Page 91 of Make Me Trust Again
He quickly starts swimming away. I give him a head start before I follow him. He gets back to the shore faster, joining his friends, who are cheering him on.
“See, I’m faster!” he insists, glancing over his shoulder every so often so he can check how far away I am.
“Just like a fish.” I splash him a little, which makes him giggle. The boys decide to play with their ball, so I sit in theshallow part and watch them toss it between themselves as I soak in some sun.
“Hey, that’s Chase!”
My eyes fly open as my heart does a little flip inside my chest. Just the mere mention of his name, and my body already reacts to him.
I haven’t seen him in a few days. Not after we spent the night on my porch. Did Becky invite him? Although it was hard to believe that Chase would willingly come here, not with all these people around.
I turn over my shoulder to find Kyle’s gaze fixed on the woods, a smile slowly spreading over his lips. My tongue darts out, sliding over my lower lip as I straighten, but before I can say anything, Kyle is already racing across the clearing toward the woods.
And the shadow of the man standing on the outskirts.
Chase.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHASE
This was a terrible idea.
And yet, I can’t bring myself to turn around and go the hell back home.
The faint sounds of chatter and laughter fill the air as I just stand here on the side like some kind of creep and stare at the little group at the lake.
Or better said, the woman sitting by the lake.
Rose Hathaway.
Not yet, asshole. She’s still married.
My fingers curl into a fist, my mouth feeling dry. No matter how hard I try, I can’t take my eyes off of her.
Fuck, she was always pretty, but the little girl my sister hung out with that I remember from my childhood is long gone.
No, Rose is all woman.
A lean, gorgeous woman, who’s sitting by the lake and watches as the kids play. Some women would fuss about water splashing on them, but she takes it in stride, laughing and splashing them back.
“Chase!”
The sound of my name registers through the soft ringing in my ears. Shadow’s body buzzing with excitement next to me. I blink, my gaze coming into focus just in time to see a small body running straight toward me. But he’s not the only one who spotts me either. All eyes are on me, and I can feel my palms growing sweaty with nerves.
Dammit, I’m so fucking caught.
I glance over my shoulder, and for a split second, I debate if I should leave, but then I remember the disappointed look on Kyle’s face when I told him I couldn’t come, the reason why I’m here in the first place, and I can’t bring myself to leave although every cell in my body is telling me to run.
Just for a little while. A couple of hours at most, and then you can get the hell out of here.
“You can go.”
Shadow doesn’t need to be told twice before she dashes away, her strong legs eating up the distance as she meets Kyle halfway. The little boy laughs as he hugs the dog. I run my hand over my face. I expect to feel the sharp bristles of the stubble I always have, but the only thing I find is smooth skin.
Because, yes, I even took the time to shave before coming here. It’s fucking ridiculous.
Kyle looks up, and there is a moment of hesitance on his face before a smile breaks out on his lips. “You came.”
