Page 10 of Nash

“I love you.”She stared at him with a cocked brow.“I’m sorry.That didn’t come out right.Not that I don’t love you, I do.But I should have…I don’t know, lead up to it better?”

“I don’t know what to say to you about that.”He nodded and reached for the door handle.“I think I’m falling in love with you too, Nash.But as I’ve never had this feeling for anyone but my grandma, I don’t know how I feel.Can you give me time?”

“All the time in the world.”Getting into the truck after opening the door for her, he nearly did a jig on the way to his side.Christ, he was in love, and it felt really good.He was going to make it up to her for the rest of their lives on how he’d treated her at the beginning of their relationship.Yes, he thought, he had a lot of making up to do and thought he was going to enjoy every second of it.

Chapter 5

Sunny watched the brothers talking to each other.And they were actually enjoying themselves.She had a feeling that they’d not done this unless it had been harsh words since they were children.The six of them seemed to be just getting to know one another.That was, she thought, one of the saddest things she’d ever witnessed.

“I have some things that I found at the house.I mean, I knew it was there but didn’t find it until I located the safe.Mother had hidden it away since she’d had no way of unlocking it without my permission.”Archie handed each of them an envelope.“I hadn’t any idea until I got the safe opened that she’d never…it doesn’t matter now, I guess.I can give it to you now.It’s part of your inheritance from Dad.And when I say part, there is more coming each of your way.Dad, despite being married to Mother, was a good businessman.And he made sure that we would all be taken care of when he was gone.”

Nash opened his envelope, looked briefly inside, and then handed it to her.She wasn’t sure why he’d want her to know what he’d gotten, but she looked inside the envelope too.Closing it quickly, she tried to hand it back to Nash, but he wasn’t having it.Lying it on the table between them, she had to make herself sit still.She tried her best to pay attention to what was being said, but all she could think about was how many zeros were on the five checks that were stashed in the thing.

“There is also a plot of land that I didn’t know about for each of you to do with as you please.It’s part of the land that the house sits on.Hundreds of acres that I’m sure that mother didn’t know about either since, again, she couldn’t get the safe open.”Wrangler asked how she’d gotten away with keeping this from them.“I don’t know.As I said, I didn’t know about the deeds, or I would have said something a lot sooner.The money?To be honest with you, I didn’t know that you’d not received that as yet.I, as I know the rest of you were, was devasted when Dad died, and I couldn’t think beyond him being gone.I think now that I can look back on it, I think that Dad kept Mother under control as best he could.I don’t know about you guys, but I’m seeing things from the past that I didn’t before.Whether it was because I just didn’t see it or I didn’t want to, but I think this thing she was doing to us has been going on for a long time.”

“She wanted us not to have mates.Not to mention wanting us to be totally dependent on her for everything.Including money.”Archie nodded and sat down when Nash spoke.“She was…I have a feeling that she meant for Sunny to die the day that she found out what she was to me.And if I’d not come up on Peter when he knocked her down, he would have killed her.I think that we need to look into things deeper about what else they might have done to other women around town.”

“I’ve given a list of missing women to my grandma.It wasn’t my list; the place where I worked had it.Grandma has someone looking into it now.”Archie thanked her.“You’re welcome.You should also know that Grandma is looking into other deaths around the town, too.Missing women and children.I’m not saying that your mother had anything to do with their missing, but I also think she might well be guilty of a lot of things that have been happening, too.”

“I agree with you, Sunny.”Beau stood up.She liked this brother a little more than she did the others.He was calming and quiet.But she also knew that someplace below the surface sat a beast that no one would survive from if he ever unleashed on you.“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve been working without her knowledge.I know that Mother would have had a fit—well, more than a fit if she’d known about that but I didn’t like not being able to have any money on me unless she approved it.I have invested well, better than I thought that I could, and have amassed a fortune for myself.Millions and millions of dollars, as a matter of fact.So if you, any of you, need some money, I will gladly turn over as much as you need.”

Nash laughed.“I’ve done the same thing.In addition to working from home, I’ve also managed to put away a bit of money on my own.Like you, I didn’t want to be beholden to anyone for some extra cash.In fact, now that I think about it, I think Dad sort of hinted that I keep my work separated from Mother.He said that she didn’t need to know everything.”The others said that they’d been doing the same.In fact, Jameson was an attorney just waiting for the change to put out there that he was taking on clinics.All of them said it was their dad who had told them the same thing he’d told Nash.And it occurred to her then that these men were all worth more money than she’d ever seen in her life.Sunny began to tense up, and it was then that Nash took her hand again.

“Don’t.Don’t think that.”She stared at him.“We’ve bonded, love.I can feel your every emotion.I can look if I wish, but tell me why you’re all the sudden afraid to sit here with us.”

“I don’t belong here.”He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it.“You’re all…Nash, I’m just a waitress in a restaurant that barely sees the kind of money that you’re talking about in years.If ever.You need to find yourself a deb or something.”

“I have found the woman that has completed me in you.You might not be aware of it yet, but you saved us.All of us.Had you not come along when you did, I might well have…to be honest, I don’t know what I might have done had you not come along when you did.I’m not angry anymore all the time.And when I find myself starting down that road again, I just have to think of you, and I feel so much better.I’ve noticed, too, that my brothers are going to you when they need answers.How Archie has accepted me back without question.All of my brothers have, and I find that more enjoyable than I ever thought possible.Thank you for giving my family back to me.You’ve pointed out things to us, some you might not even be aware of, that you’ve done for us that made us realize that things weren’t as good as we thought they were with our mother.We were blinded by…anger is the only thing that I can think of.She blinded us to what she was doing to us by our own anger.And we might even find out that she’s killed our father.Or had him killed.Those are things that we would never have pursued had you not come into our lives.”

