I held up my hand, stopping him.
“It has nothing to do with your past, Chase. I don’t know your history. I know you know some of it, but I’m not sure if you know my whole story. My past is catching up to me right now. My ex is after Theo and me. I don’t want you to get caught up in this. That’s all. I would hate for you to be bothered by it.”
He sat back, crossing his leg over his knee. He brushed his light-brown hair off his forehead. His kind eyes glittered under his heavy eyebrows. He was clean-shaven and lean, although I knew his heavy denim overalls hid the fact that he was muscular. He worked out with the guys regularly, and his job entailed a lot of manual labor. He was a good-looking young man, pleasant and helpful, always ready with a smile. I knew Stefano and Brett treated him like a little brother and were very fond of him. Other than that, I knew very little about Chase Donner.
“I know about your ex. Stefano and Maxx told me. Everyone was warned to be on high alert, but I know more, because, well, because I’m closer to them. All of us are happy to be involved, Gabby. We like you. We like Theo. I’m not as big as Maxx or even Stefano, but if your ex showed up and Theo were with me, I would make sure he was safe.”
“Oh,” I said.
He sat forward, resting his arms on his thighs. “Now, before you say yes, you should know about me. I was a troublemaker when I was younger. My brother Wes was a bad influence on me, and it became worse as I grew up. My father ignored us and used his money and power to pay off whatever trouble we got into. Wes got crueler, his antics becoming more serious and nasty. For a while, I followed in his footsteps. Then one day, I met a girl. She made me want to be different. Be better.”
“Love does that,” I offered quietly.
He nodded. “Suddenly, I could see Wes in a different light. But he had a huge hold on me, and he didn’t want to let go. I was torn between the girl I fell for and the brother I loved.” His face darkened, and he clasped his hands together. “Until the day Wes went too far. What I thought was going to be a harmless prank put Charly in the hospital.”
My eyebrows flew up in shock.
“I was so horrified by his callousness, I went to the police and confessed. My father washed his hands of both of us and turned his back. I went to jail on a lesser charge. Minimum security and I got out early on good behavior.” He swallowed. “I told the police everything I knew about Wes and his illegal activities. He went to jail for a long time.”
“That was very brave.”
He shrugged. “It was the right thing to do. I was tired of always being compared to him, to all the terrible things he did. I hoped he’d change and learn his lesson. That he’d forgive me and we’d forge a relationship when he got out of prison.” He sighed, sitting back and scrubbing his face. “I took advantage of every opportunity in prison. Counseling. Programs. School. Wes refused to try anything and became even angrier. Bitter.”
“Is he still in jail?”
He dropped his head, shaking it slowly. “He died in prison,” he said, his voice low and raspy. “Picked a fight with the wrong guy.”
I laid my hand on his knee. “I’m sorry.”
He looked up. “He never forgave me. I went to see him, and he told me what he thought of me then walked away. I never saw him again.”
“Have you made peace with your father?”
“He, ah, died too—not very long ago. We never reconnected, even though I tried several times.”
I wanted to fling my arms around him and cradle him the same way I did Theo when he was hurt. The pain was evident in Chase’s eyes; it dripped from his voice.
“Chase—”
He held up his hand. “I’m not telling you for sympathy, Gabby. I’ve come to terms with it—well, mostly.”
“And your girl?” I asked.
He smiled ruefully. “She moved away while I was in prison. It was too much for her. She’s married now with a kid, and I’m happy for her. Someday, I hope for the same thing. She helped me change, and I will always be grateful to her for that.”
He met my eyes. “That’s my past, Gabby. I came here to make amends. Charly forgave me, and eventually, so did Maxx. I stayed because I got so much more than forgiveness from them. They gave me a place to belong and a new family. So, if you think you can trust me to look after Theo, I would love to take him with me. I would watch over him and enjoy the company.”