Page 76 of The Chase

“What about you, T? What would you do?” Noah asked.

“Wine and dine and sixty-nine her,” I said with a cheeky grin.

That made Benny and Riley howl with laughter while Noah glared at me. He should have been used to my antics by now.

“Be serious! I don’t know how to ask her.”

“I’m serious. Maybe take her to that fancy vegan place and have some good wine, but I wouldn’t ask her in the restaurant. Maybe in Rittenhouse Square Park? Or later at home? She wouldn’t like a public proposal,” I rattled off.

All three heads cocked at me.

“What?” I asked and finished my scotch.

Noah poked me. “Do you mean Max would like that?”

I froze. Yeah, I was thinking about Max in particular and not in a hypothetical scenario. Hence mentioning the fancy vegan place.

Max wouldn’t like a public proposal. My shy girlfriend wouldn’t want to be the center of attention.

Holy fuck. Do I want to marry Max?

Maybe. I loved her, and I would do anything for her. She was the first person I thought about when I woke up and the last person I thought about as I was falling asleep. She had stolen my heart, and I didn’t want it back.

“Maybe someday, but we haven’t been together that long. I gotta get her to stop trying to break up with me first.”

“That shit was scary, dude. I thought it was Rox, and I…” Benny trailed off. “She was screaming bloody murder. It scared the shit out of me.”

“She thinks she needs to let me go,” I said.

Noah looked thoughtful. “She doesn’t want to burden you with her pain.”

I groaned. “But I want her to! I want her to know she can lean on me.”

“Dude, she knows that,” Benny said.

“South Philly women, man. They’re stubborn!” Noah joked.

“I don’t think it’s just the Philly women,” Riley chimed in. “I got one of those, and she’s from Minnesota.”

“Do we all have a type?” Noah asked with a laugh.

Benny squinted at him and held his finger and thumb together. “Maybe. She’ll figure it out. You just have to be there for her. Let her know that you’re not going anywhere. Fight for her.”

I nodded. He was right, but right now, I didn’t want to talk about my concerns with Max’s mental health.

I shifted the conversation back to Noah’s proposal. “Wasn’t your first date at her brother’s pizza shop?”

Noah nodded. “Yeah, but I think she would be mad if I did it there. Frankie would text the family group chat immediately.”

I laughed. “No matter how you do it, she’ll say yes. She loves you.”

He bit his lip. “I hope so.”

“Oh dude, I got it!” Riley exclaimed.

“What?” Noah asked.

“Build her a bookshelf.”