Chapter 9
Third Half: A classic rugby term. The first two halves are the game. The “third half” is what happens after.
Translation: Let’s party!
Everly
I’m just about to accept the glass of champagne from the bartender and owner, Judy, when I’m pummeled by a large figure and
two giant arms that wrap around my waist.
“Butthead is finally home,” my uncle Calder roars as he lifts me up off the ground and spins me around.
Two more arms grab hold of me, and next thing I know, I’m hoisted up even farther. “Evie girl is back!”
I laugh as I hold on to Luke’s shoulder and stare down at the bird’s-eye view of a room full of my favorite people. “Oh my
God, you’re going to drop me!”
“We got you, Evs,” Calder reassures, repositioning me so one half of me is propped on his shoulder and the other half on Luke’s.
Wyatt appears in front of me with Stevie on his shoulders, making us quite the pair.
“Everly!” Stevie cheers as she smiles and claps.
I reach out to give her a little squeeze. “Hi, Stevie girl!”
“Be careful,” my grandma Johanna warns from her seat at the big table that’s decked out with a red-and-white-checkered tablecloth, flowers, and a Welcome Home, Everly!
sign that greeted me when I arrived ten minutes ago.
Seated around the table are Dakota and Addison, my two newest aunties-in-law, my grandma, my dad, Cozy, and Ethan.
They all stare up at us with completely unimpressed looks.
They are clearly far too used to my uncles making spectacles of themselves.
“I think this is a rugby move, isn’t it?” Uncle Wyatt asks, shooting me a knowing wink that’s his quiet way of saying, “Welcome
home, kid.”
“This is a rugby move,” I exclaim, thrusting my hands up into the air. I flip my hair over to one side as I scratch my head
in thought. “Shoot, I just learned this. What is it called?” My eyes search the bar, and I spot Wolf, who has just entered
from the store side. He’s standing with Trista and watching the scene unfold with wide eyes. “Wolf . . . what’s the thing
where you guys lift the other guy in the air so they can catch the ball?”
All eyes swerve to the tall, dark, handsome new face who’s standing in the doorframe. Well, crouching. He has to duck down
to walk through it. I feel like Wolf is getting a bigger reaction to his entrance than I did.
“Holy shit, that’s him?” Dakota gasps, elbowing Addison, who lifts her hand and instantly begins fanning her face.
“Has to be,” Addison replies with a deep breath.
“I told you guys,” Cozy adds while popping a cherry from her drink into her mouth.
“You didn’t tell me enough,” Dakota deadpans.
“Babe, I can hear everything you’re saying,” Calder says to his wife.
“They don’t even have the decency to whisper,” Luke adds with a pout.
“Quiet, boys, I want to hear this fella talk,” Judy, the bartender, croaks as she jabs an elbow into Calder’s side.
The women all smile dreamily as they gawk at the Irish rugby player who just entered the chat.
In all their defense, Wolf does look painfully good.
He’s dressed in a black T-shirt that’s stretched tight over his biceps and chest, where his signature gold cross necklace rests.
And he’s wearing a pair of pale gray shorts that are short and trim and fitted over his sculpted thighs, revealing all of that infamous ink of his.
He looks like a total fish out of water in this rural mountain dive bar. But he’s clearly a fish everyone would like to catch.
Wolf’s eyes lock on mine, and my heart rate increases as he answers my question. “It’s a lineout lift.”
“Yes,” I exclaim, clapping my hands excitedly. “And it totally shows what the guys are packing downtown, if you know what
I mean.”
“Excuse me?” I hear Wolf retort, but my brother distracts me by chucking a rugby ball at my face.
I nearly Marcia Brady it and take it to the nose, but luckily, I haven’t had anything to drink yet, so I’m able to react quickly
enough to catch it before it makes contact.
Apparently, Ethan made my dad buy him a rugby ball on the way up here today because he wants Wolf to teach him how to play.
I fear this Irish boy is going to be integrated into my family whether he wants it or not. I hope he knows what he’s in for.
My uncles finally lower me down off their shoulders and give me big hugs, murmuring words of welcome as I move from one to
the next to the next. Wyatt holds me just a little bit longer as I squeeze little Stevie as well. “We missed you up here.
Welcome back, kiddo.”
“Thanks, Uncle Wyatt.”
He ruffles my new hair, and our moment of love bombing breaks up when Judy brings out trays of appetizers, forcing all of
us to settle down and take a seat.
