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"I don't think he'll be bothering you anymore. I plan to keep my eyes on you from now on."
"I feel better knowing you're close by." She reached up and pulled the clasp from her hair.
"Did you really break his nose?" Blake asked.
She cringed. "I’m pretty sure I did."
"Wow. I don't think you really needed me then."
Everly scooted closer and let her hands fall from her hair. "No, I definitely did. Even if he couldn't fight back as well with a broken nose, I needed your support."
"And I will always be there."
Everly started pulling pins from her hair, and Blake's attention was locked on her red cheek. David had left his mark.
"I'm sorry. For what I did. I know I shouldn't have given Renee your book. I'm so sorry I broke your trust."
Everly cradled her hands in her lap, fiddling with the pins. "It's okay. I talked to Renee and told her why I reacted the way I did. She promised to get rid of it and never tell anyone."
Blake reached for her hand and brushed his thumb over the soft skin. "I'll never make that mistake again. I know David pushed you to do things you didn't want to, and I don't want to be anything like that. If your writing makes you happy, I want you to do it your way."
"I'm just never going to put myself out there. I know it sounds stupid, but I'm not driven by career success. I'm happy doing what I'm doing."
"And that's enough," Blake said. "It is, and I should have stopped there instead of trying to push you."
"I know I'm never going to make a lot of money working at the ranch, but it's worth it to see these couples on their wedding day. Working at the ranch and editing make me happy. I never want my job to rule my life, and I'm afraid if I try to do more with my writing that it will become a job and I won't love it anymore. I want to hang onto the things I love."
Blake grinned. "Can I selfishly hope I'm one of those things you want to hang onto?"
Everly scooted closer to him on the couch. "You are. I love you, and I see that what you did was out of love, even if it was the opposite of what I wanted."
"I'm incredibly proud of you. Your writings are good. Published or not." He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and let his fingertips follow it all the way down and over her shoulder. "You're an amazing woman, and I wouldn't change anything about you. I promise to always support you in what you want to do, and I promise to put God first in our relationship."
"Same. I think we make a good team."
Blake pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "The best team. I'm completely incomplete without you."
"Blake. Everly!" Ridge shouted from the other room.
"In here," Everly called.
Ridge walked in still wearing his suit from the wedding. "You okay, Ev?"
"I'm fine. Thanks for scaring David off."
Ridge fell into the recliner beside the couch. "Anytime. I got way too much enjoyment out of seeing him run away like that."
"Same," Blake said. Knowing Everly had held her own and busted David's nose was a plus.
Ridge leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. "Want to hear something else David is going to hate?"
Everly resumed pulling pins from her hair. "Anything."
"I bought the house," Ridge said.
"Everly's old house?" Blake asked.
"Yep. He doesn't know it was me, but I bet he would lose his mind if he found out."
