The sound of the telephone ringing woke Sloane out of a deep, sated sleep. She hadn’t realized how exhausted she was, but she’d slept through the night without waking once.
She rolled over at the same time Chase answered the phone beside her.
“Hello?”
Sloane shut her eyes and let the sound of his deep voice wash over her. Knowing she was minutes away from rising and walking out of his life forever made these last minutes bittersweet. But she had no choice. Sloane didn’t want to be Chase Chandler’s obligation anymore. She wanted to be his equal, or she didn’t want him at all.
“Hey, Roman. Where are you?” Chase asked.
Sloane propped herself up on her side and listened.
“So stay at Mom’s,” he said. Meeting Sloane’s gaze, he explained. “They’re running late, but they’re on their way to Yorkshire Falls. His place is being painted and the fumes are no good for Charlotte.”
She nodded and he spoke to his brother once more. “Eric’s car’s in the driveway? So go to Rick’s,” he muttered. From the frustration evident in Chase’s tone, he didn’t want to invite his brother and sister-in-law to stay over.
Apparently, didn’t want them interrupted. Or he just thought Sloane already occupied his guest room. Either way, he was wrong.
She was out of here. “Chase, let them have your guest room.” She sat up in bed, pulling a sheet up to cover her exposed br**sts.
He held up one hand, signaling she should wait, not paying attention to her words. “Don’t Pearl and Eldin have an extra room in the guesthouse? That should help Charlotte avoid stairs.”
He listened, then frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Sloane asked.
“Apparently, Charlotte’s been having early contractions. The doctor said extra rest and no stairs,” Chase explained. “What’s that, Roman?” he asked, his attention called back to his brother’s call.
Sloane waited.
Chase ran a hand through his hair and groaned. “Pearl and Eldin what?” he asked, his voice rising in disbelief. “What kind of guest could that old couple have? Besides Kendall, no one’s visited them in years. And if they had company, we’d know. Pearl tells us all of her business.”
Sloane chuckled. “Remember the extra bags of groceries?” she reminded Chase. “They obviously have someone staying with them.”
And suddenly she knew who it was. Her father. Samson was hiding out with Pearl and Eldin, which explained why he was tired of ducking the cops. He was attempting to elude Rick at every turn while living under his nose. It would have been funny if the situation weren’t so pathetic.
“I know I have stairs too,” he said. “Come over and we’ll figure something out.”
Which was perfect, Sloane thought, because once she was gone, Chase might just appreciate the company Roman and Charlotte would provide.
His voice brought her back to his conversation with his brother. “Pearl and Eldin don’t pay rent. Now they’re housing guests. Don’t you think they’re taking advantage?” Chase listened, then said, “Yeah, see you soon” before he slammed the phone down, still muttering to himself.
“You’re in a foul mood this morning.” Sloane eyed him warily.
He exhaled a long and deep breath. “Then come make me feel better.” He held his arms out, expecting her to roll into his embrace. But as she met his gaze, she recognized the same wariness in his expression that she felt in her heart.
It was time.
She shook her head. “I can’t. We both needed last night, but we’ve come to the end, don’t you think?”
He sat up straighter in bed, arms folded across his chest, a barrier she couldn’t let deter her.
“Your choice,” he said.
She laughed, but the sound was bitter. “Not really.” She rose from the bed, grabbed for one of his T-shirts, and pulled it on. At least she’d be covered until she got back to the guest room, showered, packed, and moved on. “It’s your choice,” she said softly.
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
“I’m sure of myself and sure of my feelings, Chase. Despite everything that’s going on in my life, I know. I love you.”
He flinched. She hadn’t imagined it, but to her surprise, his expression softened. “I love you too, Sloane.”
The words warmed her heart despite the fact that she knew they wouldn’t change a thing.
Still, shock and a jolt of hope filled her veins.
“For a man of few words, you do choose them well.”
She took a cautious step toward him, but he held out one hand to stop her. “I love you, but I can’t follow through on commitment any more now than I could when we first met.” Pain etched his expression, but she heard the definitive tone in his voice.
She forced a smile. “You’ve already raised a family.”
He nodded. “Been there, done that,” he said too lightly. “And I haven’t begun to reach for my professional dreams.”
“You want more for yourself than to run the Gazette ,” she said knowingly. “You need to prove yourself and the story of a lifetime’s hovering just within reach.”
“You know me well.” A wry smile lifted his lips.
She laughed despite the pain in her heart. “Yeah, I do.”
“My entire life has revolved around other people—keeping the paper going for the town, maintaining my father’s legacy, supporting the family.” He shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but I’ve always dreamed of more.” He folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve always wondered what having my freedom would be like.”
She nodded slowly. “Then you need to find out. Chalk us”—she gestured between them—“chalk us up to a case of bad timing.” She swallowed over her disappointment and sought to find the words that would allow her to depart with dignity. “I knew where we stood from the beginning,” she finally managed with a flippant shake of her head.
“Which is why I’m making this easy. I’m leaving.”
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and she forced her gaze away from his bare chest and naked body. Forced herself to focus on ending things, not getting caught up in sexual attraction that would lead to nowhere but heartache.
“You aren’t leaving this house. Not until we know you’re safe,” he said as he stood.