“I’m so glad you’re home, my Evie-girl,” my grandma says, squeezing me into her for the third time since I arrived. “You’re
back for good now, right? You’re not about to break the news to me you’re getting your master’s in Prague, are you?”
“No,” I reply with a laugh as I watch Trista introduce Wolf to the rest of the crew on their side of the table. “I’m done with school and ready to work.”
“Good.” She takes a sip of her drink and smiles. “I’m ready for you to be in the same time zone.”
“Me too. How are you, Grandma? What’s new?”
“Oh, nothing much. Taking care of this one a whole bunch is a full-time job.” She smiles at Stevie, who is currently covered
in ketchup. “Ethan and I help Trista out at the center when we can get up here. It’s good. I’m busy with everyone! I like
to stay busy.”
“That’s so great, Grandma,” I reply and can’t help but marvel at how good she looks. Her gray hair is styled perfectly in
a short, chic bob . . . much shorter than mine . . . and she looks like she has some sun on her cheeks.
I’m glad to see her doing well. It’s been five years since we lost Grandpa, and I worried about how she’d adjust with me not
around to stop by every week. Losing him was hard on her. It was hard on all of us. And we all adjusted to the loss in different
ways.
For my dad, it made him really latch on to family and finding ways to make more memories with everyone . . . hence the new
cabin on Fletcher Mountain and the family trip for Wyatt and Trista’s wedding several years ago.
For Uncle Wyatt, it inspired him to finally want to start a family of his own, which shocked so many of us at the time, but
ended up being the best thing that ever happened to him.
I smile as I watch Stevie force a french fry Wyatt didn’t ask for into his mouth.
She’s almost four and has softened his grumpy mood more than I ever could have imagined.
And if it wasn’t her that accomplished that, it was Trista.
And if it wasn’t Trista, it was the plethora of rescue animals she managed to sneak up into his barn beside his pet goat, Millie.
Family and farm life suits Wyatt, and I’m so glad that I found Trista to be his surrogate all those years ago.
Uncle Calder has changed a lot since Grandpa passed as well. And Dakota was a huge part of his transformation. She inspired
him to grow his woodworking and furniture-making passion, that was more so a grief coping mechanism, into a full-fledged business
that’s now so successful I had to pass off my social media managing to a legitimate company. Now they’re a happy family with
two cats . . . Milkshake and Malt.
And Uncle Luke . . . I smile as I spot him squatting down in front of where Addison is seated. He cups her sides as he rests
his forehead against her swollen belly. She slides her fingers into his hair and whispers something that has him throwing
his head back in laughter. His story might be the one I’m most proud of. He silently loved the lumberyard girl for so long
and never told a soul—though I have a funny feeling Grandpa knew. He often would make Luke go pick up their orders because
he was pulling some strings from behind the scenes. I like to think that’s where I get my meddling from.
And for Grandma—all these changes in her sons’ lives have resulted in her living her best grandma and mother-in-law life she
could have ever dreamed of. She’s turned into a replacement mother for both Trista and Addison. And she appreciates Dakota
daily for keeping Calder in check. My dad is adding on a mother-in-law suite to his cabin on Fletcher Mountain so she can
stay with them whenever she wants.
Like . . . this is it. I’ve done it.
I gave everyone in my family their happily ever afters.
If only Grandpa were here to see it all.
I release a trembly breath as I wonder if this is what Grandpa had in mind for me.
Matchmaking gave me purpose when I couldn’t seem to figure it out for myself.
Maybe my big realization after losing our family patriarch is to just continue to be the glue that holds everyone together.
Even if I can’t easily find love myself.
I can live with that.
Heat spreads across my face when I look up to find Wolf staring at me curiously from across the table. He frowns, almost like
he can sense my mood shift, and I shake my head and attempt to refocus on the group.
“So, what’s your long-term plan, Ev?” Luke asks, dropping down in the seat beside me as he drinks from his beer. “Are you
working at Mount Millie just for the summer? Or indefinitely?”
“She has to work for three years in the field before she can work for Fletcher Industries,” my dad replies for me with a firm
tone.
“Maybe she wants to come work for Fletcher Brothers Construction,” Wyatt says, leaning over the table. “We could probably
use some business strategy help.”
“You’re not seriously trying to poach my first business development specialist before she’s even started her job, are you?”
Trista calls across the table.
“I have a feeling your dad is going to lose you to Mount Millie forever if you’re as good at this job as you were for my furniture
business,” Calder says with a knowing smirk.