Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
As Chase watched the sun creep above the horizon, Jewel stared at him, the sound of the screen door echoing between them. Birds chirped in the nearby trees, and horses ate in the field beside the house.
But still she watched him, unable to move even as she heard the ding of the timer on the oven inside. Ava could come out any minute and interrupt them, but after all these years, Jewel was sitting next to Chase on the front porch steps watching the sunrise.
A heavy silence fell between them, filled only by the chirping of crickets and the distant chewing of the horses. Jewel could feel the heat radiating off Chase's body, their thighs almost touching on the narrow step. She ached to close that small gap, to see if his now powerful arms still felt as safe as she remembered.
Instead, she kept her distance. A relationship wasn't what she needed right now, especially not with a broody convict she no longer knew.
She did need to clear the air, though. She had a few more apologies to dish out and had to make everything right. Only then would Crimson Creek become her oasis and stress-free home.
"Why didn't you come home at spring break? Or respond to any of my emails after Christmas?"
That was the apology she still needed to make. Jewel fidgeted with the frayed edge of her cutoff shorts, avoiding Chase's intense gaze as she struggled to find an explanation. "I just... I got scared."
Chase leaned against the porch railing, jaw clenched. "Scared of what? Of me?"
"No, not you," Jewel rushed to clarify. "Of... this. Us. Everything changing." She gestured vaguely between them, the weight of their situation almost suffocating her. "It was too much. I wasn't ready to face getting pregnant or how I felt about it, about you. It was too intense and real."
Chase ran a hand through his hair, frustration clear in every movement. "And you think I was ready then, or that I am now? Damnit, Jewel, I just got my life back together. Figuring out how to live as an adult this past year has been fucking hard enough. And now a kid… this changes everything."
His words hung heavy in the air, leaving them both gasping for breath.
Jewel's eyes burned as tears pricked, and she turned to face the sun. "I know, and I'm so sorry. I should've told you both sooner. If I've learned anything in the past fifteen years, it's that everything changes, whether we want it to or not."
Chase snorted, his shoulders slumping as he leaned his elbows on his knees. "You got that right. But you still should've come home or called or emailed…"
She nodded, shame making her cheeks burn. "I know. I was a coward, and it was wrong of me to avoid you. It wasn't fair to you or Hunter."
They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of their choices pressing down on them. Chase cleared his throat. "So, uh, what now? I mean, are you—are we?—"
He broke off, raking his hand through his hair again and blowing a frustrated breath.
Jewel shook her head. "I don't know. I wish I had all the answers, but I don't. All I know is that I'm here now, and we all have to live in this little town, which means we all have to figure this out together."
He paused, then sighed. "I don't know how to be a dad, Jewel. Hell, I barely know how to be a functioning adult. Maybe you're right. She'd be better off with Hunter as her dad."
The defeat in his voice made her yearn to comfort him.
Jewel's hand twitched, almost reaching out to touch Chase's arm before she caught herself. "That's not true," she said softly. "You've always been the best of us all, Chase, no matter where you've spent the past fifteen years. That hasn't changed. If you are her father, she'd be lucky to have you."
Chase's eyes met hers, a storm of emotions swirling in their depths. "But if I am, then I'm a shit dad already. No one wants a convict for a father. Whether she's mine or Hunter's, the fact remains that neither of us were there for her birth, her first steps, her first words. We've missed so much already. Does she hate us? Is she angry that we weren't there for her?"
Jewel's heart ached. Even though he'd gone through so much, his first thought was on Destini and what she had experienced. She hadn't expected that, although she should've. He'd always been the more sensitive of the brothers.
"She's a moody, rebellious teenager, but that's not because of missing out on having a dad. It's because she and I haven't gotten along for a long while, which is mostly my fault."
Jewel shook her head and pulled out her phone to show him a picture of Destini in front of her science fair project a few months ago.
"Destini's amazing though. Smart, funny, and stubborn as hell. Obsessed with NASA and stars and astronomy."
Chase sucked in a breath as he leaned closer, staring at her phone. His voice was deeper as he said, "Hunter's always loved astronomy and astrology."
Jewel nodded slowly, but didn't say anything.
"I guess all these feelings could be pointless, since she might be Hunter's instead of mine." His voice was rough, and she felt his loneliness like a line tugging from her heart to his.
She opened her mouth to somehow comfort him, but he stretched his legs straight and leaned back with a heavy sigh. Two ranch hands stepped around the barn, walking from the direction of the bunk house.