“I just was an outsider that pointed out a couple of things.”He told her that a set of new eyes made the difference.“You’re making me out to be some kind of all-seeing person.I’m far from that, Nash.”

“And I’m looking forward to getting to know everything about you, love.”He kissed her on the cheek and then smiled at her.“I’m so sorry that you were hurt not just by me but also by my mother.But I’m going to make it up to you.Every day for the rest of our lives.”

She didn’t want that and told him so.“I just want things to be normal.Do you think that’s possible?”He shook his head no at her, then laughed, drawing the attention of the rest of the people at the table.After waving them off, she picked up her new cell phone when it rang.It had been a gift from her grandma.That’s who was calling her now.

“I have good news and bad.Which do you want first?All though, I’m thinking that it might well be all good news once you share with that new family of yours.”She asked if she could put her on speakerphone so that everyone could hear.“Yes.Brilliant idea.Yes, honey, do that so I can tell you all.”

It took her a few tries to get the phone to work, hanging up on her once.But simply handing the phone over to Nash, he had it set up in no time.Grandma was laughing when Sunny told her who was at the table with them.

“Hello, my dear boys.I have adopted you all to my heart, just so you know.My kittens.Thank you.All right.News.I’m not going to qualify it and let you each decide if it’s good or bad.All right?”They all agreed.“Your grandfather has been arrested.Oh my, he does have a potty mouth on him, doesn’t he?When the body was being exhumed of your father, he went there to stop it.I don’t know the man, but there was an off-duty FBI agent there who was hanging out with his cousin at the site when it happened.Your grandfather hit the agent when he told him that he was going to be arrested if he didn’t back off.Hitting a federal officer, on or off duty, is a big no-no.”No one moved for a few seconds until Archie started laughing.The others joined in.“Good for you guys.That’s the spirit.I’ve also heard that your mother is causing trouble at the jail.Wanting…well, demanding things is more what she’s doing.Special treatment as well as special foods.The jail gives you a menu, and your mother thinks that if she just writes what she wants on it, it’ll happen.It’s not by the way.The police have been just blowing her off, which is making her more upset.Okay, the other news.The men that were arrested with your mother have been given a deal.If they rat her out, they’ll receive a lighter sentence.None of them had a permit to carry their weapons, apparently.I, for one, am glad that this is going to be coming back on her.Especially if those men tell the Feds anything incriminating against the two of them—meaning your grandfather and mother.Those men have apparently worked for your mother for the last fifteen years.That’s a long time as being the hitmen for her.”

“You think they’ll talk?”Grandma told Wrangler that she didn’t see any reason why they wouldn’t.“Yes, maybe.But she has a way of getting what she wants no matter what it is.I just worry that’s all.”

“I’m sorry that you all had to go through all that.I truly am.I’d legally adopt you all if I could.I just love that my little granddaughter is so happy now.”Sunny flushed when Nash smiled at her.“All right then.As soon as I get news, I’ll get it to you.Oh, this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.Before I forget.I’ve checked on things.My license is still standing, so I can represent you when this goes to trial.And I’m going to make sure that it does.While I was checking in my licenses, I found that Jameson is also a licensed attorney.If you’d allow it, young man, I’d love to have you second chair me.You can’t first, of course, not with it being your family, but we’ll work around that, you and me.If you’d like?”

“Yes, I’d be honored to do that.And if I could have a bit of yours and Sunny’s blood—all of our blood, actually, we’d be better at communicating all the time.With Archie’s permission, of course.”Archie, being the oldest, agreed wholeheartedly to them exchanging blood.“It might keep us all a bit safer too.”

“Mrs.Nettles, why don’t you join us here at the restaurant.We’ve only just ordered.Perhaps you can join us for dessert.”Beau told her where they were.“You’ve done so much for us; the least we can do is pay for you a piece of pie for all your help.”

In the end, Grandma did join them for dessert.She’d always been a big pie person and wasn’t ashamed to order two slices since she’d missed dinner with them.As they were leaving after paying the bill, Archie decided he was going to sleep in the big house tonight.She and Nash went to his apartment and sat on the mattress.Before she could realize just how exhausted she was, Sunny laid back on the temporary bed and closed her eyes.It was just what she needed to get some shuteye.A soft mattress and someone to watch over her.

Waking sometime in the darkest part of the night, she felt someone behind her.It took her a few minutes to remember that it was Nash, and she moved closer to him as he spooned against her.Closing her eyes, she wondered if this was what it would be like in their life together.Sleeping like this, cuddled close to each other.It was a feeling that she thought that she could really get used to.

“We need to go to the store and get some things for us to be able to live with until we can find us a house.I don’t know about you, but I already don’t like sleeping on an air mattress.”She loved that he whispered to her, and she did the same thing back to him in saying that a bed would be nice.“I agree with you there.I have a house.It’s not that big, two bedrooms.It’s a rental that I was renting out until recently.Also, this complex is something that I own as well.I have a lot of properties around the area that I’ve been buying on the sly for some time now.I want to build us a forever home on the land that my dad left me if you want that, too.Also, I don’t know how you feel about children, but I would like some with you.What do you think?”

“I would love to have your child or two.”He hugged her from behind.“I’ve only ever lived in an apartment.Even my parents didn’t own a house.Grandma and Grandda owned a house.I would go stay with them through the summer months.I miss my grandda.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you ever get help from your grandma when you were barely making it?I know that it’s none of my business, but I was just curious.”She told him everything.“I can understand you being embarrassed about being in the situation that you were in.It makes me feel better that she didn’t refuse to help you other than you just not asking her.You won’t have to worry about money again, love.I promise you that we’re going to be just fine.”

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