Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-Five
Bill chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Your dad was always a bit of a troublemaker. Smart as a whip but couldn't sit still to save his life and was always trying to make things better than they were. Couldn't ever just let things be."
Chase tensed, but then paused, waiting to see if this conversation would make him feel less than yet again. There was something different in their tone of voice, or perhaps it was becoming a father himself that let him recognize that tone.
"Bill," Ava warned, but her eyes were twinkling.
"What? It's true," Bill said, winking at Destini. "He was always getting into scrapes. Once, when he was about twelve, we had a chicken coop. It was getting to winter, and we moved the chickens into the barn with the heaters."
Chase groaned at the memory, warmth filling him at this easiness with his parents. He hadn't had this in so long, it made his chest tight. "Dad."
But Bill just winked at him and continued. "He rigged up this elaborate pulley system in the barn to automate feeding the chickens so he wouldn't have to go out in the cold. Ended up tangling himself up in the ropes and hanging upside down for hours before we found him."
Destini burst out laughing, her eyes darting to Chase. "Seriously?"
Chase felt his face growing warm. "It was a completely logical system," he muttered.
"Logical?" Ava snorted. "I don't know. I used to think it was just lazy, but I know now that he was just trying to solve problems, even if his solutions were a bit… unorthodox."
Chase snorted, running a hand over the back of his neck, the embarrassment fading into something warm and nostalgic. This wasn't mockery. This was family sharing stories, accepting him—accepting her.
Ava's voice softened. "Do you remember why we got those chickens that year?"
Chase's neck grew too warm, and he picked at his apple pie with his fork.
Jewel tipped her head to the side. "Didn't you get them from Mr. MacFarland?"
Ava nodded, her eyes going sharp as she glanced between Chase and Jewel. "Yes, we did. When you heard that he was going to have a big party to kill 'em all and make fried chicken because he was too tired of dealing with all their noise, smell, and upkeep, you cried."
Jewel nodded, her eyes going wide. "That's right. We were at a church picnic that summer. I cried so much Dad took me home."
Ava nodded and clasped her hands in her lap. "Chase badgered us non-stop about those chickens until we offered to buy them from MacFarland."
"We only agreed because Chase promised to take care of them, and he did a great job," Bill added.
"Until winter set in," Ava said.
Jewel looked at him, her voice going soft as her hand tightened on his thigh. "You did that… because I was upset about it?"
He shrugged, then met her eyes. "You were upset, so I saved them."
Bill reached over and squeezed Chase's shoulder. "Some things never change. You're still trying to fix everything."
"Not everything," Chase said softly, still looking at Jewel. "Just the things that matter."
Jewel's hand found his under the table, her fingers intertwining with his.
Destini watched the exchange, her eyes wide. "Rigging an automatic feeder sounds like something I would do."
"Do you take all kinds of things apart too?" Ava asked, leaning forward and turning back to Destini.
Destini's eyes widened, but it was Jewel who answered. "Oh yes, all the freaking time."
Destini giggled again as Ava laughed. "Your dad was always curious. Always taking things apart to see how they worked. We'd find him in the garage with mechanical parts spread everywhere, trying to build something new."
Bill laughed. "Remember when he rebuilt that old lawn mower engine when he was twelve? Took him three weekends, but he did it all by himself."
He shrugged. "Y'all said we had to mow with the push mower because we couldn't afford a new riding mower. So I fixed the riding one."
His mom's eyes softened, and she blinked quickly. "Is that why you're so interested in money?"
Chase ran a hand over the back of his head, pausing before nodding.
"Oh, Chase," his mom said softly.
Bill cleared his throat. "Hey, remember that time we won a lottery to pay off our ranch?"
Chase went still, but Destini frowned in confusion.
His dad met his gaze and arched a brow in challenge. Chase opened and closed his mouth, his neck overheating once more. He glanced from his mom to his dad and back again, certainty filling him.
"You know?" His voice was rough, but he couldn't reach for his tea right now. They knew .
They nodded in unison, and Destini asked, "Know what?"
Bill said gruffly, "Chase paid the ranch off. Your Uncle Landry is a damn fine songwriter who's been writing and selling songs for a decade. He worked with Chase in prison to find out what to do with the money, and Chase told him. Landry follows directions really well—it's why he's so good at building and fixing things."
Chase felt something tight in his chest, watching his parents talk about him like he was someone they were proud of. Like he wasn't the disappointment he'd always believed himself to be.
Destini and Jewel stared at him, and Jewel's hand on his knee grounded him.
"Thank you, Son," Ava said softly, her eyes glistening. "You didn't have to do that."
He shrugged and glanced away, picking at his plate of leftover pie crust with his fork. "I couldn't work up the courage to apologize or talk to you on the phone. I thought it might help take some of the stress off y'all if you didn't have to worry about the mortgage."
Ava reached over and laid her hand on top of his, stilling the fork. He glanced up, meeting her tearful eyes. "There's no reason to apologize."
