28. Nash

Chapter 28

Nash

E verly and I fell asleep in the back of my truck, staring at the stars after the best sex I’ve ever felt in my life. Being with Everly is just…everything, and it feels right. She’s my everything, and I think I’ve always known it. But time hasn’t always been on our side. And now that we have this second chance, we are going to have it. It’s our time.

When it got too cold, I carried her into the tiny home and settled her under the covers. I cranked the heat and joined her, her body snuggling into mine.

I’ve always liked being out at the property. But when I stayed out here, I was restless and never relaxed. It was lonely and felt empty. A lot like my life did before Everly and Willow came back into it. Now it feels right being out here with them. It’s like I can see clearly now what I’m supposed to be doing and who I’m supposed to be doing it with. Them.

The following morning, I woke up to the smell of coffee and bacon—two of my favorite things. I open my eyes and forget where I am for a moment. When I turn, she’s got a blanket around her shoulders, standing at the stove in the kitchenette. Her hair is up in a messy bun on her head, a pair of sweats and her makeup-free face making her look beautiful.

I stare at her and think about what she said last night, telling me that I’m her everything and how proud of me she is. She’ll never know how much that all means to me. But none of any of those achievements ever meant anything without having her. The years she wasn’t here just melted into each other and felt like they were nothing. Just years that I didn’t have her, and she had a kid and a life without me. Like what I was supposed to have and felt in my bones, I had lost. That’s enough to gut a man. But having her here in this place I bought and placed here hoping she’d someday somehow come back to me, really come true, it’s surreal.

She turns and realizes I’m awake and smiles. “Hi.”

“Hi,” I say softly back.

“How did you sleep?” she asks softly.

“Good, and you?” I roll over, not waiting for a response. I stand, crossing to her and taking her into my arms, kissing her, and pulling her into a strong hug.

“I slept better than I have in years. This place is magical,” she says as she waves her hand around the tiny home and toward the windows where the pond glitters from the morning sun .

“You should get used to it.” I grin as I go to the coffee pot and pour a cup.

She makes two plates for us, and we make our way outside to the table and eat, watching the birds. She says softly, “Nash, look.”

I glance over, and three deer stand on the far edge of the pond, drinking and eyeing us cautiously.

“It’s like the three of us in deer form,” she jokes as the two bigger deer and baby deer wander off to graze when they realize we won’t bother them.

I chuckle, but I think about our future home here. I picture the huge front porch where we’ll play with our kids and later grandkids. Horses, cattle, goats, barn cats, and dogs. A big kitchen where we’ll have huge family dinners and a home full of laughter and fun. What I had growing up and what I want to have with my family.

It’s what I’ve always wanted, but only with her. After feeling this with her and being out here, this is it. I can see it now. I want this, and nothing else matters. Life can try to take us down, but if we have this, it doesn’t matter.

I pour an order of beers and slide them across to a few locals, then turn when the door opens, and Kincaid comes strolling in. I’ve noticed something has been off with him since he returned. We’re all stressed about Mom and Dad and Baa. But they’ve kept us updated, and she’s taken a turn for the better, which is a good sign. Mom and Dad have been taking care of her. But something is off.

He slides onto a stool, and I head over and say, “What’ll it be, little brother?”

“A beer would be good, thanks.” He runs a hand through his messy hair. Usually, Kincaid is the happy-go-lucky guy who is always having a good time and is the life of the party. And this guy before me looks stressed and put off by something.

I slide the beer over. “You alright, man?”

He exhales and tips the beer back and takes a long pull, setting the bottle down. “Yeah, I’m good. Just came to hang out. Needed to get out of the house.”

I nod. “You just seem…”

“I’m good,” he clips.

I put my hands up. “Alright.”

“We can talk about you, though. Fill me in on what’s been going on here and with Everly,” he says, looking relieved to take the focus off himself.

It’s been nice having him home, and I hope he stays for a while, but as restless as he’s been acting, I’m not sure that will happen.

