Page 132 of The Convict Gets His Girl

Destini laughed. "Sounds like my kind of party."

"Leave it alone and let it cook," Jewel said, shaking her head.

Chase ran his hands through his hair and growled, "Ugh, I'm going to go take a shower or something. Then I'll finish cleaning up down here."

Jewel looked around as he went up the stairs. Other than the counter, the house was spotless. He'd been nervous cleaning all week.

"He's doing all this for me, isn't he?" Destini asked before popping a blueberry into her mouth. Jewel nodded, and Destini hummed in thought.

"He loves you so much," Jewel said.

Destini raised a brow and smirked, "Almost as much as he loves you."

Jewel's cheeks flamed, and she huffed as she left Destini chuckling and eating her breakfast.

She trailed Chase up the stairs to their bedroom like some lovesick fool, following him around like a puppy. He'd moved the rest of his things into the room, and while they fell asleep each night holding the other, they hadn't slept together since Destini had moved in weeks ago.

It frustrated Jewel, but she avoided asking about it, too content to just ignore her feelings and hope for the best. But if even Destini could see that he loved her, perhaps it was safe enough to tell him how she felt too.

Chase pulled off his thermal Henley when Jewel entered the bedroom. She watched him, appreciating how much stronger he looked compared to just weeks ago.

"You're nervous about your family coming over," she said softly.

He turned, catching her gaze. "Ya think? Is it that obvious?"

"Only to someone who—" She blinked, pausing. She'd almost admitted to loving him.

Fuck, she loved him so much. It was getting harder and harder to avoid saying. Her chest grew tight, and she sank onto the bed with shaking legs.

Immediately, he was next to her, kneeling in front of her with a frown of concern. "Hey, are you alright? Is today a bad Lyme day? How can I help?"

God, was it any wonder why she loved him? He treated her like a precious jewel. Barely weeks of living together, and she couldn't imagine a day without his support. The way he cared for her every day was addicting.

"I'll be alright," she croaked out, cupping his cheek with her palm and praying it was true. "Tell me why you're so nervous? It's just a family dinner."

His eyes shuttered, and he stood, running his hand through his hair, which had grown longer. He paced toward the window and back to the bed, the muscles of his back and chest rippling with each step.

"I don't like the kids at school making Destini feel weird about me. She's been withdrawing, but this week with her being home, she's opened back up."

Jewel nodded. "I know, I talked with Lola and Ana about it at yoga. Tasha's aware too, and is doing what she can as the counselor, but there's nothing we can do about it except support Destini and give her the tools she needs—teach her how to reply, what to say, and how to say it."

Chase rubbed his forehead. "I know, and hopefully being surrounded by family today will remind her that she has a whole support network here. But it's going to be loud, chaotic, and uncomfortable for me."

"We don't have to. We can cancel and eat turkey sandwiches with all that bread and turkey. Honestly, there were a few holidays where we barely spent an hour with our families. If Liz and Joe were out of town and Dad and Gemma didn't come down, we usually ordered pizza and vegged in our pajamas watching movies."

He frowned, his eyes unfocused. "Prison holiday meals were only slightly better than normal. I want to make our holidays memorable for Destini. She's only going to be here another two years before she goes off to college."

"She'll be back for holidays."

"Will she though?" Chase asked, spinning on his heels. "You didn't come home for them. I couldn't wait to get the fuck out of Crimson Creek. Who's to say if I would've come back for holidays. What if these kids make Destini hate this town, and she leaves and never comes back?"

He hesitated, pausing in front of the window and looking out at the barn outside, unseeing. "I want this to be the best holiday she's ever had, not because I'm trying to outdo what you've done up to now, but because…"

She stood and slipped an arm along his back, holding him in a side hug as she waited. She'd learned to listen to him in the last few weeks, as he was much better at sharing his feelings than she was.

"I have a black eye, so our first holiday pictures together are already going to have this messing them up. I just want the rest of the day to be perfect and balance out all the negative things that come with being my daughter."

"Oh, Chase," she said, pulling him into her arms. He squeezed her tighter as she stroked his back. "Destini loves you, loves being here. Just being together, the three of us, is perfect enough, but you've also given her a giant, big, loud and loving family like we never dreamed possible."

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