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Charlotte looked up at me and her face twisted in confusion. “What’s she doing in California?”
I shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out when they get home.”
“You get kidnapped. He gets caught in an earthquake.” Mom rubbed her head. “You kids are going to be the death of me.”
* * *
Mom cooked a feast for Chase and Merritt’s arrival. They looked bruised and battered, but they were alive. Mom and Khloe were thrilled to have a full house again, and Merritt was equally thrilled to have Chase home. I didn’t want any of them to get their hopes up though. Would Chase stay home for good? Would Merritt want to go back with him? There was too much uncertainty, and Chase had made his priorities clear when he’d left us all in the dust before.
“Tanner, you got a sec?” Chase motioned for me to follow him into the living room.
“I’m clearing off the table.”
Merritt nudged me with her elbow. “Go. I’ve got the dishes.”
I sighed and followed my brother into the other room. Chase sat on the edge of the couch and waited for me to take a seat.
“I need to thank you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “For what?”
“For taking care of Merritt when she came back.”
“It was no big deal.”
“Yes, it was, and you know it. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been here to help her.”
“I didn’t do anything. It’s TJ you should be thanking.”
Chase shook his head adamantly. “No. You’re the one who convinced her to go to TJ in the first place. You’re the only one who was able to get through to her.” He looked down at his hands. “She trusts you.”
For the first time in, well, let’s be honest—ever—Chase was being vulnerable. Real. Something was different about him. I guess almost dying in a natural disaster had changed his perspective on life.
“She trusts me because I’m real with her. I don’t tiptoe around her feelings.”
“Are you saying I tiptoe around her?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know about your relationship. But I know Merritt, and I know she needs you. She needs you to be there for her. She needs you to put her first. Everyone she’s ever loved has left her. You can’t leave her again.”
Chase looked straight into my eyes. “I’m not.”
“You’re not going back to California?”
“No. It’s not worth it. Nothing is worth it. You showed me that.”
I sat back as if blown back by an explosion. “Me?”
“You remind me of Dad so much. You always have. You worked your ass off and made this family your top priority. You have this certainty about you. You know exactly what you want, exactly where you belong. You always make the right choices.”
I laughed once. “I make the right choices? You sure about that? I’m the hotheaded and impulsive one.”
Chase smiled. “Yeah, you have a temper … but it’s only because you’re so positive in your convictions. You love fiercely and you stand up for what’s right. I look up to you for that.”
I was absolutely dumbfounded. “You sure the doctor said you didn’t have a head injury?”
Chase laughed and I cracked a smile. “Look, you helped Merritt when I couldn’t, and I’ll never forget that. You took care of this family when I didn’t. I just wanted to say thank you. For everything. I owe you.”
“Nah. You don’t owe me anything. That’s what family is for.”