“It’s been good,” I say cautiously. “Hayles is thinking about taking off for a while to travel, so I might need some help around here if you are thinking about sticking around.”

“I’m not baking, man,” he says as he looks at me like I’m nuts.

I laugh. “I need bar help, not baking. Everly has been covering that. And we can always scale that back when she returns to the library. It was just a great side hustle for Hayles. She’s always got to be baking something. It’s like breathing to her or something.”

“I saw the library is temporarily closed. What the hell’s up with that?” he says, crinkling his eyebrows with concern.

“Richard and Richie Sullivan trying to screw Everly over and using the town projects and their wallets to do it,” I say as I stack clean glasses down below the bar from the clean tray. “Town’s fighting it.”

“So what are we just not going to have a library? That’s messed up.” He shakes his head.

“I think they have plans to rebuild it somewhere else in the future, but they want that part of the town property for a tourist attraction. An arena.”

“That’s the stupidest idea ever. Our town doesn’t need a huge arena in our downtown area.”

“That’s what I thought when I first heard about it.” I agree.

He takes another pull of his beer. “So you and Everly finally got your heads out of your asses, huh?”

I playfully punch him in the shoulder. “Whatever.”

“I’m happy for you both, man.”

“Thanks.”

A look of something passes over his face but I don’t want to push him by trying to pry and I say, “What’s next for you?”

“Getting tired of always being on the road. It’s been fun for years, but now I’m just tired. So fucking tired. Like I don’t belong anywhere.” He shakes his head and stares off at several people playing pool in the corner .

“Tired of the buckle bunnies?” I tease.

He chokes on a swallow of his beer. “Yeah. I’m tired of buckle bunnies.”

“Maybe you need to find a nice woman in Cozy Creek and settle down.”

“That’s the thing. I don’t know if I want to settle down. I don’t know what I want.” He shrugs and peels the label off his bottle.

I see a lot of where I was in my brother now. I was lost like him and took on too much work to stay busy and not feel loneliness and hurt. I looked for a lot of distractions that helped me stay busy.

“You could travel like Hayley,” I suggest as I pour myself a soda and take a sip.

“I wanted to come back home, but I don’t know what to do here. I feel like an interloper who doesn’t belong,” he says as he looks up at me with frustration.

“I was serious. You can help run the bar with me,” I offer.

“I don’t know. But you don’t want me baking,” he says seriously.

I laugh. “I’m sorry, just trying to picture you baking. Like you’d be one of those Muppets in the back in a chef hat and hit the bell when orders were up.”

“Did you just call me a Muppet, you dick?” he says with a scowl and a hint of a grin.

“Nah, I’m just messing with you. But we’d have fun,” I say as I snap a bar mop and wipe down where the glasses sat and try to picture Kincaid here .

“We would,” he agrees.

I look over as the door opens. Willow and Everly step in, and Everly scans the room and settles Willow in a booth by the window. I cross over, kissing Everly on the cheek and squeezing Willow’s shoulder.

“How are you guys? What are you doing here?” I ask as I try to hold back my stupid grin from just seeing them here.

“Well, Willow told me she’s never gotten to come in here, and we thought we’d come and order sandwiches, some fries, and maybe a root beer.” She smiles at Willow.

“Well, we can make that happen. How about I eat with you guys?” I offer.

“Yes,” Willow says excitedly, scooting over in the booth. “Sit by me, Nash.”

“Okay, let me go put in our orders first.” I smile as I head back to the bar and ask Kincaid. “You want to eat with us?”

He glances over at Everly and Willow, and Everly waves and smiles at him. I see him smile and wave back. “Yeah, sure, man.”

Kincaid is a lot more relaxed now, and I realize it must have been hard for him to come back after being gone a while. That was probably how Everly felt, too. I should have been there for her instead of giving her space. But I think she needed to find me on her own terms.

Kincaid looks back at me and says quietly as I put in the order at the computer, “She’s a good one. Don’t let her get away again.”

“I won’t,” I promise as I turn to put the order in, realizing nothing is coming between them and me. No one. Ever again.