CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHANCE HONEST TO God thought his heart stopped. She loved him?
He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her until she was as breathless as he felt. But wasn’t this the way of his life? He finally found the woman of his dreams, the one who made him happy to be alive, the one who made him believe that even though life was difficult, it could be fun. And when he learns she loves him he can’t kiss her. He can’t tell her he loves her. He can’t say anything.
“I was supposed to stand by him. To be committed to him. And I fell in love with someone else.”
He swallowed as diametrically opposed feelings pummeled him. His heart lightened to the point that it took his breath away, even as he felt the weight of knowing they were star-crossed. Two people who’d met at the wrong time and were destined to fail.
But some optimistic part of him that still existed walked over to her. “You have never been anything but faithful. Don’t do this to yourself.” He set his hand on hers and stopped her from adding any more things to her suitcase. “Stay.”
She pressed her lips together.
“Come eat dinner and then go to bed. We’ll talk again in the morning.”
He got her to eat some of the mashed potatoes and chicken Cook had sent down. Then, as if on autopilot, she walked to her room and closed the door. He checked on her around ten and found her fast asleep. He brushed her bangs from her face, kissed her forehead. He didn’t know how they would get through the next days or weeks, but by God he would get them through.
* * *
The next morning she was awake, caring for the babies, when he staggered into the kitchen. She’d felt sorry enough for herself the day before and she wasn’t going to do that again.
She also wouldn’t put Chance through the ringer. When he walked into the kitchen, she smiled and pointed at the coffeepot. “It’s fresh.”
“Thanks. Feeling better?”
“Yes.” She lied. Not for herself but for Chance. She’d made a royal mess of this situation and she didn’t know what to say or do. She’d made him feel guilty for her feelings for him and that wasn’t right. She was the one who had fallen. It wasn’t his fault. She would just keep her distance from here on out.
He turned from the counter with a cup of coffee and a slight smile. “Good.”
She busied herself with the babies.
“Need any help?”
“No. We’re fine.”
He sucked in a breath and she prayed he wouldn’t mention what she’d said the night before. Just as he’d decided after he’d kissed her the first time that it was better for them not to really talk, she knew that was what they had to do now.
“I have some work to do on the computer in my room. But if you need me, I’ll come out.”
Relief about buckled her knees. She said, “Great,” as her cell phone rang.
She fished it out of her pocket and answered before it could ring again. “Hello.”
“It’s Nathan, sweetie.” He paused and drew in a shuddering breath. “Jason had a bad night last night. I think you need to come to the house.”
Her heart pounding, she closed the phone and bounced from her seat. “I need to go—”
“Go?”
She caught his gaze. “To Jason’s parents.”
“Okay, give me ten minutes to call Cook to babysit.”
She stopped him by laying her hand on his forearm. “I need to go alone.”
“But you need—”
“To go alone.”
* * *
Two hours later, he got the news that Jason had died. With the babies in the nursery sleeping, he threw a cup across the kitchen, smashing it against the wall.
“Chance—”
His mother’s voice drifted over the phone line, bringing him back to the present.
“The doctors I spoke with before I called you told me something very interesting.”
“Oh, yeah?” On the hospital board of directors, his mother had connections to everyone and everything related to the hospital. He certainly hoped she didn’t think telling him that Jason’s death was a blessing would cheer him up.
“They tell me that you and Tory took the twins to see him yesterday.”
He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. So, he wasn’t going to get the blessing speech, but a scolding for taking the babies into the room of a dying man.