“What?” It was a sprain. I’d palpitated every square inch of her ankle and would have bet my life that all she’d suffered was a mild sprain.
“I trusted you with my daughter and not only did you disrespect her by taking advantage and coercing her into your bed, but you denied her medical treatments?”
He was good. I’d give him that. But I didn’t give up easily. Whitley belonged to me now. She was mine. I could feel the connection in every beat of my heart. Even though she wasn’t with me, I still carried her around inside me.
“We’re not going to press charges this time,” Flint said. “But if you reach out to her in any way, I’ll make sure they lock you up for so long you’ll never get out. Do you understand?”
“Flint, let’s talk about this from one man to another.”
“Men don’t take advantage of children, Chase. This conversation is over.” He ended the call, leaving me standing in the middle of my too-quiet house. It felt emptier than it ever had before. I’d experienced the warmth of revolving around her sun. Now that she was gone, I wished I never even felt it. Because now that I knew what I was missing, I wanted her back. In the short time we’d spent together, Whitley had become my everything. I didn’t know how to go on without her. I didn’t want to.
There had to be something I could do.
With a heavy heart, I headed to the barn in search of Jessie. Maybe he’d seen Silverstone when he’d been at my place. I didn’t have another option and no idea for another plan.
“Hey, boss. How’s Whitley this morning?” Jessie’s gaze darted around the walls of the tack room like he didn’t want to make eye contact.
“She’s gone.” I waited to gauge his reaction.
The way he shrugged a shoulder didn’t convey an appropriate level of response. At least not for someone who wasn’t aware of what was happening.
“Why’d you do it?” I was convinced he was the only one who would have had a reason to leak the news to Flint that not only had his daughter been injured, but she was also shacking up with me.
“Why does anyone do anything?” Jessie rolled a shoulder. “Isn’t it always all about the money?”
“How much did giving up my future get you?” I could have knocked him into next week, but what would that solve? The damage was done.
“You sure you want to know?”
I shook my head. “Pack up your shit. You’re fired.”
“I’m just saving you the trouble of getting your heart broken later. She might be having fun slumming it for now, but you think she’s going to want you fucking up the family portraits? Guys like us don’t get to live in the castle with the princess and the rest of the royal family. The best we can hope for is to carve out a little place of our own where we can be in charge and not bow down to the powers that be.”
Jessie might have thought he was doing me a favor, but I’d been hiding long enough. I was done kissing asses. “I’m sorry you feel that way. Whitley’s not the woman you think she is. There’s not a mean bone in her body. If she doesn’t want me, she’s going to have to tell me to my face.”
I left Jessie standing by the barn. A quick text to Daniel and Will would insure he left my land after gathering his things. I didn’t have time to waste. Whitley was waiting on me and come hell or high water, I was going to make sure she knew exactly how I felt about her before I let her walk away.
* * *
Whitley
If I’d felt trapped in my life before, being back home made me feel like I was suffocating. I couldn’t breathe. The pain from losing Chase was so strong, each and every breath burned. My dad was doing what he thought was right, but I’d never be able to forgive him. Not for this.
As much as I wanted to go back to Chase or to reach out and let him know I didn’t mean it, I couldn’t. If I told him the truth, he’d come for me. That would mean he’d lose everything he loved. My dad would make sure of it. I wouldn’t be responsible for that, no matter how much I missed him.
My mom had called Kaitlyn to let her know I was home. She came over to try to cheer me up, though not even her tales of the escapades she and Sophia planned over the weekend could elicit a smile.
“What are you going to do now?” Kaitlyn stretched out on the bed I’d slept in as a child.
Evidently my parents didn’t trust me to go back to my own condo yet, though my mom thought I’d be more comfortable staying with them since I still couldn’t put much weight on my foot. I didn’t care where I was. If I couldn’t be with Chase, it didn’t matter.
“Whit?” Kaitlyn waved her hand in front of my face. “Are you in there?”
“Sorry. I can’t stop thinking about how hurt he’s going to be when he reads that note.” We’d made promises to each other. Promises I’d intended to keep.
“I don’t get what the big deal is. If you love him, and he loves you, why can’t you just live in the country and make beautiful babies together?”
“Because my dad’s not about to let that happen. And I can’t be the reason Chase loses everything.” He’d already lost so much, including his family and his career.