by Nash, Willa
“We’ll put the car in your dad’s name,” Everly said. “Julian and April can’t take it because it’s his. Or we could put it in mine. They’d have no claim to it.”
Savannah huffed. “What do you know?”
Everly flinched and held up her hands in surrender. “Just trying to help.”
Before I could stop her, Ev was out of my hold, walking away toward the other corner of the lot.
This was the only dealership in Calamity. It wasn’t the sprawling acres of concrete you’d see in bigger towns, but there were enough cars that she’d be completely out of earshot and out of sight.
Fuck.
“Don’t do that,” I snapped.
“What?” Savannah feigned innocence.
“Don’t treat her like that.” If she only knew half of what Everly had done for her.
“You’re so pussy-whipped.”
I blinked. What the fuck did she say? “Excuse me?”
“You’ve known her for like, a hot minute. And then you married her. Who does that? She’s using you, Dad. And you’re totally blind because you guys are screwing every five minutes.”
I rocked back on my heels, her words slicing deep. “Everly isn’t using me.”
No, it was the other way around.
“Please.” Savannah rolled her eyes. “You’re not exactly hurting for cash. She got the enormous ring. You’re here to buy her a car. It’s sooo obvious.”
“Glad to see you have so much confidence in me that I’d let someone use me like that.”
“You don’t exactly have a good track record with wives.”
Christ, I was getting my ass chewed out by a sixteen-year-old. How had we gone from smiling and car shopping to a fight? I didn’t want to argue with Savannah. I didn’t want to risk chasing her away when I’d just gotten her. For the first time in her life, she was mine.
And I wasn’t going to lose her over something she didn’t understand.
“Let’s just drop it.” I raked a hand over my jaw, wishing I could go back in time ten minutes. Then I unglued my feet and walked to Savannah. “I know you’re just looking out for me, but Everly’s a good person.”
“Whatever.”
Fuck, I hate that word. “Come on. Let’s check out this car.”
Savannah spun on her sneaker and strode toward the Mazda. I followed, casting a glance over my shoulder to see Everly by a row of trucks. Her eyes were aimed at the mountains in the distance. Her arms were crossed over her chest. She looked miserable and I almost went to her, but we’d finally been spotted by a salesman and he was marching her way.
Everly heard his voice and turned. Then, like I’d seen a hundred times, she put on a smile and carried on.
Because that was how she dealt with everything.
She faked it.
She let the world see one version and hid the truth deep inside. And damn if she wasn’t convincing. Maybe too convincing.
Had I fallen for it too? Was Savannah right?
Everly might have grumbled about the car, but she’d agreed. She’d done the same with the ring. And the job. All of them were my idea but she’d gone along with them. And I knew she was hurting for money.
Was this one of her reasons for marrying me? Son of a bitch. Because I had plenty of reasons in the bank? She knew my balances. She had full access at the gallery and to my personal accounts.
We hadn’t signed a prenup and Ev could walk away from this marriage with a huge payday.
My kid was insightful, even if she was a teenager. Maybe Savannah had seen something I’d been missing.
No. Everly wasn’t like that, was she?
Except as my daughter had pointed out, my judgment was shit when it came to my wives.
My stomach plummeted, the happy mood from earlier long gone, even as we looked over Savannah’s car. Everly dragged the salesman over to us and I negotiated a cash price for two vehicles—Savannah’s Mazda and Everly’s Tahoe.
I bought the Tahoe to shut Savannah up, to show her that I had faith in Everly, no matter the doubts she’d planted in my head. Everly deserved her own mode of transportation, if nothing else, and the car was in my name.
But damn those doubts. On the drive home, with Savannah and Everly both following, I couldn’t seem to shake them loose.
“Think I’m gonna hit the studio for a while,” I said when we walked in the door. The forest painting, the dark one, was calling my name. I hadn’t even realized it was such a foreboding piece until Everly had asked me if something was wrong last month. Since then, I’d put it aside and gone back to my usual work, but today, I wanted the black.
Everly picked up on my mood and nodded as I walked past her for the back door.
“Dad?” Savannah called, stopping me before I could disappear.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for the car. I really love it.” A smile illuminated her face, one that melted me every time, just like it had when she was a little girl.
I was living for that smile. My frame relaxed. “Glad you like it.”
“Travis is working at the theater today. Can I drive it down there and show him?”
She’d been spending a lot of time with Travis and I hadn’t asked what was happening. I didn’t want to know, especially today.
“Be safe.”
She nodded and hurried out the door.
“Hux?” Ev stopped me when my hand was on the handle.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
It was sincere. Too sincere? The doubts took control. “Why’d you marry me?”
Her forehead furrowed. “What?”
“Why’d you marry me? You said reasons. Maybe one was because you felt guilty about the farmhouse. Was another one of those reasons my money?”
The color drained from her face. “Y-you think I married you for money?”
“Well, did you?”
Everly flinched.
