Chapter 6 #2
a pregnancy! How is this more complicated than that?
Either way, I have to do this. I can’t leave Luke all on his own. He’s . . . Luke. He’s the best. And I can tell he’s going
to be devastated if Addison marries someone else, so we have to stay focused here. We have to succeed at this. And that means
calling in reinforcements in the form of bearded, brawny, unruly uncles.
I smile as I glance at all three of them ribbing on each other.
As much as they’re pains in my ass, I love the heck out of them.
They were devastated over my decision to leave Colorado, which only motivated me further to help them find their own happily-ever-afters.
They’ve created this incredible compound up here on Fletcher Mountain and they need to share this with someone other than me and Ethan.
Plus, humblebrag moment? I have a knack for matchmaking. I got my dad and Cozy together when I was only eleven. I knew they
were in love with each other and it has been a privilege watching their love deepen throughout the years. My mom is also crazy
happy with her wife. I’m surrounded by the GOATs of love which is probably why my own love life is such a mess. I have high
standards for good reason. I expect good communication, grand gestures, perfect dates. Romance! I want the man I bring to
meet my dad someday to be a Prince Charming. Not some college asshole who wears a gold cross on a chain and calls me “Stretch”
in his thick Irish accent.
As if.
And while my three uncles might not look like Disney princes, I know they deserve love. And I’d feel so much better living
my life so far away knowing that someone is here to take care of them.
I just wish I knew about this marriage plan Addison had earlier in the summer. I got so distracted with helping Calder start
up his furniture business that I didn’t make enough time for Luke.
Luckily my uncles will do anything I ask of them, so I will depend on them to help me out with this match since I’ll be thousands
of miles away.
“Okay, Everly, we’re listening.” Uncle Wyatt leans against the wooden pillar, arms crossed, scowl back in place. “Tell us
what we need to do.”
I nod and clap my hands together, swiveling on my heel to dig into my backpack. “I found a lumberjack workout regimen. It’s a lot of cardio, Luke, in addition to some skills training. But I think you’re already in pretty good shape, right?”
“I guess so,” Luke huffs and nervously plucks the paper out of my hand. His brows twitch when he sees the list. “That many
miles a day?”
“Like I said . . . it’s intense.” I grab another sheet out of my bag and hand it to Calder. “This is a diagram on how to suspend
the booms. I thought you could set up some floating logs in the creek out back for him to practice. There’s one area I know
that gets pretty deep so it seems doable, don’t you think?”
Calder stares at the sheet and nods. “I can handle this.”
“And, Uncle Wyatt, I need you to stop chopping wood at your place for a while. Luke needs to take over and I’m hoping you
can help him with his form. Speed chopping is crazy fast, and Luke is going to need all the fallen timber he can get for practice.”
Wyatt exhales heavily. “You got it, kid.”
“What will you be doing while we’re working Luke to within an inch of his life?” Calder asks, staring up at me with a smirk.
“Sipping lemonade and bossing us around?”
“I’m going to work on finding some poles for Luke to practice climb. That competition scares me the most.”
“Everly, is this really going to work?” Luke asks, staring dubiously back at me. “How is me becoming a lumberjack going to
get Roe to fall for me, exactly?”
“Because it shows her that you’d do anything to help her. And you’re putting yourself front and center to prove it. It’s a
grand gesture, Luke. One that you need in order for her to take your proposal seriously. And since a lumberjack is what she
said she wants, we’ll give her exactly what she wants so she has no reason to say no!”
Calder shakes his head and laughs. “This is so desperate.”
“I have two words for you,” Luke growls, dropping the spiked boots onto the ground. Calder stares back at him curiously before Luke says, “PowerPoint.”
“How the fuck do you know about that?” Calder asks, standing up to face Luke and losing all humor on his face.
“It backed up on our company iCloud account, you moron.” Luke’s shoulders shake with silent laughter. “I knew you were a freak,
but Dakota . . .”
Calder lunges for a cackling Luke, and Wyatt steps between them, pressing a hand to each of their chests, not saying a word,
just eyeing them both into submission.
“What PowerPoint?” I ask Luke, frowning curiously. “Not the one that you guys made to try to talk me out of going to Dublin,
right?”
“No, not that one,” Luke replies, looking sheepish. “Fat lot of good that did. You’re leaving again in a week.”
Luke’s somber mood is contagious and before I know it, I’m gazing at three giant, bearded, pouting mountain men all pissed
at me for preparing to fly across the ocean again.
“Come on, guys,” I say with a soft smile. “We made it through the first year of me being away okay.”
“Yeah, but I just got used to having you around again,” Calder mumbles, staring down at his boots. “I need your help with
my furniture business. I don’t know what I’m doing on Instagram.”
“Stevie’s going to really miss you,” Wyatt adds with his lips turned down, using his daughter as a scapegoat instead of his
goat like he did the first time I left.
“I’m going to miss you guys too.” I feel my chin begin to wobble as I look at the state of them all hunched and depressed.
This summer has been incredible. I helped Uncle Calder launch his custom furniture brand and move his first serious girlfriend
into his cabin. I loved on my cousin and got to watch Wyatt be an incredible dad and husband. Luke and I had countless deep
conversations on Grandpa’s bench at the lookout point.
I’m going to miss those most of all, I fear.
Tears prick my eyes as I glance out at the view of Fletcher Mountain. Fall is coming and it’s going to look so beautiful.
I never seem to get enough time up here. I owe some of my best childhood memories to this peak and my three crazy uncles.
The influence they’ve had on me and my life? It’s insurmountable.
They deserve these happily-ever-afters. Only one more to go and my work here is done, and I feel like I can finally start
living my own life to the fullest.
“Alright, enough mushy talk,” I sniff loudly and swipe at my damp cheeks. “I only have one more week with you guys, so let’s
work together to kick Luke’s ass and turn him into a lumberjack so he can marry his girl!”
“I like the sound of that,” Calder says with a light shove to Luke.
The corner of Luke’s mouth tugs up into a shy grin. If Addison doesn’t see how wonderful and special my uncle is by the end
of this . . . I will fly back from Dublin and end her.
Until then, I need to get my ass back to the life I’m creating over there. I struggled adjusting to Ireland my first year
and spent many nights alone and completely out of my element, but things were looking up just before summer break . . . so
long as that gold chain–wearing Irish boy gives me a wide berth.