Page 69 of Make Me Trust Again (Bluebonnet Creek #3)

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

CHASE

“Wait for me,” Rose says decisively, her eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror.

I look down pointedly before glancing up at her. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t move.”

Something dark passes in Rose’s eyes for a split second before she blinks it away. “Good.”

She unbuckles from the driver’s seat and slips out of the car, gently closing it so she doesn’t wake up Kyle, who’s sitting next to me.

Or better said, sleeping on me. Rose tried to get him to sit in his booster seat, but he refused, so instead of fighting a losing battle, I just held him close with my good arm all the way home.

He was so tired he crashed within a handful of minutes, but still, he wouldn’t let go of me.

Shadow rests her head on my knee, snapping me out of my thoughts. She’s been watching me like a hawk, refusing to leave my side the whole evening.

“I’m fine,” I tell her, but she just lets out a huff.

Just then, Rose pulls open my door and gives me a pointed look. “Even she calls bullshit on that one.”

I lean my head on the back seat, the events of the day finally catching up with me.

Rose shakes her head softly, her hand cupping my cheek, neither of us saying anything for a moment until Kyle stirs next to me but doesn’t wake.

“The poor guy’s been through the wringer tonight.”

Rose hums softly, gently brushing a strand of hair out of Kyle’s face. “Yeah, I don’t think he’ll forget what happened anytime soon. I need to call my lawyer, see if there is anything that can be done about John. I don’t want him anywhere near Kyle after the shit he’s just pulled.”

Her lips press into a tight line, her shoulders turning stiff at the mention of her ex.

“Any news on him?”

Rose shakes her head. “Nope. He’s still missing. Is it wrong of me to wish he would stay that way?”

“You can feel whichever way you want to feel, sweetheart.”

Apparently, Deputy Rivera called in backup after John ran away to let them know what happened, while he stayed with us until the paramedics arrived.

Although I insisted it was just a scratch, they wouldn’t budge when it came to taking me to the hospital.

I tried protesting; the hospital was the last place I wanted to go, but then they brought up their guilt card—Kyle.

He also needed to be checked out since he gained some scrapes and bruises, so of course, I gave in.

There was no way I was letting either him or Rose out of my sight while John was running rampant only God knows where.

In the end, the bullet sliced clear through my upper arm, so they just had to clean and stitch me up. Nico Rivera took our statements before the doctor told him to let us be so we could rest, but before leaving, he promised there were people looking for John, and he’d keep us updated.

I shift, my shoulder bumping into the seat, and a jab of pain spreads through my arm, making me curse softly.

“See? You are hurting! You need to get some rest.” Rose glares at me in warning. “And don’t you dare say those two words again.”

“You’re beautiful when you’re angry,” I whisper tenderly, but she doesn’t seem to find it amusing; instead, she shoots me that stern mom look she has reserved for Kyle when he’s in trouble. “You can’t sweet-talk your way out of this, Chase Williams.”

“Okay,” I sigh. “I’m getting out.”

I try to slip from under Kyle, but even in his sleep, he’s not budging.

“Let me?—”

“I’ve got him.”

Giving up trying to disentangle myself from Kyle, I circle my good arm around him, pulling him into my side as I turn us around. Kyle’s head is nestled in the crook of my neck, his warm breath tickling my skin.

“Chase, you shouldn’t carry him,” Rose chastises. “You’ve been hurting even before you were shot!”

“I’m pretty sure I still have it in me to carry a seven-year-old boy. I’ll be fine.”

The muscle in her cheek twitches at my words, making me chuckle as I push upright. I bite back the groan as pain courses through me and rearrange my hold on Kyle, so I don’t drop him before I take a step forward, Shadow jumping out and following next to me.

“Go open the door,” I grit out.

Thankfully, Rose doesn’t fight me any further, but I’m pretty sure I hear her mutter something about stubborn, infuriating men. By the time I make it into the cottage, she has a small light turned on and is holding back an excited Teddy.

I move past them and toward Kyle’s room.

Rose walks in front of me, pulling back the covers so that I can put him into his bed, just barely.

Sitting next to him, I gently brush his hair away as I try to catch my breath, while Rose pulls off his shoes, but gives up on the rest, pulling the comforter over him instead.

He shifts slightly, his eyes blinking open, blurry with sleep. “Chase?”

“I’m here, buddy. We’re home.”

“You came for me.”

My stomach knots at his words, his faith in me, when he’s been so close to getting hurt in the process. Because of me. If Rose and I weren’t together, none of this would have happened.

I swallow the knot in my throat, my voice coming out raspy, “I’ll always come for you, Kyle.”

“I know. I knew you’d find me and protect me.”

I blink, unsure if I saw it correctly, but then he does it again.

“You always protect me, Chase.”

He’s lying down, so his signing isn’t really as clear as it always is, but it’s the same sign. Forearms crossed over his chest, palms flat as he extended them toward me. Protect. Just like the sign name he gave me all those weeks ago.

“Like Levi’s dad protects him.” His soft voice snaps me out of my mind, his eyelids heavy. “I wish you were my dad.”

