Page 80 of Hard To Love

Chapter Twenty-Eight

My head restedagainst the window as we touched down at LaGuardia airport. The weather seemed to be a perfect match for my mood–dark and gloomy. There were no major bag hassles and we made it to the curb and the waiting car service just before the heavens opened up in a major downpour. It took us almost twice the normal time to head back to our apartment because when it rained in N.Y., everyone drove like an idiot. When we arrived at the apartment, Chase carried in his bag and walked into his office, closing the door behind him.

He had been pretty keyed up since his phone call with Nick last night, so I thought it would be best to stay out of his hair and give him a little bit of space. I tried to keep busy with unpacking, laundry and preparing snacks for when the guys arrived. His father, Nick, and Colin, were due any minute.

The doorbell rang just as I placed the last piece of pepper jack cheese on the snack tray. My hands ran nervously down my legs at the thought of meeting Chase’s dad for the first time.

It took me a moment to straighten my clothes before I swung the door open wide.

Nick stepped into the apartment, not waiting for an invitation and gave me a warm embrace. “You’re looking as gorgeous as ever.” He greeted me then started to remove his raincoat.

My gaze was fixed on an older version of Chase, who stood in the doorway with a warm, genuine smile that immediately put me at ease.

“You must be Mr. Newman. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Emily.”

“Please call me Alex. I’ve heard a lot about you, Emily. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” My eyes bounced over at Nick who sensed my unease and flashed me a comforting smile.

I quickly took all their umbrellas and raincoats and brought them over to the hall closet to dry. Chase was still in his office, so I did my best to make small talk to fill in the awkward silence. There was a knock at the door, and before I could jump off the couch, my least favorite person entered the apartment and walked into the room.

“Emily, it’s good to see you,” greeted Colin. His tone was tight, just like his smile. Regardless of what I thought of Colin, he was Chase’s brother and deep down I knew he cared for Chase, and I convinced myself that’s all that mattered.

I stood up to pour Colin a glass of wine, when a warm familiar hand came up from behind me, and slid around my waist. “I see you met my Dad already.”

Nick quickly jumped in, “She sure did. Your father told her the same thing that I’ve been telling her all along. She needs to dump your ugly ass and give me a chance, because I’m clearly the better looking one.”

Chase rolled his eyes and shook his head then walked over and pulled his dad in for a quick hug. “Good to see you, Dad.”

Watching the two of them caused me to stop and stare for a minute. There was no doubt in my mind that Chase’s father played a huge role with shaping him into the man he was today. The bond they shared could be felt across the room. I waited for the familiar ping to hit my chest. The one that would come whenever I thought of my own parents, and the emptiness that followed. But it never came, because for the first time in my life, my heart was full and I felt loved.

I made it my responsibility to set out the snacks, keep myself busy by refilling everyone’s drink, and making sure everyone was comfortable. After listening to the guys bounce ideas off of each other and go back and forth over the past half hour, my emotions started to get the best of me.

“Can I say something?” I asked, feeling my resolve breaking under the pressure.

“I just want you all to know how sorry I am about all of this. I have known Brad for a long time…” My voice struggled as I fought tokeep the guilt I felt on lock down.

Mr. Newman flashed me a sympathetic smile, while cutting in “Emily, you are not responsible for this man’s actions. There is nothing for you to apologize for. There is no way you could have known this would happen. I’m just sorry you two kids have to deal with the stress of this, in your young relationship.” His eyes darted over to Colin. The way Colin’s shoulders slumped forward, it was obvious that Alex’s words had made a direct hit. He cleared his throat then turned back to us. “I think the both of you have been through enough already. You really don’t need anything else added to your plate.”

Chase gave my hand a tight squeeze, but it still wasn’t enough. “If there is any way I can relieve the burden or help out in any way, I’ll do whatever I can. I care about your son very much.”

His father’s lips curved up, “I can see that.”

Whatever anxiety I had about meeting Alex Newman was put to rest. His kind blue eyes were reassuring, and I sensed his approval of my relationship with his son. That small gesture was enough to lift my spirits slightly.

Nick leaned forward and clapped his hands to get our attention. “Uh… sorry to be the wet blanket here and smother out this beautiful family moment, but I think we have a few more important things that need to be discussed tonight, don’t we?”

Time to get down to business.

Alex moved his reading glasses to the end of his nose and started clicking away on the keyboard. Colin was huddled in the corner, talking on his cellphone and Chase and Nick were reviewing security video footage of the club the night they suspected the drugs were planted. Even though I had been left out of much of the conversation I continued to rack my brain for a decent plan.

There was an idea that I had been mulling over in my head, but I wasn’t exactly sure Chase would go along with it. In fact, it would probably be easier to convince a starving tiger to give up a lamb chop, but I saw no other choice.

I patiently waited for a lull in the conversation with the men when I cleared my throat and I quietly interjected, “Didn’t you say Brad wanted to meet with you?”

My question caused Chase’s head to snap up and I felt my confidence falter slightly, but quickly regained my footing, “He’s obviously doing this because he wants me back, right?”

My gaze shifted across the room trying to get a read on where everyone’s thoughts were. “What if we make him believe that Chase and I have broken up? I’m pretty sure he would do anything for me including making this all go away. If anything, it buys us some time.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea!” I heard Colin say.

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