Page 25 of Make Me Trust Again (Bluebonnet Creek #3)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHASE

“Have you talked to Matthew?”

I look in the rearview mirror to find my sister’s hazel eyes watching me from the back of my truck, where she’s sitting next to Jackson.

“He might have called,” I admit slowly, returning my attention to the road.

“Of course he called you ,” Becky scoffs. “Meanwhile, he’s avoiding all of my calls. That little brat. Did he tell you the good news?”

Before I get a chance to even open my mouth, she continues.

“He’s failed some of his classes. Which means he lost his scholarship— last year.

But instead of retaking them like any normal person would, he decided, what the hell with it, and dropped out of college.

Did I mention it all happened last year?

” Becky shakes her head as she continues on, “He’s been sleeping on his friend’s couch after that, but now he has decided he wants to be a police officer.

I swear to you, I’m so close to getting on a plane and going to see him so I can put some sense into him.

Something I should have done a long time ago when he was first acting out.

Maybe then we wouldn’t be where we are now. ”

My fingers curl around the steering wheel as I listen to Becky’s rant. A reminder of how much I’ve messed up when it comes to my siblings. I’m the oldest; it was up to me to take care of them. But I wasn’t there. I should have been there.

“I know, but whether you want to admit it or not, he’s a grown-ass man, Becs. He can do whatever he wants to.”

“He might be a grown-ass man, but he’ll always be my baby brother.” She presses her lips into a tight line, her gaze going distant. “Maybe if I’ve done something differently…”

“You’ve done your best. I should have been around more.”

From the corner of my eye, I can see her shift in her seat, her gaze boring into the side of my face. “Don’t you dare put that on yourself. Matthew was my responsibility. You were working, so we could have something to eat.”

That’s where she’s wrong.

“No, he wasn’t. At least, he shouldn’t have been. I’m the oldest,” I mutter through clenched teeth. “It was up to me to take care of our family.”

Matthew’s the youngest of us. He was only seven when Dad died.

Not only that, he was the one who was in the car with him when it happened.

That kind of thing messes with your head.

After that, everything changed. Mom was depressed, and although Becky and I tried our best to be there for him and help him, we were still kids mourning our father.

There was the estate to deal with, animals, and somebody had to work in order to put food on our table.

“Not sure how you were supposed to do that when you were killing yourself trying to take care of the farm, go to school, and work.”

I tried to manage the farm; what little good that did us.

I’d been the one helping Dad with the small number of animals we still had left.

The truth was, at that point, the farm had been doing poorly for a while, which is why Dad did most of the work on his own before he went to his job.

At first, I figured I could do it on my own.

If Dad could have done it, I sure as hell could.

But then I barely managed to go to school, and my grades were slipping.

Thankfully, the Santiagos had offered to buy us out.

They took the animals and some of the land we owned, and they gave me a job so I could bring in money to cover our bills and have something to eat.

“Yeah, well, it is what it is.” Checking the street, I make a turn for the parking lot of the assistant living facility. “Just give him time. He’s an adult; he has to figure out things on his own, Becs.”

“I know. I just miss him. I texted him to come home since we’re having a Fourth of July party, but he’s been ignoring me. He hasn’t been home once after he left for college. Not once, Chase.”

“We all have demons we’re running away from.”

I can feel her gaze probing the side of my face, but I ignore it as I pull the truck into the parking space, kill the engine, and unhook my seatbelt.

“I know, but…” She shakes her head, leaving the sentence hanging as she changes the subject. “Do you want to come to our party? And before you answer, it’ll be just a few of us, out at the lake.”

Shit, I should have seen this one coming.

“You know I don’t do people, Becs.”

Or fireworks.

But I don’t bother pointing that out. I don’t want to open that box if I can help it.

“That’s what you said when I suggested Rose move into the cottage and look at you now.”

I press my lips into a tight line, refusing to take her bait. Becky sighs. “Fine, but the offer stands in case you change your mind.”

Highly unlikely.

Thankfully, my sister doesn’t probe further. I get out of the truck, holding open the door for Shadow, who’s been holding her head out the window this whole time. She jumps out and brushes against the side of my leg in the process.

Becky slides her bag over her shoulder as she walks to the back door and pulls Jackson out of his car seat. She shifts him onto her hip while the little dude watches around intently. His big green eyes meet mine, and he lets out a bubbly sound.

“He’s grown so big,” I say as we walk toward the front door.

“He’s his father’s son, that’s for sure.” Becky gives me a pointed look. “Maybe that’s your sign to come over more often, Uncle Chase. It wouldn’t kill you to stop by for dinner every once in a while. God knows what monstrosities you’re eating.”

“I’m almost thirty, I can take care of myself.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. I know you’re a neat freak, but we both know you can’t boil water without burning it. Knowing you, you’re probably eating some boxed food.”

Her nose furrows in disgust at the mere idea. Not that I can blame her. Some of the boxed food is questionable at best, but it’s not like I care. I’ve eaten way worse than that. Not that I’ve been eating much of those the last few days anyway.

It seems like those plastic containers keep finding their way to my porch lately. I know I should tell Rose to stop doing it. But that would require going to her place, and that’s the last thing I want to do when I need to put some distance between us.

“What’s with that face?”

Glancing at Becky, I find her narrowed eyes on me.

“Nothing.”

If possible, she squints even further. “Mm-hmm…”

“Has anyone ever told you how annoying you can be?”

Becky tilts her head to the side as if she’s thinking about it. “Not lately.”

“Well, this is your reminder.” Pulling the door open, I hold it for Becky to enter first before following after her. A couple of nurses are sitting at the front desk, and they smile at us when they see us coming.

“Oh, who do we have here?” the older nurse coos at Jackson. While most babies would hide from the attention, this kid just grins wider. “Just look at him. Hello, there, handsome. Your grandma will be so happy to see you.”