A smile lingers on his lips as the tiredness wins and pulls him back into slumber. Completely at peace, while my world feels like it’s been turned upside down. My heart is beating wildly inside my chest as I just stare at his sleeping face, the events from earlier tonight playing in my mind.

John holding onto Kyle. The feeling of adrenaline pumping through my veins as I was waiting for an opening.

Grabbing the gun. The mix of surprise and anger shining in John’s eyes as he tried to get the gun from me.

Knowing it was going to be okay because Kyle was safe.

The sound of the gunshot piercing through the ringing in my ears.

Kyle’s panicked voice as he called out ‘Dad’.

I thought I imagined it. Or if I didn’t, I figured he was calling for John. His real dad.

I wish you were my dad.

Rose comes into my view; her fingers linger on the bruises that are on his arm from where John squeezed him. Finally, she leans down and kisses his forehead before turning to face me. Even in the dim light, I can see tears shimmer in her eyes.

“He called me Dad,” I whisper, still unable to wrap my head around it.

Me.

Dad.

For such a small word, the weight of it felt heavy on my shoulders. Like a permanent brand over my heart.

Rose moves closer, her hands cupping my cheeks. “You’ve been more of a father figure to him in the last few weeks than John ever was. He looks up to you…”

I shake my head. “I’m the last person he should be looking up to.”

“You’re so wrong.” Rose’s face softens slightly before her gaze darts to Kyle, who’s still asleep. She drops her hand, her fingers clasping around mine as she pulls me to my feet. I follow her out of the room, leaving the door cracked open, just in case he wakes up.

Rose goes to the living room and pulls me down on the couch, those blue eyes watching me intently.

“I wish you could see yourself through our eyes, Chase. Kyle always talks about the way you do things and watches you. He values your opinion and listens to what you have to say, but more than that, he loves you, Chase. He sees a man who will take time out of his day to be nice to a kid that’s nothing to him.

A man who’s willing to teach him about life and is there for him when he asks.

A man who has no connection to him but does it because he simply wants to.

I cannot change who Kyle’s birth father is, and even if I could, I wouldn’t change it because I love my son just the way he is.

John is a sorry excuse for a father, and I can’t change that, but I will never regret bringing you into our lives. ”

“He got hurt because of me, Rose! John took him because he was angry with me. I should have done more. Hell, I should have been with him on that last ride, so none of this would have happened.”

My chest burns with anger at myself. Once again, I put people I love in danger, and they got hurt because of it.

“What are you talking about?” Rose’s brows pull together. “You jumped in front of a gun for us. You could have died. Not just that, you were hurt because of us. So you could protect us.”

I shake my head. “But Kyle still got hurt.”

“Because of John!” Rose yells, she lets go of my hand, and frames my face, pulling me to her, our foreheads touching, her blue eyes fixed on mine.

“It was because of John. Because of his selfishness and hatred. Because he refused to let me be happy even after we divorced, but he found no issue in cheating on me while we were together. So don’t you dare put this on yourself, Chase Williams, when all you did was try and protect me and my son.

Any kid would be so lucky to have you as a father.

We sure as hell are lucky to have you in our lives. ”

Tears fill her eyes as she stares at me, the tip of her finger sliding over my lower lip. She was so brave throughout it all, but I can see the cracks in her armor now.

“I was so afraid, Chase,” she whispers. “So afraid that he would do something to Kyle. To you. And then I heard the gunshot, and watched you fall… I thought I was going to l-lose you.”

Her voice cracks, so I slide my hand around her waist, pulling her into my lap. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m here.”

Her fingers slide to my chest, gripping at my shirt as she buries her head in the crook of my neck.

“Shh…” I slide my hand up and down her back, kissing the top of her head. “It’s over now. You’re safe. Everybody is alright.”

I continue murmuring soft reassurances as she cries into my chest while I just hold her.

I’m not sure how long we stay like that, sitting on that couch, the dim light illuminating the space.

Only when her shoulders stop shaking as much do I pull her back, looking at her tear-stained face.

“C’mon, it’s late. Let’s put you to bed. ”

“Stay with me?”

A knot forms in my throat; the sound of the gunshot is still ringing in my head. I struggle to swallow it down, my voice coming out rough, “I’m not sure that’s the best thing tonight, sweetheart. Not after what happened earlier.”

There is understanding and pain in her gaze. “I can take your darkness, Chase. What I can’t do is bear the thought of not waking up next to you tomorrow and wonder what’s real and what’s a nightmare.”

I should tell her no.

I should put her to bed and leave.

But when her fingers wrap around mine, and we get to our feet, I don’t try to stop her. We cross the short distance and step into the darkness of her room. Rose slowly helps me take off my clothes before doing the same with hers.

With her hand in mine, Rose pulls me toward her bed. I settle against the pillows, and she curls into my good side, her head resting on my chest, her palm covering my heart as if she needs to be close. Needs to reassure herself that I’m alright.

“I love you, Chase.”

I press my lips against the top of her head. “Me too. Now sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”