Page 51 of Call It Love

“You’re looking well, sweetheart,” she said quietly. “Stronger.”

“Thanks,” I answered, managing a small smile. “I think I am.”

Her eyes shifted to Chase, who stood just a step behind me. He didn’t interrupt, just offered a respectful nod. “Ma’am.”

She returned it with a faint one of her own, then lookedback at me. “I…I’ve been coming to town, hoping to see you. I didn’t know how else to find you.”

“I’m sorry. I should have reached out, but I wasn’t sure if I should.”

“It’s okay. I understand.”

“I’m staying at Silver Creek Farm. I work there now. It’s close to you if you wanted to visit.”

Her expression brightened just a little. “I’d like that.”

“Maggie!”

She flinched slightly at the call. She looked over at her husband and lifted her finger.

“He usually comes to town every other Sunday,” she murmured.

I wasn’t sure if she was warning me or letting me know she’d be with him. Either way, it was good to know.

“If you need anything, Mama?—”

“Maggie.” His voice was sterner this time.

She leaned in suddenly and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Be well, sweetheart.” She looked at Chase once more, then hurried across the street.

I watched as they walked away.

“Will she be okay?” Chase’s voice was quiet but full of concern.

I hesitated. “He’d never hurt her. At least not physically. He never yells. He’s just…” I exhaled slowly, struggling to find the right words. “Everything is rules and expectations. It’s his safety net, I think.”

I looked down the street where they’d disappeared, an ache in my chest. I saw how my dad’s behavior had chipped away at my mother. And I knew from my own experience that some hurts didn’t leave bruises, but it didn’t mean it didn’t leave a mark.

Chase studied me with a furrowed brow, and a slightfrown pulled at his lips. “I’m sorry, Anna. I knew he wasn’t warm and fuzzy, but I didn’t know he was so…”

“So emotionally absent?” I offered.

He nodded.

I looked at him, grateful he didn’t try to excuse it. Even so, I felt the need to make sense of it.

“He thinks softness makes people weak,” I said slowly. “He believes if you let people get too close to you, they’ll use it against you. I don’t know what happened to make him believe that, only that something did. I was a baby, and neither of my parents talked about it. But it’s why he moved us off the grid. I think he convinced himself he was protecting us.”

I paused and tried to clear the ache in my throat. “I think he’s gotten worse. My leaving has made him distrust me.” My voice wavered, but I wouldn’t let guilt take hold. “I can’t fix him,” I said quietly, more to myself than to Chase. “And I won’t change for him.”

Chase didn’t hesitate. He reached out and gently lifted my chin until our eyes met. “Don’t change for anyone,” he said, his voice ringing with certainty. “You don’t need to. You’re perfect the way you are.”

I started to open my mouth, instinctively ready to reject the compliment. Instead, I just let his words seep into me, filling the cracks in my soul that had formed over the years.

“I’ll remind you of that next time I forget to clean up Jack’s poop, and you step in it,” I said, lifting my eyebrow and trying to lighten the moment.

He chuckled. “All right, maybe notcompletelyperfect.” He straightened up and tapped me on the nose. “But you’re still the one I want to have a picnic with.”

And perfect or not, the afternoon definitely was.

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