36. Nash

Chapter 36

Nash

I look over from wiping down the bar and see Richie slide into the booth across from Hayley. He looks nervously around the pub, and he narrows his eyes when he clocks me watching him. I fold my arms and glare at him, and his shoulders stiffen.

Good. Asshole.

Hayley tilts her head and stares at him until he shifts uncomfortably and says, “Let’s get this over with. Where’s Everly?”

Hayley is all business as she opens a folder and slides papers over to him. “She won’t be coming.”

“How am I supposed to say goodbye?” He gives her an angry look.

“Sign it.”

“Where’s my money?” he demands as he leans back and folds his arms across his chest.

“What money?” Hayley asks innocently, not showing even the slightest reaction.

“You want the kid? I want money.” He looks at Hayley like she’s stupid.

Jesus, this guy has no clue who he’s messing with. He thinks I’m the scary one. This should be good.

The pub isn’t empty, but it’s early, so we have just a few local regulars. But nothing could have prepared me for what came out of Hayley’s mouth to Richie in an eerily cheerful and calm voice. It sounds like she’s inviting him over for dinner.

Hayley leans in and says, “I have a shovel in my trunk. I will kill you and bury your smelly fishy body somewhere on this mountain, and no one will even miss you. I promise you that.”

He glares at her. “Jesus, you’re a psycho.” But he looks legitimately afraid, and for that, Marcus and I are stiff with holding back laughter as we watch this unfold.

Hayley stares at him until he looks even more uncomfortable as he looks around the pub. Our regulars are sipping their beers awfully quietly while listening, also showing no signs of paying attention to what’s happening behind them. But when Jimmy Huber meets my eyes, he knows and winks. Goddamn, that dude is scary, too. Someone said he used to be in the Mafia in New York before he moved here to retire. I’m not sure it’s true, but I’m not sure it’s not true either.

Richie shakes his head and snatches the papers, angrily initialing at all the colorful page flags. Then he flips to the last page and signs as his pen scratches furiously into the paper.

Before he could do anything else, the papers were seized and back in their folder as Hayley stands and turns back to him. “Now get out. You’re trespassing.”

He stares after her, and his eyes scan to me. I narrow my eyes as he stands and leaves the pub, mumbling something under his breath. That’s it. It’s done. Relief surges through me.

They’re mine.

Just like that. Everly is free. We can move on with our lives and build a life together.

Hayley comes around the bar and drops the papers next to me with relief. “Can you believe that creep actually thought we’d give him money?”

I say nothing, but I can believe it. In fact, little does that bastard know, I was willing to pay if it came down to it.

Everly

Anna and Mack are ahead with Willow at the local corn maze, and watching her with them fills me with so much peace. I’m holding Nash’s hand as we follow. Nash stops to get us each a steaming cup of cider as I gaze up at the dark sky lit with Edison lights strung throughout our cozy little downtown area.

Just when I think my nervous system will finally get a break to relax around the people who make me feel safe, Brenda and Richard appear and look at me like a rat crawling across the pavement.

“I hope you’re happy. You ruined our family.” Brenda glares. She looks bothered, not put together as she usually does. There’s definitely been some upset to the Sullivan empire, and it’s shaking on its axis. Good, they can feel what the rest of us feel when they mess with us.

Nash turns from the cider truck and walks over, casually handing me a cider and popcorn and looking at the Sullivans like they have lost their minds. His demeanor is strong and powerful, and he never wavers, which makes me feel protected.

“How do you figure?” I ask, confused and curious about their answer.

“You took our only grandchild away from us, and Richard lost his job. It’s all because of you,” Brenda says as she shakes her head, and her perfectly cut bob doesn’t even move.

I almost laugh at what she’s saying because it’s completely wild to me that she could even believe this.

“Everly had nothing to do with that,” Nash says as he eats a handful of popcorn and looks back and forth between Brenda and Richard.

I look up at Nash when he says this, and he gives me a look. A look where an entire conversation passes quietly between our eyes as we used to be able to do as kids. I swallow and wait to hear what they’re talking about.

“You conned him into that!” Richard shouts.

I take a page out of Nash’s playbook and sip my cider, remaining calm. I say nothing because it’s not true, and everyone standing here knows it. What we have here are two supposed-to-be grown adults who have never taken accountability for their actions, and then they raised a little man-child to do the same.

“What, you have nothing to say? You’re just going to find the next guy you can leach off,” Richard practically spats at me .

I hand Nash my popcorn, and he calmly takes it, appearing very curious about what will happen next.

I hold my hand up. “Stop right there. Don’t be rude to me because my rude will out rude yours, and I promise you that you won’t like the outcome.”

Brenda opens her mouth to speak, and I cut her off. “You can’t do ugly things to people and expect a beautiful life. You will no longer be speaking to me or my family. Ever. Get away from me.”

Both glare at me and grumble as they turn and head toward the parking lot.

Finally, I turn and say, “What are they talking about?”

“Yesterday, Richie came into the pub and signed over his parental rights to Willow. And I want to officially adopt Willow as soon as possible. I want you both to be McCreedys. I planned on surprising you tonight. But I didn’t expect them to come up and ruin it,” he says with a look in his eyes that makes me weak in the knees. Damn this man. He makes me feel so seen.

I stare up at him, happy tears filling my eyes. “He signed his rights away? He really did it?”

He nods. “Richie came to the pub that night after we went and got Willow. He knows he’s in over his head and hasn’t been the parent he needed to be or could be. I honestly give him credit for acknowledging that he can’t do it, and he asked me if I’d take care of you both.”

“Wow,” I say. I didn’t think it would go down that easy.

“Well, don’t feel too soft for him. He was a dick about it and asked for money. ”

My eyes widen. “You gave him money?”

“No. Hayley was a badass and got him to sign without getting a single penny. I honestly think she scares him,” he says, handing me back my popcorn.

“You did that for us?”

“Ev, I’d do anything for you both. It’s your decision, but I want to be your husband and Willow’s father. I wanted this all those years ago. I’m sorry it didn’t happen, and we lost all those years,” he says as he leans down and cups my cheek with his hand.

“We can start our new life together in Cozy Creek, all three of us, McCreedys,” he says as I pull him in and kiss him. He wraps his arms around me and kisses me back.

“Any other surprises you have, McCreedy?” I ask, amazed at what he’s telling me.

He looks at me and finally says, “One more.”

“What’s that?” What else could he possibly have up his sleeve?

“I got you a truck,” he finally admits.

“A truck?” I reply, shocked. “You can’t just buy someone a truck.”

“I need my family in a safe truck. Plus, you’ll need the hitch for the trailer.”

“What trailer?” I asked hesitantly, not sure that I wanted to know more.

“The horse trailer,” he says calmly like this should all make sense.

I shake my head and laugh, not following. “We don’t have a horse, Nash. ”

“It’s parked behind the pub,” he says as he takes a swig of his cider, ignoring the part about the horse.

“Does it have a horse that comes with it?” I ask and laugh.

“It will eventually,” he says, his eyes twinkling.

I sigh with relief.

“I hope it’s okay if I love you forever,” I say as I look at him and can’t believe he’s mine.

“I’m yours, no returns,” he says as he slides his hand in mine.