The Son He Never Knew

She twisted her damp hair in a knot at her neck and sent him a dirty look. “I finished a shift at the coffee shop an hour ago and I just took a shower, so get your mind out of the sewer. Besides, the university doesn’t take too kindly to boys visiting girls in their rooms after 9:00 p.m.”

He looked totally skeptical. “You mean to tell me Dalton hasn’t been up here after hours?”

Her long-time boyfriend happened to be a sore subject she didn’t care to discuss with Chase, especially under the current circumstances. “Let’s leave him out of this, okay?”

“Not a problem. He’s my least favorite topic of conversation anyway. And if you’re worried about breaking the rules, we can go somewhere else to talk.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Chase,” she said. “It’s almost eleven, it’s cold outside and my hair’s wet. Besides, the place is pretty much cleared out. However, if you’d called me in advance, I could have saved you the trip. I planned to be back in Placid tomorrow after work.”

“This couldn’t wait until tomorrow.”

In order to unravel the mystery, Jess stepped aside and made a sweeping gesture with one arm. “Welcome to my humble abode, heavy emphasis on humble.”

Chase breezed past her and after Jess closed the door, she turned to find that he made her tiny room seem even tinier. She tightened the robe’s sash, feeling somewhat naked even though she was sufficiently covered. “Now tell me what couldn’t wait until tomorrow, Mr. Army Man.”

Chase strolled between the two twin beds and picked up a photo of Dalton from the nightstand. “Where’s the demon tonight?”

The “pet” name Chase had given her high school sweetheart grated on Jess’s nerves. “I have no idea where he is because right now we’re taking a break.”

His gaze snapped to hers. “Permanent break, I hope.”

She wasn’t the least bit surprised by his comment. Chase and Dalton had been embroiled in one-upmanship since elementary school. “Right now I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

His scowl returned. “So you didn’t get engaged?”

Suddenly it became all too clear to her why Chase had shown up unannounced. “You’ve been talking to Rachel.”

He set the frame down carefully though he looked as if he wanted to hurl it. “Yeah. I ran into her yesterday at the diner. She told me the Big D proposed and I figured since she’s his sister, she should know.”

Dalton had done more than simply propose. He’d offered to whisk her away to Vegas over the Christmas holidays for a quickie wedding. She opted to keep that little tidbit to herself. “I told him I wasn’t sure I was ready to get married, and he said to let him know when I made up my mind. In the meantime, he doesn’t want to see me.”

Chase gave her a champion smirk. “You mean he’s blackmailing you into saying yes.”

Jess gritted her teeth and spoke through them. “Would you cut him some slack, Chase? We’re not kids anymore and this whole competition thing between you and Dalton is getting old.”

“Maybe we aren’t kids, but my guess is Dalton hasn’t changed, Jess. You haven’t always seen the side of him that we have.”

We as in him. Same song, fiftieth verse. “I know Dalton better than anyone. I also know he’d never do anything to hurt me.”

He stared at the ceiling for a moment before bringing his attention back to her. “Fine. I’ll drop it for now. But I need you to promise me something.”

Jess hugged her arms close to her middle. “That depends on the promise.”

“First, I want you to sit.” He dropped down on the edge of her bed and patted the space beside him.

Jess claimed the spot and prepared for a promise she wasn’t certain she wanted to hear, much less make, especially if it involved Dalton. “I’m all ears, so talk.”

Chase studied the industrial tile beneath his boots. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid. I can’t leave here tonight unless I know you’re going to be okay.”

She found his sullen attitude disturbing. “I’m not going to do anything stupid.”

Finally he looked at her. “Are you sure? You’ve always been a jumper first and a thinker later.”

She rolled her eyes at his dig over her impulsive nature. “Yes, I’m sure. If you don’t believe me, then I guess you’ll just have to wait and see if I have a ring on my finger Christmas morning.”

His gaze slid away again. “I won’t be here on Christmas.”

“Let me guess. You and the guys are going on your annual hunting trip, leaving the women home for the holidays to fend for themselves. That must thrill your mother—”

“I received my orders today to head back to the base in the morning.”

Jess swallowed hard to clear the fear from her throat. “Why so soon?”

He took her hands into his and shifted to face her. “I’m shipping out tomorrow night.”

“To where?” She worried she already knew the answer.

“Afghanistan.”

The word sounded like a gunshot in the small space and Jess felt it land straight in her heart. She yanked away from his grasp and came to her feet to face him. “You can’t go, Chase. You have to find some way not to go.”

“I have to go, Jess,” he said. “I don’t have a choice, and even if I did, I’d still go.”

She was caught somewhere between panic and fury. “What are you going to do over there?”

“That’s classified.”

“You mean dangerous,” she said as she sat on the opposite bed.

“Look, Jess, I’ve been training for almost three years to serve my country, just like my father and his father—”

“And your great-grandfather,” she interjected. “I know the story.” And she did—that story and several others pertaining to war. She recalled how her dad used to speak in an almost reverent tone about the boys who went to Vietnam and never came back. About how he’d been lucky to survive. Still, she’d never really understood the sacrifice her father and so many others had made…until now.

Chase raked a hand over his jaw and sighed. “You don’t have to worry about me, Jess. I’m a damn good soldier.”

Of course he was. He’d always been good at everything, from sports to school and reportedly sex—if she chose to put stock in the rumors spread over at least three counties. All that aside, when they were growing up, he’d been consumed by video games involving battles and espionage. But this wasn’t a game. Not even close.

She couldn’t seem to control the need to lash out. “Great. Go be a soldier. Forget about your family and all the people who love you.”

“I won’t forget you,” he said quietly. “And I can’t forget that it’s my duty to keep you and my family safe.”

Jess wanted to scream, to bargain, to beg him to stay. But all the pleading in the world would be futile. She couldn’t change his mind and in reality, she wouldn’t want him to be anything less than he was—her hero. He always had been.

As her anger began to dissolve and the sorrow set in, Jess lowered her face in her hands and sobbed from abject fear. Fear for him. Fear for herself.

Chase joined her and pulled her close to his side, holding her tightly while she dampened the front of his field jacket with her tears. They stayed that way for a time until she felt composed enough to speak. “What am I going to do while you’re off battling the bad guys, Chase?”

He thumbed away a tear from her cheek. “You’re going to go on with your life as usual, just like you have since I signed up for this gig after graduation.”