The Chase, Volume 4 Read online

  But before our lips met, I moved away. “I can’t, Dean.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Dean

  Her words sent a shock wave through my system and I wondered if I’d heard them correctly. “What do you mean? I thought…”

  She shook her head. “So much has happened recently, Dean. I wonder if…”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks, and I felt my chest tighten in fear for what she'd say next.

  I grabbed her arms. “I’m sorry for everything that’s happened, baby. But we can make this work.”

  She slowly pushed me away and met my gaze with somber eyes. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, Katherine’s right about one thing.”

  “What?” I was completely shocked by her words.

  “There are some facts that we will never be able to change. The fact that she’s my sister. The fact that you’ve slept with her. The fact that you’d loved her so deeply, that when she broke up with you, you refused to be in a relationship for over ten years.”

  “That’s all in the past, Blair.” I needed her to know that I don’t love Katherine anymore. “What I felt for her doesn’t stand a chance to how I feel about you.”

  “Tell me this, Dean. If she wasn’t a bitch to me, and we had became close sisters, would you have been okay with that? Would you have been able to appreciate her as my sister?”

  “I…” I was taken aback by her questions. It wasn’t something I’d thought about.

  “Would you have forgiven her for all the things she’d done to you?”

  I knew she wanted the truth, and I was tired of lying to her. I looked away. “I don’t know.”

  “You’ve been holding on to so much anger and resentment against her for over ten years. I don’t think that just goes away over night.”

  “But that doesn’t change how I feel about you,” he insisted.

  “But it changes how I feel about us.” I watched her fight back her tears as she tried to hold it together. “I’m still trying to accept and move on from the fact that she’s your ex.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. She was right. I couldn’t change any of these facts.

  “Dean, since the first moment we met, it’d seemed like life has been trying to pull us apart. Maybe we don’t work.”

  “Don’t say that,” I begged.

  “You know, when I was younger and got my heart broken by a guy, my Dad had said something to me that has stayed with me. He said, ‘You can’t force love. You can’t control the future. But you deserve the best in life. So if the time is not right, then move on. Second best is never enough. You’d do much better on your own.’” I turned to meet Dean’s gaze. “Those words stuck with me all these years, and it holds true more so than ever. People always say that timing is everything when it comes to relationships. And it’s been pretty clear from the very moment we met that timing has never been right for us. Something or someone was always just around the corner to break us apart. So...maybe it’s time for us to move on...from each other.”

  “No, Blair. I think we should talk about this.”

  She tried to force a smile but more tears fell down her flushed cheeks. “What else is there to say, Dean? I want all of you, Dean. But I don’t think you can give it to me right now.”

  “That’s not true,” I argued, but a part of me wondered if she was right. I had never truly let go of what Katherine had done to me over ten years ago, and the pain and anger has stayed with me all this time.

  “Even if it’s not true, even if you could move on from your anger for Katherine and be okay that she’s my sister, I’m not sure I can move on from the fact that she’s your ex.”

  I wanted to tell her that I loved her, but fear held me back. I could tell from the expression on her face that she’d made up her mind.

  “Maybe it’s not meant to be.” Her voice was soft and pained.

  My chest constricted and I found it hard to breathe. A heaviness was in the air as we stared at each other in the still, tense silence. There was nothing left to say.

  Finally she broke the trance between us and kissed me gently on the cheek. “Goodbye, Dean,” she whispered in my ear, and I felt her hot tears wet my face.

  Unimaginable pain paralyzed me and I couldn’t seem to speak. My stomach lurched with regret and agony as I watched as she walked out of my life.

  EPILOGUE

  Dean

  THREE YEARS LATER

  Today was a day I’d been waiting for as long as I could remember. It was a day I’d dreamt about for so long. It was a day I’d worked my ass off for during the past eight years.

  Today, I became a partner at William & Sutter LLP.

  I had once thought that when today came, I’d have everything I’d ever wanted.

  I would feel elated.

  I would feel proud.

  I would finally be the happiest person in the world.

  But I was wrong. I’d never felt more empty than I had today.

  It was early evening and I’d left my celebration party early. It was hard to smile and laugh when I felt none of it. When I made partner today, I finally realized that it wasn’t the thing I wanted the most in life.

  I was ready to go home, so I walked aimlessly around the city, watching all the happy people pass me by. I envied them.

  I blinked and realized that I was in a grocery store. I wasn’t sure how I got here, but there I was, standing in front of a stand of peaches. Suddenly, a figure with long chestnut curls ahead caught my eye.

  When I looked toward the figure, my chest tightened. Her back was turned to me, but I knew it was her. I saw the infinity tattoo on her wrist and I could smell a hint of her light floral perfume in the air.

  The sight of her made my heart soar with more joy and happiness than I’d ever felt.

  “I’m sure yours taste a lot juicier than those peaches,” I said, loud enough for her to hear.

  She froze. After a few agonizing seconds, she turned around to face me. She smiled, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

  “Hi, Dean.”

