Making Chase (11 page)

“I’ll try, honey. You’ve got to try and rein in your frustration when she flinches from you. It’s not about you. She already knows it’s bad, she knows it has nothing to do with you or how she feels about you.” Polly kissed Cassie’s cheek before hugging Matt’s side. “We’ll all help her. She’s a good girl. A smart one.”

“Melanie started all this and I’m going to have a word with her about that.” Matt wanted to shake some sense into his ex. How could she have www.samhainpublishing.com 101

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been so stupid? And how could he not have seen what a horrible person she was while they dated?

“Melanie?” Polly’s voice held warning.

He told them all about what Nathan had said and Polly was fit to be tied. “You leave that girl to me, you hear? The last thing we need is for her to spread rumors that a Chase boy threatened her. She and I will have a talk. Boycott my daughter-in-law-to-be’s shop? I think not. Not if she wants everyone to keep shopping at her father’s florist.” Edward laughed, the tension easing on the porch.

Matt was pulling on his shoes when his phone rang. He’d left multiple messages for Tate but she’d shied away from replying. He knew from Nathan that she was all right. Mortified by her reaction at his parents’ house and trying to process everything.

He left her a voicemail telling her he’d be picking her up for the July Fourth picnic at two. He planned to hash things out with her for a few hours before they met their assorted family members at the park for food and fireworks later on.

Half expecting it to be her trying to dodge, he was surprised to see Shane’s cell on the display screen.

“Hey there,” he answered as he stood to grab his keys and head for the door.

“Matt, Tate’s at the hospital.”

Matt sat down again. “What? Oh my God! Shane, is she all right?

What happened?”

“I don’t know everything. It happened at her parents’ trailer. She’s got a head wound. I’m on my way to the hospital just now. She’s unconscious. One of my deputies is asking questions at the scene. I thought you’d want to know.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Thanks. I’ll be there as fast as I can.” 102

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He ran out the door, calling Nathan and getting voicemail. Getting the same from every other one of her siblings he tried. He called his mother and she told him they’d meet him there.

He burst through the emergency room doors and the staff directed him upstairs. Rushing up the stairwell three steps at a time, he saw her family, Shane and Cassie there waiting.

“What happened? Is she conscious?”

“My father happened,” Tim said, his voice tight and very controlled.

“Your father put her in the hospital?” A sense of cold, deadly calm slid through Matt then. He’d never been one for fighting, always a kind of laid back guy but at that moment he was sure he could have beaten the hell out of Bill Murphy.

“One of their neighbors heard an argument. Nothing new. He called Tate because it got pretty bad. My dad and mom were on the steps, screaming at each other. He kept threatening to kill her.

“Tate went because that’s what Tate does. Tate fixes things.

According to my mother, Tate arrived and tried to calm my dad down.

Told him someone would call the cops if he didn’t stop yelling. She went up the steps to the little landing where he was standing. He pushed at her, to get her away and she lost her footing and fell back. She hit her head on the concrete pad the trailer sits on.” Nathan put his arm around his older brother and took up the story.

It occurred to Matt that this probably wasn’t the first time something like this had to be related to someone else.

“Head wounds bleed a lot. My mom saw it and yelled at one of the neighbors to call the cops. My dad took off.”

“We were already on the way.” Shane put his hand on Matt’s shoulder. “Thank God, one of the neighbors had already decided things were too far gone and called 911. An ambulance got there right as we did and brought her here. We’ve got a warrant out for her father.”

“Can I see her? Is she going to be all right?” Helplessness clawed at Matt, thoughts of her alone and hurt in the hospital bed filled his brain.

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“She’s unconscious but they said her vitals were good. I’ve had a few concussions. She’s in for a long night of being poked awake every hour but Tate is strong, she’ll be all right. Physically.” Cassie smiled at him, squeezing his shoulder.

Matt swallowed and nodded. If he fell back on his professional training as well as the support of his family and his love for her, he’d be a bigger help to her.

“Where’s your mother?” Matt looked back at Tate’s siblings.

Nathan’s mouth flattened and he shook his head. “She’s at home.

