Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Chase had just gotten home, nursing his sore knuckles with an ice pack, when his phone rang.
“Ruby? Hey, what’s up?”
“I’m heading back from LA. Could you pick up Haley from Mrs. Murtree? Wait for me to get home?” She sounded anxious.
“What were you doing in LA? Is something wrong?”
“When is something not wrong lately? Just wait for me. Will you?”
Like he was going to say no.
Fifteen minutes later, he was unlocking Ruby’s apartment with the spare key she’d given him. Haley ran between his legs and inside, nearly making him lose his balance. “Hey, slow down there.”
“No!” she shouted.
Had she reached that stage already? If he remembered correctly from growing up with a younger sister, this would last until Haley was about eighteen.
The toddler ran around the apartment, and Chase lumbered after her growling like a bear, until they knocked over a basket of laundry. Towels and baby clothes scattered over the rug, along with a few silky scraps of fabric that might’ve been Ruby’s underwear.
“You’re going to get me in trouble. Come help me with these before your mama gets home.”
“No!”
Chase laughed, shaking his head. He grabbed a towel from the floor. And wouldn’t you know it, Ruby opened the door and hurried into the apartment.
“I know this looks bad, but I promise I’m—” He stopped talking when he saw the anxiety on Ruby’s face. Chase set the towel aside.
“Did you mean it?” Ruby asked.
“Mean what?” His brain wasn’t keeping up.
“Getting married. Did you mean it?”
Lightning zapped to his nerve endings. Excitement, terror, a roller coaster of emotions. “Uh…yeah. Absolutely.”
“Okay.”
“Wait. Are you saying yes?”
The door to the hallway was still open. Chase went over to close it. Haley came out of her room, and Ruby kneeled to hug the baby.
He really couldn’t tell if this conversation was making Ruby feel better or worse.
“Let’s back up,” he said. “What happened today?”
“A lot. Too much.”
Ruby carried Haley into the living room and sat on the couch. Chase followed, sitting on the coffee table so he could face them. Haley squirmed in her lap, but Ruby didn’t let her go.
“What happened?” Chase reached out and rested his hands on Ruby’s knees.
“I saw Jane. And she’s great. I’m so thankful to have her. I’m thankful to have so many people looking out for me. Especially you.”
Her dark eyes were so vulnerable. A pang hit him in his chest.
“Jane said a friend of Mickey’s was trying to contact me. This guy named Tag. I went to see him in LA, and he told me Mickey’s family hired a fancy lawyer. They want to take Haley away from me. Because they think I…” Ruby glanced down at her little girl. “You know what they think I did.”
Killed Haley’s father.
“That’s why I called you. I just needed to know Haley was okay. That she was safe.”
“Did you think she wouldn’t be?”
“It was an instinctual fear, okay? I felt like my baby was being threatened. And while Mrs. Murtree is sweet, the lady’s a toothpick.”
“And I’m not?”
Ruby gave him a sardonic look. “You have a few muscles, I guess.”
“I didn’t realize you’d noticed.”
“I notice things about you.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Like how you try to distract me when I’m worried. Which I don’t need you to do.”
“Uh oh, Haley. Your mom’s grumpy.”
Haley patted her cheek. “No gumpy.”
“I know, I know.” Ruby took a heavy breath.
“Anyway, on my way back to West Oaks, I called Jane, and she conferenced in that family lawyer who’s been consulting with me.
I asked if Mickey’s family could really do that, and the lawyer said the court considers a bunch of factors when it comes to custody.
They want to keep a child with people she loves and knows.
But if I…I wasn’t around, and it was a battle between Mom and Devon on one side, and Mickey’s family on the other?
It’s really hard to say what the court would do. ”
Chase could feel Ruby’s agony, the terror of not knowing. Like it was inside his own heart and under his skin.
“But then, I asked what would happen if Haley had a stepdad.” Ruby bit her lip. “A police officer with good standing in the community.”
