15. Everly

Chapter 15

Everly

W hen I hug him, he has more muscles than I remember him having, and his body is hard and solid. A body that does more hard laborious work instead of a body that was made in the gym.

We sit at the kitchen bar together to eat soup and bread and catch up. Thankfully, I start to feel less nervous and more at home with Nash. I sneak glances at him every so often, wondering if he’s really here, in front of me and in the flesh.

“So tell me about your farrier business?” I ask him as I finish my soup and push my bowl forward.

He smiles and lights up when he says, “I started apprenticing not long after you left, and I love it. I love working with the horses, and it’s been a good, solid business.”

“I always figured you’d work on the ranch and do something with horses. The pub was a surprise, though,” I add as I sneak a look at him, trying to pinch myself that he’s really here in my kitchen.

Sliding out his phone, he pulls up a picture and shows it to me. It’s a selfie of him and a wild red-haired horse. I reach out and take it, looking at the picture and smiling. “That’s Soupy,” he says as he flips through even more selfies with different horses.

I laugh. “Okay, these are adorable. You really love the horses, don’t you?”

“I do,” he admits with a grin.

“Who is your favorite?” I ask, looking at the selfies with a smile. This is freaking adorable.

“Soupy,” he says without hesitating.

“I love this, and I love that you are happy with this. But why the pub, too?” I’m confused because, looking at the pictures, it’s obvious he’s happiest with the horses.

He looks over at me. “I think everyone in this town thought I’d end up in jail or on a wanted poster. I liked surprising them by being successful and having my own businesses.”

“I never doubted you, Nash. You were always going to be something special. You just had to figure out what that was. But there’s still time for that if you want to choose jail,” I tease.

He laughs. “No jail for me. I love the horses, and I like the pub with Hayley.”

“You’re doing great. I’m proud of you,” I say softly, laying my hand over his arm. But it doesn’t pass by what he said about loving the horses and liking the pub .

“Do you like working at the library?” He takes a bite of his bread.

I nod. “I love working at the library. I want to help people and provide as many resources to our community as I can. Do what Anne Marie has done for all of us and keep her legacy going even after she retires.”

He nods. “You seem happy. And she does a lot for this community.”

The front door whips open, and Willow bounds in. Anne Marie trails her, and her eyes widen when she sees us on the couch as we turn to face her.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you had company,” she says, but I don’t miss the twinkle in her eye.

“Hi, honey,” I say as I kiss Willow’s head when she wraps her arms around me. I smile at Anne Marie. “Hi, have you eaten?”

“We did. Willow was just missing you, and the movie ended, so I walked her over.”

“Thank you. I would have come and got her.”

“Nonsense, it’s a beautiful night. Hello, Nash, how are you?”

“Good and yourself?” he asks.

“Can’t complain. Life is full and happy with my two girls home now,” she says as she pulls Willow in for a small squeeze.

Nash smiles, and a look passes between Anne Marie and him that I can’t decipher, but I can tell they have an unspoken conversation. Interesting.

“I’d better head out,” she calls as she waves. We say our goodbyes, and I thank her for spending time with Willow. I know she’ll have so many questions for me tomorrow, and I owe her a big update.

“Thanks again,” I call and wave as she shuts the door.

“Hi, Nash. How are your horses?” Willow asks him since all her memories of him involve the horses at the ranch.

“They’re doing pretty good. You’ll have to come out and see them and get some riding lessons in.” He leans back and casually tucks his arm behind me.

“Really?” she asks, looking at me and him.

“If it’s okay with your mom.” He shrugs.

“It’s okay.” I nod.

“Thanks!” she says as she jumps up, excited.

“Why don’t you get your jammies on, honey,” I say as Nash and I stand.

“I have to get going. Thanks for dinner.” He leans over and kisses my cheek. I turn my head and catch his lips.

“Thanks for coming,” I say as I follow him to the door.

“I’ll text you times and dates to see what works, but I’d like to get Willow out on a horse.”

I smile, excited for Willow. “She’ll be thrilled.”

“Alright.” He leans into me and looks into my eyes.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Before he can respond, I open the door and yank him outside with me, scanning to make sure no one is walking by and in earshot.

“What if we’re making a mistake, Nash? What if you realize that I’m not your type,” I sputter, trying to make sense of the past twenty-four hours before I lose my nerve .

He crosses his arms and leans back, dragging his tongue across his lip. Biting his lip, he tilts his head in amusement. He challenges, “You know my type?”

“I’m not really anyone’s type. Especially yours,” I snap but shake my head as I look away. I don’t know why he’s doing this. He was supposed to be my dream guy. In my head. And now he doesn’t even care about the consequences of this. For me. For him. If I lose the McCreedys, I have no one. We’ve been down this road before. Okay, maybe not this far down the road, but we were close. We did almost everything together—him, me, and Hayley. And then we weren’t. It was gone, and it was scary, and I missed it badly. I can’t do that again.

Does Nash get this? Probably not. Instead, he leans in and kisses me on the nose and says in my ear, “I’ve never had a type, Everly, ever. Just been chasin’ shadows who weren’t and could never be you. You’re my type. It’s only ever been you.”

And with that, he pulls me to him, kisses me until I suck in a deep breath, then lets me go, leaving me standing on my stoop feeling even more confused.

I lean against it and close my eyes. Nash kissed me. Again.

Teenage me would be freaking out right now. Twenty-eight-year-old me is freaking out right now.