Chapter Twenty-Six
CHASE
One Week Later
Hauling the last box from the moving van, I realize the weight of it is nothing compared to the satisfaction settling in my chest. Petey barrels toward me, his paws scrambling on the tile as he nearly takes me out at the knees.
I grunt, shifting my weight just in time, then glance down with a smirk.
Little man thinks he’s part of the muscle now.
Behind me, Lyric steps through the front door, Polly perched on her shoulder, wings tucked and head bobbing as he surveys the new space. She’s glowing and sweaty from the move, her hair a little messy, but she’s got that look in her eyes. The one that says we’re building something real here.
I set the box down on the kitchen counter, the thud echoing through the space that already feels more like home, now that she’s in it.
She crosses the room, Polly chirping cussing nonsense in her ear, and heads straight for the setup we built together last week.
Bigger, flashier, and sturdy as hell, it’s positioned in the corner by the window where Polly can run his mouth at the world all day long.
I watch them for a beat, soaking it in, the way she moves through my house, confident, unafraid, like she’s always belonged here.
Because she has.
She just didn’t know it until now.
“Rawrr… feed me, feed me.”
Lyric groans. “Geez, we’re here all of thirty seconds, and he’s made himself at home.”
She hands him a slice of apple, and he promptly spits it out to the floor, where Petey quickly takes advantage of the free food. She glances at me, so I walk over to them and hand Polly a slice of apple. He takes it and begins to munch away.
“Good boy,” I run my finger along his feathers.
Lyric throws her hands in the air. “You’re an asshole, Chase.” Her tone doesn’t match the happy expression on her face.
I reach out, grabbing her around her waist, and pull her to me. “Yeah, but this asshole belongs entirely to you.”
Her hands slide up my sides and straight into my hair as she sways us from side to side. “Hmm… so does this mean I can do with you whatever I please then… oh, asshole of mine?”
“Anything you like, Starlight.”
“Good, then I need you to unpack my steamer ’cause I have a hankering for cauliflower rice tonight.” She pulls apart from me, slaps my ass, then walks over to the piles of boxes on the counter and starts rifling through them.
I groan, my hard cock going to waste. “You’re in full house-set-up mode, aren’t you?”
She grabs a vase and looks around, as if trying to figure out where to place it. “Yes. You asked me to move in. So, now, I’m here to take over. You asked for it, Chase. I hope you’re prepared for this.”
My chest warms as she walks down the steps into the living room and places the vase on the counter. She swivels it into position, then walks back over to grab some more of her stuff.
I don’t care what she does.
It was just a place where I lived.
It never felt like home to me anyway.
Now it’s ours.
She continues to move about, putting her bits and pieces everywhere, daring me with her eyes to make a fuss about what she’s doing. The thing is, it’s only making me love her more. The thought of Lyric being here makes my heart so full.
Over the next couple of hours, we unpack and set everything up.
Petey’s good to go with his beds, bowls, toys around the house, and a kennel in the backyard.
Polly’s cage is crazy big, and he’s settled for the night after swearing up a storm every time we walked past him. I’m going to love having him here.
And now we’re about to rest on the sofa in the sunken living room and continue to binge-watch our favorite show. We both fall to the sofa, completely spent after a day of moving.
Lyric feels too close to her home, and she doesn’t want to sell it.
So, we are keeping it and renting it out for now.
In the meantime, Lyric is going to get the garden over here in better shape.
It’s fine the way it is, but it could do with some color, and Lyric’s just the woman to make that happen.
I’ve given her free rein. She can do anything she wants—inside and out.
The first thing we’re doing this weekend is painting the inside walls.
White doesn’t do it for her, so I’m stepping out of my comfort zone, and we’re changing up the color scheme.
It won’t be bright and fancy like her home, but some lovely pastels will add color to these walls.
I think this place is going to be a mesh of us both by the time we’re through with it.
Just as I move to flick on the television, the doorbell rings, and I glance at Lyric in question. “Did you order dinner? I thought you were making that disgusting cauliflower rice?”
She snorts, slapping my chest. “It’s not disgusting, but no, I didn’t order anything. You expecting someone?”
I rise from the couch with a heavy groan, already irritated.