He could hardly breathe with how much he wanted to shield them, protect them. “Yeah?”
“The lawyer said it would make a big difference. Both with CPS, and with the court when it comes to custody.”
“Then we have to do it.” There was no question in Chase’s mind. But she still seemed to be hesitating.
“I need you to be sure. I’m asking you for so much.”
He tilted his head. “If I remember correctly, I’m the one who asked you.”
“And it’s just like you to offer everything you have to someone else without thinking.”
“And it’s just like you to be too proud to accept.”
Her foot knocked against his leg, and a smile ghosted over her lips.
“Ever since I got pregnant, I hated the idea of being a burden on my mom or Devon. I’ve wanted to provide for Haley on my own.
To prove I didn’t need Mickey, didn’t need his money or anyone else’s.
I’ve worked hard to get to this point, where I had my own place, was standing on my own feet. ”
“I know you have.”
“But this time, I might not be…” She blinked rapidly, her voice breaking. “I might not be enough. Mickey’s family—and plenty of other people—think I did something terrible. If the worst happens, I have to make sure Haley’s safe. No matter what.”
“That’s what I want, too.”
I love you, he thought. More than you will ever know.
Because he wasn’t going to let her know. This wasn’t about his feelings or his needs. It was about Haley. It was about giving Ruby some peace of mind and a fighting chance to get through this unscathed.
Chase held out his hand, palm up. “Let me do this for you.”
It was Haley who reached back. “Chay-Chay.” Her little arms stretched toward him.
Ruby let her go, and Chase kissed Haley’s head before setting her down. “You want to go play?” he asked. The little girl nodded and toddled off.
“Oh my god.” Ruby’s eyes squeezed shut, and tears cascaded down her cheeks. “I can’t believe we’re really doing this.”
“I can think of worse ideas. Like…anchovies and chocolate ice cream.”
“Ew. That’s disgusting.”
Chase slid down to the floor in front of her, going onto his knees. Ruby’s eyes widened. He’d thought kneeling might lighten the mood, like this wasn’t deadly serious. But his heart didn’t think it was funny.
This felt like flying through the clouds and crashing to the earth at the exact same time.
“Ruby Whitestone, will you marry me?”
“Okay,” she whispered. She slid her hand into his. Their fingers wound together. He needed a ring. He needed…holy shit, a lot of things.
His wife. She was going to be his wife.
But first, they had to tell her family.
Ruby called Devon and Aurora and asked them to come down to her apartment. They readily agreed, probably thinking this was just a casual meetup like they often had.
Devon grinned when he saw Chase was there. “Hey, man. How’s it going?”
Chase couldn’t even manage a response.
Guess what, Dev? I’m marrying your sister.
This was going to be a slightly awkward conversation.
Aurora was cooing over Haley. “Look at these cheeks! Even chunkier than a few days ago. She’s the cutest little chipmunk.”
“Can everyone come into the living room?” Ruby asked. “Chase and I have some news.”
Devon sat on the couch. “Is this about your case?”
“Sort of.”
Ruby had washed her face. Any trace of redness was gone from her eyes, and Chase wondered if she’d used some magic eyedrops or something. Ruby looked totally confident and put together, like she was her old self. Not facing a murder charge and about to marry his ass.
Chase, by contrast, felt like he’d just jumped into the middle of the ocean and had no idea how to swim.
Aurora joined Devon on the couch. Haley had coopted Aurora’s phone and was playing with it on the floor.
Chase and Ruby stood in front of them, and she surprised him by taking his hand. “Chase and I are getting married.”
Aurora’s plucked eyebrows slowly rose. Devon tilted his head, as if he hadn’t heard. “I’m sorry. What was that?”
Chase cleared his throat. “I asked Ruby to marry me, and she said yes.”
“Oh,” Aurora said in a tiny voice. “Wow.”
Devon fixed Chase with an intense gaze. “Can somebody please start talking some sense? Because I feel like I stepped into a fucking parallel universe.”
