Page 60 of Once Upon a Summer Night

“He was crushed that you’d left and devastated that you hadn’t returned. Instead of admitting that I’d planned to leave, too, and add to his heartache, I played dumb. Once I was well enough to leave the hospital, he and your aunt put me up at the farm for a few weeks until I could find a place to rent. I watched him go out to the front porch and sit in his rocking chair every night, scowling out over the yard. It took me a few weeks to realize he wasn’t scowling—he was watching for you, hoping you’d turn around and come back home.”

Chase rubbed her back. “As much as I wanted to be with you, I couldn’t bring myself to leave him, Hannah. He was destroyed, a shell of a man, and yet in the midst of his hell, he’d rescued me from mine. I have zero doubt in my mind that your dad coming to look for me saved my life. To skip town on him in the middle of all that—”

“Would have been the wrong thing to do.” She placed a gentle hand on his chest. “You’ve always had the kindest heart, Chase. Thank you for looking out for him, even when I was too selfish to do it myself.”

The breeze swirled through the trees around them, mussing her hair. He brushed a cluster of displaced strands back from her face. “I didn’t tell you that story to make you feel guilty, angel. And though it was awful those first few months without you here, it got easier over time. I kept telling myself you were happy wherever you were, and that’s what I wanted for you more than anything.”

“See? Even after telling me this horrendous story of yours, you’re lying here making sure my feelings aren’t hurt.” She shook her head. “Kindest heart ever. And don’t worry, me leaving included carrying with me a whole lotta guilt that I had to work through. But you’re right. I would have been an entirely different person had I stayed. And probably still unhappy. Leaving forced me to become more independent, get my head out of the clouds, and become more responsible. Heck, look at me now—I have a son who relies on me. Or, almost a son.”

Pride filled his chest. Hannah had grown into the amazing, compassionate woman he’d always believed she would. Only now she was stronger, more determined, and he admired her that much more for it.

“He’s your son as far as any of us are concerned. He also loves you very much, and I know you love him. We just need to find a way to make the courts see that so they don’t do anything stupid that will hurt everyone involved.”

“Yeah, and to not give that stupid private investigator anything juicy to run back with. I just hope this doesn’t drag out for months on end.”

On a sigh, she rested her head on him once more. Chase kissed her crown, wishing there was more that he could do for her. That she’d brought up Goshen’s fire department earlier only spoke to the level of desperation she was reaching. He knew she had to maintain her income while the custody battle was going on, but no one wanted to spend that much of their day driving to work.

Then again, maybe work wasn’t the only way to accomplish that.

“You know, we could just get married.”

*

Hannah bolted upright,nearly capsizing the hammock. “Married?!”

Chase grabbed hold of her before either of them toppled off their seat. “Well, yeah. I mean, a young, happy couple with lots of energy to raise a boy would beat out a pair of grandparent-aged people any day, don’t you think?”

She stared at him, bewildered. Could he really be serious right now?

“So…I take it that’s a ‘no’?” He shrugged, relaxing into the hammock now that it’d calmed back down to a gentle swinging. “Too bad. I make a wide array of amazing breakfast casseroles. Guess you guys will be missing out.”

Was he teasing to ease her guilt at not saying “yes” or to ease his ego for the same reason? He closed his eyes, a small grin on his face. Who knew? This was Chase, after all. But since he wasn’t getting down on one knee, she had to assume it was a suggestion meant to bring them a moment of levity. Even so, she didn’t want him to feel rejected, or that she wouldn’t ever say yes. Now just wasn’t the right time.

“So, I only get casserole if I marry you, not when I spend the night?” she asked, her toes brushing against his.

His eyes opened a crack. “Hmm, I could probably be convinced to make them for you after sleepovers, too.”

“You don’t say?” She traced a finger down his well-defined abs. “Because I’m going to be famished by breakfast time.”

He arched one brow. “Oh? Why’s that?”

“How about I show you?” On a devilish grin, Hannah eased off the hammock and headed back inside. Chase was quick to follow, down the hall and back to his bedroom. By dawn, they were both famished and no one had the energy to pick back up on that crazy marriage conversation.

After a very tasty and filling breakfast, Chase dropped Hannah off at Mia’s with a long, slow kiss good-bye. Damn, it was getting harder and harder to leave him every time. As he drove off with a wave, she resolved to find a job close by and find one soon—her current use of vacation time would be exhausted in a week.

…You know, we could just get married…

His suggestion echoed through her mind as she climbed Mia’s front porch steps. All these years, she’d told herself that there was nothing romantic happening between them. How could there be, when he’d chosen Bourbon Falls over her? Now that she knew the truth behind his reasons for staying, she found herself wondering just how long they’d both been denying their true feelings for one another, waiting for the right moment to come along for the grand reveal.

Hannah regretted her reaction to his suggestion now. Hopefully, she hadn’t bruised his ego too badly. And she truly did appreciate his support and suggestions. But marriage? She didn’t feel any of them were ready for that.

Besides, she wasn’t going to rush off to the courthouse in some desperate attempt to keep Noah. No, if she got married, it would be because she was in love and wanted to be married, not to try to work the court system.

She pulled out her phone to text Mia to unlock the front door and noticed that she’d missed a call. Wait, and a voice mail? In a panic that she’d missed something important from Mia last night, she swiped to see who it was from. Thankfully, Mia’s name wasn’t listed. Instead, it was an unknown phone number with a Kankakee zip code.

Great, I’m getting robocalls when I’m not even in town.

For grins, she tapped to listen to the voice mail.

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