Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
Jewel and Chase sat close on the couch as they both reached into the popcorn bowl. Their hands met, and his fingers intertwined with hers. She glanced at him, his hazel eyes burning for her in the low light of the movie.
"Finally alone," Chase murmured, turning to Jewel with a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes, his gaze promising more than a few laughs with a movie. Her heart raced in anticipation, and she finally admitted that she'd missed him the past few days. Missed his touch, his silent love.
"Chase." She'd meant it to be a denial, but it came out like a prayer of need.
Her breath caught as they moved closer to each other, their bodies almost magnetically drawn together. When her lips met his, she moaned and melted into him.
The taste of salty popcorn lingered on his lips, but the passion flared like a salty explosion, a taste she had been craving for so long, she'd nearly forgotten it. She'd gone years without this, without him, yet one week without his kiss had her questioning everything.
His arm behind her wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her closer until she was nearly laying across his chest, one hand still holding his in the bowl while her other settled on his wide chest. The soft fabric of his t-shirt had her fingers flitting back and forth.
Their embrace grew into a passionate exchange of kisses, a release of emotions that had been suppressed for too long.
It was as if the magnetic pull between them was impossible to resist, a force of attraction that drew them together like two planets in a cosmic dance. It was what had brought them together all those years ago, and again when she'd moved to town. It wasn't just a need for comfort but something deeper.
As their tongues dueled lazily, the excitement and tension in the air grew, building and expanding until it could no longer be ignored.
He pulled her sideways across his lap, her ass settling over his dick hidden by thick denim fabric. She angled her head and wrapped her arms around his neck, taking him deeper yet not nearly deep enough. She wanted him branded on her soul, beneath all the fragile layers of her heart that she hid from the world.
The sound of footsteps startled Jewel, and she leaped up, her heart racing with a cocktail of desire and guilt. Her hands shook as she straightened her shirt.
Destini paused in the doorway, brows rising as she took in the spilled popcorn over Chase and the floor, Jewel standing next to the couch holding her swollen lips, and Chase pulling a couch pillow over his lap.
Destini smiled and rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, you guys are the worst."
Jewel scowled, kneeling and raking as much popcorn into the bowl as she could get. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She stomped into the kitchen, emptying both popcorn bowls and rinsing them out, trying to calm her racing thoughts. Sexual frustration mixed with disappointment in herself. She'd never brought a guy home to meet Destini, but here she was, making out with Destini's long-lost father.
"Mom?" Destini had followed her, her voice showing a maturity beyond her years. "It's okay, you know. That you were kissing him."
Jewel swallowed hard, her fingers gripping the countertop. "Is it though?"
Destini nodded, setting down an empty glass of water. "Yeah, but only if you're doing it because you want to, because there are feelings between just the two of you."
Jewel frowned, but she didn't voice the question that echoed in her mind.
Destini raised an eyebrow. "I mean, don't do it just for my sake, alright? To create that 'happy family' image. It's unnecessary. I just need to know that you both love me." A small smile played on her lips. "Half my friends at school come from all sorts of families. I'm just glad both my parents love me—that's enough."
Jewel absorbed her daughter's words, the simplicity and depth of them. She reached out, brushing a thumb across Destini's cheek. "Thank you, sweetie. That means a lot, but I'm not sure what this is between Chase and I, not sure where it's going. Don't get your hopes up, okay?"
Destini's brows rose as she crossed her arms. "Are you talking to me or to you? Because the way he looks at you says this is very much a permanent thing. He loves you. Do you love him?"
Jewel's gasp rang out in the kitchen, and she spouted back, "Do you love him?"
"Of course I do. He's my dad."
"Then why don't you call him that?"
There was a pause, a breath held between two heartbeats. A flash of frustration flickered across her daughter's face, revealing a hint of vulnerability. The question seemed to strike a nerve, and Destini's face flushed with a mix of emotions. Her shoulders tensed, and she stepped back, the defensive walls rising.
"I... I don't know, okay?" Her voice quivered despite her bravado. "It's complicated."
Shit, she'd pushed too hard, deflected, and reacted with offense instead of just talking about their feelings rationally.
"Destini—" Jewel reached for her, wanting to apologize, but Destini sidestepped the attempt.
"Stop pushing it, Mom!" With those sharp words, Destini turned on her heel, her footsteps echoing a staccato retreat as she stormed off, leaving Jewel to face the possibility that the cheerful girl she once knew might be turning back into a moody teenager.
And it was all her fault too, she knew. If she hadn't turned the conversation around on Destini and instead been the mature adult and talked about her own feelings, Destini wouldn't have ran out.