“And we’re happy to see her, right, Jax?” Becky wiggles her fingers at her son, who giggles before she shifts her attention to the nurses. “Is Mom in her room?”

The other nurse shakes her head. “They just had a little snack, so she’s out in the garden.”

“How is she doing?”

“Good. A little hazy, but she’s been present today.”

We thank the nurses and make our way to the small garden in the back. She spent a lot of time there, I guess because it reminds her of home.

Mom’s Alzheimer’s has gotten worse in the last year.

These days she’s been stuck in the past more than living in the present moment, so we take any chance we can get to come when she is herself—Becky more than me.

I think I look so much like my dad that sometimes it confuses her and pulls her back to the past. But today I’m willing to risk it, considering it’s been a while since I’ve seen her.

Becky smiles at one of the nurses, who’s monitoring a handful of people playing checkers in the living room as we go out onto the terrace. Mom is sitting on a bench under one of the trees, her head tilted back as she watches the sky, a distant expression on her face.

My stomach tightens, my hand landing on Shadow’s back.

“Hey, Mom,” Becky greets softly as we come closer.

I hold my breath as she slowly turns her attention to us. There is a blank expression on her face for a moment, but then she smiles.

“Rebecca.” Mom’s gaze shifts to me before it goes to Jackson. “And you brought me company.”

She lifts her hand to nuzzle Jackson’s cheek, but he has other plans. He extends his hands, making Mom chuckle. “Look at you, so big.”

Becky gently shifts Jackson into our mother’s arms, and a smile illuminates her face as she looks at her grandson.

“He’s growing so fast.” Becky takes a seat on the bench next to her. “I can’t believe he’ll soon be one.”

“They do. Isn’t that right, Jax? You’re going to grow up big and strong, just like your daddy and uncle.” Jackson shrieks in excitement, which makes Mom laugh. Her gaze meets mine, some of that brightness disappearing as she glances between Becky and me. “How are you two doing?”

“Good,” I say, at the same time, Becky gives me a side eye and chimes in with, “Cranky.”

“I think she’s referring to herself. She’s been fighting with Matthew.”

My sister mock-gasps. “You did not. Tattletale.”

“You should give him some grace, Rebecca. You know how your brother can get.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew what he did now.”

Mom raises her brow, a little bit of that sharpness I was familiar with from before—before Dad died and our family fell apart—flashing on her face. “Might as well tell me, it’s not like I’m going to remember it later.”

Becky’s face turns serious. “Don’t joke about that.”

Mom shifts Jackson so he’s sitting on her lap before placing one of her hands on Becky’s knee. “It’s the truth. We all know that. So, what’s going on?”

Becky tells her about Matthew, and Mom listens intently, reassuring her that everything will be okay before they switch the conversation back to Becky and her family.

At some point, Jackson decides he’s over sitting and wiggles until Mom finally lets him down on the ground, and he immediately starts crawling.

He grabs one of the bushes, but before either of us can react, Shadow gently pushes his hands with her snout, so now his attention is on her.

I watch as he grabs her fur between his little fingers and pushes to his feet, giggling loudly when he sees all eyes on him.

“Is he walking yet?”

Becky shakes her head. “He’ll get up every now and then while he holds onto something, but that’s about it.”

Shadow turns around to keep an eye on the boy. Jackson’s head tilts to the side as he watches her for a moment.

“She’s not going to bite him, is she?” Mom nibbles at her lower lip, her gaze darting to me.

“No, Mom, she won’t bite him,” I reassure her. “Shadow, be still.”

If she could, she’d probably roll her eyes at me. But Mom doesn’t know her the way I do, and if it gives her the peace of mind, it’s the least I can do.

A frail hand touches mine. Her skin is dry and paper-thin, her blue veins visible under her skin. I lift my gaze, meeting her eyes. “You’ve been quiet.”

“As if that’s something new.” Becky snorts, amusement dancing in her irises. I glare at her, but she ignores me, the corner of her mouth lifting. “But you know what is new? Chase has roommates. Rose and her son have moved into the cottage on the ranch.”

Mom rubs at her forehead. “Rose? That name sounds familiar, but…”

“We were friends in school, and she used to come to our house to play.”

Mom nods slowly. “And she now lives with you?”

“She doesn’t live with me.” I let out an exasperated sigh. I’m going to kill my sister for this. “She lives at the cottage until she figures things out.”

“That’s nice of you.”

“It’s all Becky’s fault.”

“She needed a place to stay.” Becky quirks her brow in challenge. “Besides, if I remember correctly, you were the first who said that Merrick’s place was unsuitable, did you not?”

I press my lips into a tight line, refusing to say anything, which only makes Becky grin wider. “I’m right, and we both know it.”

“I’m not talking about it.”

“You don’t have to. I think a little bit of company will do him good, right, Mom?” Becky turns to Mom, but her smile immediately falls. That blank and scared look is back on Mom’s face as she looks around.

“Gigi? What’s going on? Where are we?” She looks around, her eyes landing on me. “Jackson?” A tentative smile appears on her face as she gets to her feet and comes to me, wrapping her hands around me. “You’re home! When did you come home?”

“Just a little while ago.” I gently wrap my arm around her frail shoulders. My eyes meet Becky’s, and any teasing that was on her face is now gone. “How about we go inside?”

We both know the drill on how to handle Mom the best when she gets like this. I listen to her chat away as we enter the living room. The nurses spot us immediately. The older one nods at me, following behind me as I lead Mom to her room and put her to bed.

“You should try and get some rest.”

“I am tired,” Mom agrees, her slender fingers wrapping around mine. “Will you be here when I wake up?”

“Of course,” I lie. “Now sleep. It will all be okay.”