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All he could do now was accept that all the bad shit in his past happened because he’d done the best he could each and every time he’d been faced with impossible decisions.
He hated that when it all got to be too much, he’d hidden in a prescription drug haze meant to kill the pain, but it just made things worse.
And nearly cost him everything.
It was never about some high. He needed an escape from his thoughts, to turn off his brain, so he didn’t have to remember or feel or do something he couldn’t take back and end it all.
Eliza needed him tobebetter. So he was going todobetter.
He’d learned his lesson.
He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
Shelby gave him a shy smile. “I have a surprise for you.”
He didn’t think she came all this way and smiled like that because she had a restraining order tucked in her purse to keep him the hell away from her and Eliza, so he ended up completely lost. “I’m definitely surprised to see you.”
A pretty blush flushed her cheeks. “I’mnot the surprise.”
“Yeah. You are.”
She surprised the hell out of him all the time.
The night they met in the bar, she’d sat next to him and somehow ended up turning his whole world upside down in the best way.
It didn’t feel that way at first, but now... with her standing here picking his ass up from rehab... he wanted to hug her for being so thoughtful and kind after all he’d done—and hadn’t done for her. But he refrained because he was lucky she wasn’t handing him that restraining order.
She took a tentative step closer. “It’s better than me. You’ll see.”
He took her in with one sweeping gaze and remembered every curve and line of her body even though it was hidden beneath an oversized black hoodie and leggings. And beneath all that beat her beautiful heart. “There’s nothing better than you.”
She sucked in a surprised gasp.
He held her gaze, letting her see how much he meant that.
“Um, ready?”
“I’d follow you anywhere,” he admitted, because hewanted things between them to change. As co-parents, they were okay, mostly because she took the lead while he’d been gone and messed up. He wanted to show her she could count on him. He wasn’t the same guy leaving rehab as the guy she’d slammed the door on when he wasn’t fit to see his baby girl.
She gave him a look that clearly said she didn’t believe him, then headed for the door, her long, dark ponytail bouncing. “Come on. I promised Eliza she’d get to see you today.”
Shelby led the way out of the building and across the parking lot to his truck. He pulled the key fob out of his jeans pocket and unlocked the doors. He held the passenger door open for her and waited for her to climb in and stow her backpack between her feet on the floorboard, then closed the door. It only took a minute to round the truck, open the door, toss his duffel bag behind the seat, and climb behind the wheel. He started the truck, put it in Drive, then stared at the gas gauge and swore under his breath.
“We’ll need to stop for gas.” He prayed his credit card didn’t get declined, because he only had about forty bucks in his wallet, and that would not get them home.
“We can grab some snacks for the trip. I’m starving. I wasn’t sure what time you planned to leave this morning, so I skipped breakfast and got a taxi over to the rehab center to be sure I didn’t miss you. Because you haven’t answered my calls,” she pointedly added.
He slammed the truck back into Park without ever backing out of the parking space and looked at her. “I’m sorry. I...”
“Had a lot on your mind. Other stuff to deal with. You needed some time and space. I get it.”
“There’s no excuse for my bad behavior. You called. I should have answered. It won’t happen again. Ever.”
She eyed him. “Things happen, Chase. Things that are out of our control. I won’t hold you to that promise, just like I won’t hold it against you that you didn’t return my calls. I was worried about you after what happened. I’m sure your brothers weren’t very supportive or kind when they came to see you.”
This time, Chase put the truck in Reverse and got them going on their way. “You could say that.”
“I’m sorry. I know what it’s like not to have family you can count on.” Shelby lost her mom when she was a baby, and her grandparents had passed a few years ago, if he remembered right. He didn’t know anything about her dad. “It’s a long drive back. I didn’t want you to do it alone. It’s a lot of miles. A lot of time to think. I thought you could use a distraction.” She did get it.
