Page 132 of Chasing Lyric
It doesn’t get any better than this.
Her finger gently runs circles over my chest as we lie together in comfortable silence. I’ve never felt more at home inmy home.
I guess my home is wherever Lyric is.
Her head slowly shifts up, her warm eyes boring into mine as I continue to run my fingers up and down her bare arm, and she exhales. “We both messed up. But if we can get through this, we can get through anything.”
My lips turn up in a smile. “Lyri, I don’t want to be apart from you. I had a realization earlier, and it gave me an idea, one I’d really like to run by you.”
Her eyes narrow on me as she pulls her lips into a tight, thin line. “Mm-hmm.”
“Wherever you are… that’s home for me. I can’t do this life without you. Being apart only made that clearer. And if we’re laying it all out, then there’s something else I need to come clean about.”
She shifts against my chest, her gaze sliding down to mine. “Anothersecret?”
I let out a slow breath, my jaw ticking with anxiety. “Sort of. When we weren’t talking, I couldn’t handle the silence. Couldn’t handle not being near you. So yeah… during the day sometimes,I’d sneak into your backyard, toss a ball for Petey, and feed Polly through the window.” Her expression stays unreadable, but I keep going, because she deserves the whole truth. “And other times at night… I’d sit out front, under your bedroom window, waiting until you finally went to sleep. To make sure you were okay. That you weren’t falling apart, it was theonlything that kept me sane.”
She sinks back down on my chest, but her eyes lock on me. The corner of her mouth twitches slightly into a smile.
Not what I was expecting.
“I know,” she simply states.
I jerk back in complete shock. “Wait!What?”
She leans down, pressing a light kiss on my lips, then pulls back. “I saw traces of apple in Polly’s cage, and I knew he wasn’t getting it from me. It all started clicking into place… the footprints outside in the garden, the noises outside my window, the sexy-as-sin dogsitter Mrs. McIntosh kept talking to me about. Plus, today, Polly kept repeating,‘love her.’” I let out a small laugh. “I knew, Hallmark. I just didn’t wantyouto know that I knew. It made it easier knowing you were still with me in some small way.”
I move my hands to her bare ass and grip tighter, pulling her closer to me. She lets out a small moan. “You saucy little minx. Were you playing me?”
“You were stalking me! It’s a felony to stalk people, you know?”
“You trying to send me back to prison, Starlight?”
She leans in, pressing her lips to mine softly. “Hmm… maybe. I have a thing for orange jumpsuits.”
I groan, rocking my hips into hers. “Don’t even joke about that. We’re moving off-topic.”
She kisses me again. “And what topic is that?”
I chuckle. “That I don’t want to be without you. Here’s the deal…”
She pulls back, her eyes focusing in on me, taking on a more serious expression. “We’re making a deal?”
“We touched on this before, but this time, it’s happening. No more waiting. Either you, Polly, and Petey are moving into my place, or I’m moving into yours. And honestly, I’ve got zero problem with that, because your house already feels more like home than mine ever did. The point is, I need to be with you, Lyri. With you and our boys.”
Her eyes shimmer as she bites her bottom lip, the emotion behind her question catching in her voice. “Our boys?”
I reach out and brush her hair behind her ear, letting my hand linger. “Yeah. Polly, Petey, you, and me. That’s a family.Our family. And we should be under one roof, where we belong.”
She suddenly shifts, slipping off my lap and settling beside me. The air thickens. I move with purpose, careful not to crowd her but not pulling away either. I’ve just gotten her back, I’m not about to mess this up by rushing her, but I won’t pretend I don’t want it.
Because I do.
Badly.
When she takes my hand, my chest loosens just enough. A single tear slides down her cheek, and I lean in, wiping it away. But the tension’s already curling in my gut, making me want to hurl.
She turns to face me, serious now. “Chase, I moved out of Beverly Park to get away from the music lifestyle. Or maybe I should say…that lifestyle.”