Apparently she told the cops she doesn’t remember much about what happened even though what she told Tim was pretty detailed. Said she had to get out of town. She’s more worried that she might have to testify and it’ll put a kink in her social calendar than about Tate.”

“I’ve got to see her.” Matt had to hold it together for Tate’s sake.

“Go on in.” Tim nodded. “She needs you.”

“Little Venus? Hey, gorgeous, time to wake up.” Tate opened her eyes and found herself staring into the most beautiful eyes she’d ever seen. Matt. Then the light brought a sharp new blast of pain to her head and she winced.

“What happened?” she croaked.

“Your father,” he ground out through clenched teeth. “He was drunk and arguing with your mother. Threatening to hurt her.”

“Oh that’s right. I went up the steps to try and calm him down. His face was so red, I thought he might have a stroke or something. He turned to me, screaming, his hands waving all around. He went to push me back and I lost my footing and slipped. Hit my head on something.”

“Yeah, the damned concrete. He could have killed you.”

“Is he all right?”

“You’re worried about him?”

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“He was so red. It’s hot. He was drunk, really drunk. Is my mother all right?”

“She’s fine.” Tate may have had a head wound but she knew enough to understand his silence meant her mother hadn’t bothered to show up.

Tate wished it didn’t hurt as bad as it did, still these years later.

Matt brushed fingers up her arm. “Your dad left the scene. There’s a warrant. Don’t you feel sorry for him. Damn it, Venus. My brother has blood all over his uniform pants from where he rushed to you when he got there. Why didn’t you call me?”

“He saw it?” She was horrified that Matt had been exposed to this part of her life and now Shane had been too? Great.

The doctor came in and pushed him out of the way to shine a pen light into her eyes and check her other vitals. Matt stood to the side, not letting her out of his sight.

“You’re all right. Concussion. I told you the last time to watch yourself. Ms. Murphy, your father—”

“Yes, I know, Doctor.” Tate cut him off before he could say anything else but she caught Matt scrubbing his hands over his face.
The last time
echoed in her ears and she knew he’d heard it too. Shame, sharp and acute roiled in her stomach and she had to fight back heaving her breakfast.

“Well, you’re going to have a shiner where the railing of the steps connected with your face when you went down. We’re going to keep you here overnight for observation, you know the drill. Your eye is fine and the bruising should go away in a week or so. Your ankle on the other hand is sprained. You twisted it when you went down. You really shouldn’t wear such high heels, they’re murder on you.”

“I like ‘em and they’re definitely murder on me,” Matt murmured and Tate snorted a laugh.

Before leaving, the doctor said a nurse would be in within the hour and to ring if she needed anything. She did indeed know the drill.

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Once alone she turned to him. “Oh fuck! Your family picnic. Go on, now and get going. I’m fine. I’ll doze and be woken up repeatedly and you can call me tomorrow when I get home.”

He shook his head and kissed her temple. “Tate Murphy, you are the dumbest woman I know. I’m not going anywhere. What kind of man would I be if I went to eat fried chicken and watch fireworks when my girlfriend was in the hospital? Plus, there’s plenty of fried chicken here.

Your whole family and mine are all in the waiting room. I doubt they’d let us picnic in here but I promise once I make sure it’s okay, we’ll get you a plate and you and I can snuggle and have our July Fourth lunch right here.”

She started to cry. What had she done to deserve this man? He took the hand what wasn’t hooked to an IV, alarmed. “Venus? Honey, what is it? Why are you crying? Are you in pain? Should I call the doctor?”

“They’re all here and I’m your girlfriend?”

“That makes you cry?”

“It’s a good kind of cry. Answer me.”

“Woman, I told your blonde ass I loved you over a month ago. Of course you’re my girlfriend. You think I’d let just any woman make me scratch biscuits and cherry pie with fresh whipped cream? And I hate to say this, Venus, but only a man who loves you would stick around after hearing you sing in the shower. You’re my woman. My heart.” She nodded, wincing a bit at the pain but happy. So damned happy.

