Chapter Twenty-Eight

Polly nearly shot out of her skin as she awoke to a huge weight on the bed beside her.

And a very wet tongue enthusiastically licking the end of her nose.

She shifted slightly and opened one eye to see Jack lying prone beside her on the bed, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, grinning at her. Despite herself, she giggled, and dug a hand into his thick fur and then scratched behind his ears. “Hiya, boy. I don’t suppose you left your master at home, did you?”

Chase cleared his throat from where he stood at the end of the bed. “Ouch. You only want me for my dog, huh? I knew you were after the wooddog…”

Polly smiled despite herself, and then struggled to free herself from the tangle of sheets and quilts around her. In sudden realization, she tried to smooth down her rumpled bed head and blinked a few times, trying to focus. “Here,” Chase said, handing her a pair of glasses from the bedside table. “I didn’t know you wore contacts.”

“Blind as a bat without them, actually. I just keep it a secret,” Polly said, clearing her throat slightly, and shifting around Jack’s considerable weight until she was more or less sitting up against the mountain of pillows against the headboard. “Please, do come in,” she said belatedly, and Chase choked out a small laugh.

“I knocked but no one answered, and since your car was here…” 

“I’m thinking of only taking visitors here in my boudoir, since you all just let yourself in anyway. I can be very Greta Garbo up here, and you all can just come upstairs to visit with me,” Polly said dramatically, still trying in vain to tame her hair.

“Ah. Mae was up here earlier, I take it?” Chase asked, shifting from foot to foot, his hands thrust in the pockets of his jeans. “We said hi, but mostly she just glared at me when Jack and I came up the forest trail and into the clearing by the cabins.”

“Yeah, she’s on Team Polly. No smiles for you,” Polly said lightly, trying to calm the butterflies that had suddenly taken flight in her stomach, though she really couldn’t imagine why...

“I didn’t know we were on separate teams,” Chase said, shifting to another foot again.

“We weren’t and then we were. Team Overloaded Estrogen and Team Clueless Neanderthal.”

“It’s pretty obvious which one Jack is on,” Chase said as Jack burrowed into the sheets beside Polly, his whole body pressed up against hers, snuffling happily as he settled down.

“I’m cuter,” Polly said.

“No argument there,” Chase said easily. “So, it occurs to me that I owe you an apology.”

“An apology?”

“A very contrite apology?”

“Contrite?”

“A begging, pleading, groveling apology?” Chase tried again.

“At least,” Polly retorted. “But I should also apologize for being, you know, female. And sensitive. And, you know, possessing emotions and stuff.”

“Yeah, being sensitive and emotional really sets you apart from other women.”

“Hey!” Polly argued, chucking one of her pillows at him, and Chase held up his hands in mock surrender even as he ducked the flying object.

“I’m kidding!” He said quickly. “Jeez!”

Polly mock glared at him, then allowed herself a small smile. “Okay, I apologize for being a girl. And acting all girl-like last night.”

“I like it when girls act like girls. Especially like naughty girls. But I digress…”

“You were about to grovelingly apologize,” Polly said, reminding him.

Chase took a few steps forward and perched himself on the side of the bed, nearer to Polly so he could truly meet her gaze over the sleeping form of his dog. “The long and the short of it is that my senior year of high school, I wasn’t myself. At least, not a myself I’m proud of. I drank, I slept around, I ditched homework, I didn’t work at anything, and I just wanted to have a good time. You got pulled into the maelstrom I was making of my life, and I apologize. I feel like I’ve atoned for a lot of the stupid things I did then by becoming a better man through the SEALs, by taking care of my mom, by just generally being a pretty good member of society, but I can’t atone for any of the girls I might have hurt, and to know that one of them was you upsets me more than I care to admit.”

Polly bit her lip, the butterflies still dancing around her belly. “Thank you,” she whispered. “That means a lot.”

“You said before that I didn’t notice you when we were growing up,” Chase continued, and Polly nodded.

“You didn’t. It was always about you and Parker,” Polly replied simply, matter of factly.

“That’s not true. I always noticed you. Always. And whether I remember it or not, I’m sure there was a reason I gravitated to you that night. You always were home to me, Pols; you were always somewhere safe. You didn’t judge me, or make fun of me, or anything. You were just… there for me. You and Parker, and your folks too. I didn’t deserve friends like that, but I’m grateful for them just the same.”

“Thank you,” Polly said softly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t remember that it was you that night, that we… you know, slept together. It obviously was a big deal, and for me to have forgotten it, well, that sucks.”

“Oh, eloquently put,” Polly said wryly. “I’m sorry I got so overwrought about it, but it kind of, you know, stung when you didn’t even remember it. It was just such a pivotal moment of my life…”

“Why? Because you were finally getting a dose of my manly body?” Chase asked, going for a laugh but not getting one.

“No, because you were my first dose of any manly body,” Polly said, looking down at the sheets she was crumpling and uncrumpling in her hands, unwilling to meet his gaze, and unwilling for him to see the blush rushing to her cheeks.

“Um, what?” Chase asked in confusion. “What did you say?”

“You were my first, Chase,” Polly whispered. “Okay? Let’s not make a big deal out of it.” 

“I… I was?”

“Well, who else would it have been?” Polly shot back. “Guys weren’t exactly clamoring to date me, and I had that stupid schoolgirl crush on you. Who else would it have been?”

“I…”

“Oh my god, this has got to be the single most embarrassing conversation I’ve ever been in,” Polly said, finally releasing the sheet clenched in her hands. “I was overly emotional about the past, it was blurring my emotions about the present, but now we’re all on the same page, so let’s move on. Please.”

Chase was silent for a long moment before he reached over and took one of her hands. “I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice soft and husky. “I’m sorry for a lot of things I did, but especially for this. And for it to have been your first time on top of that. If I made you feel… if I made you feel any less worthy and wonderful than you are, then that’s inexcusable. You deserved – deserve – better. And I’m sorry.”

“I feel like an idiot for making a big out of it,” Polly said contritely.

“I feel like an idiot for not remembering what we were making a deal out of in the first place,” Chase shot back, and Polly finally laughed in earnest.

“Thank you for apologizing. It wasn’t exactly begging and pleading, but it was vaguely groveling. Thanks.”

“You forgive me?” Chase asked, his eyes meeting hers in silent pleading.

“I do,” Polly said simply. “Thank you.”

“Good, then can you get out of bed, or Jack is going to lay here with you all day and never get on with his wooddog training,” Chase said and Polly laughed even as he took both her hands and pulled her up and out of bed.

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