The Son He Never Knew

She leaned over and grabbed a tissue from the box on the nightstand. “Just so you know, if you die, I’m going to have to kill you. You have to come back and get married and make a bunch of little Chases.”

He released a cynical laugh. “You know I’m not the settling down kind, Jess.”

She’d heard him say that more than once. “You might change your mind when you get over there, Chase. You might even wish you had a girlfriend back home waiting for you.”

He took her right hand and laced their fingers together. “Just knowing I have your support is enough. You can send me an email every now and then.”

She tried to smile but it fell flat. “I’m going to write you the old-fashioned way, with a pen and paper. I’ll make sure you know all the trashy gossip from home. Heaven knows someone’s bound to do something newsworthy sooner or later.”

“As long as it’s not you.”

“I’ll try not to run naked through the town square.”

He grinned, flashing his to-die-for dimples that had dropped many a woman in their tracks. “I’ll get you an address as soon as I have it. Feel free to send me some of your mom’s oatmeal raisin cookies, too.”

“I’ll make the cookies.”

“I thought you didn’t want me to die.”

She sent him her best sneer. “I take back every nice thing I’ve ever said about you, Chase Reed.”

“You know you love me, Gertrude.” He followed the use of her horrid middle name with a winning grin.

She’d forgive him anything tonight. She’d also carry the image of that smile close to her heart until he came back home again. “And you’re going to miss me.”

His features turned somber again. “Yeah, I am. Just don’t forget me while I’m gone.”

How could she ever forget him or what they’d meant to each other for most of their lives?

Chase pulled her into a bear hug and when he released her, Jess resisted the urge to cling to him. “What time does your bus leave?”

He took a glance at his watch. “6:00 a.m. sharp.”

She saw an opportunity and went for it. “Do you mind staying a little while longer? Just another hour or two. We can watch some corny sitcom and make up our own lines, which no doubt will be much funnier.” Anything to spend a little more time in his presence, until Jess was ready to let him go. Like she’d ever be ready to let him go.

Chase hesitated a moment. “I have to get Dad’s truck back to him and I really need some sleep. Haven’t had a whole lot of that lately.”

Jess suspected she’d be in the same boat after he left. “You can take a nap before you head back.”

“I don’t know, Jess. If I fell asleep, I might not wake up in time to catch the bus.”

All the more reason for him to stay. “I’ll make sure you don’t sleep that long. Besides, you can’t march in here, announce you’re about to head off to a war zone and then just leave me all by myself to deal with it.”

Jess could tell by his expression she’d worn him down. She confirmed that when he said, “Okay, but only an hour or so.”

“Great.” She hopped onto her bed, scooted as close to the wall as she could to reserve a place for him. “Take off your shoes and stay a while, sailor.”

“I’m not a sailor,” he grumbled as he unlaced his boots and then toed out of them. “U.S. Army, Special Forces, and don’t forget it.”

Not much chance in that, thanks to the obvious reminders.

After Chase settled in beside her, Jess flipped on the TV with the remote and chose an ancient rerun. He slid his arm beneath her shoulder, she rested her cheek against his chest, like they’d done a thousand times before.

A span of silence passed before Jess said, “I wish we could go back to those summers when we used to hang out at the pond. We had some great times.”

“Before you started dating the jerk,” he muttered.

“He’s really a good guy, Chase.”

He kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling. “Being born to a father who owns half the state of Mississippi doesn’t make him a good guy.”

“And being rich doesn’t make him bad, either.”

He nailed her with a serious stare. “Are you going to marry him, Jess?”

She’d asked herself that question many times during the month she and Dalton had been apart. So far, no solid answer. “I could do worse.”

“You could do better.”

“He’s going to take good care of me, Chase. He’ll make sure I have a great life.”

“Sounds to me like you’ve made up your mind.”

Not exactly. “If I do decide to go through with it, I’ll wait until you’re home so you can be my man of honor.”

His frown returned. “Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t see myself being front and center when I believe you’ll be making the biggest mistake of your life.”

That stung Jess to the core. “I wish you’d give me some credit. I’m not a complete airhead.”

He shifted to his side and surveyed her face. “I just want you to be happy, Jess. I want to leave here knowing you’re going to have a solid future with someone who deserves you.” He sounded and looked so sincere, so sweet, that Jess started to cry again.

Chase held her securely in his strong arms. “It’s going to be okay,” he told her in a soft, even tone.

“Nothing’s okay,” she said. “It won’t ever be okay if you go.”

He pressed a kiss on her forehead, brushed a kiss across one cheek, then the other. “I’ll be back. I promise.”

“You better.”

As the time ticked away, they simply stared at each other, caught in a place they’d never been before. And then in one unexpected, defining moment, Chase kissed Jess on the lips. Not an innocent kiss. A deep, insistent kiss that made her head spin out of control.

In all the years they’d known each other—practically since birth—not once had they ever ventured beyond a platonic bond. Not once had Chase ever made a move on her. For years Jess had told herself she’d never wanted more from him. She’d rejected the fantasies that crept in on occasion as she wondered what it would be like to kiss him. What it would be like if he saw her as a woman, not a surrogate sister.

Chase tipped his forehead against hers. “Tell me to leave, Jess.”

That was the last thing she planned to tell him. “I want you to stay.” And she did, right or wrong.

He framed her face in his palms, forced her to look right into his eyes. “If I don’t go, I don’t know what might happen. Right now I just need…”