It Started with a Crush by Piper James

Epilogue

Sage

“Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas to you, too. Where’s Daniel?”

Chase pulled me into a hug, then gave me a quick kiss on the lips before releasing me.

“Noah is taking him to Belle and Ryder’s, and we’re going to meet them over there a little later.”

“Later?” I asked, peering at him through narrowed eyes. “We’re not going there now?”

“Nope.”

“Chase Perry, what are you up to?”

He was practically vibrating with excitement, and not just because it was Christmas morning. No, he had something planned. And whatever it was, it was making him almost…nervous.

“Just a Christmas surprise for my little peach.”

“Ugh, I told you not to call me that,” I complained even though I secretly loved it when he used silly terms of endearment.

“Are you going to pout? Because you know what they say about pouting at Christmas.”

“No. That song is so creepy.”

“He sees you—”

“Exactly! Stop right now, and I promise I’ll give you a Christmas blow job later.”

His mouth snapped shut before the rest of the verse could pop out, and he mimed locking them closed and throwing the key over his shoulder.

“Sucker. You were getting that blow job, either way,” I said, laughing.

“Well, it was the only thing on my Christmas list,” he said, leaning forward to nuzzle my neck. Then, he jumped backwards and held up a palm. “Nope. No. You will not put me under your spell this morning, woman. We have things to do, starting with your surprise.”

“Is it a puppy?” I asked, clapping my hands together.

“No,” he said, his face falling. “Did you want a puppy?”

I rolled my eyes. He knew I wanted a puppy, but no pets other than cats and small, caged animals were allowed in my apartment complex. Besides, I spent enough time with Belle’s dog, Thanos to get my puppy fix, at least until I moved into a real house with a yard.

“No,” I said, answering his question as I tugged on my jacket. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Let’s go,” he said, his smile firmly back in place.

As soon as I got into his truck, he reached into the center console cubby and pulled out a thick, black scarf. He held it out to me, but I didn’t take it. Looking from the scarf to his face, I arched a brow.

“What is that for?” I asked.

“You have to be blindfolded,” he said. “Otherwise, it’ll ruin the surprise.”

“I thought you said you weren’t into the really kinky stuff,” I mused, plucking the scarf from his hand and wrapping it around my forehead before knotting it in the back.

“I’m not,” he said, “and your eyes aren’t covered.”

“I can’t wait until we’re closer to wherever we’re going?”

“Nope. I’m not taking any chances.”

“Ugh. Fine,” I said, pulling the material down and blocking my vision completely.

“Are you pouting again? Don’t make me sing.”

“I’m not pouting,” I said, unable to hide the laughter in my voice.

This man was everything I’d ever wanted in a partner—kind and funny, spontaneous and sexy as hell—and I would do anything he asked of me. I trusted him implicitly, and had no qualms putting on a blindfold and letting him lead me wherever his heart desired.

But I couldn’t make it too easy on him. Teasing him was so much fun.

I tried to memorize the route we were taking, counting the turns in each direction, but it quickly became obvious he was purposefully driving around in circles to disorient me. Clever man. I settled back into my seat with a sigh, and the route finally straightened out. Chase hummed along with Christmas songs on the radio, completely ignoring me when I asked him how much longer it would take to get wherever we were going.

I played it off like I was calm, cool, and collected, but on the inside, I was as excited as…a kid on Christmas morning.

This was our first Christmas together, and I had a special present for Chase, too. I reached into my pocket and clutched the small wrapped box I’d tucked there before I’d answered his knock this morning. I couldn’t wait to give it to him, and I’d also never been more nervous. It was a big step, what I was about to do. And while I knew the timing was right for me, there was no guarantee Chase would agree.

Before I could work myself into a nervous frenzy, the truck slowed, then turned left. I could hear gravel crunching under the tires, and my mind ran through all the places in town that had gravel parking lots—the hardware store on Juniper Avenue, the liquor store on Third, the Baptist Church—but I didn’t think Chase would take me to any of those places.

The truck stopped, and I heard Chase shift into park before he killed the engine. I reached up to pull off my blindfold, but his hand snaked out to stop me.

“Wait,” he said. “No peeking. I’m going to hop out and come around to help you down. Don’t take it off until I tell you, okay?”

“Okay,” I promised after noticing a slight tremor in his voice.

He really was nervous, which made me even more nervous. The truck bounced as he jumped to the ground, and his door slammed a second later. I took a few deep breaths until my own door opened, and Chase’s warm hand wrapped around mine.

My nerves settled as that warmth spread through me. It didn’t matter where we were or what his surprise entailed. All that mattered was that we were together.

His arm wrapped around my waist, and I clung to him as he lifted me down from the truck. Setting me on my feet, he led me around the open truck door and several feet forward before stopping. I felt his soft lips press against mine, his tongue swirling inside to caress mine until I was dizzy.

Then he moved around behind me, whispered “Merry Christmas, Baby,” and whipped the scarf off my head.