"We'll just take it one day at a time, I suppose. Sure wish we could get that DNA test done now. I'm not the most patient man."
He stood and stretched, his hands going high above his head. The green t-shirt lifted at his waist, showing a tantalizing hint of skin.
Then he rocked on his heels and turned to offer her a hand, a small smile hovering on his lips even though his eyes remained guarded.
"Ma said come eat breakfast, and we'd better get in there before the masses descend like ravenous wolves. Ready?"
She looked up at him, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of his outstretched hand. For a moment, she was transported back to their high school days, when a simple touch from Chase could set her whole body on fire.
Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his, feeling the familiar callouses and strength as he helped her to her feet. The contact sent a jolt through her.
She allowed him to pull her to her feet, their bodies now mere inches apart.
"Chase, I—" she started, but the words died in her throat as their eyes locked. The air between them crackled with unspoken tension and desire.
Just then, the screen door banged open, startling them both. They jumped apart as Ava's voice rang out.
"There you two are! Breakfast is getting cold, and you know how your dad hates cold eggs, Chase."
The screen door slammed shut behind her as Ava stepped back inside. With the ranch hands striding across the yard, Jewel stepped up to the front door.
Chase reached in front of her, his hand on the handle as he paused, the muscles tensing beneath his shirt. She looked up at him, her nose flaring as his deodorant mixed with the hay, their bodies close but somehow not close enough. It was comforting and familiar, yet tantalizing and setting her on high alert.
His guarded eyes searched hers cautiously. "Jewel, I… I'm glad you're here. Even with all this complicated mess, it's good to see you."
God, why was she so emotional? She felt a familiar warmth spread through her chest at his words, and tears threatened to spill over. Was it possible that he still cared for her? Her heart ached with hope and uncertainty, but she immediately chastised herself for hoping for such a thing.
"Really?" she whispered. "You don't hate me?"
His free hand reached up, and a finger traced her jaw, sending shivers through her body and reminding her of the electric touch they'd shared in the past.
His eyes soft and searching, he said, "I could never hate you, Jewel. We've all made mistakes. God knows I've made more than my share."
Jewel's stomach rumbled, the scent of bacon and coffee wafting out of the screen door. Chase chuckled, the sound warming her from the inside out like warm chocolate as he dropped his hand and opened the door.
"Some things never change, huh? You've always been able to eat your weight in Ma's cooking."
Jewel grinned, a blush heating her cheeks. "I wasn't lying earlier. I've dreamed of her cooking."
He chuckled and followed her inside. "You and me both, my Jewel. You and me both."
Her mind echoed with his nickname for her, and her blush spread as she strode to the kitchen and grabbed a plate from the pile on the counter. She tried to ignore the lingering warmth of his touch on her jaw, but her body was acutely aware of his every movement as she filled her plate and sat down at the large table just as the ranch hands stomped inside.
* * *
"Jewel, stop your dawdling or we'll be late," her dad grumbled as Jewel grabbed her wedge sandals from the closet and rushed out the door barefoot, church bag weighing on her arm.
Her hair flew around her face as soon as the front door slammed behind her. Henry strode to the truck parked in the drive, saying over his shoulder, "And lock the door. Crimson Creek's not the same place it used to be."
Jewel skidded to a stop before the step and turned, digging for her key in her bag. Gemma already sat in the truck, of course, and Jewel's head pounded at the bright morning light.
It was not a good Lyme morning. If she'd still been in Houston, she would've slept in and spent the morning trying to kick her headache and fatigue. As it was, her dad had banged on her door like she was still a teenager, gruffly barking orders to get up and around.
Not for the first time, she considered staying with one of her cousins or at the old motel on the edge of town. Her nose wrinkled to remember it as she'd driven by.
She locked the door and turned on her bare feet to race down the sidewalk to the drive, throwing open the door and hopping inside.
Henry scowled as he backed out of the driveway. "Took you long enough. Thought you would've outgrown being late."
She didn't engage, instead just slipping on her sandals and rifling in her bag for a ponytail holder. Without a mirror in the backseat, she did the best she could to pull her hair up and into a bun.
The worship team was already playing when they walked into the church and took the same seats her family had had since she could remember. The wood paneling inside had been painted and updated in the years she'd been gone, and the carpet had been replaced.
Otherwise, it was the same as before. Once they found their seats, she set her Bible down beside Gemma before stepping away to the bathroom. She splashed water on her neck and worked on breathing exercises to find her center and reset her mind.
