Page 61 of The Convict Gets His Girl

"Uh, need a hand?" He stooped awkwardly beside his niece, offering a hesitant smile to Freddi, who responded between sobs, her hands reaching for him.

"Please," Holly breathed out, passing Eddie to him with an apologetic look.

Chase took the child and dropped his basket, suddenly feeling like he was holding a ticking time bomb rather than a toddler. He bounced Eddie gently, trying to remember how they did it in those family movies he'd seen, but the child's wails only escalated.

"Shh, buddy, come on now," he muttered under his breath, his discomfort growing.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of two older ladies watching them from the end of the aisle, their expressions a mixture of disapproval and curiosity. The taller one leaned toward her companion, her whisper loud enough for Chase to overhear.

"Look at that poor woman. And what's he doing? Some people just don't have a knack for children."

The words stung, the barb landing squarely in the center of Chase's already fragile confidence. He could handle a rough crowd at a bar, maneuver through the treacherous waters of his past, but this felt like uncharted territory, especially following Jewel's rejection.

"Isn't that the one just out of prison?" the shorter one added, her eyes narrowing as she peered at Chase. "Imagine him trying to play father."

Did he have a fucking sign on his forehead saying convict? Damn.

He felt the heat rise to his cheeks, the judgmental gaze of the women reinforcing every doubt he ever had about fatherhood. Did they see the same inadequacy reflected in his attempts that he felt in his bones?

Holly, oblivious to the exchange, finally calmed Freddi down, holding and bouncing her tightly. He focused on his sister-in-law.

She didn't need this; she didn't need him making it worse by telling those ladies to shove it up their ass. Chase shifted Eddie in his arms, trying to block out the whispers and concentrate on being there for his sister-in-law, struggling to drown out the internal echo of his own fears.

He mimicked her movements, and Holly glanced at him with a worried frown. "I'm sorry, they just hate being strapped in the grocery store. Strapped down anywhere really, even their car seats make doing the simplest tasks difficult."

"How can I help?" He continued bouncing and swaying gently as Holly smiled.

"You already are. I appreciate your taking Eddie. This is easier with Landry, but with him gone to Nashville for two days, I'm on my own, and we're out of diapers."

Eddie leaned back, his tears drying as he patted Chase's jaw and babbled dada dada. A pang shot through his chest at the sound, the little brown-haired cherub in his arms. The kid smiled, and it was like looking at Parker when he'd been a baby.

He'd missed this part of Destini's life, had never considered having kids of his own someday. It might be nice though, to be loved and to love someone unconditionally.

He already loved all his nieces and nephews, but to have a little one relying solely on him for all his or her needs was a daunting idea. He was still trying to figure out how to adult and definitely didn't need to add a baby to the mix. Hell, he was already stressing on how to deal with a teenager who could speak up on her needs.

"I need to grab groceries. Care to walk with me?" Holly asked, shifting a now sniffling Freddi onto her hip.

Holly looked exhausted with the faint dark circles under her eyes. Landry had mentioned the trip at poker night, but Chase hadn't thought of how that would affect Holly. Guilt licked his spine and made him think through options on how to help.

Chase followed suit with Eddie, then bent to pick up his basket and put it in her cart. "Why don't you take them to the playground, and I'll grab the groceries? Is that your stroller by the door?" It had to be hers, as he recognized it from the Independence Day town celebration.

Holly glanced at the stroller and nodded, frowning. "I can't do that. We have to get the shopping done."

Chase picked up her list from where it had fallen into the cart. "Is this what you need? Yeah, I can grab these. Take the kids and go relax."

She bit her lip before Freddi tugged on her blond braid. "Are you sure?"

He nodded and kissed Eddie's forehead, making him giggle. "Yep, I would offer to bring the things to the house, but I'm on Gladys and she can't carry all this in the saddlebags."

Holly chuckled and turned to the stroller. "If you text when it's time to check out, I can come inside to pay."

They made the arrangements, and once Holly had Freddi settled back in the stroller, she took Eddie from him. His arms felt lonely without the boy, but he ignored it as he grabbed her cart, his basket still inside it.

"Thank you, Chase," she whispered, barely audible over the babies' babbling. "I just?—"

"Hey, no worries," he interjected with a reassuring nod. "This is what family's for." He waved as she stepped through the door, the babies waving back.

Turning back towards the store, Chase's throat tightened at the thought of those judgmental eyes that might still be watching. Shaking it off, he tipped his chin up and grabbed her crumpled list, baby slobber making his nose wrinkle. He straightened out the paper, scanning the remaining items: diapers, baby wipes, juice boxes…

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