27. Everly

Chapter 27

Everly

S aturday morning is here, and we’ve been staying busy out at the ranch. I’ve realized there’s always something to do out here. The work never stops. I’ve slept so well every night after working out here. I have a new appreciation for Anna and everything she does for the ranch. I’ve always known how hard-working she is, but now I am seeing this in a completely different light. And I love every bit of it. I miss the library, but working out here has been cathartic in so many ways. Slow starts to the morning while the sun rises wrapped in a blanket on the front porch with a steaming mug of coffee. Seeing joy on Willow’s face and watching her with all the animals. Being out at the ranch is healing a part of my childhood wounds that I didn’t realize I had.

And the best part is seeing Willow with Nash. Seeing them play and joke around and have the biggest smiles makes me indescribably happy.

Willow sleeps so well every night with all the fresh air and energy she burns off during the day. She goes to bed exhausted and wakes up barreling and ready to go. Taking care of the animals is a chore we don’t have to argue with her doing. She can’t get enough of them.

I clean up after breakfast and am relaxing on the porch with my book when Nash pulls up and parks. I’ve read the same page over and over for the past thirty minutes because I can’t focus. My mind is all over the place right now.

He comes over to the porch with his grin, tanned skin, dirty T-shirt, and faded jeans that fit just right, stopping to talk to Willow on the way. She’s entertaining herself by trying to get the feral barn cats to come to her. I tried to tell her most won’t come to her, but she’s bound and determined to make them all her friends. She’s been able to get a few of them to eat out of her hand.

“Hey, handsome,” I call as I stand, setting my book down.

“Hey, beautiful.”

He crosses the yard, dips his head, and kisses me.

“Any plans today?” he asks. Leaning against the porch railing with his bicep stretched, he makes me feel hotter, and then I glance up at his face. He’s watching me in amusement.

“Nope, just hanging out. It’s been nice just being here.”

He reaches for my hand, tracing my palm with his fingers. “Want to take a ride? ”

“Where are we going?” I ask as I look over at Willow. She’s now over by the fence waving at a horse who trots over to her. The horses adore her, and she’s made friends with them as they follow her around the pasture like giant puppies. Their preferred currency of apple treats doesn’t hurt either.

“You’ll see,” he says casually, but I can tell he’s up to something.

“What should we wear?” I ask, trying to get some information out of him.

He’s not falling for it. He glances down at me. “What you’ve got on is fine.”

“Should I bring anything?” I continue, hoping he’ll just give in and tell me. He knows I hate surprises.

He leans into me and boops me on the nose. “Pack a picnic for the three of us. We’ll be gone for a while.”

“Okay,” I groan in frustration at his lack of sharing.

I carry a thermal bag with food and a cooler of water when I see Nash and Willow waiting in a UTV in the driveway. I place the food in the little storage place on the back and slide in next to Nash.

“Are we going to your property?” I ask him, excitement filling me.

He looks at me with his eyes hidden behind his aviators, under his cowboy hat.

“No. ”

“No? Where are we going?” I ask him, confused that we’re in the UTV and not his truck. Surely, that means we’re staying on the ranch.

“We’re going to our property,” he says as he starts to drive.

Willow pipes up. “Can we move there? I want to live out here.”

I laugh it off, but I melted at his words. Our property.

It’s only a short ride through a path I hadn’t noticed before, but I recognized a few places from riding horses when we were younger. We finally pull up to a gate, and when Nash gets out to open it, Willow leans forward. “I like him, so much , Momma.”

“I like him, too, baby,” I say as I reach back and squeeze her hand.

We drive around, and Nash points out where he’s set up a tiny home that is nothing more than the size of a garden shed. He drives around the entire property, and we end up back by the pond.

“What do you think?” he asks, looking at me and waiting for my reaction.

“It really hurts watching other people live my dream,” I tease as I take in the gorgeous property. It would be a dream to live out here and see this view every day. And I’m not just talking about the mountains. I’m talking about him. I love him so much it physically hurts my heart sometimes. I take in all the fall-colored foliage reflecting off the pond.

“I can help you live out your dream,” he says as his arm comes around me and pulls me closer, turning to kiss my head.

Willow’s busy removing fishing poles from the back of the UTV in excitement. We set up on the dock. I set up our picnic blanket and spread out the food and drinks that I packed.

“Where will your house be from here?” I ask as I look around.

Nash points everything out to me, and I picture what it would be like to live out here with him every day. I shudder with goose bumps as I put my arm around his waist.

Our property.

Sometimes I wonder if we’re moving too fast. Then I think about what Hayley said about us knowing each other for so long, and it feels like we’re behind and not moving fast at all.

Time means nothing when it’s real.

It’s about damn time.

I wonder if that’s what he thinks as I look over and see him calmly helping Willow with her fishing pole. She sits in her little chair beside mine, her hat that she borrowed from Nash pulled low, watching patiently for a fish. I think about how special it is that we get to do daily life like this, and it feels good. We don’t have any drama or hard stuff out here. Life is easy and good. As it should be.

It’s far more beautiful out here than any picture anyone could paint. The sky swirls with big, fat, white fluffy clouds, and the foliage is stunning, the property covered in mature trees mixed in color and evergreens.

