“Sara isn’t married,” my mother said looking at me.
“I have a marriage certificate that says otherwise,” Chase said.
“I told you it was too late for her,” my father said. “She’s chosen a life of sin.”
“What did you say?” Chase stalked toward my father. Hunter’s guard went up, but he didn’t move to stop Chase.
“She’s full of sin, just as all of you are,” my father said with righteousness.
“I won’t deny that I’m rotten to the core, but this woman, your daughter, is as good as they come. She’s smart and sweet, despite your fucked-up version of love. You need to leave and go home to read the chapters of the Bible that you’ve clearly missed. I’ll have you escorted out if needed.”
Hunter stepped up behind my parents. Ash took a position by my mother and Kade by my father.
My parents looked at the imposing men surrounding them.
“We’re done Sara. We can’t abide by this kind of life,” my father said. He took my mother’s arm, but she resisted. There had been many times growing up when I wondered if my mom really believed the stuff my dad spewed or if she went along because she didn’t think she could fight it. She looked at me and for a moment I thought I saw sadness and regret at leaving me. But she didn’t fight it, and she let my father pull her from the room, and presumably out of my life.
“Come on boys, let’s give Chase and Sara a minute,” Mr. Raven said.
“Thank you for coming,” I called.
“Of course, honey. You’re family,” Mr. Raven said.
When they were gone, I couldn’t look Chase in the face.
“Sara, baby.” He took my hand, but the endearment made me weep.
“Are you in pain?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Let me get a nurse.”
“No. Nothing can fix me.” My heart was so broken, I couldn’t imagine it ever being put back together.
“Oh baby.” He rested his head against mine. “What can I do?”
“You should just go.”
He straightened and looked down at me with his fierce gray eyes. “I won’t leave you, Sara. Not now. Not ever.”
I closed my eyes. “I’m no good for you. You should find another woman who can give you what you want. You can keep the money.”
He flinched. “You think this is about money?”
I finally turned to him. “I’m bad for your family.”
“No, honey, you’re not.”
“I lost the baby. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to have more. I can’t give you what you want.”
He gripped my hand and pulled it to his heart. “What I want, Sara is you. I love you.”
What? The fact that he didn’t react to the news about the baby made me think he already knew.
“God, I wished I’d told you that I loved you sooner. I’ve felt it for some time but have been too much a coward to tell you,” he said.
“What about the baby?”
“I’m sad about the baby, but I’m so happy you’re here. I want us to be real Sara. No more business deal.”
“What if I can’t have another baby?”
He wiped a tear from my cheek. “No more business deal, Sara. It’s not part of this. I love you and want to be with you. If we want babies—”
“I do want babies.”
“If we can’t make them anymore, we’ll adopt them.”
“I think I must have died.” It was the only way to explain my wishes coming true again. Not all my wishes because I still had no baby. But Chase was here saying all the things I longed to hear.
“Why would you say that? Don’t say that,” he said.
“I thought you wouldn’t want me anymore.”
“I want you, Sara.” He took a deep breath. “Do you want me?”
I realized I hadn’t told him how I felt about him. “Yes. I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
“Even when I was an asshole?”
“You’re not always an asshole.”
He smiled, but it was bittersweet. “We’ll be alright, sweetheart. As long as we have each other, we’ll be alright.”
31
Chase
How was it possible to be elated and heartbroken at the same time?
I came running like a maniac into the hospital looking for Sara. Hunter texted me that she was fine, but I had to see for myself. Before I could reach her, the doctor stopped me.
“She’s going to be fine,” he said.
Thank God, now get out of my way, I thought.
But then he continued. “But she miscarried the baby.”
Just a couple of weeks ago, if someone had told me I’d be in love and mourning the loss of my child, I’d have thought they were nuts. Yet here I was.
“But Sara is fine?”
“Yes.”
I pushed my own grief aside. “I need to see my wife.” I had to be there and let her know she wasn’t alone.
To discover her parents were nearly as nuts as Glen tore me in two. In some ways it proved to me there was a God, because how else could a woman raised by two people who didn’t know the first thing about love, become the sweet, giving, wonderful woman Sara was? They deserved her less than I did.