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Chase crossed his arms, his nostrils flared with barely repressed anger.
“How long has this been going on?”
I hesitated. How much should I tell him? I doubted he wanted full details of what had happened between Haley and me lately.
“Just a few days.”
The door opened and Haley emerged on the porch, huddled in her sweater and leggings. Chase gestured between us.
“I don’t like this. Not one little bit.”
Haley grimaced. “We didn’t think you would.”
Chase jabbed a finger at me. I held up my hands in surrender.
“I expected better from you. I trusted you. And now…now I don’t know what to think. Please tell me you’ve had the decency to hold off having sex with my little sister at least.”
Haley and I didn’t say a word. Chase kicked at the snow.
“Unbelievable.”
“It’s my decision who I choose to date, Chase,” she said.
He shook his head vehemently.
“No. No, I have to look out for you. Because you’ve had your head stuck in a book for the past twenty-one years of your life. You’re too naive, too trusting, and you’re ready to jump into bed with any man who has a pulse as long as you get your fairy tale happy ending.”
Haley flinched and ducked her head, shuffling in place.
“Chase,” I said, stern. “That was harsh.”
“It’s the truth,” he shot back.
I stepped forward until I was nose to nose with Chase.
“I love your sister. So get used to it. Because I’m not going anywhere. I know damn well I’m not good enough for Haley, but I will work my ass off to be a man who might become worthy of her some day.”
Chase clenched his jaw, his gaze sharp. Then he turned his attention to Haley.
“This is all thanks to that big, dumb crush you’ve had on Theo ever since you were a kid, isn’t it?”
“Does everyone know about that?” Haley asked, fiddling with the cuffs of her sleeves.
Chase snorted. “You weren’t exactly subtle about it.” He shot another dirty look in my direction. “I should have kept you away from my sister right from the start. Instead, I swept it under the rug, thinking she would get over it.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face and shook his head. Haley tiptoed down the porch steps and came to stand beside me, shivering as she clutched my hand. Chase’s gaze wandered over us before darting away. He tipped his head back, blowing out a puff of frosty air.
“You get one shot,” Chase said to me. “If I find out you made Haley cry, for any reason, I will punch you so hard, you’ll be seeing stars for a week.”
A big smile spread across Haley’s face. She released my hand and flung her arms around Chase’s neck.
“Thank you, Chase.”
He patted her back.
“Yeah, yeah. Just…try to not to flirt too much around me, okay? It’s gross and I don’t want to lose my lunch.”
Reluctantly, Chase’s gaze met mine. He stepped away from Haley and sucked in a deep breath before letting it out. Then he extended his hand and I clasped it in a firm shake.
