Betting Man (The Beaufort Poker Club, #6)

by Maggie C. Gates

I glanced at the picture tucked in the dashboard by the odometer as dispatch chattered over the radio. She was so beautiful back then. Still is. Even more now.

Ughhh

“When I was praying that you’d wake up, I promised God that if he brought you back to me, I’d tell you that the first chance I got. I’ve loved you for a long time, Bridget. And I will keep on loving you. Don’t ever doubt it.”

😫😫😫

“No one’s keeping score, darlin’. I love you because I do. No tally marks. No chips. No tabs.”

He choked it down and nodded. “I love you, darlin’. Don’t ever doubt it. You’re it for me. I’ll be here for you, for whatever you need. I will give you anything you want. Unconditionally. So, if it’s space that you really want, then congratulations. You got it.” He started to walk backward toward his house, never taking his eyes off me as I stood still as a statue. “I’ll leave the porch light on. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

His promise made my tense muscles relax and my breathing returned to normal. “I have too many demons,” I whispered. “Too many shadows.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Shadows mean there’s light right around the corner.”

I was drunk on her and knew that I would never sober.

“When are you gonna stop waiting on ‘someday’ and start living your life like the hypothetical day you’ve been waiting for is today?” His hands met my hips as he dotted the back of my head with a kiss. “For the record, all of my proposals are real. And I’m gonna keep proposing to you long after we get married because I’ll never stop chasing you. I’ll never stop fighting for us.”

“Hey,” he rasped as he pulled into a cute little neighborhood. “You never have to apologize to me. At least now I don’t have to drive out to the beach and get blackout drunk on your wedding day.” I looked up at him. Chase’s eyes were locked on mine. It was like he was staring straight into my soul. There wasn’t a shred of humor in his voice when he said, “It was either get drunk or be the guy who storms in and crashes the wedding when the preacher asks if anyone objects.”

A faint memory rolled around in my mind. Waking up in the hospital. Trying to open my eyes. Trying to figure out where I was and get my bearings straight. A vase of tulips beside the bed. Chase.

The tulips 😖😖😖

Blood doesn’t matter. Showing up for people does.

She was a goddamn witch.

“I’m just warning you. I’ll never be the girl who pretends she’s not hungry. I’ll eat my food and yours, too.”

Sames

My hand dropped from her cheek as I reached in my pocket. “There was one more thing I was going to ask you that night.”

Screaming crying throwing up. Actually sobbing rn

“Didn’t even know you proposed.” Technically, I had proposed two hundred and forty-nine times, but who was counting?

WHO IS COUNTING

“You left me in that stairwell, skipping off to see the boy you actually had a crush on. And you know what? I was okay with it. Because I realized at that moment that all I ever wanted was to see you happy. That I would do everything I could to make you happy even if it meant you weren’t with me.”

CHASE BRANNAN LADIES AND GENTS !!!!!