Chase nodded toward Haley. “Dude, chill on the f-bombs.”
“Dude, explain why you asked my sister to marry you!”
“My ex’s family wants to challenge my custody of Haley, and Child Protective Services has already been sniffing around. If Chase is Haley’s stepdad, it’ll carry a lot of weight with the court.”
“It’ll mean I can put her and Haley on my health insurance, too,” Chase added.
Devon was shaking his head. “I could’ve added you to my health insurance if you’d asked. I’m sure that Max would—”
Ruby groaned in exasperation. “You aren’t listening. It’s already decided. Chase offered, and I said yes.”
“When?” Aurora asked. “When is this happening?”
“As soon as we can, I think.” Chase looked at Ruby. They hadn’t even talked about timing.
“You’ll need a marriage license.” Aurora took her phone back from Haley, who whined until Aurora handed her a toy train instead.
“It says on the West Oaks County website that there’s no waiting period, no blood tests required.
They’re open tomorrow morning for walk-ins.
The clerk can perform the ceremony, if you really want to make this as quick as possible. ”
“Why are you helping?” Devon cried.
“Because they’ve clearly thought this through, and I’m an event planner. This is what I do.”
Devon jumped up from the couch. “I need to talk to Chase.”
“Devon,” Ruby and Aurora both said, in the same warning tone.
“I’m going to talk to my best friend.”
They went into Haley’s bedroom, which still smelled like baby powder and milk, even though she was getting older. Chase was careful not to step on the toys she’d left scattered on the floor.
“You’re marrying Ruby?” Devon whispered. “Are things really that dire?”
“Yeah, Dev. It’s bad. Like Ruby just said.”
“But does it have to be you?” Devon asked. “What about…Noah?”
Chase took a step back. “Noah? Why him? Because he’s richer than I am and has a fancy house in the hills?” Did Devon not think Chase was good enough? “Noah’s billionaire girlfriend might have a problem with it. Sorry he’s not available.”
“That isn’t what I meant. You’re…” Devon waved his hands around. “You’re like Ruby’s brother. And now you’re going to marry her? It’s creepy.”
“I’m like your brother. I never said I viewed Ruby as my sister.”
Devon’s gaze turned steely. “Are you trying to confess something?”
“No. Jeez. Ruby and I are friends and nothing more. That’s all we’ll ever be. But you can’t seriously be pulling this over-protective older brother shit. Really? You? With your history?”
He groaned, dropping his head into his hands. “I know that. I’ve been on the other side of it with Max. I’m in no place to judge.”
Max was both Devon’s boss and Aurora’s older brother, and there’d been some tension when Devon and Aurora had gotten together.
“There’s nothing to judge,” Chase said. “I care about Ruby. I care about Haley. I’m just doing my part to protect them.”
“And I’m so grateful, man. I’m doing a shit job of showing it. My head’s a mess over this. I can hardly think. And there’s other stuff going on…”
“Like what?”
Devon shook his head. “I’ll tell you another time. Not now.”
“Is it bad?”
Devon’s expression was still heavy, but the corner of his mouth curved. He glanced around Haley’s room. “Not bad at all. But it’s a lot. I’ll share when I can, okay? I promise. Sorry I’m being an asshole.”
“You’re not. Come here.” Chase hugged him, and Devon returned it. But this wasn’t their usual slap-on-the-back kind of embrace. It felt like Devon was holding on for dear life.
“You asked me to look out for Ruby a year ago,” Chase said, “and you asked me again the other day. That’s what I’m doing.”
“You’re right.” Devon let go of him, blinking rapidly.
“You say all the time that we’re brothers. This is just brothers-in-law.”
“Brothers-in-law.” Devon said the word like he was trying it out. “Yeah. I can deal with that.”
“Someday, it’ll be Max. I’ve got to be better than that, right?”
Devon barked a laugh. “You have no idea.”
“He did ask you to be his best man, though.”
“Yeah. Still trying to figure that one out. Maybe Lana made him do it.”