Chapter 31-3

"Fuck, Chase. Could you not see it?" I question as I turn around, feeling so damn helpless. Chase gives me a blank stare and I burst, "I was ruining your life!" His eyebrows furrow, "What?" "I was so fucking in love with you that I couldn't even see what it was doing to you. You were skipping classes and failing assessments to see me. Thomas said you were giving up on important deals at his architecture firm. Million dollar fucking deals, Chase." I explain as Chase stands there processing everything I was saying. "I couldn't stay with you knowing that your life was falling apart because of me." Chase, frustrated, runs a hand through his hair, "Who fucking cares about what he s—" "He gave me three-hundred thousand to break up with you." I say and Chase instantly freezes, "I didn't take it. I would never take it. But he said if I didn't leave you, he'd fire you and leave you with nothing. Chase...he fucking threatened Penn and I by telling me about his connections with the education board of my university." It was the one thing I had never told anyone. He had not only come after me, but Penn who wasn't even fucking apart of this. He just knew how important she was to me. Penn would only worry more and she had so much on her plate already. I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly feeling cold, "I had no choice." Chase remains silent for a few moments. There was a slightly breeze that passes through the inclosed garden and I glance up at the night sky. There were so many stars; all standing witness to the shitshow that was my life. "I'm going to kill him." Chase mumbles under his breath as he grabs a hold of his chin, "I'm going to fucking kill him." I drop my arms from around me, "Chase, you can't." "He took you from me, Hayden!" Chase exclaims, sounding so desperate and helpless, "He knew you were the one thing that was fucking keeping me alive and he took you from me. I lost you." "You haven't lost me." I say softly as I meet his tender gaze "I love you so fucking much that I was willing to live with a broken heart then see your life shattered. You had an amazing future a head of you and you were talking to some other girl so it made it easy for m—" "There was no other girl!" Chase groans heavily, "Fuck, I don't even know why I said there was. Maybe it was to make me feel better for not growing some fucking balls and that fact that I didn't even fight to keep you." I frown in confusion, "What? "Jones, don't you get it? You're the only one who has made me feel like this. You will always be the only one." He says with and expression that was so heartbreaking. "I feel so fucking stupid for letting him get between us." "Hey, all of this is on me, Chase. Absolutely none of this is your fault."  I say as I walk forward. I reach out and cup his cheek gently, "If we stayed together, I didn't want you to wake up in ten fifteen years and realise that staying with me was the worst mistake you had ever made because I knew deep down that it would be true." "That's my decision to make, Hayden." Chase says as he takes a gentle hold of my wrist. The pad of his thumb begins to caress my skin as his other hand curls around my waist and pulls me against him. He lowers his lips to mine and whispers, "You don't have to be in control all the time." "Yes I do." I tell him as his gazes flickers up from my lips to my eyes, "It terrifies the fuck out of me if I'm not. I'm instantly brought back to the time I couldn't stop my father from leaving or to the time when I couldn't help my mother when she was crying in pain from the cancer. When I'm not in control, I am brought back to when I was kidnapped by Luke." Chase listens silently to my words, taking everything in as tears brim at the corner of my eyes. He leans his face into my touch and my heart squeezes. "But the reason it terrifies me the most is because it makes me remember the time I couldn't stop you from getting shot." I say as my gaze mindlessly glances at his shoulder, "You almost died because of me, Chase. So I thought the least I could do was try to make your future better." "I don't want a future if you're not in it." Chase mumbles as his lips brush against mine in a soft kiss. He then whispers, "Come back to me, Hayden. Please." I wrap my other arm around Chase's neck as I pull his face to mine and press my lips to his. Our mouths moved together slowly, nothing rushed or hurried. His tongue ran across my bottom lip before meeting mine and I moan out against him. I always get so fucking horny whenever we have such emotional conversation and lie all our scars and vulnerabilities out in the open. I pull back when I needed air, "I love you." "I love you." Chase whispers back as he gives me one more peck on the lips. He then smirks cheekily at me, "I really fucking wish your dress was so long." "Of course you do." I chuckle before a surprised gasps escapes my lips as Chase squeezes my ass in his palm. "I hope you know I'm making it my job to make you horny everyday we spend together." He scoffs, "Like you don't do that already." I laugh lightly as I take his hand in mine and turn away from him. I lead him over to the fountain where he leans back against the white marble. The trickling water sounded so peaceful as I step between his open legs. I smile down at him and place my hands on his shoulders as he reaches up and holds on to my waist. "I've been wanting to tell you all of this for so long." I whisper as Chase stares up at me with a soft smile. "I'm so sorry, Everett." "Don't ever apologise for what that fucking asshole made you do." Chase says as he leans forward and rests his forehead against my lower stomach, "You're finally here with me. That's all that matters right now." "Okay." I smile as I lean down and kiss the top of his head. I then feel Chase's hand slide down onto my ass where he rests them. I can't help but laugh, "What are you doing?" "I'm taking what I can get, Jones." Chase smirks as he glances up at me, "You have no clue how fucking crazy I'm going seeing you in this dress." I glance down, seeing the bulge in his suit pants and grin, "I could take guess." We laugh together lightly as I hear the french doors to the garden open from behind. I turn slightly to see who was coming out and Chase tilts his head so he could see as well. Emily stumbles to a stop as she stares at us with wide eyes, one hand still holding on to the open door. Well damn