He frowned, his inner file on what to do in social situations clearly saying otherwise. "No, I took the farm truck to Andre's that night without permission. If I hadn't?—"
"Were you tutoring him?" Ava asked.
He glanced at Jewel who nodded. "I might've mentioned something in passing."
Swallowing hard, he nodded. "I was trying to earn enough money to go to A&M to be with Jewel. I was going to graduate a year early, doubled up on classes, tutored everyone so I could join her."
The implications of his words hung in the air, but Jewel's eyes widened. He held his breath, afraid he'd said too much, and she'd run off.
Bill sighed, leaning back in his chair. "You always were a good kid, Chase. Just got caught up in something we couldn't save you from."
Ava added, "Even when you were young, you never did anything halfway. When you saw something you wanted, you did everything to make it happen."
Something inside him cracked. The years of believing he was a disappointment, a failure, a burden—they seemed to dissolve under his parents' understanding gaze.
Instead, it felt like they were seeing him, truly seeing him, and they loved him anyway.
"I wanted to be someone she could be proud of," Chase said softly, glancing at Jewel. "Someone who helped people and solved problems. I didn't want to be a problem myself."
Destini watched the exchange, her eyes darting between her parents and grandparents. She seemed to be absorbing every word, every subtle emotion.
"Well," Ava said, her voice thick. "You succeeded. At least, in being someone we're proud of. You were never a problem, Chase. We've always known that, even when we were angry. That anger wasn't ever at you, but at the situation that was all kinds of fucked up."
The room fell quiet for a moment, shock at his mom's curse words settling on them all. Outside, the ranch's familiar sounds of cattle lowing and wind rustling through the grass created a backdrop to this intimate family moment.
Destini suddenly stood up, walked around the table, and wrapped her arms around Chase in a side hug. He froze for a moment, unused to such direct affection, then slowly returned the hug.
"I'm glad I'm here," she whispered into his shoulder. "With all of you."
Chase's arm tightened around Destini, his throat suddenly thick with emotion. He looked over her head at Jewel, who was watching them with glistening eyes.
"Me too, kid," he murmured. "Me too."
Bill cleared his throat, breaking the moment. "Who wants to see the new foals out in the west pasture?"
Destini's head snapped up. "Really? Can I?"
"Only if you want to," Chase said, smiling. "Mom's got some extra boots that might fit you."
They spent the afternoon walking the ranch, Destini peppering Bill and Chase with questions about cattle breeding, pasture management, and ranch mechanics. Chase watched, amazed at how naturally she fit into this world—how much of him was reflected in her curiosity and drive.
By sunset, Destini's cheeks were wind-burned, her eyes bright. They ate leftover pies with his parents while Ava brought out the photo albums. The warmth of hearing his parents talk about him washed through him like a cleansing rain after a dry summer.
When he walked them outside, his parents stood on the front porch waving. He lingered as his girls continued to the truck, talking about the different horses on the ranch.
He turned back to his parents, looking up at them from the bottom of the porch stairs. "Thanks," he said simply, the words full of emotion.
His mom smiled and wiped her eye.
His dad grinned and nodded. "Anytime. You know that, Son. You're always welcome here."
Ava cleared her throat, saying, "Also we talked to Lola. We knew you were doing the accounts, but we wanted you to know that we're glad to have your help."
Bill sighed. "Hunter's shit on the computer, since he hates reading. If you could help him once a week, we'd be grateful."
Chase's throat tightened, and he went back up the stairs, pulling them both into a hug. The faint scent of hay and horse manure hung in the air, reminding Chase of his childhood spent on the ranch. He inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar and comforting aromas.
The sound of his parents' quiet sniffles mixed with the distant calls of cattle and the rustle of the trees in the evening breeze. The creases of age and hard work in their skin. It was a reminder of all the sacrifices they had made for him and the ranch.
He patted their backs gently and pulled away, blinking rapidly against the tears. "I'd love to. I'll bring Destini, and she can ride or hang out with y'all."
"Jewel too," Ava said, patting his cheek. "You love her, and she's family now too."
The simple statement held a wealth of meaning, and his eyes glistened again as he nodded and went back down the stairs to the truck.
The drive back to town was quiet, with Destini asleep in the back seat after the excitement of the day and the excitement of moving the day before. The tension slowly left his shoulders as the ranch disappeared in the rearview mirror. Facing his emotions, his past, his parents—it was all worth it to see Destini fall in love with his childhood home and his parents. They'd finally accepted him, and this sense of accomplishment was unexpected after so many years of denial.
"That went well," she said softly.
Chase nodded, one hand relaxed on his thigh as he looked out the passenger window. "Better than I expected."
"They really love you," Jewel said. It wasn't a question, and he knew it in his soul.
"Always have, I suppose," Chase replied. "Even when I didn't believe it myself."
Jewel's hand found his on the console between them, her fingers intertwining with his. The setting sun painted the Texas landscape in soft oranges and purples, casting long shadows across the empty highway.
Destini stirred in the back seat, mumbling something about horses and science projects. Chase chuckled softly, wondering how his life seemed so perfect compared to just two years ago.