Page 96 of Mine Forever
I cup his face with my hands. “Chase, I’m willing to try thisagain. With you. I want us to be together. You deserve love too, Chase.”
He steps back and looks at me with cold eyes again. “No. I don’t deserve it. I never have. My father was right. What kind of person deserves love when all they think about is what they want in life? If I hadn’t defied my parents’ rules, my mother would still be alive. If I hadn’t married Heather knowing I didn’t really love her, we never would have been in that car and she’d still be alive. Her family would still have her. If I didn’t have such a need for you, you wouldn’t have a concussion right now.”
His voice breaks on the last word.
But his eyes are steady on mine, and what I see there shatters my heart. He really does think he’s a hopeless case.
The one thing that will help him is the one thing he won’t do.
“Chase, those things weren’t your fault.” I step toward him. “Don’t give up on us.”
He stares at me for several seconds, his hands jammed on his hips.
Those green eyes hold shadows and secrets that I can only guess at right now. But after a few moments, they harden and turn cold.
Without an answer, he goes over to the windows and opens the room-darkening shades.
It isn’t a sunny day, but the storm clouds are gone, and the wind has died down to a mere sea breeze.
He turns back to me.
“You can go home now, Eden. The bridge is open, and Katie has your new flight scheduled for tomorrow.”
I open and close my mouth in shock. Then his words register fully. “You called Katie? You want me out of here that bad?”
“You can get back to New York and your business.”
“That’s not fair, Chase.”
His eyes narrow on me. “So, you’re telling me that you came here to reconcile with me? To tell me why you ran out and didn’t speak to me for four years? Didn’t return my calls?”
I open my mouth, but he holds up a hand. “Don’t bother, Mitchell. Tit for tat. I left you, you left me. Now we’re even. Right?”
Tears fill my eyes and my vision blurs. “No, I?—”
“You what, Eden?” He lifts his arms out to his side. “You only came here to get something from me. Am I wrong?”
I swallow, panic clawing at my throat. “No, you’re not wrong. But all it took was spending time with you to remember what I was missing. And that’s you, Chase.”
He shakes his head and looks at the floor for a moment before looking back at me. “This was just sex, Eden. Remember? All we do is hurt each other. You deserve so much better than what I can give you.”
My stomach drops to my feet, and my head is light. “But I love you.”
“I love you too. I’ve never stopped loving you. But it isn’t enough.” He shakes his head. “It just isn’t enough.”
I wipe the tears rolling down my cheeks with a hard swipe. “Fine. You want me gone, I’ll go.”
Anger and desperation grabs hold of me and I poke him in the chest. “I know what this is, Chase, and you’re wrong. Love is enough; you’re just too scared to see it. Too blinded by fear and some misguided notion that your father planted in your head and poisoned you with when you were still a kid. And it makes me sad for you.”
I straighten my shoulders. “I love you, but I won’t wait for you. I won’t keep putting myself out there for you. Yes, I ran four years ago because I didn’t want you to hurt me. And yes, Icame here with only one thing in mind—to secure you as a speaker.”
Stepping back, I clear my throat. “There’s something here between us that no matter what has happened, doesn’t go away.”
I pause, waiting to see if anything I’ve said has gotten through to him. He stares at me for a beat.
“Charley offered to give you a ride to Jacksonville whenever you’re ready.”
It’s my turn to laugh without humor. “Well, you worked this all out while I slept, didn’t you? Wow. You’re right, Chase. You are a real bastard.”
