Page 14 of Falling for Forever

CHAPTER SEVEN

Chet couldn’t take his eyes off Lydia, not until Jason gave a pointed cough. That caught his attention and he swung his focus once more to his friend, albeit a little sheepishly.

Jason’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t glance in his sister’s direction. He didn’t outwardly ask why Chet was watching Lydia. Frankly, it’d surprise Chet if Jason had missed how important their relationship was to each other.

Waiting for the hammer to fall was more than he could bear, though. Chet had been thinking hard about Lydia, and he’d come to one firm conclusion.

Something had to give.

He straightened his shoulders. “I know you want to discuss next steps with this new client, but I have something to say.”

“Do you, now?” Jason murmured, folding his arms. He adjusted his stance a little as well, making him even more intimidating than he already was. Standing before Chet wasn’t Jason, his best friend. No, the man in front of him was now Jason, Lydia’s older, protective brother.

Chet hadn’t been around when Faith had started dating one of the cowboys out at Sagebrush Ranch, but he’d gotten bits and pieces about how the relationship started. Tate and Jason were involved in their sisters’ lives. Since their parents were on the road so much, they’d taken on the role of caring for them and that meant scaring off potential suitors with a shotgun if need be.

Hopefully, Jason wasn’t going to need to take such a stance when it came to Chet’s interest in Lydia.

He lifted his chin but kept his arms at his sides. Finding the right words was harder than he’d anticipated. “I’ve been thinking a lot.”

Jason arched a brow but didn’t interject.

“I care about your sister. Lydia.” Inwardly, Chet cringed. Of course they were discussing Lydia. Wren didn’t make it a habit to come out to the property. Technically, it was in Chet’s name, but Jason had put up part of the down payment so they could go into the business together.

“I know,” Jason murmured. “You’re a good friend to her.”

He flinched. There was no hiding what that word did to him. He’d grown to hate it. “I’m glad you can see that we make a good team.” Chet avoided using the term. It wouldn’t do him any good. “And that’s why I wanted to talk to you. I want to see where things could go.”

“Where things could go…” Jason parroted, flat.

Chet nodded. Why did this have to be so difficult? “Yes. Like I said, I care about her. I think we could be good together. But I know that everything could get messy if I didn’t speak to you first. I want to date your sister, so I guess I’m asking for your blessing. I’ll be good to her. She’s my friend and⁠—”

Jason held up his hand, cutting off his rambling. “I’m going to stop you right there.” His gaze was firm. It was the same look he got when he discussed a matter he wouldn’t budge on, business or personal. “I want you to know that my opinion on the matter has nothing to do with how I feel about you. You’re a good man, Chet. I wouldn’t be running a business with you if I didn’t believe that.”

Bringing a hand to his chest, Chet rubbed at the ache those words caused. They weren’t meant to be cruel, but all Chet could hear was that he wasn’t good enough. There would be a “but” coming any minute and he needed to brace himself for it.

“That is the biggest issue.”

Chet met Jason’s eyes with a questioning look.

“We run a business together,” Jason clarified. “Our lives are tangled up in something bigger than ourselves.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to point out that was a good thing. It offered Jason a chance to get to know him well. But he bit back the statement, allowing Jason to form his thoughts fully.

Jason rubbed at the bridge of his nose and heaved out a sigh. Chet might have thought this conversation was difficult, but that was a little too hopeful. If it was difficult, then Jason might be capable of changing his mind. “What happens if it doesn’t work out?”

The question was a slap of reality. Chet hadn’t thought that far. When he’d decided that he wanted to ask Lydia out, he hadn’t planned on it not working out. His feelings for her ran deep. He could picture them together ten years from now with a family of their own.

And the fact that Jason immediately considered the end before it even began didn’t sit right with him. He started to answer but failed to form a rebuttal fast enough.

“I like you, Chet. I know you’ve been through some stuff and I’m glad you found your way here. Honestly, if we weren’t in business together, I don’t think this would even be an issue. But the fact remains. If something were to happen and the two of you had a falling out, it’d get far too messy. The complications alone could eat into how well we work together and what we can accomplish. I’d be forced to take sides. And I don’t want to see either one of you hurting.”

How he put it almost sounded selfish, but Chet didn’t tell him that. There was a great deal of logic in what he described, as well. Then there was the consideration for Lydia’s feelings. She might not even be interested and asking her out would be its own complication.

Chet blew out a breath to steady himself, then he nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. It wouldn’t be a good idea to mess with a good thing.” He didn’t meet Jason’s eyes, couldn’t bring himself to read the relief that’d be there. No question that if he wanted to go behind Jason’s back, he could. There was nothing stopping him.

But he respected Jason far too much to do something so dishonest.

“I should probably get back to work,” he said as he turned toward the paddock. Jason’s eyes were on him, but he didn’t turn or meet his stare. He’d choke down this disappointment the same as any other.