Jewel lingered in the silence of the kitchen, the weight of the unresolved tension with Destini pressing heavily on her. The fleeting image of her daughter's hurt expression was etched into her mind, and she feared that pushing too hard would revert Destini to the sullen teenager she had been at the start of the year. She wanted nothing more than to preserve the spirited, cheerful girl who had emerged these past few days, her true nature returning.
What was her own true nature? The person she was around Chase differed from the one she was in the past fifteen years. She was less… brittle, somehow. More understanding, less quick to jump to conclusions and lash out. But she'd reverted to that woman just now with Destini, and it had gotten her daughter hurt.
The sound of footsteps broke her reverie as Chase entered the room, his presence a mix of comfort and concern. He placed his hands on her shoulders, kneading gently. "Hey, you need to relax," he murmured.
Jewel could barely register the intended solace in his touch. She wanted to give in to the comfort he provided, but she was so fucking tired of the comfortable. Her weariness went beyond the physical, deep into her soul.
"No time for that. Is the movie over? I have to work on the fundraiser," she muttered, patting his hand on her shoulders before walking to the study. She opened her laptop and rubbed her forehead, her headache worse now.
Chase followed her, and frustration kept her from jumping up and asking him to just hold her. She didn't need to seek comfort from him. She had been perfectly fine for the past fifteen years on her own and she would be again. Still—not again. Where was her head at?
God, she had to focus on this holiday fundraiser.
"Have you talked to Lola about the fundraiser yet?" Chase leaned against the desk, watching her. "Or Landry? You know they'd both be thrilled to help—and they're good at that kind of stuff."
"I don't need to. I can do this," Jewel snapped, the scowl on her face deepening. Her pride wouldn't allow her to admit she needed help, especially not after the emotional ordeal with Destini.
He hesitated, sensing her need for space, and finally retreated. "Alright, but sometimes we're stronger together."
That night, the house felt larger, colder, as they retired to separate rooms—a first since they had moved in together. Jewel tossed and turned, her restlessness fueled by the day's events and the nagging thought that she should have handled things differently with Destini, with Chase.
Morning came with no reprieve from the storm inside her. Her sister, perceptive as always, sent Jewel home early, insisting she needed to clear her head. The drive was short, but it felt like an eternity, each mile echoing with second guesses and what-ifs.
When Jewel arrived at Destini's school for pickup, she forced a smile, tamping down her own turmoil to greet her daughter. Destini slid into the truck, oblivious to the worry that clung to her mother like a second skin. The routine of pickup was a momentary balm, a respite from the conflict that waited in her mind.
"Mom, you look tired," Destini commented, her voice tinged with concern.
"Just a long night, sweetie," Jewel replied, careful to keep her tone light. Her heart ached for normalcy, for the days when their biggest worries were homework and soccer practice. But as they drove home, the quiet between them was a tender thing, something Jewel was afraid to rock.
The gravel crunched under the tires as Jewel pulled into the driveway. The afternoon sun cast long shadows over the homestead, and for a moment, the weight of her sleepless night seemed to lift. Destini was unusually quiet next to her, staring out the window with a thoughtful frown etched on her youthful face.
"Something on your mind?" Jewel ventured, her voice laced with the fatigue she couldn't quite shake.
Destini turned, the corners of her lips tipping downward in a disappointed frown. "I thought Chase would pick me up with the horse today," she confessed.
Jewel's brow furrowed, confusion mingling with concern and brain fog. "I thought you were embarrassed by that." The memory of Destini's flushed cheeks the previous day when they talked about the horse came to mind.
A shrug lifted Destini's shoulders, and her eyes brightened a bit. "I was at first, yeah," she admitted. "But, I don't know... it's like everyone at school suddenly wanted to be my friend, more than just the soccer girls." A smile crept onto her face. "All the ranching kids kept asking about the horse."
"Maybe you should talk to Chase about it. He thinks he might've made a mistake giving you Whiskey," Jewel suggested gently, watching as understanding dawned in Destini's eyes.
"Really? But it's amazing to finally have a horse of my own." Destini's voice held a newfound apprehension. Jewel knew how often Destini had asked for a horse when she was younger, and to see that childhood dream come true tugged at her heart. She was happy for her daughter to achieve at least one of her dreams.
"Talk to him, honey," Jewel encouraged as they got out of the car. "Tell him how you feel."
"Have you told him how you feel?" Her daughter flung her words back at her as they shut the doors to the truck, Destini's slam a little too forceful.
Jewel winced and ignored Destini's piercing gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Destini gave a dramatic, world-weary sigh as they stomped up the stairs and through the door, but didn't say anything.
