It didn’t take long for Chase to catch up with everyone. As soon as they were outside, Beth threw her arms around his waist, holding on tightly. Chase cursed Hart all over again when he saw how worried she was.
He returned the hug and ruffled her hair. “I’m okay. Please don’t worry.”
She pulled back and scowled. “You don’t look okay. You look worn out. What happened in there?”
He shook his head. “I’m a bit battered and bruised emotionally speaking. No harm done, and no offense, but I’m all talked out. I can’t do any more today.”
She opened her mouth to protest, then sighed. “Okay. But you will sit down with us soon, right? And we’ll figure this thing out.”
“I will. I promise,” he said with a tired smile. “I’m sorry about the garage.”
“Forget it. It isn’t going anywhere,” Ethan said. “There’ll be other days to work on it.”
“Chase, what’s your schedule like tomorrow?” John asked as they reached their vehicles.
“I’m in court most of the day.” He jerked his thumb back toward the courthouse. “Do you think this is going to be a problem for me as far as work goes?”
John grimaced. “I wouldn’t be surprised if your office gets some phone calls. Even with this having happened on a Sunday, you know how gossip travels in this town. I’ll give you a call tomorrow afternoon. You kids stay safe out there, and I’ll see you all soon.”
“Thanks, John.”
“The joys of living in a small town,” Jason quipped, not quite bitter but certainly more acerbic than he usually tended to be. “I’m going to head out and see if I can catch up with Hannah and Paulo. Call me if you need me, if you need anything.” He gave Chase a tight hug.
“I will,” Chase promised. “Thanks for coming down here, guys.”
“Where else would we be?” Ethan asked as he and Beth moved toward her SUV. “We’re heading out too. Let us know if you need anything, okay?”
“Actually, I do. Can I have a minute with Annie?”
“Sure.” Ethan grabbed Beth’s hand. Despite her protests, he gently pulled her toward her SUV. “Come on, blondie. We’ll be over here getting the air cooled down. Take your time, Chase, Annie. There’s no hurry.” He wasn’t quite able to hide his grin.
Chase waited until they were inside the vehicle. “Oh, that wasn’t awkward at all,” he teased. “I told you they’d be fine about us.”
She gave him a small smile and tucked her hair behind her ear nervously. “So you did. Do you want me to go home with you, or…?”
He tugged her close and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head with a weary sigh. “Would you be offended if I said I need a little time alone and asked you to catch a ride back to the house with them?”
“You aren’t feeling regrets, are you?” The quiet stillness that went through her body told Chase more than words that she was waiting for him to let her down. “The last thing I want is for you to feel obligated to spend time with me.”
He cupped her face and pressed a hard, fast kiss to her lips. “No, absolutely not. No regrets. I need a little… I need to regroup.”
“You almost said you needed space,” she said, narrowing her eyes.
“Yes, I almost did. And then I remembered that’s girl-speak for breaking up. That’s not what I mean. I only need a few hours.”
Not caring that they were in the middle of the courthouse parking lot, he kissed her again. It was a tender, poignant kiss that brought tears to her eyes.
“Would it be okay if I came over later this evening?” he asked.
She nodded, and he felt her relax. “That would be extraordinarily okay. You can even bring Murphy if you’d like.”
When he realized she was inviting him to spend the night, he kissed her again. “Then let’s plan on that.”
He walked her to Beth’s SUV and opened the door. When Beth turned toward them with a grin, he scowled.
“So…” she said.
Chase held up his hand. “Not one word.”
“But—”
“No, not another word.”
She tried again. “Chase, come on—”
“Annie, I’ll see you later. Ethan, try to keep your wife out of trouble.” Without waiting for a response, Chase closed the door.
As Ethan pulled away with a quick beep of the horn, Beth stuck her head out the open window. “You’re mean, Chase Hudson!” But her smile belied her words.
He waved at her and unlocked his car. As he got in, it occurred to him that despite how screwed up the day had been, despite how angry he was at too many people right now, his life had become full in a way that he’d never expected.
Looking back over the last year at how much tragedy had marked the lives of his family and friends, he had to focus on the fact that so much good had come out of the tragedy. Beth and Ethan were together, happily married by the looks of things. Jason had found Hannah and Paulo, thanks in large part to Beth’s sabbatical, and Chase’s relationship with Annie had grown and changed into something precious, something he had never expected to find.
Additionally, Murphy had found him, and Chase and Gordon had reconnected after not having talked for several years. Despite the day’s events, he was fairly certain their friendship was intact.
Knowing how much he had to lose made him more determined than ever not to let Kiely’s family get their wish to see him hang or rot in a jail cell for something he didn’t do. “Life’s too short.”
Maybe tomorrow he’d meet with John and see if they could come up with something that would get the Bledsoes to permanently back off, maybe the threat of a lawsuit for harassment or some such. It was worth a shot. He’d already lost too much time, too much of his life, to them. He wasn’t about to give them a day more if he could help it.