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"I was beginning to think you'd moved to the ranch," she said quietly.
There was no way he’d be moving out when Everly was moving in. He wanted to be here for her after the changes that had come her way in the last few days. "I just had a lot of catching up to do." Blake checked his watch. "I'm not the only one working late. It's after nine."
She picked up her mug and took a sip. "Ridge and I called it a day about an hour ago, but I have an editing project due Wednesday."
The story of the week was the Wednesday deadline. Every time he thought about David rushing Everly out of the house, Blake wanted to hop on a plane and give the guy a piece of his fist.
Blake hung his hat on the rack by the door and stepped up to the island. "Anything I can do to help?"
Everly raised a brow. "It depends. Are you team Oxford comma?"
Blake grinned and hung his head for a second before lifting it again. "No, but I'm really good at making up words."
This was what he'd been waiting for all day, the chance to make Everly smile.
"Thanks for offering, but we got a lot done today. I think the rest can wait until tomorrow."
"I asked Jameson for a half day, so I'll be here after lunch tomorrow," Blake said.
"You didn't have to do that," Everly whispered. "You've done so much already. I really appreciate it." She closed her laptop and crossed her arms over it. "Thanks for letting me stay here too. We haven't had time to talk about it yet, so—"
"Don't think anything else about it. I'm glad you're here.” Blake shifted his weight. “You hear from David today?”
Everly rolled her eyes. “He texted this morning to say he was coming by to talk. When I told him Ridge was helping me pack, he realized he had an important meeting to make in Portland.”
“Coward,” Blake spat. “But he has reason to be afraid.”
Everly looked down at her hands in her lap. “He was really mad when he showed up at the house yesterday.”
Something about the strain in her tone had the hairs on the back of Blake’s neck standing on end. The air was thick in his lungs as he asked, “Did he hurt you?”
Her hesitation told him everything he needed to know. His hands gripped the edge of the counter behind him as he waited to hear what David had done.
“He didn’t hurt me. He just scared me. And he broke a vase.”
“He broke a vase? On purpose?”
“He threw it against the wall.”
Blake’s nostrils flared as he tried to regulate his breathing. “Did he throw it at you?”
“No. No. He was angry, but he didn’t throw it at me.”
Blake’s chest rose and fell in deep waves. “I’m glad you’re okay and that Ridge was with you today. Does Ridge know about this?”
“No. I didn’t tell him.”
“Were you protecting David?”
Everly huffed. “Not intentionally. I don’t like drawing attention, and that’s all I’ve done for days.”
Blake nodded. “I can understand that. But I don’t trust him. We need to get you out of that house and moved in here where he can’t bother you anymore.”
She hugged her arms around her, rubbing from her shoulders to her elbows. “I want that too. I feel much better here. I’m not sure what I think about living with two men, but I guess I’ll get used to it.”
Her easy grin begged him to take the change of subject, but Blake wasn’t ready to let David off the hook. He could contemplate strangulation techniques later. Right now, Everly needed a break from the heaviness of the last few days.
His conversation with Ridge echoed in Blake's head. He'd make her feel comfortable and welcome here at any cost. As much as he wanted to take her in his arms and tell her he'd loved her for years, it could ruin everything. This living situation wasn't about him at all, and that was enough to make him step back and put her first.
