Page 95 of #Starstruck

“And that is my cue to exit stage left,” Lexi said behind me. She pulled a DVD out of the player and left it in a case on the coffee table, and that was when I realized she’d been in on whatever this was.

Chase said, “Thanks,” and she nodded and gave me two thumbs up before she closed the door. Leaving us alone.

My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it. I wrapped my hands around my arms, afraid to say anything. Afraid I had somehow misunderstood what was happening.

He spoke first. “I know I’ve said it before, but I’m sorry you felt like I don’t trust you. I do.”

“I didn’t do it. I would never betray you.” The words slipped out.

“I know. I know you didn’t. One-F told me what happened. The thing is, even if you had? I don’t care. Because it doesn’t matter. You’re what matters.” He took a step closer to me, and I stayed put.

“That first night when you stayed over, I already knew I was in love with you. And it scared me to feel that way, but it was okay because it was you. I woke up with you in my arms, and it was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I want that. Every day. For the rest of my life. To fall asleep at night holding you and wake up to you every morning and everything that happens in between.”

Another step toward me.

“I wish I could promise to never hurt you again. But I’ll hurt you. And you’ll hurt me. That’s what happens when people love each other. What I can promise is to never act like such an idiot again. To trust you completely and never give you a reason to doubt me, either.”

One more step and we were almost touching.

“I am committed to you. I’m committed to us. You’ve made me want things I never thought I wanted. I want you to be my family. I want you to be the mother to a houseful of our kids. I want you to be my first and only love. I want you to be my wife.”

He got down on one knee, and even though I’d figured out where this was headed, it still made me gasp.

“You told me once that people get married because they have hope that they’ll get their happily ever after. That’s what I want with you. Zoe, will you marry me?”

He took out a light-blue ring box, opened it, and nearly blinded me with the massive diamond inside.

“Did you hire someone to write all that for you?” I asked in a whisper.

Chase rewarded me with a smile even brighter than the diamond. “No. That was all me. I wanted to come here and tell you everything you make me feel.”

I knelt down in front of him and wrapped my arms around his neck to hold him tight. He crushed me against him so firmly that for a second I couldn’t breathe.

I’d thought we didn’t have a future, but Chase had just offered me the best possible one. And I knew he meant every word he’d just said. This wasn’t some Band-Aid he was using to fix us. He loved me and wanted a life with me.

Just like I loved him and wanted a life with him. I knew our lives wouldn’t be perfect, but we would be perfect for each other, and that’s what mattered. As long as we trusted and loved each other, the rest of the stuff would work itself out. I would figure out a way to deal with the paparazzi and privacy invasions and harassing Internet trolls or him going on location.

Because I loved him, and he was worth anything I had to go through in order to be with him.

“You still haven’t given me an answer,” he said against my shoulder.

I leaned my head back and looked deep into the eyes of the man I loved so much. “Have you ever actually watched the show? You don’t give answers. It’s in the form of a question. And I say, what is yes?”

That made him laugh, and he pulled me into the most loving, amazing kiss I’d ever had in my life.

And as Lexi liked to say, the best kind of happy endings were the ones that also came with a gift.

We were married three months later. Chase didn’t see a point in waiting, and to be honest, neither did I. We hired a wedding planner, Madison LaRue, who charged us an arm and a leg because of the short notice, but she was famous among the Hollywood set for keeping everything private. And we both wanted that. A private day that was just for us and our loved ones.

Except for my immediate family, One-F, and Lexi, our other guests thought they were coming to a summer barbecue at Chase’s house. Chase’s mom sent her regrets, as she was on her honeymoon with Husband No. 10. But it meant our guests dressed casually, and it fit perfectly with what Chase and I wanted. Something low key and informal. Which made Madison nuts, as I kept vetoing her ideas (which included, among other things, swans, ice sculptures of us, fireworks, a gospel choir, and a fifty-piece orchestra). I did give in on the air-conditioned tents. I didn’t want to be sweaty and gross on my wedding day. Honestly, the details didn’t matter that much to me. I asked only that I have pink tulips, that she not go completely overboard, and we followed her lead. Even with the dress—I just said okay to the sketch Madison showed me.

Because it wasn’t the wedding that mattered. Only the marriage.

Right after we got engaged, a part of me had worried that my friends and family might hold a grudge. But when I forgave Chase, so did everybody else. Even Zia. After she’d hit him once as promised, she was good.

In fact, during the ceremony my mom had to pull her off Chase’s leg when she realized she was the flower girl and I was the one marrying him.

Zelda was the other flower girl, and Zander and Zane served as our ring bearers. Lexi was my maid of honor, and Chase asked One-F to be his best man. And that was the entire wedding party.

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