Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Avery
I didn’t want to leave the comfort of Reid’s arms. Not now that I knew he felt the same way I did. Not ever.
Belatedly, I remembered we were in the middle of the plaza, outside Judge Baker’s private office. And not only were we now officially late for the meeting that was going to decide my fate in this town, but half of the townspeople stood by to bear witness.
We’d already provided enough entertainment, so why not give them a little more?
Reluctantly, I tore myself out of Reid’s embrace but stayed close to his side. He wrapped his arm tight around my waist as we turned to face the judge who was watching us with a bemused expression.
“Sorry, Judge. I didn’t mean to?—”
“No apology necessary.” He held up a hand to stop me. “I can tell you had a few things that needed to be discussed.”
My cheeks flared with embarrassment and the realization that we’d just inadvertently exposed our deception.
“Finally.” Jacob pushed his way toward us, coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with the judge, who gave him a sharp look until he took half a step to the side. “We’re late to get started with the meeting. We should go?—”
“I think we can do it right here,” Judge Baker declared. “After all, it doesn’t seem like there are any secrets left to spill, are there?” He looked at each of us in turn.
Reid and I both shook our heads.
Jacob pulled his phone from his pocket. “Let me get my lawyer on the line. I’ll need him to?—”
“He’s right here.”
We all turned to see my lawyer, William, holding his phone up. A man I didn’t recognize was on the screen. “I called him a few minutes ago,” William said. “I thought he might want to see and hear what was going on.”
What the hell?
I shot William a look. Did he really have Jacob’s lawyer on a video chat? Whose side was he on?
But I didn’t have time to ask either of those questions, because the man in question spoke up from his small screen. “And I thank you very much for that, William. I wasn’t aware of the exact nature of the relationship between Ms. Walker and Mr. Lyons. This has been most enlightening.”
“See?” Jacob turned to the phone, speaking to his lawyer. “Now you understand what I’ve been trying to tell you. It’s not real. None of this is real, which means that they’re both liars and?—”
“Enough.” It was Judge Baker who spoke up. There was no room for argument in his voice.
Above us, the clouds had darkened and at some point, while we’d been standing there, the wind had picked up. A storm was coming.
“They admitted it, Judge.” Jacob turned to the older man, who did not look impressed. “You heard it, too. It’s not real.”
“What I heard was the two of them declare their love for each other,” he said pointedly. “What I saw was a very public display of that love. And what I know is that I married the two of them myself in my chambers and that is my signature on their marriage certificate.”
My body started to shake. From the growing cold or the nerves, I couldn’t be sure. The judge’s voice gave nothing away.
Jacob opened his mouth to protest, but the judge cut him off with another sharp look.
“That being said, there is the matter of the will that needs to be discussed and settled once and for all.” He looked at each of us in turn.
Reid nodded and had the sense to look chastised. I offered the judge a small apologetic smile. And of course, Jacob crossed his arms, looking smug. I forced myself not to look at him. I couldn’t let myself be bothered by my cousin. Not anymore.
No matter what the judge said, it would be fine. I had Reid. I could handle anything with him by my side.
At least I hoped I could.
“I’m only going to go through this once,” the judge began. “So I want you all to listen carefully because my decision is final.”
We all nodded.
“The Walkers’ will, that was both legal and binding, very clearly stated that Ms. Avery Walker and her husband were to inherit the inn along with the funds that have been set aside and invested for the purposes of renovating and running the inn.”
I’d heard it before. Multiple times. I nodded and dropped my gaze to the ground.
“Now, given the very specific nature of the conditions, the precise wording, and the fact that the original document was drafted many years ago in a different time for society, I’m apt to agree with Ms. Walker and her counsel that the requirement of the spouse be dismissed.”
Hope soared within me.
“However,” the judge continued. “That is not what is going to happen in this case.”
I didn’t miss the self-satisfied sound that slipped from Jacob. I swallowed hard against my feelings and waited for the verdict.
