Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Noah
My phone screen lights up but I ignore it.
I’m so close to finishing the proposal I’m writing.
I just need twenty minutes, thirty max if there are no distractions.
It stops and starts again straight away.
I sigh, it’s definitely a distraction now.
Whoever it is, why can’t they text like a normal person?
I reach for it and see it’s my mum, which is odd at this time of day. Quickly I snatch the phone up.
“Hi, Mum,” I say as soon as she answers.
“Hi, Noah hun.”
“Is everything alright?” I can’t keep the worry from my voice. Has something happened to her or Dad?
“I was about to ask you the same thing.” Her voice sounds concerned.
“Me?” Nope, nothing wrong with me apart from needing to get my work finished.
“Yes, Chase called—”
“Chase?” My voice quivers and my chest goes tight. Has something happened to Chase instead? A thousand thoughts cram into my head of possible scenarios and I start to feel sick.
“He’s fine but he phoned me. He said that if he called you, you probably wouldn’t answer.” The tightness across my ribcage eases and my stomach settles that there’s nothing wrong with him.
“Yeah, that’s true.” I give a little laugh. Chase is definitely on the list of distractions while I’m trying to work.
“Noah, honey.” My mum's voice is the one she uses when I’ve done something wrong. “He said there was a dinner party tonight.”
“Yeah, Nate and Ru . . .” I look up and notice how dark it’s gotten outside.
Outside my office, the reception area is dark too.
Did Darren go home? I’d have noticed that surely?
“What time is it?” I whisper and peer at my laptop screen, my vision suddenly going blurry.
When I can focus again I see it’s seven thirty. Shit!
“Noah?” My mum’s voice still sounds concerned.
“Yeah, Mum. I had better go. Thanks for calling.” I end the call quickly and phone Chase with my stomach buzzing like a swarm of wasps. He answers within a second and I start talking before he can.
“Chase. I’m so sorry. I was working and completely lost track of time. I’ll be back soon. I’m just packing up now.” I hope he’s not mad at me.
“Noah, calm down.” His voice is soothing rather than angry and I take a deep breath. Maybe it’s not so bad. “Grant is on his way, he’ll be there in fifteen minutes. It’ll be quicker than the Tube.”
“Okay, thank you, and I am sorry,” I say. He doesn’t answer but I know he’s still there as I can hear talking in the background. Probably Nate and Ru. I’ve really messed up. “Are you mad at me?”
“No, sweetheart. I’m not mad, but we do need to talk.” There’s a tone in his voice I can’t recognise and it makes my skin cold and clammy.
“Okay,” I whisper. As soon as he ends the call I look down at my screen.
Maybe fifteen minutes is long enough to finish.
I get back to work. In the last month I’ve signed on four new clients, two of whom I’ve managed to get deals with one of the major houses.
This is for another. I finish and press send just as Grant knocks on my office door.
I throw my laptop into my bag and follow him downstairs.
Now I’m not focussed on work I start to worry about Chase’s words.
Needing to talk has always heralded really bad news.
Maybe he wants to break up with me. I know we haven’t seen much of each other recently, but I’ve been busy and he’s been working on his book.
Once I’m in the car, despite the worry, as soon as I lean back against the plush seats my eyelids start to droop.
I blink to keep them open and my eyes water slightly.
Perhaps I have been staring at my screen too long today.
The iron gates open and Grant drives right up to the front door.
Chase is opening it before I’ve gotten out of the car, and I stumble up the steps and into his arms.
“I’m sorry,” I utter when he pulls back to look at me. The frown I’ve seen a lot of recently is even more deeply etched on his face.
“I was worried about you,” he says in a tone that holds more concern than anger at me.
“So you called my mum?” I try to laugh but it falls flat.
“It worked, didn’t it?” His smile is brief before he’s ushering me through to the lounge where Nate and Ru are sitting.
“Hi, sorry I’m late.” I greet them. It sounds lame even to my ears. They make placating sounds, which I don’t really hear as the room starts to spin. A set of arms grab me before I fall.
I hear voices as I drift in and out. I barely catch a word or two, then silence, before I feel myself being lifted up. I don’t have the energy to protest. I just lean my head against the large chest, faintly registering that it’s too large to be Chase.
“Thank you,” I hear Chase say as I’m placed gently on a bed. “Tomorrow after breakfast, I’ve already told the crew.” I blink my eyes open and see it was Grant who carried me upstairs. Then Chase is kneeling before me.
