Page 34 of The Gunnery Sergeant's Ready-Made Family

“Yes.” Chase hated the way that sounded.

“Without even seeing me again?”

“Yes.” Chase was ashamed to admit it, but he knew that if he wanted any chance at all with Stevie, he had to be completely honest from now on.

“And now,” Stevie prompted. “Is that what you still want Chase?”

Chapter Twenty-Two

The question ricocheted around in Chase’s head. Was that what he wanted?

“When you just left after I told you about Kyle, I thought I was because you blamed me as well, and even though I had expected you to, the actual act of you walking away was gut-wrenching, Stevie. I thought I knew why you had done it, and I respected that, I really did, but it made me realise that I didn’t want to ever hurt you again, I didn’t want to put you in that situation again, where I was responsible for you hurting. I couldn’t stand that, knowing that it had been me to make you feel that way. it was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, Stevie, leaving that night, leaving you and Ranger and Finn, leaving my family, but I also felt that it was the right thing to do. This has been the longest week of my life, Stevie, staying away from you. At first, I managed to convince myself that it was for the best, that I was doing you a favour by leaving you alone, that it was the kinder option, but as the week went on, I was forced to admit to myself that I was avoiding you for my own reasons because I didn’t want to face you again, I couldn’t face you again, because I was so ashamed of what I had done, and I was scared of what I would see when I looked in your eyes.”

“We have both made mistakes, Chase, neither one of us is perfect, it is only through God’s love and His grace, that we may be redeemed.” Chase couldn’t argue with her there.

“Our life together wasn’t a lie, Stevie,” Chase acknowledged something Stevie had said earlier, “every single thing we did together or with Ranger and Finn was done from a place of friendship, respect, and love. It wasn’t a lie. And to hear you say that you loved me too, to actually hear you say the words I never thought that I would hear from you, I just, I have, I’m speechless, Stevie. I didn’t want to divorce you, Stevie, but it was the only way I could see to make everything better for you. I never imagined that you would ever feel the same way about me, I broke our agreement, our marriage was never meant to be about our feelings, it was meant to be about securing the future of Ranger and Finn, and of forming a union that would be based on friendship and respect. I thought that by telling you that my feelings had changed, it would signal a shift in our relationship. I never wanted you to feel uncomfortable, or think that you had to somehow fulfil all of your marriage vows simply because I had developed feelings. So I thought this would give you a safe way out, it would still provide for you and Finn and Ranger, but you wouldn’t have to have me around.”

“Chase! Don’t say that,” Stevie admonished him, “I want you around.”

“You do?” His eyes probed hers, seeing only the truth reflected there, truth and love.

“I do.”

“I don’t want to get divorced, Stevie,” Chase answered her earlier question. “In fact, I have a much better idea.”

Taking a deep breath, Chase did what he knew he should have done a long time ago. Dropping to his knee, he took Stevie’s hand in his own, the sights and sounds around them all melted away until it was just him and Stevie standing there under the light of a thousand stars.

“Stevie, I love you, I am in love with you. I love the way you care so selflessly for Ranger and Finn, the way you work so hard to keep the memory of their parents alive for them, despite the pain it costs you. I love the way you live your life based on faith, I love your community-mindedness and your creativeness. I love the way you laugh, how you scrunch your nose up when you are thinking, and your taste in dogs. I love Ranger and Finn as if they were my own flesh and blood and I have been so blessed that you have allowed me to be a part of this journey with you. You are my dearest friend, the person I want to speak most to each day, and the only person I want to grow old with. I have nothing to give you, Stevie, no ring, no token of my love for you. All I have are words. Stevie, will you do me the honour of marrying me? Again, and properly?” Chase smiled up at the love of his life, certain that she would say yes.

“Yes,” she whispered, tears rolling down her face. He rose and pulled her close, wiping away her tears and kissing her on the forehead.

“I love you, Chase.”

“I love you, Stevie.” Chase looked down into Stevie’s eyes, a slow smile forming on his lips. Cupping her face in his hands, he moved his mouth closer to hers, loving the way her eyes fluttered shut. With a soft sign, Chase brought his mouth down on Stevie’s, breathing in the heady scent of apples and jasmine that was intrinsically Stevie. suddenly aware of clapping all around them, Chase pulled back from Stevie, not prepared for something so private to become something so public.

“Shall we go and tell my parents?” Chase smiled, tucking Stevie up against his side. They didn’t get a chance to tell his parents, they flew out of Annette’s Diner as soon as they saw them through the window, racing over to embrace them both, tears running down his mother’s face, his father’s face split with a broad smile.

“Is it true, please say it's true?” His mother ambushed Stevie.

“We saw you through the window, on bended knee, it was all I could do to hold your mother back until now,” his father added.

“Oh, hush you,” his mother shooed his father, “I want to hear it from Stevie. did you say yes, please tell me you said yes?”

“I said yes,” Stevie confirmed, before being swallowed up once again by his mother’s hug.

“Come inside, I reserved us a table,” his father said, turning and walking back towards the diner, Stevie and his mother following closely behind. Shrugging, Chase followed them to the table in question, currently laden down with a variety of dishes and mugs.

“Feeling hungry Dad?” Chase joked, sliding into the booth next to Stevie.

“Ha ha, very funny, they aren’t all for me.”

“Then who?” Chase snared a fry and popped it in his mouth. He would miss food like this while he was deployed.

“You’ll see,” his father answered cryptically, copying Chase and popping a fry in his mouth. Chase linked his free hand with Stevie’s on the table top, not wanting to let her go even for a second, conscious of the very little time he had left before he had to deploy. He wished with every fibre in his being that he hadn’t acted so rashly, that he had taken some time before redeploying, but what was done was done, there was no changing it now.

“Chase!” The sound of Ranger's sweet voice cut through the din of the diner, as slipper clad feet raced to reach them. Chase looked at Stevie in surprise, getting a shrug back in reply, she was as confused as he was.

“I called Nikki,” Chase’s mother spoke from behind them, “when I saw the two of you embrace. I didn’t think you would want to miss out on seeing your boys before you deployed.”

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