Page 120 of The Convict Gets His Girl

Jewel's chest tightened at how Destini beamed at him. Destini used to look at her like that, like she hung the moon. Then the pre-teen phase had hit. Together, they moved up the stairs to the first door on the left.

When Jewel followed Destini and Chase into the room, she gasped. "It's all here."

Boxes were stacked like geometric islands along one wall. Destini's dresser—scuffed and scratched from childhood—sat next to the window and her computer desk sat on the other side of the window. To the left of the door sat Destini's matching bed and end tables, as if they'd always belonged in this room.

Chase looked at her in confusion. "Yeah, I called Destini last week when your storage container was delivered to show her the room options. Then I moved everything I could find of hers into here."

It shouldn't have surprised her that the bed was together or that he'd somehow found Destini's favorite sheets and blankets. He was so caring and showed his love in a million ways every day.

Love…

She shook her head. "Seriously, how did you do all this in less than a week?"

He chuckled and—was that a flush creeping up his neck? "I might have hired some movers to help, and Maryanne, Holly, and Lola stopped by too."

Jewel rolled her eyes. "I thought Lola looked like she knew where everything belonged in the kitchen."

Chase laughed, moving around the boxes to a stack by the window. He lifted a framed photograph—Destini at what looked like a school science fair project, her smile bright and unguarded.

"This is the box I saw last week. Where do you want this?" Chase asked, holding the frame.

Destini glanced up from unpacking a box of books, her hands moving with a precise choreography. "On the dresser near the window. I want it to catch the natural light."

"Tell me about this. What's going on here?" Chase asked, setting it on the dresser as their daughter launched into the story of her project, why she wanted to do that experiment, and how she took second place.

Jewel watched the interaction, fascinated by how easily they were finding their rhythm. Chase listened intently, asking thoughtful questions that made Destini's excitement and comfort levels grow.

They joked and talked as they helped Destini unpack, bouncing from topic to topic as they got to know each other as a family. It was easily one of the most relaxing nights she'd had in a while, and it was all because they were together, moving forward into the future as one cohesive unit. Like Lola suggested, she tried not to read too much into it.

Later that night, after everyone had settled, Jewel found Chase in the main bedroom. He sat up in bed, reading something on his phone. When he'd been injured, she'd insisted he sleep in the master bedroom, the room they'd agreed would be hers… and she'd been unable—and unwilling—to ask him to move into his own room.

Shelikedhaving him sleep beside her, curling around her protectively. She slipped into bed beside him, careful not to jostle his healing ribs.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

Chase turned, his eyes soft. "Better than okay. Having Destini here… it feels right."

"Like we're all finally home and can breathe."

He nodded. "Exactly like that." He curled his body around her, and as she drifted off to sleep, she could've sworn she heard him whisper, "I love you."

ChapterForty-Four

The hair on the base of Chase's neck stood at attention as they walked through the school. Students flowed through the hall, and Tasha, the school counselor, led them through the main areas. As she talked with Destini, Jewel bumped him with her shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head, his eyes crossing the crowd of students and teachers standing by their doors. Two teachers stood together, whispering and giving him side-eyes while a few of the students pointed.

Chase's jaw tightened. He knew exactly what was happening, but he wasn't about to let Jewel see his discomfort. The whispers, the pointed fingers—they were all about the incident last week. One moment of lost control, and now the entire school was watching him like he was some kind of ticking time bomb.

Tasha continued walking, her voice a steady stream of professional cheerfulness. "And here's where the science labs are located," she said to Destini, who bounced on her feet excitedly.

"Nothing," Chase muttered to Jewel, but his clenched fist betrayed his words. A student near the water fountain quickly looked away when Chase's gaze met his. The kid had probably heard the rumors, seen the social media posts. One punch. One moment. That's all it had taken to turn Chase from a convict in the background to front and center of Crimson Creek gossip.

He'd weathered all these same stares last fall when he'd first come home. Things had died down for the most part at church, the grocery store, the feed store, and other places around town. Now it was back, and he was worried this would affect Destini's ability to fit in. He didn't want his past to haunt her too.

The hallway suddenly felt too narrow, too crowded. Sweat formed at his hairline, people still watching.

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