Center Chase

Chapter 23

Chase

She isn't saying anything. Shit, does she hate it? Did I overdo it?

Way to go, Chase. Screw everything up by trying too hard.

She turns and looks at me, and by some miracle, a huge smile spreads across her gorgeous face. She still hasn't said anything, but at least she's smiling. Her head turns back to the surprise I have set up for her here on the rooftop.

I had a photoshoot here several months ago. The owners set up a garden throughout the year, changing things up as the seasons come and go. Right now, it's set up to look like a winter wonderland, complete with small evergreen trees dusted with fake snow to give off an authentic snowy paradise look.

There are trees with bare branches lining the edge of the space, also dusted with white that are decorated with strings of fairy lights. They've set up several patio heaters so that even standing here at night, you can't feel the bite of the cool night air. And right in the center of everything is a glass dome that is currently decorated with layer upon layer of cushions, blankets, and various sized candles.

I paid the owners for exclusive access to the space for the night and threw in extra to have them set up the dome with the current décor. I made sure to give them a heads up when we left the restaurant so they could come up to light the candles for us. They even set out wine and chocolate-covered strawberries that I ordered especially for this night.

"So, what do you think?"

She looks at me with glossy eyes. "It's amazing! Seriously, you set this whole thing up for us?"

I breathe a sigh of relief and smile down at her. "Yeah, I wanted everything to be special."

She shakes her head and covers her mouth, trying to hide her still-growing grin. "This is incredible, Chase."

I reach for her hand and give it a quick squeeze before pulling her down to the cozy mountain of blankets. She lets out a slight squeak as she lands gracefully next to me.

I pour two glasses of red wine and offer one to Lindsey. She takes the glass from me and starts to take a sip, still marveling at the scene that surrounds us.

"I still can't believe you did all of this."

My head turns her way as I finish my own sip. She's staring back at me with awe and something else...I can't quite put my finger on it.

"I wanted to do something special for you. To show you how important you are to me."

Pink slowly starts to spread over her cheeks. "You're special to me too, Chase."

She takes another slow sip of wine before setting her glass down. She looks nervous.

Why is she nervous?

Before I have a chance to ask, she says, "I really want this night to be memorable."

She starts inching closer to me, so I set my glass next to hers. There's barely an inch of space between us. "Chase, do you think it's warm enough for us to ditch the coats?"

"Uh-huh." Just being in her proximity, I can hardly come up with a coherent sentence.

Her lips twitch, and she slides her coat off of her shoulders. I follow suit and remove my jacket, setting both off to the side. She kicks off her heels and curls up against my chest. I'm supporting my weight with one hand as I wrap my other around Lindsey's waist. She tilts her head up, angling so that it only takes one short movement for our lips to meet.