Vance walks through the door and halts in place, looking at each of us in our formal wear, his gaze stopping on me. His face softens and I think he may finally be seeing me as more than just his little sister. Our relationship has been strained, but lately he’s seemed more accepting. Chase asks about him often, and I tell Vance every chance I get. I’m actually surprised to see him standing here, but I’m glad. His face softens and a small smile graces his lips. It makes me smile in return. He moves to me, placing his hands on my biceps. “You look beautiful,V!”
“Thank you,” I murmur.
“Man, Chase would be shittin' himself if he could see you now.”
I'm taken aback by his comment. It's the first time that he's acknowledged us; Chase and I together. I smile sadly, truly wishing that he could be here. Vance unexpectedly hugs me, and whispers a soft, “I'm sorry.”
Before I can respond, he releases me and walks away. My heart expands and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I cannot wait to tell Chase!
“We better get going,” Taylor announces.
“Oh, let's get a few more pictures in the front yard!” my mom suggests.
“Okay, but let's make it quick, Mom.”
We all move out of the front door, and start walking down the stairs towards the small yard in the front. I stop as if I hit an invisible barrier and suddenly feel very, very faint. The man of my dreams is standing in my front yard, holding a corsage in his hands, and dressed in his uniform. I pull up my skirt to run to my handsome man--who’s here. He’s really here!
“Oof!” Comes out of his mouth when I slam into him. “Surprise!” he whispers. His arms come around me, and squeeze me.
“How?” I question, full of emotions.
“I just got in. Vance picked me up.”
“Vance? What!”
“Yeah, we had a good talk. It was long, but it was good. Are you ready?”
“So ready,” I gasp as Chase dips me low; his hands are at the small of my back and his lips caress mine. He leans up and I take a moment to look into his handsome face, those blue eyes--my future.
Epilogue
One Year Later
I hear a shout from my left that makes me pause my movements. I shut off the sander and glance over my shoulder at Chase. He’s wearing his blue jumpsuit. The front zipper is open, showing his white shirt underneath. I love seeing him in his work uniform. My eyes move back up to his face, which is dressed in a smug smile, and I know he knows what I’m thinking. I twist on my stool to face him and remove my safety glasses, “What?”
He laughs, “Are you about done?”
“Not really.” I shrug.
He points at the clock on the wall, “It’s almost six, let’s go home.”
“Holy crap,” I hadn’t realized how late it was. When I’m working, I become so immersed I tend to lose track of time. “Did everyone leave?”
“Yeah, about an hour ago.”
“Wow, okay. Yeah, let me just put my stuff away.” I stand from my stool, unplug my sander, and deposit it on top of my workstation. I remove my suit and hang it near my things before I head over to the sink. I turn the water on warm, lather up my arms and wash away the crud. A series of beeps from the alarm signifies the door opening, “I’ll be outside,” Chase shouts from across the shop. His voice is followed by three beeps, again.
I move throughout the building, checking the rooms, the paint booth and make sure all major power tools are off and unplugged before setting the alarm and locking up.
The garage side of the now larger building is darkened and deserted, as Chase said, and the parking lot is empty. Only one car remains in the expanded lot, and my beautiful man is leaning against it. He hasn’t seen me yet; he’s looking off into the distance. I take my time ogling him and the car. The once sad-looking yellow Camaro, now red, is shining bright in all its glory. I worked on it every chance I had when Chase was deployed, and when he returned, we worked on it together, slowly bringing it back to life. Chase and I worked so well together, it changed the course of both our futures.
Chase catches me looking at him, and I move forward until I’m standing in front of him. He pulls my shirt until I’m flush against him, and his arms wrap around my shoulders, “What’s going on in that beautiful noggin’ of yours?”
I purse my lips, pretending to think, “Just how incredibly lucky I am to have this amazing…” I smile and pause, letting my sentence linger, “sexy,” I pause again and grab his butt.
Chase hums his approval, “Go on.”
“Car!” I squeal while pulling the keys from his back pocket, duck under his arms, and run to the driver’s side. He eyes me over the roof.
“That was mean, woman!”
I laugh loudly and tuck myself behind the wheel. Chase quickly gets into the passenger side, “You know, I think you’re more in love with the car than you are with me!”
“No way!” I do love the car, and it’s the best gift I have ever--and probably will ever receive, but she’s got nothing on Chase. I try and drive her as much as possible. I start her up, and the loud rumble fills the cab causing my grin to double in size. “She’s just so much fun to drive,” I yell towards him. He makes a face like he doesn’t believe me. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise!” I blow him a kiss.
Before I know what’s happening, he slips his hand behind my head and slams his lips to mine, kissing me so deeply it makes my toes curl. He rips away from me, but not before the pure lust on his face puts me in motion. I rip out of the lot and speed towards home, arriving at the small yet perfect house in five minutes flat. Chase pushes the garage door opener, and I ease her inside before quickly cutting the engine. We move swiftly--hungrily--coming together at the door leading to the kitchen, and his mouth is on mine again. He lifts me and holds me to him, never breaking our kiss but moving through the kitchen, and down the hall to our room.
Vance arrives home shortly after we finished our shower, with food--it couldn’t have been timed any better!
It's just the three of us tonight; sometimes Vaughn and Vin join us. While this isn’t my permanent home, I stay here enough to warrant my own closet space. Whatever Chase told Vance in their long talk broke through, though I never did get the details--it was between them--things are good.
We settle with pizza and wings in the living room, and there’s some sport playing on the TV. I eat and occupy myself with texting Tay because I could care less about the game. I get together with Taylor as often as possible while she’s in her second year of college. I don’t regret not going to college with her, I love making cars beautiful again.
When I finish my food, I place my empty plate on the coffee table, and make myself more comfortable on the couch, laying my head on Chase’s lap. I’m completely content as Chase idly plays with my hair, and my eyes begin to close on their own accord. Just as I begin to doze off, a knock at the door makes me jump. I roll onto my back and look up at Chase, who shrugs. We both look at Vance, thinking it's most likely one of his lady friends, but he shrugs. “I'm not expecting anyone.”