The Millionaire Claims His Wife

“That’s right,” she said.

“It was stupid of me to think that you guys were going to give it another try.”

Annie smiled at Chase over their daughter’s head.

“I’m glad you understand that, sweetie.”

“There are no second chances, not in this life.” Dawn wiped her nose and looked at the trio gathered around her. “That’s from Kierkegaard. Or maybe Sartre. One of those guys, I forget which.”

“Your philosophy course,” Annie said grimly, mentally ripping in half the tuition check she’d just mailed to Easton Community College.

“Of course there are,” Chase said sharply.

“No,” Dawn said, sighing, “there aren’t. Just look at you two, if you want a perfect example.”

“All right,” Chase said, “I’ve had enough.”

“Chase,” Annie said, “don’t say anything you’ll regret.”

“Mr. Cooper, sir, as Dawn’s husband—”

“Dawn Elizabeth Cooper... Dawn Elizabeth Babbitt, you’re behaving like a spoiled child.” Chase nudged Nick aside, put his hands on his hips and glared down at his daughter. “This is all nonsense. Marriage statistics, divorce statistics, and now quotes from a bunch of dead old men who wouldn’t have been able to find their—”

“Chase,” Annie said sharply.

“—their hats on their heads, when they were still alive and kicking.” Chase squatted down in front of Dawn. “You and Nick love each other. That’s the reason you got married. Right?”

“Right,” Dawn said, in a small voice. “But, Daddy—”

“No, you listen to me, for a change. I gave you your turn, now you give me mine.” Chase took a deep breath. “You loved each other. You got married. You took some very important vows, among them the promise to stay together through the bad times as well as the good. Think about that promise, Dawn.” He took her hands in his and looked into her teary eyes. “It means, you’ve always got to give it a second chance. It means, love doesn’t die, it only gets lost sometimes, and if you loved each other once, there’s always damn good reason to think you can find it again.”

Dawn nodded, the tears streaming down her face.

“Exactly,” she said. “That’s why, when I saw you and Mom together I thought, isn’t it wonderful? They’ve decided to give themselves another chance.”

“Dawn,” Nick said, “please, darling. You’re upset.”

“I am not,” Dawn said in a shaky whisper.

“Let’s get out of here. Let’s give us a chance.”

“What for? So we can break our hearts someplace down the road?” A sob caught in her throat. “You’re asking me to take a terrible gamble, Nick, and to do that would take a miracle.”

“Yes!” The word seemed to leap, unbidden, from Chase’s throat. Every head in the room snapped in his direction.

“Yes?” Annie said. “Yes, what?”

Chase stared at his former wife’s pale face. It was a terrific question. What had he said yes to? Despite all his arguments, he knew his daughter was right. A frighteningly high percentage of marriages failed. And the breakup, when you’d loved someone as deeply as he’d once loved Annie, was the worst pain imaginable.

But how could he let his daughter and her groom fail before they’d even tried? Nick had the right idea. He and Dawn had to get away from here. They had to be alone and unpressured. They had to go on their honeymoon, and Chase could think of only one way to make that happen.

His daughter wanted a miracle? Okay. He’d give her one.

“Yes, you were right, about your mother and me.”

“No,” Annie said. “Chase, don’t!”

“We didn’t want to say anything until we were certain, because it isn’t certain yet, you understand, it’s far from certain, in fact, it’s very, very uncertain and altogether iffy—”

“Chase!” Annie cried, her voice high and panicked, but hell, he’d gone too far to stop now.

So he ignored Annie, gave Dawn his most ingratiating smile and shot a quick prayer in the direction of the ceiling, just in case anybody who kept track of white lies was listening.

“No promises,” he said, “and absolutely no guarantees because, frankly, I don’t think the odds are too good but yeah, your mother and I have decided to at least talk about giving things between us a second chance.”

CHAPTER FIVE

CHASE WATCHED as Annie paced the length of the living room.

It was almost hypnotic. She went back and forth, back and forth, pausing before him each time just long enough to give him a look that had gone from anger to disbelief to a glare that would have brought joy to the heart of the Medusa.