I didn’t really get the chance to process this for, upon being in his father’s presence, that emotion flowing from Chace ratcheted up around two dozen levels making it hard to breathe. But even though he couldn’t miss it, Trane barely glanced at his son before he eyes lighted on me.

He sent a familiar but less natural and warm smile my way as he approached us.

“Faye,” he moved toward me as I felt Chace, already close, weirdly start crowding me, “what a delight. So pleased I made it home in time to meet you.”

Not knowing what to do considering everything about Chace screamed I should run for the hills but Trane was giving me a welcoming smile while Valerie stood to the side beaming with obvious pleasure, I simply locked my body but allowed Trane to take my hand.

It was when Trane touched me, the stifling emotion rolling off Chace hit the danger zone but I was caught. I could do nothing but allow Trane to lift my hand and touch his lips to my knuckles even when Chace’s arm slid around my waist, his fingers digging in and his mood blanketing the room.

I hadn’t been around rich people so I couldn’t know, maybe they kissed fingers as a matter of course, but even if Chace wasn’t being weird, I wouldn’t have liked him kissing my knuckles. It was debonair, I’d seen it happen before in movies but it also was a bit creepy. Furthermore, he couldn’t miss Chace’s possessive claiming tactics that shouted stand back! Thus he couldn’t miss he was putting me in an extremely awkward position and that wasn’t nice to me or his son.

Trane straightened and dropped my hand but didn’t release it when he continued to ignore his son and looked in my eyes. For my part, I was again caught, wanting to put pressure on my hand for him to release it at the same time thinking that might be rude.

“You’re lovely. What a shame I wasn’t able to be there while you graced my table.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Let her go,” Chace growled low enough his mother wouldn’t hear but his father definitely did because he let me go.

His eyes cut to his son.

“Chace,” he greeted. “You’re looking well.”

“We’re also leaving,” Chace replied, moving me around Trane toward his mother. I could hear the effort it took him to modulate his voice when he spoke to her. “Sorry, Ma, but we have to hit the road.”

Her face fell instantly showing she wasn’t disappointed, she was devastated.

Thus she leaned in beseechingly. “Couldn’t you stay for just one more drink so Trane can relax and chat with you and your charming Faye?”

“No,” Chace replied tersely, not to mention rudely, leaned in, kissed her cheek then moved back and told her, “I’ll call. Maybe in a coupla weeks you can come to Carnal, spend the weekend.”

“But –” she started but Chace’s arm gave my waist a squeeze, I took his meaning and moved forward.

“Lovely dinner,” I murmured, curling my hand reassuringly on her upper arm and leaning in to touch my cheek against hers. “I enjoyed it very much, the food,” I moved back, caught her eyes and gave her arm a squeeze before I finished, “and especially the company.”

She grabbed my hand and leaned in too and she did this in order to throw me right under the bus.

“Please, Faye, talk to Chace. Just a drink. The whole family,” she pleaded.

She wanted that, badly, and I knew Chace was not going to give it to her.

I was saved from having to reply when Chace moved me firmly away from her and stated, “We gotta go.”

He then instantly guided us toward the front of the foyer, stopping at a door and opening it.

“Just a drink. Fifteen minutes,” Valerie urged, her tone edging toward desperate.

Chace came out with my coat but his eyes sliced to his father. I fancied I knew him well, but you didn’t have to know him well to know he was telling his father to shut this down. Now.

Trane read this and moved to his wife, murmuring, “It’s late, love. They should be making their way.”

Her voice was rising to the point there was a hint of hysteria in it when she returned, “Fifteen minutes! That’s all I ask. Fifteen minutes with my family all together.”

“Fuck,” Chace clipped under his breath.

He’d helped me on with my coat so I was unfortunately free again to forge into the breach.

“It really is late and it’s also a long drive. I’ve had to work today, your food was delicious but with that, work, wonderful wine but lots of it and good company, I’m afraid I’m dead on my feet. I’ll probably fall asleep in the car.” I smiled at her. “Not to mention, it’s past Chace’s bedtime. So, to be safe, we should be getting home. It really was so lovely meeting you and,” I turned my eyes to Trane, “having the chance to meet you too.” I looked back at Valerie. “And I hope you take Chace up on coming to spend the weekend. I can show you my library and make you dinner.”

Her face moved like she was fighting tears, Trane shifted into her and slid his arm along her waist, this seeming to give her the strength to fight the tears back and nod.

“Of course, you’re right, Faye. It is late and you and Chace should be on your way,” she whispered with clear disappointment.

I approached her and took her hand. “I hope to see you again soon.”

“Yes,” she agreed, her hand limp in mine but I still gave it a squeeze.