“Hey,” he whispers with a small smile, smoothing my curls out of my face.
“Hey.” I try to sit up but he stops me.
“Don’t move, you’re not going anywhere.”
“But Ru and Nate,” I say, trying again to push myself up.
“They’ve gone home, you’re in no state to see them.
I’m going to undress you and you’re going to climb into bed and stay there until I say so.
” I feel too tired to put up any resistance.
He gently takes off my clothes and pulls the covers over me.
A few minutes later I feel the mattress dip and he joins me.
He pulls me close so my back is plastered to his chest and locks his arm around me. He kisses the back of my shoulder.
“You said we needed to talk,” I whisper into the darkness.
“Shhh, not now. When you’ve rested.” He adds another kiss.
“I thought you might want to break up with me,” I croak, and I feel him stiffen behind me. Does that mean I’m right? I can’t stand the not knowing, the agony of it. “You don’t have to let me down gently. You can just tell me.”
“Noah,” he says in a low voice that has me immediately shuffling around to face him.
“Sweetheart.” His voice cracks as he reaches up to cup my cheek and brushes a thumb across my lips. “I don’t want to break up with you. Far from it. I love you and want you in my life.”
“You love me?” It wasn’t the answer I was expecting.
“Yes, for far longer than I care to admit. But we need to make some changes. We can’t go on like this. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
He gathers me in his arms and I nuzzle into his neck, and although I still feel worried about what he wants to talk about, the warmth of his words wash over me.
“Chase?”
“Hmmm,” he murmurs.
“I love you too,” I whisper against his skin. He kisses the top of my head and holds me tighter as I drift off to sleep.
I fidget as the car speeds along the motorway.
“Are we going to the castle?” I say, and Chase smiles in that annoying way he has been all morning.
“Nope.”
I twist a little to try to see and guess where we are.
Chase grabs my hand, pulling it into his lap.
He strokes his thumb across the back of my hand.
It’s soothing and distracting. This morning hasn’t been the best so far.
I’m used to being in control, and so far Chase has told me we’re going away but not where.
“Why won’t you tell me?” I whine.
“Because I want it to be a surprise.” His smug expression doesn’t change.
“I’d planned to work this morning,” I grumble.
“I know, and that’s why we’re going away for a few days.”
“But you made me leave my laptop behind.” I remember he actually took it out of my hand.
“I’ve left mine too. No work for either of us.”
I stare out of the window. I guess I could manage a few days. It’s the weekend, so surely we’ll be back by Monday. Yes, I can do that.
The car pulls into a small airstrip and right up to a plane waiting for us.
“Is that yours?” I ask, climbing out of the car.
Chase looks proud as he puts a hand on the small of my back and guides me up the steps.
It’s amazing. I’ve never been in a private jet before, and it’s not at all what I expected. It looks like a living room with comfortable sofas. I go investigating and find a bathroom with a shower as well as a bedroom with a king-size bed.
“It’s a house with wings,” I exclaim, finding Chase settling onto one of the couches.
“Do you like it?” He invites me to sit next to him and I snuggle into him. Maybe this weekend will be fun. Grant joins us and then disappears into the cockpit as we take off. I snooze against Chase’s side, but I don’t think we’re in the air for long and are soon descending.
“Okay, can you tell me where we are now?” I look out the window. I can see mountains, a city, and a coastline with a beautiful blue sea beyond.
“Monaco,” he says simply.
“Monaco? You brought me to Monaco?” I look back out the window eagerly. A weekend in Monaco. Rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. Then I remember Chase is rich and mostly famous and a laugh escapes.
The plane comes to a stop and Grant is first out, striding across the airfield. He returns a few minutes later with a car and we climb in, then he drives us into Monaco while I almost have my nose pressed to the glass looking at the sights. He pulls up at a marina, next to a yacht.
“Also yours?” I ask as Grant takes our bags up the ramp.
“It’s time to start relaxing, sweetheart.” Chase takes my hand and leads me onto the boat, where he’s greeted by who I assume is the captain and two crew members. I shake their hands and go to stand by the rail, then I look over to where Grant is poised to leave the boat.
“See you in a week,” Chase says and Grant nods, walking away while the engines start up.
A week?! No. No! I march over to Chase who turns towards me with a smile.
“I can’t be away for a week.”