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“It’s not white.” He pointed out. “Just sit.”
I carefully sat next to him on the ground, leaning up against the wall by the door. “Comfy.”
“Sarcasm from my niece, shocker.”
I shrugged. “It’s not like I’m ready to pop champagne and celebrate right now.”
“A lot of us have been forced to do things we don’t want to do, I still deal with my demons, Bella. Sometimes I think if they went away, I’d be bored out of my mind and need more things to wrestle.”
I almost laughed. “That sounds mentally sound.”
“Hey. now.” He wrapped an arm around me and held me close. “Dreams are made to be borne out of nightmares, not the other way around, Bella.” He held me tight. “You appreciate the dream when the nightmare is over, but you always wait for the other shoe to drop. I think it’s better to experience the darkness first, so you know what it feels like, then to live a perfect dream only to have the rug jerked out from underneath you, leaving you vulnerable without any skill, tools, armor.”
“And getting married is my nightmare.” I stated flatly.
He laughed. “It wasn’t mine, but it should have been, yes, looking back, it was a nightmare masquerading as a perfect dream. Finally, someone loved me, wanted me, needed me, so when the rug was pulled out from underneath me, I was completely wrecked, angry, lost. I didn’t know how to deal because I’d blindly existed in that dream, one that didn’t exist.”
I knew his story. I knew that his first wife was the one who caused the collapse of the De Langes, hadn’t I just been at that party days ago hearing confessions because of her? I also know he loved her more than life itself and couldn’t pull the trigger. In the end, Phoenix, Junior’s dad, took the fall, took the burden out of Chase’s hands, and for good reason. “At least you’re happily married now, you are living the dream.”
“I’m in a tux and have to smile for the next few hours, this is a nightmare and I think we’re all out of whiskey. We started early.” He winked.
I burst out laughing. Chase always made me laugh. He was the fun uncle, the cool one, but also the one that would quite literally slit someone’s throat for looking at me funny. I kind of loved it.
He and my dad had anger issues that only worsened once they had kids. The wives thought it was hilarious, the kids myself included, that were often caught in the crosshairs when attempting to date, didn’t find it funny at all.
I smiled. “Remember when you made my prom date shit his pants?”
Chase scowled. “It was food poisoning.”
“He hadn’t eaten all day.”
“So, it was lack of food.” Chase shrugged. “He should have eaten.”
“You had a machete.”
“I was pruning,” he said quickly.
“What garden?”
“There was a tree… somewhere.”
“Would that be next to the water fountain or the garage?” I elbowed him.
He scowled. “I can’t protect you once you walk down that aisle, just like nobody protected me then. You have to take care of yourself and remember why you’re doing this. I don’t care what went down with Ivan, I don’t even care if it’s true that you actually fell for him or his tricks. What I do care about is keeping the peace between the Families, keeping us alive, and making sure you stay that way. So, wear your red dress, cry a few tears, and walk like the queen you are. All right?”
“Not a princess anymore?” I joked.
He turned to me and cupped my cheeks with his hands. “Bella, you’ve always been a queen in my eyes, you just liked to hide it behind a very innocent mask, allowing your older sister to flaunt her crown. It’s your turn now. Give him hell.”
“I already do.”
“Make it hurt,” he added.
“Noted.”
“That’s my girl. Now.” He stood and held out his hand. “Let’s get you to your dad before he kicks down the door, not realizing it’s actually unlocked. He’s a nervous wreck, and we’ve all made bets to see who he hits first.”
I made a face. “My bet is Uncle Tex.”
