what did Parker say?” Polly asked, mock glaring at him.

“That I shouldn’t leave you out here too long or let you get too comfortable in your old life. That I should… that I should come and get you.”

“Very Neanderthal.”

“It was meant to be romantic.”

Polly took a step back. “It was?”

Chase shrugged again. “Well, yeah. Is it?”

Polly looked up into his warm eyes, and suddenly the day, the life inside her front door was forgotten. She took a deep breath, and without warning, burst into tears.

“Shit,” Chase breathed, closing the distance between them and pulling her into his arms tightly. “Please don’t cry. I’ll come apart if you cry, shhhh…”

Polly tried and tried to control her breathing and her crying, but it was as though an emotional dam had burst – her husband inside their pristine home full of untruths, and Chase on the outside, being brutally honest. 

“I… I’m sorry,” Polly hiccupped. “Parker used to hate it when I cried too.”

“Why are you crying?” Chase asked, pulling away slightly to meet her gaze, her eyes still shiny with tears as he cupped her cheeks with his hands. “Are these good or bad?”

“Can they be both?” Polly asked, brushing her hands across her cheeks to rid them of tears. “It’s just… you’re here. You left home to fly here and… I don’t know, sweep me off my feet. It’s very ‘Pretty Woman’.”

“She was a cute redhead too,” Chase said easily. “I forgot to bring the limo, though.”

“How did you get here?”

“Called a cab.”

“Mm, sexy.”

“Shut up. I’m on a budget.”

Polly giggled, and then snuggled into his arms again, a wide grin splitting her face. “You’re here. I can’t… it means a lot, Chase. Really. My world is just kind of out of orbit at the moment, what with the man I have a crush on meeting my husband and all. That’s a little weird, particularly at like 8:16 on a Thursday morning.”

“I was trying to catch you before you went to work,” Chase said, his arms still around her. “And I’m sorry for altering your orbit. You have a crush on me?”

“Oh not that again,” Polly groaned and Chase laughed. “I’m not… it’s just a lot,” Polly said slowly. “I… in some ways, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I want, and in some ways, I’ve done nothing but obsessively check my email to see if you’d written to me. Or taken another blackmail type picture of Jack to torture me with. Thanks for that, by the way,” she said, and then shot him an alarmed look. “Wait - who’s taking care of Jack?!”

“He’s staying with Mae,” Chase said reassuringly. “He’s fine. He says hi.”

“Woof,” Polly replied, and Chase laughed.

“What now?” Chase asked after a moment, trying desperately to keep from pushing the hair out of her eyes and kissing the hell out of her right here in her husband’s driveway.

“I don’t know,” Polly replied honestly. “How long are you here?”

“How long do you need me here?”

Polly looked at him gravely. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Chase parroted. “I’ve had some time to think too, and here’s what I’ve got: I want you in my life, Polly Royston. I want you in my bed, in my house, in my life, in my dreams. I want us to be together, and I’ve fallen so hard for you, I’m not sure the bruise on my ass will ever go away. You have always been the girl for me, I was just too stupid to see it for too many years, but no more. I want you in whatever way I can have you – forever. What do you want?”

Polly started to cry again, silently this time, and Chase groaned. “Stop doing that, woman! It tears me apart…”

Polly smiled at him through the tears. “These are good tears. I’m pretty sure that was the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“Really?”

“Right up there with ‘wanna make out?’ from Seth Christensen when we were in seventh grade,” Polly teased, making Chase laugh.

“Niiiiice,” Chase said teasingly.

“Listen, and I mean this: the fact that you flew all the way here, that you were willing to face my husband – that means a lot to me. The words – well, that was just icing. Thank you.”

“Sooo…” Chase prodded gently. “Do you want me to stick around for a few days? Help you pack a bag? Go back home and leave you in peace? What?”

Polly took a deep breath then blew it out. “I’m going to need just another day or two. I have to talk to Matthew – really talk to him – it’s only fair after all our history together to make sure that…”

“That you’re making the right decision,” Chase nodded. “I understand.”

“I knew you would,” Polly replied. “Thank you.”

“You have my number – call me,” Chase said. “Day or night, and I’ll be there. I promise,” Chase said, leaning over and kissing her so softly, so gently, she could barely feel his lips on hers, and her heart ached with want for him.

“Well, that’s not fighting fair,” she whispered when he pulled away and Chase couldn’t help but smile at her.

“I’m staying downtown, so…” Chase trailed off, trying the break the sexual tension surging between them as they stared at each other.

“I’m… I’m heading to work – let me at least give you a ride back into the city. It’s the least I can do, what with you flying across the country and all,” Polly said with a wry grin.

“That totally scored me brownie points, right?” Chase asked, following her back up the driveway towards the house, surreptitiously admiring the long legs and perfect ass of little Polly Royston as she strode ahead of him. 

“Totally,” Polly concurred over her shoulder, and Chase pumped a fist.

“I definitely owe Parker a beer.”

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