Son of a bitch. Before I could take it back, she was gone, racing out the door. The Tahoe tore out of the driveway—because she’d let Savannah take the other space in the garage—and left me alone.
Hell. I hammered a fist onto the counter. “Fucked that up, didn’t I?”
The empty kitchen didn’t respond.
Not that it needed to.
“Hey,” I told Katie as I walked into the gallery.
“Hey.” She smiled, looking past me. Her smile brightened when she saw I was alone. “What are you doing here today?”
“Just thought I’d check in,” I lied.
I was actually searching for my wife. But given that Katie and Everly were still adjusting to one another, I didn’t want to give my friend any ammunition to use against Ev.
I’d given Everly some time to cool off, but when she hadn’t come home after six excruciating hours, I’d decided to go find her myself. First, I’d driven by Lucy and Duke’s place, thinking that’s where she would have gone. No Tahoe. Then I’d checked her apartment. Empty. Finally, I’d come here.
“We had a good day. A really good day.” Katie stayed in her chair but jittered with excitement. “Lots of walk-in traffic, and I sold one painting.”
“Which one?”
“The landscape you did of Ruby Range.”
That was an expensive one. The piece was huge and we’d had an eleven-thousand-dollar price tag on it.
“That is a good day.” I whistled. “Nice work.”
Katie’s chest puffed with pride. “Thanks. I was so excited to tell you.”
I leaned on the side of her desk and glanced around the gallery. She’d done a great job staging it for the early summer rush. Everything hanging was popular. The buffalo busts. The colorful landscapes. Katie might not be the best bookkeeper, much to Everly’s dismay, but she knew how to sell my work.
“I appreciate all you do here. Hope you know that.”
“Of course.” The color rose in her cheeks. “This place is important to me too.”
Because she’d built it with me
from the beginning. Katie had been through it all, standing by my side with quiet, stoic support. We bounced ideas off one another. We celebrated the wins.
What did it mean if she was so standoffish with Everly? If both she and Savannah were uneasy about my wife?
What was I missing?
I shoved those questions away because I’d find no answers here.
The doubts had already ruined my Saturday.
“I was thinking about offering Savannah a job here,” I said. “She could sit and man the desk so you could have some time to yourself.”
Katie waved me off. “I don’t need any time to myself. It’s not like there’s anything waiting for me at home.” Katie hadn’t dated anyone in a few years, and her last boyfriend had been a major dick. “And you’re here to help.”
“Not as much lately. I don’t want you feeling stuck. Besides, it might be good for Savannah to have a job.”
“I’m happy to train her. Show her how it works. Maybe she could do some evenings here and there until school is done. Then she could take the slower days.”
“Everly would be happy to cover too.”
At the mention of my wife’s name, Katie’s expression dimmed. “I really don’t need any help.”
Not wanting to argue with another woman in my life, I changed the subject. “What else is happening?”
“Nothing much.” She shrugged. “Guess who called me?”
“Who?”
“Chase.”
I stood straight, my hands fisting at my sides. “What the fuck?”
Katie knew what had happened with Everly and Chase. How he’d been watching us, and how that son of a bitch had given her a bruise on her wrist. When I’d told Katie what had happened, it had been the one time she’d actually softened for Ev. After all, Katie didn’t harbor a lot of love for Chase either.
“You hate him,” I said.
“Yes, I do.”
“Then why talk to him?”
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t. But I answered. Call it curiosity. I knew he’d have some story or excuse.”
“What did he say?” I asked through grinding molars.
“That you misread the whole thing, and he wanted me to talk to you.” She worried the corner of her lip between her teeth. “Hux, you know Chase annoys the hell out of me and I think he’s a freeloading prick. But are you sure that it wasn’t Everly who led Chase on?”
Ice raced through my veins.
The look on my face must have been murderous because Katie started shaking her head furiously. “Never mind. I was just relaying the conversation.”
“That motherfucker came after Ev. End of story.”
Maybe I’d doubted Everly’s intentions and let Savannah’s words sink too deep. But there was no way I’d misread the incident with Chase. He’d touched my wife. My wife. He’d terrified her.
The way she’d trembled afterward was something I wouldn’t forget. Her entire body shook until she’d finally succumbed to sleep.
Had I misinterpreted that? Fuck no.
“He’s not welcome here, Katie. He shows up, you send him packing.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “Sorry. I know he’s full of shit, but I got to thinking and . . . maybe he had a slight point. You’ve been different lately. Since Everly.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but she was right. Ever since Everly had walked into my life, things had been different.
Of course Katie would notice. She was the closest person in my life, my best friend, and since I’d gotten married, I’d barely spent time with her.
The two of us used to work together to stage the gallery once a month. We’d close down on a Friday night and order pizza. Then over a beer or two, we’d change the layout for the next month.
On the Fourth of July, we’d go up on the roof and watch the town fireworks display together. Christmas dinner was always at her house, just the two of us because after her parents’ divorce, they’d both remarried and moved away from Calamity. Katie had always felt like the outsider with the new family members.
So I’d been her family. And she’d been mine.
