Chase walked behind Maggie’s chair and put his hands on her shoulders. Maggie noticed the warmth of his palms and the way having him near made her feel protected.No, no… you’re doing him a favor and then in less than twenty-four hours, it’s over. Your next task is to wrap up your life in LA and head home—back to Minnesota.
Chase gave her a gentle squeeze and whispered in her ear, “Let’s get this over with.”
“I noticed there aren’t any photos on the walls, so I’m excited to see little Chase.”
“Yeah, they just had the place painted. Must not have had time to put the photos back up.”
Maggie smirked. She was looking forward to finding out how this strikingly handsome man came to be. He had mentioned an awkward high school phase. She wanted to peek at those pictures too because it was hard for her to believe it could be true.
As they sat on the sofa, Chase put his arm around her. Maggie flipped the cover open and glimpsed a newborn photo. “Oh my gosh! Look at those cheeks. You were a bigbaby!”
“Still is,” Cam sneered.
Chase glared at him, “Strong from birth.”
Maggie felt the tension and tried to clarify, “I meant like a good size. Sorry…”
Chase rubbed her arm and goosebumps spread across her limbs. “Don’t worry about it. Cam’s just jealous of my good looks.”
Trying to ignore the way her body was betraying her mind, she hurried to flip the next page. Suddenly, all the air was sucked out of her. Chase noticed her sharp inhale.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Maggie stared at a photo of a younger Norah, Chase, Cam… and a guy that had a striking resemblance to the cowboy man she’d met at Valley View Lodge. The only difference was that this guy had less wrinkles and a more toned-down mustache.
“Is this your dad?” she asked.
“Yeah. He died when I was eight.”
“Oh, I’m sorry… It’s just…”
“What?”
“I know this sounds crazy, and I’m sure it’s just a weird coincidence, but when I got lost on my way here I ended up at Valley View Lodge… a man working there gave me directions… he looked so much like your dad.”
Chase stared at her.
Oh no, I shouldn’t have said anything.Maggie shook her head. “Sorry… it just took me off guard.” Then she turned to the next page. After seeing Chase’s first bath, birthday party, Halloween, Christmas, and their first family vacation to the beach, Chase took the book from Maggie and closed it.
“I think you’ve seen more than enough of me now… and know way too much.”
Maggie smiled at him.
“How bout some sweet tea on the front porch?”
“That sounds like a Southern thing that Ifor sureneed to experience.”
“Have you ever had sweet tea?”
“Nope.”
Chase shook his head and smiled. “It’s like we grew up in different worlds.”
Maggie thought about his words. It really did seem that way. Minnesota was so much different from Los Angeles and Alabama. The landscape, the food, the words, the accents… Her head was spinning trying to keep up with all the changing nuances.
Chase appeared holding two glasses and pushed the front screen door open. Maggie followed him out. Once she was sitting, Chase handed her the tea.
“This is gonna change your life.”