Rushing through the morning and being stressed wasn't what her body needed right now. She closed her eyes and listened to the soft music as it echoed in the bathroom, her hands slightly shaking. A stall flushed, and Jewel moved to the side of the sink, digging for her lipstick and mascara.
She swiped them on as a strikingly beautiful woman came out of the stall and washed her hands. Black hair falling past her shoulders, she smiled kindly and said, "Hello."
Jewel nodded and murmured a reply before applying her mascara.
"That's a beautiful shade of lipstick on you," the woman said.
Jewel smiled and blinked back tears, closing the mascara and putting it back into her bag. "Thank you, that's so sweet. I really needed to hear that today, you have no idea."
The woman leaned against the counter and dried her hands. "Anytime. Are you alright?"
Jewel shrugged and looked at herself in the mirror, taking a deep breath. "I will be eventually. I just moved back home so I can sort some things out and take control of my life. No worries though. I'll figure it out."
The woman tilted her head, then she thrust a palm out. "I'm Taylor, and I'm new to town too. I'm the new librarian."
Jewel shook her hand, warmth spreading with hope of a new friend. "I'm Jewel. I'm joining my family's veterinarian practice after years of telling them no."
Taylor hummed thoughtfully. "Family, am I right? Damned if you do and damned if you don't."
Jewel chuckled as Taylor paused and wrinkled her nose. "I probably shouldn't say that in church, huh? If I'm struck by lightning, make sure they put something nice on my tombstone."
Jewel laughed and grabbed her bag. "I think you'll be fine. God's got enough to worry about without monitoring for language in church. Although don't tell my teenager I said that."
Taylor laughed and followed her out of the bathroom. "Fair enough. It was nice meeting you."
"You too," Jewel said, as they both slipped back into the sanctuary and to their seats.
Landry grinned at the crowd from the stage and talked between the songs about how good life is, then they started another song as the pastor walked up.
Jewel frowned and looked around slowly, but didn't see Chase. He wasn't playing on stage with the rest of his brothers, which was odd. She remembered him playing with them when they were kids and would do specials.
When the music ended, Chase strode from the back of the church up the side by the wall and slid into their family's pew, Hunter joining him in the end.
From the back, all the Williams' brothers looked nearly identical. Same broad shoulders, same tilt of their head, same light brown hair, their haircuts the only difference. Not for the first time, she berated herself for mixing up the two brothers all those years ago.
Her mind wandered to the past until the pastor began to speak about the woman at the well. She sighed as her shoulders slumped.
She was so tired of this guilt and anger at herself for her past. She knew everyone made mistakes—she'd thought of Chase's words on the porch since yesterday—but that didn't make her feel any better about it.
When the message was over, she followed the crowd to the front door of the church, forming a line to shake the pastor's hand.
"Well, well, we meet again," a soft voice came from behind her in line.
She looked behind her shoulder and smiled. "Taylor, I was hoping to run into you."
"Oh?" The woman's dark brows rose. "Am I in trouble again?"
Jewel laughed and shook her head. "No, just wanted to ask if you'd like to do lunch or dinner sometime this week? Being new to town, thought you might be lonely too."
Taylor grinned as they shook the pastor's hand and moved outside and down the steps. Jewel put her sunglasses on, the sunlight amplifying her headache.
"I'd love to. My friend, Lucy, teaches yoga a few times a week at the studio in town. We can do an early dinner and then go to yoga together?"
Jewel turned to face Taylor and continue their conversation. "I'd love that. Yoga is great for my joints, and moving these past few days has been brutal on my back."
Taylor nodded and said, "Oh, you need to talk to Holly, then. She's a great masseuse and owns the yoga place. If I were you, I'd book an appointment with her ASAP. Here, let me give you my number, and I can connect you."
Jewel spied Hunter approaching from over Taylor's shoulder and smiled as she handed her phone over. Suddenly, she felt the eyes of everyone hanging out outside the church and remembered their big breakup that Christmas.
Jewel took a deep breath and smiled tightly as Hunter stopped beside them.
"Jewel, Taylor," he said deeply.
Jewel's brows rose. "Oh, you two know each other? I wasn't sure. I was about to introduce you." She laughed nervously, glancing at all those staring at them.
Taylor explained how they'd met at the Electric Cowboy a few weeks ago, and handed Jewel her phone as she asked, "How do y'all know each other? You said you moved back home, so does that mean y'all grew up together?"
