Page 96 of Mended Fences

We hadn’t crossed that line yet. It was another item on the list of topics I was carefully avoiding. I didn’t want to be the reason he spiraled.

“Good morning,” he said carefully.Too carefully.

God, I missedmyChase—the one who made me smile, made my heart race.

But so much had happened.

“Listen,” Jay said, breaking into my thoughts, “I think we’re gonna need that miter saw after all since the risers are all rotted to shit. I’ll run back to the barn and grab it.”

“I can—” Chase started.

“Nah, Son, you make that girl a cup of coffee,” Jay said, pointing a finger at me and raising his brows. “Decaf, ya hear? Don’t need that baby coming out with twelve toes.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Two hundred milligrams of caffeine per day is perfectly safe in pregnancy.”

“Aw, whadda you know?”

I pointed at my chest with a smile. “Doctor.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jay waved a hand over his head as he turned and walked away.

Chase stood and looked on with that same smile on his handsome face. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked toward the ground when my eyes met his. He kicked at a rock in the grass.

“Really have gotten close with them, huh?”

“Yeah, I have,” I said with a shrug. “It’s nice.”

“He shoulda fixed these damn steps weeks ago, then, if you’re so close,” Chase muttered.

I laughed again, and his head snapped up at the sound. His grin transformed into something a bit more self-assured, like he was proud of himself that he could still make me laugh.

“So, how ’bout that coffee?”

Chase nodded and took the steps gingerly, meeting me at the door in a few strides.

“Hey, Sweetness,” he murmured when he reached me, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on my cheek.

I attempted a smile, but it probably came across as more ofa grimace. I didn’t want kisses on the goddamn cheek. I was in my second trimester, I was horny, and Chase washome.

God, I wanted him. But some things were more important than assuaging my libido.

Like Chase’s sobriety.

I mentally scolded myself.

“What just happened?”

“Huh?”

“You look like you just had a whole damn conversation in your head.” Chase tapped the tip of his index finger against my forehead.

“Nothing. I just?—”

I looked up at him, and my breath caught in my lungs. He was so damn beautiful. Those tortured blue eyes nearly undid me right there. I averted my gaze and bit my lip, chewing on it same as the words that were on the tip of my tongue.

Some sort of feral growl rumbled outward from Chase’s chest. “Elena…”

When my eyes snapped back to his, they were dark with unmistakable lust.