“Right,” I struggled to keep my voice casual. It will be fine, I chanted over and over in the back of my mind.
Chase offered a thin lipped smile. “Okay. Good.”
I wanted him to hold me, to wrap his strong arms around me and breathe into my ear that it was going to be all right. I needed him to drive out the shadows and ripples of anxiety from my tangled thoughts.
We stood facing each other, a foot of space between us, for another heartbeat and my breath hitched when he started to move. He brushed a hand down my arm. “I’ll be back soon.”
And then he was gone.
Leaving me alone and more conflicted than ever before.
7
Melissa
“Here we go!”
Jackson wasn’t the only one elated to be leaving the port in San Diego. I was breathing a sigh of relief as the shore got farther and farther away as Chase steered us back into open water. The entire hour and a half he was gone, getting supplies and groceries was both tense and terrifying. My mind went into overdrive, coming up with new—and increasingly horrific—scenarios of men in black combat gear storming the boat and taking Jackson away.
Or worse…
I shook my head, forcing the images away. We were safe now. Chase was back with us and we were leaving San Diego behind us, heading to Mexico from what Chase had told me earlier that morning.
“You want to take a turn at the wheel, little man?” Chase called over to Jackson who was sitting beside me near the front of the boat. Jackson perked up and after I gave him a nod of permission, he bolted as fast as his legs could take him to Chase at the captain’s wheel.
I smiled at them, my hand cupped over my eyes to block out the harsh rays of the sun, and watched as Chase stood behind Jackson, giving him directions and keeping a firm hand on the top of the wheel to help.
He was going to make an amazing father someday. Whoever he ended up was going to be one lucky woman.
I envied her.
Over the years, as my network had grown and expanded, I’d met a lot of different kinds of people from all walks of life, who’d somehow clawed their way into the top echelon of money and power in the circles Henry traveled.
It was interesting to sit back and observe charity galas, award ceremonies, and fancy dinner parties as though they were a small slice of some anthropological study course. Most of the marriages were in some state of chaos, either mid-crisis or on the brink of unraveling completely. Then, there were the ones who somehow managed to stay together and even…gasp…stay happy. What a concept.
A long time ago, when Henry had first struck it rich enough to get invited into their inner circle, I thought we’d someday be one of those couples that everyone else secretly envied. Happy, wealthy, in love, with a beautiful family.
The thought was almost laughable in hindsight.
It was hard to remember being that naive.
Chase, on the other hand, was the kind of guy who’d probably end up with all of those things. He’d find some woman who could make him happy, a woman who would love and support him in his career and they’d make perfect babies together and live happily ever after.
He was everything that Henry wasn’t. Kind, warm, hot as sin and approachable. He was also strong, confident, and I knew, deep in my gut, he was powerful when crossed, but his outer demeanor was calm. He garnered respect for who he was, which meant he didn’t have to demand it from anyone.
“Mom! Mom! Guess what?” Jackson came barreling over, arms flailing, stopping just short of crashing into me.
I laughed and steadied him. “What is it, sweetheart?”
“Chase said we’re gonna go fishin’!”
I smiled and glanced over his head at Chase who was grinning at Jackson’s enthusiasm. “That’s great! I bet you’ll catch us the best fish we’ve ever eaten!”
“I will!” He turned and ran full steam ahead back to Chase and I caught a hint of the questions he was already firing off as he took his place between Chase and the silver wheel.
I laughed at Chase’s raised eyebrows as he listened to the flurry of questions.
Poor guy never had a chance.
“Okay, buddy, now all you have to do is hold that line,” Chase said after showing Jackson the proper way to hold the fishing rod.
We’d stopped the boat after sailing for a few hours and Jackson hadn’t been able to contain his excitement over the promise of fishing, so Chase set him up with a baited line and shown him the basics. Chase had trapped him into his life vest, and some kind of seat contraption to make sure he didn’t get carried off the side of the boat in case he caught a huge fish.