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When I say nothing else, the smirk fades from Everly’s face. She might be a hardass, but she’s been learning how to be more patient and understanding since she became a mother.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Her voice is softer.
“We’re just not…I kind of pushed her too much.”
She hesitates, then reaches for my hand. We are close, but Everly has always had issues with showing affection. When she loves you, she kicks you ass. If she is showing me love by pats on the hand and speaking in a soft voice, I must look like crap.
I swallow the lump in my throat. Everly might be annoying to people, and some others might think she’s mean, but under that tough exterior is a soft heart. She’s kind of like an armadillo, but please don’t tell her I said that.
“Tell us what happened,” Becca says.
“I don’t feel right telling you some of it.”
“Please don’t tell me you said idiotic things,” Everly says. Her hand is still on top of mine, and her voice is still gentle.
I sigh. “No. It’s just that I pushed her. I want to date. I want to be the guy she holds hands with. I want…”
“You love her,” Becca says, her voice soft.
“It’s stupid, right? I mean, I’ve only known her for three weeks.” I don’t feel right telling them about how we really met. I keep that little bit to myself, not because I’m ashamed, but because I want that secret for only us.
“But she doesn’t want to see you anymore?” Everly asks.
“No. She’s okay with that, but she doesn’t want anyone to know.”
Everly snorts. “Please, people know. She has to be delusional if she thinks the secret chat group isn’t talking about this.”
“There’s a secret chat group on the Juniper Springs Express?”
Everly nods. “Yeah. Carter mentioned it.”
Quinn’s brother spends a lot of time with the LOLs.
“It isn’t that, though. It’s something else,” Becca says.
I nod. “She didn’t want her kids to know. The thing is, they already know me, and I really like them. And that damned dog with the mohawk.” I chuckle. “They’re just so much fun.”
Everly studies me, then her lips curl up into a small smile. “You love the kids too. Or you’re falling for them.”
I nod. “But I fucked it up.”
She shakes her head, her expression filled with understanding. “Naw, just give her some space. From what Avery says, her sister has no social life. Like at all. If you’re the first guy she’s had a relationship with since her husband died, remember, she’s rusty. And she adores those kids. They will always come first. Are you okay with that?”
I think about it, then nod. “Yeah. Kids should always come first, right?”
Everly grins. “Yeah. The fact you understand that will go far with her. But she seems to be the type who needs to think things through. So just wait.”
I look at Becca, who is smiling, and there are tears in her eyes. “Yeah. My mom made my dad wait when she first met him. And look how well that worked out.”
Becca considers Jason Gold her father, even though Becca was just a little older than Callie when they got together.
“Okay.”
Everly nods. “You’ll see. It’ll all work out.”
I hope they’re right because if not, I might have just fucked up my chance at happiness with the woman I love.
ChapterTwenty-One