Jewel nodded and shifted on her feet. Her knee buckled, and she grabbed Hunter's forearm for stability. She answered quickly to distract them from her awkwardness in heels. "Oh yeah, we dated for a few years before I went to college."
"Oh, I see. And now you're back in town," Taylor said, stepping away slightly.
Jewel nodded, "Yeah, working with my dad and sister. They've built up the veterinarian business and have asked me for years to come help, but I wasn't ready to leave Houston until now."
"That's so great that you get to work with family."
Jewel nodded, but another woman with a baby boy in her arms called for Taylor. Taylor waved and told them goodbye, saying, "That's my friend Lucy, the one I told you about. We'll chat soon, yeah? I have to go." She took off swiftly after the other woman.
Jewel glanced at Hunter, then paused, the stares from others falling away at the look on his face. She knew that look, had grown up with that look for years before he finally looked at her like that.
Her emotions had been wild this past year with all the changes, uncertainty, and chaos of her life changing. But she felt nothing but friendly curiosity at that look on his face. She smiled in relief as she glanced at Taylor, then back at Hunter, noticing that he didn't look away from the other woman until she drove out of sight.
"She's sweet," Jewel said. "I'm glad I'm not the only new girl in town."
"You're not new," Hunter said, finally looking down at her with a frown.
She shrugged. "Fifteen years is a long time to be gone."
Hunter jerked his chin to the side of the church where the shadows offered shade from the hot Texas sun. "So Chase keeps telling me."
Chase stood alone, hands in jean pockets, hiding behind his sunglasses. No one approached him or offered a smile. A few of the older ladies walked in a wide berth away from him too, which made her mad.
Her nostrils flared. "We can't just let him be left out. Come on."
Hunter snorted but let her tug him by the arm toward Chase. "Is that how it happened? You felt sorry for him being left out?"
Jewel's step faltered, and she was glad she was still hanging onto him. "I told you, it was an accident and just… happened," she said lamely.
She tried to analyze his tone of voice, but she could only tell that he wasn't angry. Sarcasm could cover a multitude of emotions.
Hunter didn't even bother replying, but she barely noticed as they drew closer to Chase. He'd grown taller in the past few years, had filled out in a way that should be a sin.
When she'd left, he'd been a skinny, nerdy teenager. Now, he was built like a linebacker and had perfected the moody, brooding anti-hero, his body language saying stay away or else.
The three of them stood in awkward silence, then Jewel sighed. "Well, so much for breaking the ice and learning to get along again."
Hunter snorted. "Did you think this was going to be easy?"
She shook her head sadly, unable to take her eyes off Chase even as she spoke to Hunter. "No, but I didn't think it'd be this hard. We were best friends all our lives."
Hunter elbowed her gently. "We were more than that."
Chase jerked his chin up, saying, "Your dad's coming this way."
Jewel turned and pasted on an overly bright smile.
"Boys," Henry said, his balding head shining in the sun. "We're going to your place for lunch. Wanted to give you a heads up."
Jewel's heart grew tight, and she sighed. "Is that a good idea?"
Henry shrugged. "How should I know? This is your shit show, dear. You made your bed, and now you gotta lie in it."
He paused, then looked at Hunter. "I take it she finally told you about Destini?"
Hunter nodded slowly and said, "Yes, sir."
"Expect you to do the right thing and pay back child support," Henry said.
Jewel gasped, "Dad!"
Hunter nodded but didn't argue, so Henry ignored her and said, "Good. Destini's a good kid with a good head on her shoulders. You'll like her once she moves to town. I'm going to round up Gemma now. I'm hungry."
He turned on his heel and walked off. Jewel turned back to Hunter and then glanced between the two brothers.
"That's not fair to either of you. No one needs to pay back child support."
Hunter shoved his hands in his pockets. "I guess we'll just keep pretending she's mine until we can get the DNA test done."
"Do we even need to do that?" Jewel asked, biting her lip and glancing at Chase.
Chase's jaw tightened as his lips pursed. He practically growled, "Yes, we do. I need to know."
Jewel pushed up her glasses. "Fine, but I guess your folks will want to talk about Destini at lunch today. Are—you both alright with just pretending like she's Hunter's for now?"
She watched Chase cross his arms, his lips thinning into a firm line. "I'll play nice until we know for sure. Don't worry."
She sighed in relief as her dad called her name from the parking lot. With one last glance at the two brothers, she slowly wove through the thinning crowd to the truck, her knees aching and head pounding.