“No worries.” Chase had checked the high tea menu over and found it to be substantial, knowing that he’d planned a late dinner.
Patrick yawned.
The flight had departed Seattle at nine, which meant Patrick and Maisy had left the house at six that morning for the airport.
“I don’t think my brother slept at all last night,” Maisy told Chase, placing her arm around the boy’s thin shoulders.
“I couldn’t help it, I was excited.”
Chase understood perfectly. “How about I give you a few hours to unpack and relax? I’ll be back to collect you for dinner.” He paused and glanced at his watch. “Does seven-thirty work for you?”
“I might get hungry before then,” Patrick said. “We eat dinner at home at six; that’s a long time to wait.”
“I’ve got you covered,” Chase assured him. Maisy was full of those dainty sandwiches, scones, and desserts from the high tea. Patrick, however, probably hadn’t eaten anything of substance since the plane. “I asked room service to bring you a snack.”
Maisy looked impressed. “You thought of everything.”
“I wanted to make your visit as special as I could. Only the best for my girl.”
“And me,” Patrick inserted.
Maisy’s eyes warmed when he called her his girl. He had to wonder if she had an inkling of how hard and fast he’d fallen for her. These feelings were entirely foreign. He cherished each minute with her, each conversation, each touch. He couldn’t wait for this evening. He’d planned to make it as romantic as possible. That hadn’t been easy, seeing that Patrick would be with them the entire time.
“You’re going overboard for us,” she commented, gazing at the large bags in his hands. There was no note of censure in her tone.
Chase was glad Maisy knew how important this visit was to him. It was hard not to spoil her with gifts. He’d give Maisy Gallagher the moon if it were in the realm of possibility. From previous exchanges, he knew she was dead set against him being extravagantly generous with her. He’d had to argue long and hard to convince her to fly to Chicago.
“Maisy, does a seven-thirty dinnertime work for you?” he asked, returning to their conversation.
“It sounds perfect.”
“Great.” Chase walked with them to their hotel room. He hated to leave her, especially when he was dying to take her in his arms again.
Patrick opened the door with the key card, and when he saw the room service cart, he raced for it, not paying any attention to Maisy and Chase. Chase had been waiting for this moment.
Counting on it.
Turning Maisy into his arms, he pressed his forehead against hers. “I’ve missed you. I hope you appreciate the sacrifice I made for you to spend this afternoon with Laura and Bella.”
She smiled, and to his surprise she kissed him lightly on the lips.
Unwilling to be satisfied with a small peck, Chase wove his fingers into her hair and slanted her mouth to his, kissing her with all the pent-up passion in his heart. A surge of emotion shot through him. This was the way it was meant to be, the way he should feel when it came to finding his wife. He wasn’t wrong when he’d told Patrick he was falling for Maisy. He was in deep. So deep he never planned on giving her up.
By the time they broke apart, they were both breathless.
Crazy as it sounded, his knees felt weak. That was how strongthe impact Maisy had on him was. He was giddy with love. Those who knew Chase wouldn’t believe this was the same man who made life-changing financial decisions for thousands. He wasn’t the same. Maisy had forever changed him, forever marked his life. No matter what the future held, he would never be the same man he once was, thanks to Maisy.
“Where are we going to dinner?” Patrick wanted to know. His mouth was full of potato chips.
“It’s a surprise,” Chase told him.
Chapter Twenty-four
While Patrick scarfed down his “snack,” Maisy flopped onto the bed with her arms outstretched. Her back landed against the soft mattress as she released a deep sigh.
“Maisy, look,” Patrick said, holding out the partially eaten club sandwich. “There are three pieces of bread here.”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” she said, reminding him of his manners.
