Center Chase

Chapter 33

Lindsey

I unwrap my arms from Chase's neck and give him one more reassuring look before turning to my brother. Liam looks shocked and angry. I make sure to keep myself firmly planted between Chase and him, just in case he decides to lunge.

He looks from Chase to me several times before repeating, "what the fuck!?"

The other guys have occupied themselves with other activities, leaving Chase, Liam, Taylor, and me to continue this conversation with a small amount of privacy. I'm very grateful for that at the moment.

Taylor steps closer to Liam and places a hand on his forearm. "Maybe we should just let them explain. Take a deep breath and try to calm down."

Liam looks at Taylor shaking his head. "You want me to calm down? My best friend was just making out with my sister right in front of me! What the hell!?"

I suck in a deep breath and take a small step toward my brother. "Liam," I say softly, "please, don't freak out about this. We wanted to tell you. We just didn't know how and then things sort of got messed up. I'm so sorry you had to find out like this."

His face softens as he looks at me, but he fixes Chase with a glare over my shoulder. "And what exactly is this?" He waves a hand between Chase and me.

Chase steps closer so his chest is nearly touching my back. He reaches for my hand and gives me a light squeeze. I turn to him, searching for reassurance. He responds with a soft smile and a nod.

Okay, time to come clean.

Turning back to Liam, I mentally prepare myself for his reaction to what we're about to tell him. I take one more deep breath, and Chase and I take turns telling Liam everything- minus the intimate details. I really don't want my brother to maim my boyfriend in the middle of this bar.

Wow, boyfriend. Is that what he is? Guess the two of us have some things to discuss later too.

Liam listened quietly as Chase and I told him how things got started between the two of us. We told him about the flirty cab ride home after he got drunk at the bar that one night and how we couldn't deny how we felt about one another. We told him the truth about our dates and that we never actually went out with anyone else- leaving out the steamy part of the night.

He nodded and listened without interrupting, still looking agitated. Then, we got to the part about our agreement to tell Liam about us before they left for their last round of travel. He narrowed his eyes and spoke up at that point. "Why didn't that happen? Is that why you've been upset? Did something happen to change your mind?" He glares at Chase again, fists clenching like he's about to pounce.

I hold up my hand to stop him. "It's not what you think." I take another breath and look at the ground, remembering the night that derailed us. "The night before we were going to tell you- that night here at the bar- when I left upset. That night, Val and her friends cornered me in the women's room and fed me a bunch of lies about Chase. They did it to break us up." I look back at Chase, my eyes full of sorrow at the memory.

He pulls me closer and runs his hands up and down my arms, comforting me. I turn back to Liam. "That's why I've been so upset. It's because of what Val did. I let her get in my head, and I shouldn't have."

Liam soaks in all of the information we've given him for a minute before asking, "what exactly did she say? And what the hell happened tonight?"

I tell him everything that Val and her friends said and how distraught I was. I tell him how I've been avoiding Chase because of it and not listening to anyone who was truly trying to help me. And then I tell him about what happened tonight, how Taylor's plan worked perfectly, and how she got Val to admit she lied to get between Chase and me. Then I get to the part about me slapping Val and telling her off. At that, his lips quirk up, and he looks a little proud.

Almost immediately, though, his face falls, and his forehead wrinkles. He remembers something I said before that last part. He turns to Taylor. "Your plan? You knew about this the whole time? Why didn't you tell me?"

She gives him a sheepish look. "It wasn't my business to tell. And your baby sister asked me very nicely not to say anything. How could I deny her? I mean, look at that face."

She points my way, and I put on my sweetest pout, complete with big puppy dog eyes. One I know my big brother can't stay mad at. And he actually cracks a smile and chuckles lightly. That's when I know we've won him over. He can't stay mad at me, and he wouldn't do anything to upset me, so at least for now, Chase is safe too.

Liam looks me straight in the eye and asks, "are you sure about this? This is really what you want?" He glances over my shoulder at Chase.

I smile brightly at him and nod. "Yes, this is what I want." I look over my shoulder to find my man already looking at me. His eyes are so full of adoration; I'm reminded of why I started to fall for him in the first place.

Liam looks between the two of us again. Then he focuses on Chase. "If you hurt her or make her cry ever again. You are a dead man."

Chase shakes his head. "I won't hurt her, man. I care about her way too much to let her ever get hurt again. And I'll do everything I can to make sure no one else ever hurts her either." His eyes meet mine. And they hold that promise as he stares down at me, wrapping his arms around me pulling me into his chest.

I get lost in Chase's gaze as I snuggle into him, letting myself feel content once again. It must have been several minutes that we've been standing like that because I finally hear Liam groan. "Jesus! I need another drink if you two are gonna keep that up all night. Fuck!"

Taylor laughs next to him and grabs his arm. "Let's go to the bar. Give these two some privacy."

I look over as they leave the table and see Liam's nose is scrunched up as Taylor leads him away from us. She pats him on the arm and leans in to say something to him as they continue to the bar.

Chase spins me around in his arms and brings his hand up to my cheek. He slowly caresses my face, making butterflies flutter in my stomach. "Well, that went better than expected."

I laugh as I lean into his touch. "Yeah, I mean, he didn't try to kill you, and he didn't really yell. So, that's a good sign, right?"

"It is. And I meant what I told him. I'll never do anything to hurt you, Lins. I care about you too much. All that crap with Val, none of it was true."

I place a hand on his cheek to calm him. "I know. I'm so sorry I listened to her. I should have believed you. I was just in a really bad headspace, and she said all the right things to make me question everything. I'm so sorry, Chase."

He shushes me and pulls me tightly to his chest, placing a soft kiss on the top of my head. "It's okay, babe. The important thing is that we're both here now, and the truth is out. She can't hurt us anymore. I'll make sure no one ever does again."

My heart swells, and I feel so happy here in his arms. This is where I'm meant to be. I can't help the feeling of guilt over everything that happened. I should never have let Val and her friends get in my head. I should have trusted Chase and Taylor, but it's a huge lesson learned. Now, I know without a doubt who I can really trust. And I won't let anything come between us again.

I make myself a promise never to let anything like that happen moving forward.

Never again.