“Good. Okay then. Matt? I love you too.” She did. She always had in some sense as a fantasy but the reality of Matt Chase was beyond anything she could have imagined. Sweeter than her visual donut. He was special and there for her when she needed it.

She’d have to worry about whether he’d bolt when he heard the full truth later. For the moment though, she let herself love and be loved.

At her admission, relief washed over him and he wanted to kiss her.

Hell, he wanted to whoop at the top of his lungs, chide her for not saying so sooner, scoop her up and protect her forever and fuck her ten ways till Sunday all at once.

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Instead, he sighed with a grin. “’Bout time you said so. I was beginning to think you were just using me for the sex. And where else would your family be? They love you too. And mine. As a matter of fact, they’re all worried sick. Let me step outside and tell everyone you’re okay. Your brothers and sisters are going to want to see you too.”

“Matt?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for knowing they need to see me. Thank you for being okay with that.”

“Honey, family is everything. It’s one of the things I love most about you.”

He walked outside and leaned against the wall, relief that she’d finally allowed him to love her and herself to love him warring with the rage he felt for her father. Bill Murphy would never hurt Tate again. Not while Matt had breath to draw.

Everyone looked up expectantly when he entered the waiting room.

Marc, Liv, Kyle and Maggie had arrived. “She’s awake now. The doctor came in and checked her out. She’s got a shiner, apparently she whacked the railing with her face on the way down. A sprained ankle, you know the heels she always wears.” He laughed, emotion still tight in his chest. “They’re going to keep her overnight.” Shane put his arm around Matt’s shoulder.

Tim and Beth stood. “Can she see people?”

“Yeah, I know she wants to see you all. They said two at a time.”

“We’ve done this before.” Anne sighed. “You guys go first. Nathan and I’ll go next. Then William can go in. Jacob and Jill should be here in an hour or so. Go on, I’ll call them and check in. Mom too, I suppose,” she said. Tim and Beth nodded before going down the hall toward Tate’s room while Anne headed outside to use her cell phone.

“You okay, son?” Edward asked.

“Yes, sure. No, no I’m not. Damn it. She could’ve been really hurt.” www.samhainpublishing.com 107

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“Well, it’s happened. You knew you loved her, but now you really
see
the power of what it means to love someone. A powerful thing, love. The power of the connection you feel but also the power of the fear of losing it,” his mother said as she patted his hand. “Bend on down here and give your old mom a kiss. I’m proud of you. You have excellent taste.” Matt smiled and bent to hug and kiss his mother. “She told me she loved me.”

Nathan grinned. “About time. I’m glad. You’re good for her, Matt. But, you know this isn’t going to be easy.”

“Hasn’t been so far. But it’s been fun when I’m not scared to death.”

“I’d like to see her too,” Cassie said quietly, telling him with her eyes that she’d try to help Tate through the trauma if she could.

“Thank you, Cassie.” Matt breathed a sigh of relief.

“We all want to see her. We’ll wait for her kin and then we’ll go in and let that girl know we love her too.” Polly squeezed Matt’s hand.

“Fine, that’ll be fine, Momma. I’m here for the night,” Matt said, distracted.

“You sure about that? You won’t get any rest with them waking her up hourly,” Nathan said. “We’ll all be here if you need to get home for work.”

“You think I’d leave her alone here? After what happened to her today? If she’d only called me before she went over there.” He sat down, head in his hands. “Why didn’t she do that?”

“Because, she’s been handling my dad—and worse for most of her life. She’s ashamed,” Tim said, after coming out of Tate’s room to sit across from Matt.

“I’m going to go in now while Beth’s still with her. Tell him. It’s been a secret too damned long,” Anne said softly. Nathan kissed her cheek as she passed him to go toward Tate’s room.

“It’s not her fault, why should she be ashamed?” Matt didn’t like feeling helpless and he really didn’t like it that she’d feel responsible for being hurt by someone else.

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Tim started to speak but he seemed so angry he had to shake his head and point at Nathan.

“Look, you have no idea what it’s like to live in a family like mine.

Your parents are educated, you grew up with money and prestige. Yours is one of the premier families in this area. You were all loved and cherished.