Never Doubt Me: Judge Me Not #2(76)

“Um…”

Mom, misunderstanding my non-reply, says, “Oh, what am I going on about? I’m sure Chase still has to work the rest of the month. Just never mind me, honey.”

Chase would still be working through August, but when Father Maridale was told of the latest troubles with Will, he gave Chase the rest of the month off.

Damn. Mom’s words resonate, though. How I would love to be planning fun, end-of-summer activities for Chase and me to partake in. But who knows how much of the next few weeks we’ll even end up spending together. Chase might be stuck in Vegas for a while.

When I don’t immediately respond to my mom, she says, as only moms can do, “Kay, what’s wrong?”

I need to talk to someone, and she really is trying, so I confess to her that Chase is gone.

“He’s on his way to the airport right now. Chase is flying out to Las Vegas early tomorrow morning to, uh, help his brother. And I don’t know how long he’ll be gone.”

Mom sighs, then says with much kindness, “I’m sorry, Kay.”

That prompts me to spill everything that’s really happening. Well, almost everything. I leave out my argument with Chase, and I don’t dare mention that Will purchased a gun. I do, however, share with my mother that a misguided Will might run into trouble while trying to protect his girlfriend.

My mom is quiet for a few beats, like maybe she’s assessing. I conclude she must be good at assessing when she softly says, “You want to go with Chase, don’t you?”

“I do,” I admit. Why lie?

“So why aren’t you with him right now?” she gently prods.

I stifle a sniffle. “He wants to do this alone, Mom. He thinks I’ll get caught up in what he terms a dangerous situation.” I sigh. “This thing with Will, it’s, uh, volatile. Besides, Chase told me he needs to do this on his own.”

Even though my responses are vague, I expect my mother to do what she’s always done—start up with her judgments.

But she does nothing of the sort. Instead of saying something cutting or biting, like I half expect her to, she says, “Honey, don’t ever doubt yourself. And don’t let Chase doubt you, either. It sounds to me like he might need you with him more than he realizes.”

I consider her words and mumble a “maybe.”

“Kay,” she continues, “sometimes men underestimate what we, as women, can handle. Chase wants to protect you, sure, and that’s noble, but maybe he needs you to show him what you’re made of. Show him the strong woman I know you are, honey. Show him how your strength can actually strengthen him.”

“He knows I’m strong,” I say softly. “I mean, I think he does.”

“Show him you are,” Mom responds.

“How?” I whisper.

Her answer is simple, but powerful. “Go to him, Kay.”

Sage advice from a woman I thought had given up on me, a woman I almost gave up on myself. I feel elated that I’ve made this call. It was absolutely the right thing to do.

And since I’m ready to keep making the right decisions, I announce, “I am going to go to him. I’ll book a ticket and pack as soon as we finish up here.”

I hear a smile in Mom’s voice as she says, “Then I’d better let you go, sweetie.”

“Okay.”

But before we disconnect, my mother adds, “Be safe, Kay. And if there’s anything you need, anything at all, just call me, okay?”

“I will,” I promise, and then I say, “Oh, and Mom…”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Two hours later, I am on the turnpike, heading out of Ohio and into Pennsylvania. Another twenty minutes and I should be arriving at the airport in Pittsburgh. Surely, my presence will surprise the hell out of Chase. I expect he may resist the idea of me going with him at first, like he did back at the house, but I am not changing my mind. No matter what he says or does. Nope, I am going to Las Vegas with Chase Gartner. I’m booked on the same flight, and I was even able to book the seat next to him.

There’s no going back now.

“Never doubt me,” I whisper to myself as I drive.

It’s what I’d say to Chase if he were here. Because what he doesn’t realize is that danger doesn’t frighten me. I’ve faced a lot, and I’ve come through okay. Maybe a little roughed up sometimes, but I keep going.

Besides, when it comes right down to it, I’d walk into the fires of hell for Chase. I love him that much. Though I don’t think things will come to that.

The situation with Chase’s brother is bound to be resolved. I just hope it’s in a way that everyone comes out safe.

But no matter what happens, one thing is certain: Chase and I are going to overcome this obstacle in the same way we’ve faced everything else—together.





What will happen in Las Vegas with Chase, Kay, Will, and Cassie? Find out in the winter of 2014-2015 (December-January).

The story continues in

Just Let Me Love You

the third book of the Judge Me Not series.





Acknowledgments Thank you to all the bloggers who support my novels, the readers whom I love dearly, and my family and friends, to which I owe so much.

Thank you also to the individuals involved in preparing this novel for publication. Ashley, Beta Reader A, Beta Reader B, the team at Damonza, and Benjamin. Oh, and a huge thank you to Tom.