You’d think by now someone would have come up with a robot to answer the door so I could stay exactly where I was comfortable, on the sofa, where I wanted to stay.
“Nope,” I mutter under my breath, dragging myself across the floor in nothing but a pair of sweatpants, because that’s what comfort looks like, before whoever’s knocking decides to ruin it.
I press my eye to the peephole, expecting maybe a neighbor or some courier, but instead my gut twists. My brows shoot up as my father’s face comes into view, followed closely by my mother’s unmistakable smile.
Fuck me sideways.
With a deep exhale to steady the mix of disbelief and fresh irritation surging through me, I gently tap my head against the door, questioning if I can pretend not to be home.
But instead, I let out a small groan and then swing the heavy timber door open, wishing I didn’t have that polite filter in me.
I wish I were a real asshole sometimes.
I could be buried deep inside Lyric right now.
Hell, or even just chilling back on the sofa with her.
“Dad? Mom?” The words scrape from my throat, flat and sharp. They’re both grinning, as if this is some sweet surprise. My old man extends his hand, acting like we didn’t just blow past days of strained silence, and my mother leans in to kiss my cheek, already scanning the place with curious eyes.
“CJ,” Dad says, voice warm but a little too performative. He lifts a bottle of champagne, some welcome-to-the-neighborhood gesture no one asked for.
I take his handshake because I was raised right, even if I’d rather be anywhere but here dealing with this uninvited drop-in. My jaw tightens as Mom chirps, “We wanted to welcome Lyric properly. Figured it was time.”
Yeah. Figured.
Could have figured it out with a damn phone call.
I tense all over. Dammit! If Dad’s here to try and sign her again, I swear to God I’m going to lose it.
“Thank you,” Lyric’s kind voice echoes from behind me. “Sorry, I’m not dressed for this occasion. We didn’t know you were coming,” she offers as she approaches, wearing one of my long LA Rams jerseys, which barely covers her panties.
Mom steps forward, pulling Lyric into a tight embrace. “Oh, my dear, it’s so good to meet you finally. It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing… you’re simply stunning. And honestly, honey, I’d kill for those legs.”
Lyric blushes, pulling the shirt down a little to try to cover herself. “Thank you, that’s so nice of you to say.”
Mom links her arm with Lyric’s. “I only speak the truth. Now c’mon, let’s go into the living room and talk all about how you met my son. I want to hear every fine little detail.”
“I’ll meet you in the living room, I’m gonna put on some pants,” Lyric says through a giggle.
Mom chuckles, shooing Lyric off with her hand. She rushes down the hall while Mom heads for the living room.
I turn to Dad, exhaling. “You honestly came here to talk about how we met?”
Dad closes the door behind him. “Your mother and I realized that with Lyric moving in here today, you guys are getting serious. The one time I met her, I made a terrible impression. I want to fix that, and your mother wants to meet her so badly. You know how she adores you. She was desperate to meet the woman who’d captured your heart. ”
I narrow my eyes on him. “So, you’re not here to convince Lyri to sign with Ego Star?”
Dad scoffs. “Hell, no. That ship sailed. I know she doesn’t want that. I know you don’t want that. I respect your decision, son. I respect you.”
My stomach twists.
I’ve never heard Dad say anything like that before.
“I just want you to know I only did what I did because she’s worth it. She is a star.”
I dip my head in acknowledgment, because deep down, I know she could be something amazing. “I know she is, Dad. But sometimes just because you don’t see the brightest stars, it doesn’t mean they don’t shine.”
Dad reaches out, grabbing my arm. “I know. It’s just a shame to let her shine where no one can hear.”
My chest swells. “Lyri doesn’t need to shine for anyone but herself. She grew up seeing what that life can bring you. She doesn’t need it. She doesn’t want it.”
He dips his head. “And I get that now. I’m sorry, son. I’m sorry I came after her the way I did. I should have run it by you first.”
Warmth fills my chest, finally hearing him acknowledge his mistake. “Thank you.”
“I just want to get to know the woman who moved into my son’s home. The woman who has single-handedly changed you.”
“Then come on in, Dad. Come and meet Lyric. She’s a florist. She’s an animal lover. She’s the kindest, most caring, slightly eccentric woman of my dreams, and I’m deeply and madly in love with her.”