So for the first time in as long as he could remember, he ignored his responsibilities. Turned off his phone. Told his team to handle shit without him.
And just like that?
He was free.
Free to spend every second chasing her, memorizing the way she laughed, the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention. Free to kiss her whenever he felt like it, touch her whenever he needed to, hold her for no other reason than because he could.
For once in his life, he wasn’t thinking ahead. Wasn’t calculating, wasn’t planning.
He was just living.
And what he wanted?
Was her.
All of her.
Every damn moment he could steal before she left.
It started with a question.
“Wanna get lost with me?”
Savannah had been sitting cross-legged on his porch, her legs tucked beneath her, the morning air crisp against her skin as she cradled a steaming cup of coffee. She was wearing his Henley, the sleeves hanging loose past her wrists, and Chase had never seen anything look better on her. The fabric swallowed her in the most effortless way, and the sight sent something warm curling in his chest.
She glanced up, her gaze lazy, her lips quirking at the edges. “Define lost.”
Chase leaned against the doorframe, grinning in that way that always made her stomach flip. “No maps. No plans. Just us and the road.”
Savannah bit her lip, pretending to consider the offer, even though she already knew her answer.
Because truthfully? She wanted nothing more than to get lost with Chase Montgomery. With a slow stretch, she slid on her sunglasses, the golden morning sun catching the messy waves of her hair as she stood. “Let’s go.”
That was how it started—the adventure neither of them knew they needed.
Some mornings, they flipped a coin at every intersection, letting fate decide whether to turn left or right. Other times, Savannah would pull out a worn road atlas she found in Chase’s glove compartment, close her eyes, and point to a random spot on the map. That was their destination.
Chase loved the unpredictability of it, the thrill of winding down roads they’d never been on before, discovering places they weren’t supposed to find.
Savannah loved the feeling of freedom, the idea that for once in her life, she wasn’t on a timeline—that she didn’t have to be anywhere but here, beside him.
And somehow, in the middle of chasing nothing, they found everything.
One afternoon, they drove until the pavement turned into cobblestone, the streets narrowing into a charming coastal town tucked near a marina. It was the kind of place that smelled like fresh salt air and old memories, where the locals sat on their porches, watching the world pass by with easy smiles and slow sips of iced tea.
Chase rolled down the windows, letting the warm breeze fill the truck.
“You ever been here?” Savannah asked, watching as a group of kids raced past on their bikes, their laughter echoing against the brick-lined streets.
Chase shook his head. “Nope. But it feels like a place I should’ve been.”
She hummed in agreement, her gaze sweeping across the pastel-colored buildings, the weathered shop signs, the golden retriever lounging outside of a coffee shop like he owned the place. It was quiet, peaceful—the kind of town that felt like it belonged in a novel.
And then, she saw it. An old bookstore, sandwiched between a coffee shop anda fishing supply store. The front windows were filled with towers of hardcovers, their spines faded from the sun, and the hand-painted wooden sign above the door creaked softly in the breeze.
Savannah’s eyes lit up. Chase noticed the way she stilled, the way her fingers reached for the door handle before she even realized she was moving.
“You wanna go in, don’t you?” he smirked, already knowing the answer.
