Free The Choice by Kate Benson

you deserve.”
    “Jack,” I start. “I don’t want you to go at all! Please don’t do this for me, Baby.”
    “It’s not just for you,” he admits. “It’s what’s best for everyone, Soph. You, Ana, JT, our kids…”
    “You’ve never mentioned what’s best for you, Jack.”
    “If you’re all taken care of, I’m good, Baby,” he whispers, kissing my hair and taking my hand. “Come on, let’s go in.”
    “Baby, your phone is trippin’!” Chase says in a grumpy, sleep filled voice from beside me.
    “What?” I mumble from beneath the comforter I’d pulled over my head at some point during the night.
    “Your phone is ringing, Baby,” he says again, this time more awake, but no less agitated by the noisy intrusion.
    “Break it,” I grumble, pulling the pillow over my head to drown out the unwelcome noise.
    Chase chuckles as he reaches over me and grabs my cell off of the table on my side of the bed, looking at the screen.
    “It’s Ana,” he says handing me the phone as he presses the answer button.
    “What time is it?” I say into the phone.
    “Seven thirty, why are you still asleep?” Ana answers me, clearly already on her third cup of coffee.
    “Because I’m normal, what do you want?” I groan across the line. Chase chuckles again and gets up to walk into the bathroom.
    “Well , good morning to you, too, Sunshine. Did you talk to Chase yet?” Ana asks.
    “No, not yet,” I confess as I sit up on my elbow and start to rub my eyes awake. “If you recall, we were sleeping.”
    “Well , when are you going to? I need to call the lady at the apartments and let her know if you’re moving out, too or if you need a new rental agreement.”
    I can tell she’s irritated that I haven’t discussed things with Chase yet , but it’s early, too early . I fall back on my pillows in frustration as I answer her.
    “I don’t know, Ana. I’ll talk to him about it today.”
    “Cool! I’ll call you back in thirty minutes,” she says with a snicker.
    “ Thirty minutes? Ana!” I yell into the phone, but she’s already gone. “Ugh!” I yell at my phone as I toss it back onto the bed and angrily kick the covers off of me. I’m halfway across the room when I look up and see Chase leaning against the frame of the bathroom door with an amused smirk spreading across his face. Even a little banged up he looks utterly delicious in his fitted black boxer briefs.
    “Good morning, Baby,” he says in his husky, post sleep voice as he catches my arm and leans down to give me a chaste kiss on the lips. “Go do your thing. I’ll get the coffee going.”
    “Thanks,” I yawn and give him a small smile, a little embarrassed that he saw my childish outburst.
    Stopping in the living room to place my phone onto the coffee table, I make my way into the kitchen to find my two favorite things: Chase and coffee. I find him reaching into a cabinet for the powdered version of the flavored creamer I like and stop dead in my tracks at the sight in front of me. The muscles in his abs flex and flow so perfectly that I’m at a loss for words or even thoughts. Seeming to sense my eyes on him, he looks over his ink clad shoulder and smirks down at me.
    “Enjoying the show, Baby?” h e teases, but I can’t answer yet so instead, I just nod. Seeing my struggle, he takes a step over to me and pauses in front of me. Taking in the small tank top and boy shorts I threw on, his eyes dance over my body, shooting tingles through me. “You’re not looking too bad yourself,” he whispers and I feel the heat filling my cheeks. “What do you need to talk to me about?”
    Taking the final step that separates us, Chase leans down and gives me a slow kiss on the lips, pulling my body as close as he can with his uninjured hand on my lower back.
    “Ana’s moving in with Drake. She wanted to know if I was keeping the apartment,” I manage as his strong hand slips beneath the back of my panties, clutching my ass.
    “What do you