Adding Everly to the mix had changed everything. The cold, monotonous life I’d lived before her was gone. She’d brought a lot of color into my life. She’d brought passion.
It wasn’t Katie’s fault that she needed some time to adjust.
Maybe we both did.
“I know things are different,” I said. “But I’m always here.”
“Same to you.” She gave me a sad smile. “Want to go grab some dinner? I was craving a burger from Jane’s.”
“I can’t tonight.” Disappointment crossed her face. Shit. Any other day, I’d go with her. Spend some time with my friend. But I needed to find Ev and apologize. “I have Savannah this weekend. Rain check?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll get out of your hair.” I pushed off her desk. “Let you close up.”
“See you later.” She slid off her chair and went to lock up the front door as I slipped out the back.
The evenings were longer now, the spring air fresh and warm. The sun was sinking toward the horizon for its nightly kiss. The yellow and orange glow shrouded Calamity in its beauty.
I sat in my truck but when the engine turned over, I was unsure where to drive. Where would she go? Home?
I’d called Ev a few times and each had gone to voicemail. She didn’t want me to find her. She wanted some space and time alone.
I could give her that.
So I pulled away from the gallery, taking a familiar route out of town to the highway. The grass was green and lush along the road. I rolled down my window, letting the breeze clear my head. The drive to my property in the foothills didn’t take long. I’d just check it out, kill some time before going home. Because once I got there, I’d be calling and texting Everly, begging her to come home so I could apologize in person.
Turns out, I didn’t need to go home.
As I emerged from the tree-lined dirt road into the meadow, I realized the reason I couldn’t find Everly in town was because she was here.
Something twisted in my chest at the sight of her Tahoe. Something unnerving and comforting at the same time.
Everly hadn’t run to her safe place to get some space.
No, she’d come here.
To mine.
Parking beside her SUV, I got out of my truck and opened her passenger door, sliding inside.
She didn’t break her gaze from the meadow, the grasses darkening in the fading light.
“I’m sorry.”
She didn’t move. She didn’t blink.
“Ev.”
“Do you really think so low of me?”
Christ, I was such a dick. “No.”
She finally tore her gaze away from the windshield and faced me. Her eyes were red-rimmed. Her face splotchy.
I’d made her cry.
“Fuck, Ev.” I reached for her face, framing it with my hands. “I’m sorry. I’m so goddamn sorry.”
Her eyes flooded. “I have never been anything but honest with you.”
Maybe she didn’t confess everything, but even when she held something back, she’d done so explicitly.
I pulled her closer, swiping at the tears on her cheeks with my thumbs. “I’m an asshole.”
“Yes, you are.” She pulled out of my hold. “You’re not getting sex for a week.”
I fought a smile. “What made you come here?”
“I don’t know.” She sighed. “I started driving and I guess . . . I like it here. It’s peaceful. I needed some peace.”
It was the same reason I’d come here too.
But another realization came crashing down as I stared out the window.
The peace wasn’t in this meadow. It wasn’t the grass or the flowers or the trees.
The peace was at Everly’s side.
Chapter Seventeen
Everly
Today was a bad day.
It certainly w
asn’t the first bad day. It wouldn’t be my last.
How could Hux think that of me? How could he believe I was a sleazy gold digger out to rob him blind? Maybe I should have fought harder on the car and the ring. Both would be returned to him when I left Calamity, but I should have spelled it out. Except never in my mind would I have suspected Hux assumed I was with him for money.
After all that we’d been through, how could he?
I’d been furious earlier, but now I was numb.
Today was a bad day. A truly bad day. The ache in my chest felt deeper than the ocean. Vaster than the sky.
Hux’s apology didn’t lessen the pain.
As easy as it would be to blame him for this hurt, the problem in this car wasn’t him. It was me.
While he afforded me so little grace, my faith in him was endless.
Wives should believe in their husbands. Real wives should. And damn it, I wanted it to be real. With every passing day, I wanted to belong to someone special and have that special someone belong to me.
I wanted that special someone to be Hux.
Impossible. He’d made his desires crystal clear. Love and marriage and family were off the table. Luckily, thanks to a failed singing career, I had practice living with disappointment.
The meadow was nearly dark now. Moonbeams lit the tips of grass blades and flower petals barely in bloom. I stared disappointment in the face and let it soak through my skin.
This marriage had been a mistake.
“I’m walking on eggshells with Savannah.” His quiet confession drew my attention.
“We both are.”
He nodded. “I missed her life. I missed her being born. I missed her as a baby. I missed her first steps and her first tooth. I missed her first day of kindergarten.”
“None of that was your fault.”
“Yes, it was. I landed myself in prison. Not a day goes by that I don’t wish I could go back and slap some sense into my younger self. Tell him that he’s about to miss out on the greatest thing in his life.”
My heart squeezed. Never in our time together had Hux spoken with such emotion. And tonight, for the first time, he was showing me his heart. He was showing me the man who created paintings from his soul.
