SCORE (A Stepbrother Sports Romance)(69)

“Your dad might disagree,” Claire said. “Any my mom won’t like it.”

“Claire, fuck what everyone wants. What do you want? What do we want?”

Claire thought about what he was saying to her, and she could hardly deny the appeal. After all, they weren’t related by blood, so nothing was stopping their being together. She just didn’t want to hurt her mother. “I want to be with you, Chance. I’m just not sure about going public with our relationship.”

“I don’t care about anyone else…just you. Do you want me the way I want you?” he asked, looking into her eyes.

“Yes,” she whispered, “you know I do want you so much.”

“Then it’s settled. Let’s not sneak around anymore. Let’s go tell them.”

Claire was nervous when Chance took her hand and led her outside. She protested all the way to the study. Before they got there, they ran into Willow, and her expression turned to shock when she saw them holding hands. Claire tried to disentangle herself, but Chance wouldn’t let her. He gripped her hand firmly and smiled at Willow.

“We were just coming down to see you and Dad,” he said to her.

“What is it?” Willow asked, eyeing their joined hands.

“Please.” He indicated the study. “We need to tell you both something.”

Willow nodded, but she didn’t speak again. Bryan looked at them over his glasses when they entered, then he removed them.

“Well, hello everyone,” he smiled. Willow walked over to stand next to him.

“Dad, Willow,” Chance began. “Claire and I are still together.”

“You what?” Willow asked. “Claire, I thought you said you would break it off with him after we got married.”

“No, Mom…you said that.” Claire cleared her throat and continued. “Mom, I love him.” No one said a word but Chance squeezed her hand. She looked at Chance. That was the first time she had said the words aloud. “I want to be with him, and I don’t care about unwritten society rules. It’s stupid that we shouldn’t get to be together just because you are.”

“This is wrong,” Willow persisted. “Bryan?”

“Um, Willow, I agree with Claire,” he told her. “As a matter of fact, I’ve known they were still seeing each other. I mean, I didn’t see them, but I knew it from the way they looked at each other all the time.”

“And you didn’t say anything?” she asked.

“They are adults, Willow,” he told her. “I don’t see what the problem is, or how it is my concern. If they choose to be together, then that’s on them. We did the unconventional by getting married within days of meeting. I think they deserve a chance to make themselves happy as well.”

“Unbelievable,” Willow said, folding her arms and walking over to the window.

Claire moved to stand behind her. “Mom, this is what I want. You know what I’ve been through recently, and I really want to be with Chance. I was respectful of your decision even when I didn’t like it. That’s all I ask in return.”

Willow remained facing the window for some time, then turned around and faced her daughter. She smiled and stroked her cheek. “He makes you happy?”

Claire held her mother’s hand and looked back at Chance. “He does, and we both want this.”

Tears streamed from Willow’s eyes, and she hugged her daughter. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

“We’ll still be family, Willow, because I love Claire, so much,” Chance said, much to everyone’s surprise. “I intend to marry her as soon as she agrees.”

“What?” Claire asked.

“Claire, we’ll be one big family, only you won’t be my stepsister, you’ll be my wife.”

“Chance, do you hear yourself?” Claire asked. “I mean, do you hear what you are saying?”

“I do. I just don’t hear you saying yes,” he said to her. Willow and Bryan watched as he moved closer to Claire.

“What was the question?”

“Will you marry me?” he asked her when he was standing directly in front of her. “Please don’t say no in front of Dad and Mom.”

She smiled and stroked his face, feeling happier than she had in a long time. “Yes!”

Chance lifted her in the air in a hug, and when they looked at their parents, they were smiling.

“Congratulations, Chance, and good choice,” Bryan said as he hugged them both. Willow was slower, but she did the same.

“Now, if you don’t mind, Claire and I have some place to be. I took the liberty of reserving the jet, Dad. I hope you don’t mind. I need to go celebrate with my fiancée.”

“No, go ahead,” Bryan said. “Enjoy.”

Chance took Claire’s hand and walked with her out of the room. Once outside and out of eye and earshot of their parents, he pulled her to him and kissed her passionately and with all the love he had been slow in showing. “I love you so much, baby,” he said when he pulled back and looked into her eyes.

Claire smiled at him. “So where are we going?”

“Mexico,” he said with a wink. “We have a little island around Cancun.”