Page 31 of #Starstruck

Zander followed me as I rooted through the hall closet looking for beach towels. “How are we going to get there? Mom took her car. We won’t all fit in yours.”

“Chase is going to pick us up.”

At that, Zia poked her head out of her room. She had a ballerina bathing suit, complete with an attached tutu, but she had put her head through one of the armholes, and it was all twisted. “Cheese? My Cheese is coming?”

“Yes, your Chase is coming,” I told her as I straightened out her suit and went to her room to find cover-ups for her and Zelda.

“I waits for him.”

Zia stood on the couch beneath the window in the family room. She pressed her face against the glass, watching the front yard.

I had Zander and Zane gathering up boogie boards and floaties while I retrieved Mr.Wriggles from the dryer. I added the stuffed animal to the growing pile in the family room.

“He here! He here!” Zia screamed, hopping up and down on the couch.

My heart ricocheted off my ribs, bouncing like Zia, until it landed in my throat. I couldn’t reprimand her for the furniture-jumping because I got it.

The doorbell rang, and I didn’t know who was more excited to see Chase: me or Zia.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“Hey, you,” he said, nearly blinding me with his smile.

Would I ever stop catching my breath when I saw him? I realized I had missed him and, surprisingly, felt a little emotional at being around him again. “Hi.”

“Cheese!” Zia threw herself around his legs. “My Cheese!”

“There’s my favorite girl!” he said, sweeping her into his arms. She giggled, delighted. It seriously made my heart flutter to see him being so adorable with my baby sister.

Even though I never would have admitted it to another person, I was also the teeniest bit jealous.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked, forcing me to tamp down my ridiculous reaction.

“All this stuff needs to go in your car. I’ll take care of the car seats.” I stepped out onto the porch, intending to grab the seats, but instead was distracted by how pretty he was and how good he smelled.

And how close together we stood. Close enough that every molecule in my body flooded with heat. “Hi.”

“You already said that,” he responded with a sexy smirk that made those same molecules explode. His blue eyes darkened.

“Cheese!” Zia demanded, smacking him on the shoulder. “You my Cheese. Not Zo-Zo’s.”

That made him laugh. “Someone’s staking her territory. Guess you should have shown some interest earlier.”

Shown some interest? I had so much interest in him I was practically a bank.

“You’re bringing all of this?” he asked as we went inside, and before I could formulate an awesome retort, he added, “You’ve got enough junk here for a small army. Were you planning on invading the beach?”

“Have you ever gone somewhere with four kids before? Trust me, it’s all necessary.”

I grabbed Zia’s and Zelda’s car seats and turned toward the driveway, surprised by what I saw. “You own a minivan?”

“I don’t own a minivan,” he responded, sounding offended. “I have many beautiful pieces of machinery, and I would not insult them by bringing something like that into my garage. I rented it. By myself. It was easier than I thought it would be. And I even remembered your tip about the gas icon and the arrow so I know the gas tank is on the driver’s side.” Now he sounded proud of himself, and I guessed he’d never rented a car on his own before.

It reminded me that despite my decade-long belief that I knew him, all those articles I’d read and interviews I’d devoured, none of the things he’d said were true. I didn’t know him.

But I would get to know him as he was getting to know me.

“Is it locked?” I asked.

---