Page 41 of The Cabin-A Reverse Harem Romance
Nolan let go of me, and thankfully, I was steady on my feet again. Chase was standing not too far away, hidden mostly in the darkness. I couldn’t see the look on his face, so I couldn’t tell if he was hurt or if he’d seen what had just happened. God, did he think I was just making my way through them all? Sleeping around like a whore, like Brad had insinuated? My heart sunk deep into my stomach and I felt sick.
“Chase, I –” I couldn’t find the words.
“It’s okay,” he said, walking deeper into the room. The moonlight illuminated his handsome, chiseled features. He was frowning, a look I’d rarely seen on his face before, but he didn’t look at me unkindly. He simply stepped over to the window and stared outside, not looking at Nolan or myself.
“It’s not what it looks like,” I said softly.
“It’s none of my business,” Chase said.
Nolan spoke up. “I was the one responsible,” he admitted.
Chase shrugged, still not looking at us. “Like I said, it’s none of my business.”
“Then what is it?” I asked.
“I’m worried about you, Elise,” Chase said.
“I’m a big girl, Chase.”
“I know, and that’s why I didn’t stop you from sleeping with Sean or Trevor,” he said. “But I can’t help worrying about you given all you’ve gone through.”
I walked over to him and put a hand on his arm. He looked down at me, a softness in his face I hadn’t seen before. He was a gentle giant – tall and large, but with the sweetest face on a man that I’d ever laid eyes on. God, why did things have to be so difficult? Why did I have to fall for all of them?
“Chase, you know, I lo –”
He pressed his fingers to my lips, silencing me. It hurt to be silenced when I was about to confess my love to him, but I understood why. I’d just slept with his two friends and made out with another. Chase was a sensitive, kind soul. If he felt the same way about me, my actions probably hurt him. Telling him my feelings wouldn’t help, it would likely only make it worse. After he’d confided in me, offered to be there for my baby – if there actually was baby – I’d gone and screwed two of his best friends.
“I’m going back to bed,” Nolan said softly, his footsteps echoing off the wood floor.
That left Chase and I alone. I considered going back to bed myself, but it suddenly didn’t feel right. Not with Chase standing down there in the darkness, thinking God knew what about it.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” I asked him.
“What’s there to talk about?”
“Well, for one, you told me you’d be happy to step up and be a father to my child, and I told Brad anyway,” I said. “I figured that might have upset you a bit.”
Chase shrugged again and let out a long sigh. “Sure, it did. But like you said, you’re a big girl. You need to figure out what’s best for you, and if I’m not it –”
“Who said you weren’t, Chase?” I asked. “I just thought Brad should know. It didn’t feel right to lie. It doesn’t mean I want to be back with him, or that I don’t want to be with you.”
Chase shook his head, rolling his eyes as he scoffed.
“What?”
“You want to be with me?”
“Yes,” I said, and it was the truth. “But you slept with Trevor and Sean,” he said.
“Yes, but it wasn’t like that –”
Chase held his hands up to stop me from speaking. “That wasn’t a question, Elise. Believe me, Nolan and I knew what you guys were up to pretty quick, so I’m not sure what other way it could be,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me who you sleep with, but let’s face it, that’s a pretty big sign that you don’t want to be with me, so don’t lie to me and tell you do.”
His words cut through me like a knife. Being stabbed by him would have hurt less than that statement, and yet, I couldn’t deny that he was right. I’d made a mistake. I’d hurt him, and possibly Nolan too – though he didn’t show it the same way. Then in the morning, I’d have to deal with Trevor and Sean, and the inevitable awkwardness that was going to come with having slept with the two of them to begin with. This entire situation was a mess, and all because of me.
This was all my doing.
I’d hurt the men I loved.
8
Nolan
I stared up at the ceiling, still unable to sleep, when Chase came back into the living room. He plopped down on the chair nearby, not joining me in the fold out bed. He sat there for an eternity, in silence, and I thought maybe he’d fallen asleep. I looked over at him and found him sitting there just staring off into the distance, obviously deep in thought.