He looks over at me and leans back, looking relaxed. His long legs stretch in front of him, his hat pulled low. He looks so damn good.

Almost as if he could read my mind, he grins slowly at me. I blush and look away. Caught.

“You know Hayley asked if she could have a little sleepover with you tonight, Willow,” he says softly as she looks over at him.

“Really?” she asks. “Does she have a cool property, too?”

He nods and points. “Hers is over there. She already has a house on hers. Kincaid has a property over that way, but he doesn’t have a house on his yet. It’s just land for now,” he says as he points in the opposite direction of Hayley’s.

If Hayley has Willow, I can have some alone time with Nash. And I’m not going to turn that down. I love that Willow loves spending time with Anne Marie, Anna, Mack, and Hayley. She loves her new added family, getting spoiled and loved. Both of our hearts are so full and happy now back in Cozy Creek and my only regret is that we didn’t move back sooner to experience this together.

“Will you be okay on your own, Mom?” she asks as her sweet face takes in mine, full of worry.

“Mom will be okay,” he says as his sunglasses come to land on my face.

“I’ll be just fine.” I nod. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay here with us?”

“She said next time we do a sleepover, we could do our nails,” she says, looking hopeful.

Luckily, Hayley was just as excited about her time with Willow as we suggested and understood we were looking for alone time together. She rolled her eyes and chuckled, teasing us.

Nash’s tiny home is surprisingly bigger than I expected and is really cool inside. He even has a bathroom, shower, a full-sized bed, and a small closet. I took the tour, which took less than a minute due to its size.

“This is so cool. Why is it you don’t live out here?” I ask as I trace the tiles on the tiny kitchenette.

He shrugs. “It’s not big enough for someone to live here full time, and it’s not as fun out here by myself. And I work so much that staying at the bar is more convenient. When I close, I can just go upstairs and crash there for the night. It’s just easier.”

“That’s fair. But imagine getting up to see this view every day,” I say as I look over the pond and mountain view.

“I do imagine this view every day,” he says, but he’s staring at me and not out the window.

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into him as we take in the view together.

“Can you see us living here?” he murmurs into my neck.

I look up at him and tip my lips to his, and when I pull back a little, I say, “I could live anywhere if it feels like home. And you feel like home, Nash.”

That night, we sat by the firepit wrapped in blankets, staring at the stars and dreaming. We talked about everything from the past to the present. Things got emotional at times, but it felt good to get it all out, and it feels like we can both take on anything.

Listening to Nash talk about how he still feels unseen and not good enough in town broke my heart.

“You know you are an incredible man, right? Look at what you’ve built for yourself. You have three successful businesses, and you are going to build your dream home on your family's land. You are so handsome and so strong. You are a walking dream,” I say as I talk, looking up at the stars.

Suddenly realizing he’s quiet, I turn my head to look at him, and he’s on his side watching me, emotion etched across his face.

“What’s wrong?” I whisper, suddenly filled with worry that I said something wrong.

“I love you,” he says quietly. “I always have and always will.”

A lump forms in my throat as if he’s said the most precious thing to me. Because he has.

“I love you so much. I’ll spend every minute of the rest of my life loving you extra for all the time we lost.”

He leans in and kisses me softly, his lips soft on mine, tender and loving. “We’re gonna mess up, Ev. But the making up is what matters. We’re forever, baby.”

“Okay,” I whisper.

He pulls me in closer, his hands rising to cup my face as he kisses me harder now, pressing me close, protectiveness radiating from his body.

He kisses me down my neck and across my jaw. His hands span across my ribs, and his knuckles graze my breasts, making my nipples pebble and harden for him. I arch my back in pleasure and moan into his mouth, making him groan slightly in return. I turn and straddle him on our bench, and he pulls the blanket around us tighter. I kiss him, my hands fisting in his hair, pulling him closer to me. Grinding on him, I feel him hard under me, ready for me.

He stands, picking me up. My legs wrap around his waist as I kiss his neck. He carries me to the back of his truck with the tailgate down. He pulls me on top of him after he lies down in the truck and kisses me softly, whispering that he loves me again into my ear as he takes his time kissing his way down my body as I slide down my leggings, pulling my shirt off me.

When I’m down to my panties and bra, he leans back and watches me in awe. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

He leans down and kisses me again before I can speak, kissing me softly, showing me his love, and I have never felt more loved than I do at this moment with the way that he looks at me.

He slips a finger inside me and works me while he kisses me. My body feels like it’s going to come apart, and I feel like he’s just getting started. His mouth works me, kissing me like I’ve never been kissed before. God, I needed this. I needed him.

While I’m looking at him and up at the stars, my body shudders, and I come hard with whimpers mouthed into his. He kisses me softly, murmuring, “I love you.”

“I need you, Nash,” I say quickly, pulling his jeans down, him helping me urgently as he slides on a condom and fills me, stars in the sky, his body connecting with mine and my soul feeling complete with him. He makes slow, sweet love to me, alternating hard thrusts with a slow pace, and then kisses me while he fills me and completes me.

He builds up an urgent pace and whispers in my ear, “Mine.”

He comes hard, his body tensing and tightening up around me, and my body clenches, feeling like stars shattered in the sky around me.

His hand wraps around mine, and he holds me close as we stare at the stars, holding each other.

Mine.