“What is going to happen is that Ms. Walker and her husband , Mr. Reid Lyons, will be rightfully and completely awarded full possession and ownership of the Tamarack Inn, along with the entirety of the funds that have been set aside as stated in the Walkers’ original will and testament. Effective immediately.”
“What?” Jacob yelled. “That’s bullshit. This is fake,” he said. “Didn’t you hear them? They just admitted it in front of the entire town. The marriage is fake. They’ve been playing all of you. They deserve to be in jail, not rewarded with?—”
“That is enough, Mr. Walker. I told you my decision was final.”
Reid squeezed my shoulder, shaking me a little.
It was only then that I dared look up. “Did he just say what I think he said?”
Reid’s smile told me everything I needed to know.
“But…I thought…”
“No.” Jacob’s rage-fueled voice cut through the air. “I refuse to accept this.” He snatched the phone from William’s hand and spoke to his lawyer. “We’ll fight this. We’ll expose their lie and?—”
“No, Jacob.” His lawyer, from his office on the other end of the phone, was calm and controlled. “I don’t know if you were listening earlier, but I was. This case was lost before it began. What I witnessed was two people very much in love with each other and very much in a legal marriage. Even through the phone, I could see that. There is no case here.”
“What?” Jacob’s face turned an awkward shade of purple. “You’re fired.” He shoved the phone back at William and spun on his heel, looking for a way out of the crowd that had begun to close in, ready to congratulate us on officially owning the inn.
“This isn’t over, Avery,” he spat in my direction.
“Oh yes, it is, Jacob.” Reid’s arm held me close as he pulled me slightly behind him and stepped up to Jacob. “This is very much over. And I suggest, for your own sake, you get out of town.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No.” To my surprise, Reid chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not. You’re not worth my time, but I think there are a few others who might have a different opinion.” He raised his eyebrows and jerked his head toward the crowd that now included all of Reid’s brothers, who’d joined at some point when I wasn’t paying attention.
“Avery,” Jacob tried again. “We can talk about this.”
Reid tried again to steer me away, but I needed to face him. “No,” I said as I turned to face him. “We can not talk about this, Jacob. You heard the judge. The inn is mine—” I stopped myself and reached for Reid’s hand. “It’s ours. ” I gave him a smile, and he squeezed my hand in return before I continued. “It’s just as Grandma and Grandpa wanted,” I told my cousin. “You can either accept that or not. That’s up to you. But either way, we’re done here.”
I exhaled and released the tension I’d been holding, right as the clouds finally opened up and the rain started.
Reid
Avery shrieked as the rain started, but it quickly turned into a laugh as I tugged on her hand and started running, leading her through the crowd.
We moved through the throngs of our friends and neighbors, all of whom cheered us on and offered us congratulations until we were finally free and I got her under the shelter of the gazebo that had been placed in the center of the plaza to honor the late Michael Carlson, the savior of town.
Surprisingly, the gazebo was empty. What was left of the crowd was still gathered at the far end on the plaza, while everyone else had scattered into the coffee shop and other stores, seeking shelter or going about their business now that the show was over.
And it was over. Finally.
I spun my wife in my arms and held her close.
Her hair was wet and pasted in strands to her face. Her dress clung to her in all the right places, and she’d never looked more beautiful.
“Damn, I’m a lucky man.” I pulled her close and kissed her hard. “For so many reasons, but mostly because I had the good fortune to be in the hardware store that day when you walked into my life.”
“I’m just lucky you agreed to help me break in.” She laughed and it was the sweetest sound.
Now that her smile had returned to her face, I never wanted it to leave. I would do everything in my power to make sure it never did.
Overhead, the rain pounded on the roof, the warm smell of cedar filling the air around us.
“Can you believe it?” She shook her head. “Can you believe it’s over?”
“Sweetheart, it’s nowhere near over.” I reached out and brushed a wet strand from her cheek. I pulled her close again because I needed to feel her— my wife— against me. Exactly where she belonged. “It’s only just beginning.”