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The love of the Blackshaw family was something she’d not been aware of when she’d been growing up. Maybe that was because she didn’t have any brothers or sisters. It became pretty obvious that Shep wasn’t prying or checking up on his brother, he was asking her. Checking in on her. Tears welled in her eyes. “Is this the big brother talking?” she asked.
Shep gave a firm nod. “Something like that.”
Megan’s gaze fell to Nash again. There were things about Nash that she used to crush on hard as a teenager. His loyalty to his family was one of them. He did so much for those around him. He trained the untrainable horse for Emma. All to see her smiling like she did now. The cat and kittens were doing well, all because he took them in without question. He was a good man. “Yeah, I’m okay with that,” she said, turning back to Shep with a smile. “Nash is trying really hard to do the right thing for me. I understand why he hates my father. In his position, I’m sure I would too. I’ve accepted this. It’s time for us all to move on.”
Shep considered her, then said, “That must have been a hard decision to come to.”
She nodded. “Hard. Yes. But necessary.” She sipped her drink again to pause the conversation, needing a moment to get her head together. “I want it all to stop, you know?”
“Yeah,” Shep agreed gently. “I know.” He took a few sips of his beer then said, surprising her, “I hope you know, Megan, how good you are for Nash, and how happy we, as a family, are that you’re with him.”
She paused, narrowing her eyes. “Are you trying to make me cry, Shep Blackshaw?”
He barked a laugh. “No, I wouldn’t dare make a pregnant woman cry. Emma would have my head.” His smile faded away while he rocked in the rocking chair. “All I’m saying is that it’s not any secret that Nash has struggled since the injury, but you’ve changed that. He’s considering a new career, looking for purpose in his life.” He glanced at Nash with brotherly affection then back at her with soft eyes. “You give Nash roots. You make him man up. He needs you, maybe more than he tells you.”
At that, she cocked her head. “Does Nash really need anything?”
Shep hesitated and studied her. Long and Hard. “Yes, Megan, he needs you desperately.” Leaning forward, closer to Megan, his expression turned serious. “You’ve pulled Nash out of a very dark place and given him something to live for again. All of that happiness is because of you and the baby. Nash might not say it enough, because he has issues with sharing how he feels—and he
ll, he’d probably knock me on my ass if he knew I said it to you now—but you give Nash a reason to breathe.”
Shep’s words hit her with such emotion she could barely breathe. “You’re giving me a lot of credit.”
“It’s credit you deserve,” Shep stated, like he knew something she didn’t. “I’ll never forget what you’ve done for Nash, Megan. Not ever.”
Not even thinking about it, she was out of her chair and throwing her arms around Shep. Tight. He seemed surprised at first but then gave her a warm hug back. “Thank you for that,” she barely managed.
When she returned to her chair, Emma called, “Guys. Look at meeeeeeee.”
Megan spun in her seat. Emma cantered around the ring, a huge smile on her face. “Is she crying?”
“Looks like it,” Shep said.
“Well, thank God for that,” Megan quipped. “It’s about damn time someone else comes out with the waterworks.”
Shep laughed at Megan, then called to Emma, “Looking incredible, beautiful.”
Megan’s attention drifted off them when her gaze connected with Nash’s. And held. It felt like so much passed between them without saying anything at all. Nash must’ve not realized Megan had arrived. Which made sense, considering he was probably too focused on Emma’s safety. But it was Nash’s eyes that made the world fade away for this one moment. The rawness in his expression, so full of emotion.
“Now, do you believe me that he desperately needs you?” Shep asked gently.
She smiled. “Yeah, I believe you.”
* * *
Minutes had turned into hours as Emma insisted on cooking Nash dinner as a thank-you for training Bentley. How could he refuse her? Well, he almost did, wanting time alone with Megan, until Shep glared at him. Then he shut his trap. At least Megan kept touching him throughout dinner. She’d kissed him hello. And kept reaching out, seeming to need him close. Somehow as the hour - and - a - half - long dinner went on, he’d forgotten how badly they needed to talk, and he’d begun enjoying himself. Which, of course, only made him feel worse about her father. Nash knew without a doubt he needed his family in his life. They made his head right when things went wrong. Megan needed her family too.
By the time Megan rose from the patio table, gathering up all the dishes, the sun was dropping lower over the mountains. A soft pinkish hue settled over the sky. With Emma and Shep on the other side of the picnic table, Nash spun around on the bench, facing out, staring after her, even though he knew he should get up and help.
I love you.
Megan had said those words to him. Yeah, she had said other words today as well, voicing her frustration with the issue with her father. But those words didn’t matter to Nash anymore. Those three big words mattered a lot. He had given up on thinking about Clint for the day, instead circling back to beautiful Megan.
Sitting on the picnic bench, Nash leaned against his arms on the top of the table, staring at the back window of the house. Megan had started to wash the dishes. Her hair curtained her face, her mouth moving to the music she was obviously listening to on the radio in the kitchen.
No matter what, Nash needed to make things right with her. Right now, everything felt wrong. Somewhere along the line, he had changed, becoming a different man than before Megan was pregnant. He hadn’t looked to the future. Therefore, he had all the time to wait for her. Now he had to think about it.
Still, his next steps needed to be handled with care. And for once in his life, he was not going to screw this up. Not with so much on the line. Nash had run for a long time to avoid a past he refused to face. Megan was not something he’d run from now. Clint could come later, but Megan would come first. Always.