Inside the house, the sound of tapping keys led Jewel to the study. Chase sat hunched over his computer, completely absorbed in his work. Destini bounded in ahead of her, backpack flung carelessly to the floor.
"Hey," she called out, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. "Can we take Whiskey for a ride before dinner?"
Chase looked up, his face surprised as he glanced at the clock. "Oh wow, y'all are home. I completely lost track of time. I haven't even made dinner yet."
Jewel said, "I'll pull out one of the meal train meals while y'all go for a ride."
Chase pushed away from the desk, stretching his back with a pop. "That sounds great. I could use a ride."
Jewel snorted, thinking you and me both .
Chase glanced at her but focused on Destini, warmth flooding his tone. "How was school today?"
Jewel hung back in the doorway, her heart swelling at the sight of father and daughter reconnecting as they walked toward the front door. Chase asked insightful questions, somehow getting Destini to open up about each individual class.
Jewel hadn't been able to get her to open up about school since she'd hit middle school. Their evenings were often quiet, full of television in the background just to avoid the silence. When Destini talked, it was usually about soccer or science.
Destini and Chase were bonding, talking about more than just two topics. It filled her with joy, but it wasn't just about creating a stable home for Destini—between the laughter and the shared looks, she couldn't deny the truth that simmered beneath the surface.
She wasn't with Chase solely because he was Destini's father. Last night, alone in her own bed, the emptiness had been palpable. She had missed him more than she cared to admit, and the thought of spending another night apart tugged at something deep within her.
Later that evening, after dinner had been eaten and the kitchen tidied up, Jewel lay in Chase's bed, a book propped open on her lap. The words blurred on the pages; her mind was elsewhere, replaying the day's moments and the warmth of Chase's smile. Her stomach was a knot of nerves at this bold move.
She hadn't defined how she felt about him, but she knew she didn't want this distance between them. She wanted so much more than just roommates who raised a daughter.
The creak of the door drew her gaze up as Chase entered his room, his boots thudding softly against the wooden floor. He looked worn from the day's work, but there was a contentment in his eyes that mirrored her own.
She rubbed her legs together under the covers, and the movement drew his eyes. His brows rose as he walked toward her like a panther on the prowl.
"Hey," he said, his voice low and comforting. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?"
Jewel hesitated as he stood towering over her, her stomach twisting.
"I—I didn't like sleeping alone last night," Jewel blurted, her heart skipping a beat as she set the book aside and made room for him, pulling the blankets back.
He unbuttoned his jeans and dropped them to the floor. She sucked in a breath, his dick straining in his boxers as he reached behind him and pulled the shirt over his head. He flicked the table lamp off, casting the room into shadow.
He slid into bed beside her, the mattress dipping under his weight. For a moment, they lay in comfortable silence, the only sound the distant hoot of an owl outside. Then, without a word, Chase reached for her, pulling her close against his chest.
Jewel let out a breath and snuggled into his embrace, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against her cheek.
Tomorrow would bring its own challenges, but for now, she allowed herself to be content—to be satisfied in his arms once again with the comfort that only he provided.
It wasn't what she'd wanted—this comfort wasn't enough—but as her hand rested on his chest, she couldn't convince herself to make a bolder move. She hesitated, wanting to slide her hand down but not wanting to give up this comforting peace that settled through her.
As she relaxed in his embrace, a wave of warmth spread throughout her body, easing the tension in her muscles. The gentle rhythm of his heartbeat against her own seemed to synchronize with hers, creating a sense of calm and contentment. Her racing thoughts slowed down, and a soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips, as if the weight of the day had been lifted off her shoulders.
The feeling of being loved and cherished washed over her, filling her with a sense of security and peace. It was as if in that moment, nothing else mattered except the sweet embrace of the man who loved her and whom she loved in return.
Fuck, she loved him.
Her eyes flew open, blinking in the faint light from the window.
The realization struck her like a sudden thunderbolt. Love. She loved Chase. Not just as Destini's father, not just as a comfortable companion, but truly, deeply loved him.
Her heart raced, and she tried to calm her breathing so he wouldn't sense her sudden internal revelation. Chase's arm remained draped around her, his breathing steady and deep. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest, the warmth of his skin against hers.
When had it happened? When had this man who had once been a stranger become so integral to her world? Was it watching him with Destini? Was it the way he looked at her, touched her, supported her?
She didn't know, but she knew it was true.
The moonlight filtered through the bedroom window, casting soft shadows across Chase's face. In sleep, the lines of tension around his eyes smoothed out, making him look younger. As she drifted off, she made plans for their first Thanksgiving as a family. She'd tell him then that she loved him. It'd be the perfect conclusion to the perfect first holiday together.