“Faye,” Chace called shortly, I looked over my shoulder at him and nodded.

I looked back at Valerie, letting my eyes move through Trane and I said, “Thank you for a lovely evening.”

“My pleasure,” she muttered, her eyes beyond me on Chace, her melancholy obvious, extreme and alarming.

Chace ignored this, claimed me by grabbing my hand and his only farewell was, “Ma. I’ll call.”

He didn’t say one word or even look at his father.

Then we were out the door, down the steps and hoofing it to the Yukon. Chace bleeped the locks, walked me to my door, yanked it open and practically picked me up to plant me in the passenger seat.

I barely cleared my feet from the door when it was slammed and Chace was prowling around the hood.

I looked to the front door, saw Valerie and Trane there, his arm around her shoulders, her look despondent, his blank. I lifted my hand and gave them a happy wave that I hoped didn’t look stupid or, worse, forced.

Chace angled in, started up the Yukon and executed a tight turn in the large space of the front drive and we were on our way.

He, incidentally, didn’t wave. He didn’t even glance at his parents.

I gave it time and when we were close to hitting Aspen proper, I whispered, “Chace –”

“I hate him, you know that,” he cut me off to say curtly. “I love her, you know that too. You wanna sleep on the way home, sleep. But I do not wanna talk so if you’re not sleepin’, do me a favor and give me quiet.”

I bit my lip.

Then I gave him quiet.

And I endured his heavy mood all the way home without sleep not having any idea the worst was yet to come.

Chapter Seventeen

Always

It was very late when we hit my apartment, after one in the morning.

The drive had been silent, Chace’s mood not lifting, not in the slightest.

The very much shorter walk up my stairs to my apartment had been silent too.

I was wandering the space, turning on lights, trying to decide what to do, what to say and wishing I could go to the bathroom and call Laurie, Lexie, Krys or Twyla to ask when Chace spoke.

“Headin’ home.”

I was standing on my side of the bed, turning on the light but at his words, like a shot, my back went straight and my eyes cut to him standing in his coat by the door.

Since the night he took my virginity, we never slept apart. Not once. We never even went to bed without the other.

Not once.

I didn’t have a good feeling about this.

“What?” I whispered.

He didn’t repeat himself.

Instead, he said, “You go on to your folks tomorrow without me. I’ll call you Monday. Maybe Tuesday.”

Monday?

Maybe Tuesday?

A chill slid over my skin even though I still had my coat on but I didn’t move a muscle and stared at him.

He finished, “Later, Faye.”

Later, Faye?

No kiss. No touch. No darlin’, honey or baby.

Just later, Faye.

He was at the door when I called on a stammer, “I… you… Chace, what’s going on?”

He turned at the door and leveled his eyes on me. “Need space, you do too. This is happening fast. Too fast for me, where I am. Too fast for you, this bein’ your first relationship. Just slowin’ us down, givin’ us time, takin’ that time to sort my head.”

Sort his head?

What was there to sort?

My heart started pumping so hard, I could actually feel it.

“I… I don’t… it doesn’t feel fast,” I told him cautiously.

“Well, it is,” he told me firmly then he was done and I knew it when he started to turn back to the door, muttering, “Call you Tuesday.”

He didn’t move in slow motion but it felt like he did as thoughts collided in my brain.

Lots of them.

Too many.

Weeks of them.

And they did this so fast it felt like my head was going to explode.

Then I felt my shoulders square with a snap and I stated, “You’ll call me Tuesday.”

He looked back at me and, sounding impatient, he confirmed, “Yeah. That’s what I said. I’ll call you Tuesday.”

“I’ve seen you every day, slept beside you every night for weeks and all of a sudden I not only won’t see you but I won’t hear from you for two days.”

“Right,” he replied.

“You told me I wouldn’t sleep without you,” I reminded him and finished, “Ever. Now you’re saying I won’t sleep with you for two days?”

A muscle worked in his jaw but he didn’t speak.

My heart started racing.

I changed tactics.

“What if I don’t want to wait until Tuesday?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Faye, it’s late. I’m wiped. We’ll talk Tuesday.”

“Would it matter to you that I’d rather you didn’t leave right now but we either talk about whatever’s obviously seriously bothering you or you allow me to see to you in other ways?”

“No, it wouldn’t because I’m tired. I been thinkin’ on the way home and I’m tellin’ you the way you can see to me is to give me space. So, you’ll give me space and we’ll talk Tuesday.”

I’d give him space. He decided and that was it.

It hit me just then that Chace decided a lot and that was it.

And it also hit me that whenever my girlfriends told me their boyfriends needed space, they didn’t need space, as such, they needed something else entirely.