  “Oh God, Blair, it’s so great to see you.”

  “You too, Dean. You look great, too.”

  The moment I’d seen her, I knew that I needed her in my life, I knew I needed to tell her everything. Then I had a thought.

  “Hey, I’ll be right back! Give me 30 seconds. Promise me, you’ll stay right here, okay?”

  “Okay, sure.” She nodded, her brows furrowed with confusion.

  I ran to a nearby section of the store and seconds later back by her side.

  “These are for you.” I handed her a bouquet of wild flowers. “I hope they’re still your favorite.”

  “You still remember.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up at me.

  “Blair, I’ve missed you so much,” I blurted out. “I know it’s unlikely and unreasonable to expect that you’re still single or even willing to give me a chance, but letting you walk out of my life that day has been my biggest regret, the worst mistake of my life, and the one thing I’d give anything to change. I know that I should have fought for you harder, fought for us harder. I’ve lost three years of my life without you in it—that’s 1,095 days I’ve lived with a hole in my heart. If I could do it all over again, I would have fought for every single one of those days so that they would be complete with you in it. ”

  She paused and there was a spark in her eyes that I couldn’t quite understand. “Dean, I’m…”

  “Before you tell me to fuck off, or tell me that you’re happy and can’t have me in your life, I want to tell you everything I had wanted to say three years ago.”

  I took out the old piece of paper that’d been folded up and kept in my wallet for three years. The edges and folds of the paper were worn from the passing of time. Blair looked at the paper with curiosity but remained silent.

  “Blair, that night when I planned the surprise sushi dinner for us, I had wanted t
o tell you something. I had written my thoughts down on this piece of paper earlier that day and I wanted to give it to you at dinner. After everything that happened after that night, I never found the right time to give it to you. But I’ve kept it folded in my wallet, hoping for the day that you’d be able to read it. I want you to read it, Blair.”

  I handed her the letter.

  When she finished the letter, she looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “It’s beautiful, Dean.”

  “Blair, those were my feelings then, and I want to tell you that my feelings haven’t wavered, but have only gotten stronger over the years.”

  “Dean, I don’t know what to say…”

  “Do you know I was made a partner at the firm today?” I cut her off. I was afraid of how she’d react or what she’d say, and I needed to tell her everything when I still had the chance.

  “Really? That’s amazing, Dean. Congratulations!” She swung her arms around me and gave me a warm hug.

  “So I thought that would make me happy, that it would be the happiest moment in my life. But I was wrong, Blair.”

  “Do you want to know what’s the happiest moment in my life?”

  “What?”

  “—this very moment. Right now. Here with you. This is the happiest moment in my life. To finally be in front of you. To tell you something I’d waited so long to say.”

  I caressed her face with my hands and gazed into her emerald eyes. “I love you, Blair Parker.”

  “Dean, you had me at ‘peaches.’” She pulled me down and our lips met in perfect harmony, like two pieces of the puzzle finally finding each other. When we finally pulled away, our eyes locked, and I saw the same woman that I’d fallen in love with three years ago. “I love you, too, Dean Chase. I have for a very long time.”

  Her words radiated through my body like a ray of sunshine, and for the first time in my life, I felt completely whole, completely happy.

  THE END

  AUTHOR

  ’S NOTE

  I hope you’ve enjoyed reading The Chase, Volume Four. If you’ve enjoyed this series, please recommend it to your friends and leave a review for this book. As an indie author, reviews help other readers discover my works.

  If you’d like to be notified by email of my upcoming releases, please sign up for my Mailing List.

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  OTHER BOOKS

  If you would like to stay informed of new releases, teasers, and news on my upcoming books, please sign up for Jessica Wood’s mailing list and visit me at my website: http://jessicawoodauthor.com.

  Below is a complete list of my available books:

  Emma’s Story: Book #1: A Night to Forget

  Emma’s Story: Book #2: The Day to Remember

  Emma’s Story Box Set

  Summer Fling

  Damian

  The Heartbreaker – Prequel novella to DAMIAN

  Taming Damian

  The Chase, Vol. One

  The Chase, Vol. Two

  The Chase, Vol. Three

  ***

  Here is a list of my upcoming releases:

  Oblivion – September 2014 – Add to Goodreads – Excerpt Below

  Forever Broken – October 19, 2014 - Pre-Order Available

  Promise to Keep – November 16, 2014 – Pre-Order Available

  EXCERPT FROM OBLIVION

  SYNOPSIS

  I wake up to a life and a man that I can’t remember.

  He says his name is Connor Brady—the tall, sexy CEO of Brady Global, Inc.

  He says my name is Olivia Stuart, and that I was recently in an accident and lost my memory.

  Also, he says I’m his fiancé.

  Although I don’t remember Connor, or anything about my past, something about him seems familiar. He is kind, protective, and breathtakingly-gorgeous. But there is just one problem—he seems too perfect.

