Page 31 of Make Me Trust Again
“Sorry, I didn’t know that nor do I have the key, so I figured I’d just stop by and ask…” My throat bobs as I swallow. “If this is a bad time, we can come by later.”
I don’t even want to imagine having to go back to my parents again, but what other choice do I have? Chase doesn’t want us here. Not really. He just doesn’t like the idea of us living at the Merrick’s place, and I can’t fight him when he is being all logical. But how can that be enough of a reason for us to stay here when his feelings about it are clear as day? It can’t. This was a bad idea; one I should have never agreed to. I open my mouth to say that, but Chase lifts his arm.
The sudden movement has me sucking in a breath. My body goes still for a second as he runs it over his face, and through his short hair before letting it fall by his side.
Those sharp eyes don’t miss a thing. They narrow at me, assessing.
I bite the inside of my cheek, holding my breath as our gazes stay locked. His short hair is messy, like he ran his fingers through it countless times. The stubble covering his jaw is even thicker today, and the dark circles under his eyes seem more like twin bruises. When was the last time he got any sleep?
“I’ll be back,” he grumbles under his breath. With that, he spins on his heels and marches inside.
I catch a glimpse of Shadow standing in the hallway. The dog glances at me before her gaze darts to her owner, and she follows after him.
Letting out a shaky exhale, I swallow hard.
Chase isn’t gone for long, and this time when he comes out, he’s dressed in a shirt and a pair of sneakers, Shadow at his heels.
“Just drive the truck out back,” he mutters, tilting his head to the side.
Nodding, I go to my truck, where Kyle is peeking from around the seat.What’s going on?
I turn around and force out a smile,“We’re just going to the cottage.”
Kyle nods, but I can see the uncertainty on his face. Turning on the engine, I follow slowly after Chase and Shadow.
There is a barn behind the house, but Chase bypasses it and follows a smaller gravel path that leads to the right, so I do the same. His steps are quick, but I can see that his right leg is slightly lagging. Is it also covered in those deep scars like the rest of his body? It must be.
I try to remember if I heard any stories about what happened to him. He joined the army the moment he finished high school and left Bluebonnet Creek, rarely coming home after that. In the two years since I’ve been back home, I’ve heard some whispers about him. How he returned home recently and is hiding on hisfamily’s ranch. I heard people mention he’s been wounded, and I’ve seen the scars on his face, but I haven’t heard any specifics.
I don’t get to think too much about it because after a slight turn, the little wooden cottage comes into view and grabs my attention.
The place blends in with the trees with its dark coloring and almost looks like something you’d find in a children’s book. The one-story house is slightly elevated from the ground, with a few steps leading to a small porch out front.
Pulling in front of it, I kill the engine and get out, turning around just as Kyle does the same. His lips are parted, big blue eyes wide as they stare at the cottage.
His gaze shifts to me.Is this ours?
“For now,”I chuckle softly.“Wanna go see it?”
Kyle nods eagerly. Wrapping my hands around his shoulders, we turn toward the house to find Chase standing on the porch with Shadow by his side. His brows are pulled together, a dark scowl on his face as he watches us with those serious eyes that don’t miss anything.
Kyle’s steps slow down, so I turn to him just in time to see his throat bob.
I rub at his back, and he slowly turns his attention to me.“You, okay?”
Kyle bites the inside of his cheek, his gaze darting to Chase for a split second before it’s back on me, and he signs:Who’s that?
“That’s Mr. Williams, and this is his dog Shadow. They live in the big house. Wanna go say hi?”
Once again, Kyle’s gaze darts to the duo.He’s big.
I’m not sure if he’s referring to Chase or Shadow. Not that he’s had much interaction with either. We’ve never had pets. I brought it up once to John after I saw a teen girl at the audiologist’s office who had a dog with her. The nurse musthave seen my interest because she explained to me that it was a hearing dog, and it was trained to help deaf people; so I did some digging, but when I mentioned it to John, he dismissed my idea immediately, saying he didn’t want animals making a mess in the house. As if he was home enough to witness it or ever bothered doing anything about it.
“It’s going to be okay.”I give him a reassuring smile.“Shadow is nice.”
Kyle nods, although he doesn’t seem quite sure. I straighten and smooth my hand over his back as we make our way to the porch. Shadow is sitting on the floor, her tail wagging excitedly, but Chase’s face is completely unreadable.
“Sorry, he’s never been around such a big dog,” I explain, turning sideways so I can continue signing and speaking.“This is my son, Kyle.”Even from the corner of my eye, I can see Chase’s gaze narrow on me, on myhands. I glance at him and smile tentatively.“Kyle is deaf. He was born with cochlear aplasia, so we communicate in sign language, but he also knows how to read lips.”