  As I begin to rebuild my relationship with Connor and accept the idea that I may never remember my past, I unexpectedly meet Ethan James.

  Ethan is the mysterious, rebellious stranger who pushes my boundaries to their limits and makes me feel alive. As our lives collide time and time again, the bits and pieces of my past start to unravel, unearthing the secrets that have been buried deep inside my subconscious. With every new memory I gain about who I once was, I become more torn between the man who is my fiancé and the stranger who is the key to my past. Is my life with Connor really as perfect as he leads me to believe?

  EXCERPT

  “The moment I heard my first love story I began seeking you, not realizing the search was useless. Lovers don’t meet somewhere along the way. They’re in one another’s souls from the beginning.”

  Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi

  CHAPTER ONE

  Tears streamed down my face as I ran into my bedroom and slammed the door behind me. I reached for my diary—the familiar pink leather journal that was filled with my deepest thoughts. My shaky fingers pulled the gold fabric ribbon page marker, taking me to my last entry, and I began to frantically scribble down everything I was feeling at that moment—all the pain and fear that raced inside me as the screaming escalated an octave higher between my parents outside of my room.

  They’re fighting again. It’s been happening more and more frequently, each time worse than the day before. I wish they weren’t so unhappy. I wish my parents didn’t hate each other so much. I wish I was anyone else but myself right now. I wish I was anywhere else but here.

  As if hearing my thoughts, I heard my father roar, “If you want a fucking divorce, you can have it! But I’m going to warn you just this once: if you walk out of that door, don’t ever think about coming back again!”

  “I don’t plan on it!” I heard my mother spat back. “I’m leaving first thing tomorrow, and I’m taking Liv with me!”

  “No!” I cried, my mind racing as I thought about everything I was about to lose.

  Just then, my room and the pink leather diary in my hand faded away into the background as my consciousness registered a soft, steady beeping in the distance. What is that?

  When I turned toward the sound, I found myself running across a familiar street in the middle of the night. I was wearing a jewel-encrusted blush-pink evening gown that weighed down on my body and restricted my movement. The air was bitter cold and cutting, but the adrenaline that coursed inside me seemed to shelter me from the cold like a blanket.

  Suddenly, I saw two bright, blinding headlights coming toward me at high speed. The sharp screeching of car tires filled the air, drowning out all other noise. I felt the impact of cold metal against my body as I was lifelessly flung sideways against the solid pavement.

  I braced myself for the impact of the pain that would greet my body.

  But it didn’t come.

  Instead, the distant beeping came back, but this time, it was louder.

  Then a conversation seeped through my consciousness.

  “There’s nothing we can do for her right now, Mr. Brady. As you know she has suffered some significant brain damage, so all we can do right now is wait for her to wake up and see from there.” The female voice seemed miles away, but for some reason, I knew she was talking about me.

  “Okay. Thank you.” The man’s voice was strained and low as I heard him walk toward my direction.

  I felt my head throb in pain; in time with the beeping that became increasing louder.

  “She’s very lucky to have someone like you to visit and be by her side every day since she’s been here. You must really care about her.”

  “Yeah. I do.” The male voice was closer than before.

  Then I felt a warm hand on mine, bringing me into the present. My mind registered the bed I was lying on. The smell of stale, chlorine air filled my senses. The beeping came into focus and I could hear it coming from a machine a foot away from me. Am I in a hospital?

  My fingers twitched as I tried to move my body.

  “Nurse!” The man’s voice cried out in alarm. “I thi
nk I felt her move.”

  My eyes fluttered open and closed, struggling against the heaviness of my lids.

  “I think she’s waking up!” The man squeezed my hand as he inched closer to my face. “Liv?”

  “Mr. Brady, let’s give her some room.” The man loosened his grip on me as I heard him move away.

  I opened my eyes again, and this time, it was easier. My vision was blurred as I looked around, but I could detect two figures close by.

  “Ms. Stuart?” The female voice was gentle as she moved toward me.

  “Where am I?” I blinked and after a couple of seconds, her face came into focus. “Who are you?” I looked around the room and found myself in a surprisingly-large and luxurious hospital room.

  “Ms. Stuart, you were in an accident and you’re at The Pavilion, a private in-patient hospital unit at the University of Pennsylvania hospital. I’m Nurse Betty and I’ve been taking care of you.”

  “An accident.” I repeated her words and tried to think through the dense fog consuming my every thought. I winced at the throbbing pain in my head.

  “Are you in any pain?” She looked at me with concern.

  “Just a horrible headache.” I reached for my head.

  “I’ll let the doctor know and we’ll get you something for that.”

  “What happened to me?” I searched her face for answers.

  She flashed me a kind smile. “There’s actually someone that’s been here waiting for you to wake up for quite some time. I’ll let him tell you what happened.” She moved aside and my eyes focused on the other figure in the room—the tall, handsome man in a tailored charcoal suit standing anxiously behind her.

  “Hi.” I looked at him, unsure of what else to say to this stranger.