Chapter 35
Fact or Fiction?
A mastermind and a saboteur walk into a bar.
Luke
“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!” Judy bellows, shuffling over to me, my brothers, and Everly as we come striding
into the Mercantile. We met up with Everly after work because she wanted to come up the peak and see all of Trista’s critters
before the wedding, and the four of us decided to stop at the Merc for some drinks first.
Judy pulls Everly into a big hug. “How’s college, kiddo? You’re in Scotland, is it?”
“Ireland, and it’s great,” Everly peals, a bit too excitedly. “I’m having the best time. A really transformative experience.
Couldn’t be happier over there.”
Wyatt, Calder, and I all frown at each other. That answer seemed a bit over-the-top even for Everly.
“Well, it’s good to have you back. These boys are animals without you around to keep them in check.”
“What?” Everly shoots her wide blue eyes at all of us. “Don’t the ladies do that job in my absence?”
Judy’s eyes fly wide. “Maybe Trista and Dakota, but the new girl?” She points to me and trembles. “She’s formidable. He’s
got his hands full with her.”
I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. My wife is formidable in more ways than one. She was certainly formidable
this morning when she woke me by rubbing her ass on my cock.
Judy barks at us to sit anywhere and that she’ll bring us our usuals, so we find a spot by the fireplace to warm up.
The snow is really coming down now and the mountain is looking pretty perfect for a wedding this weekend.
And if I didn’t know any better, I’d say Roe is excited for the big day too.
She had to bring her wedding dress home yesterday from the bridal store and got all weird when I tried to peek inside the bag.
That’s definitely not someone acting like this wedding isn’t real.
“I have to say, I’m impressed, boys,” Everly exclaims, sitting back in her chair beside me and folding her hands behind her
head. “You guys actually put in some good work in my absence.”
Wyatt and Calder both cut me a knowing look, silently saying, you asked for this . . . and they would be right. I let my niece weave her wild web of matchmaking from the beginning and here I am . . . hopelessly
in love.
Granted, the woman I’m in love with hasn’t said it back yet, but we’re better off than where we started.
“He and Addison didn’t look so good the other night when we were all here as a group,” Calder says with a laugh. “That’s what
has Judy so spooked.”
I glare at him from across the table. “We had some things to work through, but we figured it out.”
Wyatt clears his throat, looking doubtful.
“We’re good,” I argue, frowning back at them. “Pretty much.”
“What does ‘pretty much’ mean?” Everly eyes me nervously.
I inhale a deep breath, not really wanting to spill all my relationship business to my family, but I alluded to some stuff
with Wyatt the other day when Addison was down in the barn with Trista and Stevie, so I guess I might as well tell everyone
that’s in on this whole scheme. Everly will drag it out of me eventually.
“We’ve admitted that we care about each other, but Addison said she still needs more time to really figure out what that means
for her.”
Everly’s face falls. “But the wedding is in four days!”
“I’m aware.”
“Has she said she loves you?”
I wince and look away.
“This is a disaster,” Everly barks dramatically.
“It’s not a disaster,” I growl, my shoulders tensing with irritation. “We’re good. You don’t need to worry about me and Roe.”
“Luke, she’s known you for years. If she can’t admit that she loves you, then we need to fix this.” Judy comes over just then,
bringing three beers and a soda for Everly. As soon as she turns back to put in our food order, Everly dives into planning
mode. “You need a grand gesture. An epic moment before the wedding. Look what we did for Calder and Dakota at poker night.
You need something like that. Or the baby shower for Wyatt and Trista. The surprise meeting with Cozy and my dad? You need
a moment where she can just surrender her whole heart to you.”
“I don’t know, Evs,” I reply, taking a big drink of beer because this all feels overwhelming. “I think I just want to let
things land where they are. I don’t want to pressure her.”
“This isn’t pressure, Luke! This is love. Sometimes we have to help it along.” She ties her blond hair back into a clip like
she’s preparing for battle. “You start brainstorming your big move with Calder and Wyatt. I need to go check on my special
projects.”
“What special projects?”
“Luke,” Everly snaps, losing all humor on her face. “Do you really think I sat over in Ireland and did nothing to help with
this wedding?”
I blink back at her. “Um . . . kind of?”
She rolls her eyes. “I swear you three would be lost without me.”
“Hey!” Calder barks defensively. “I’m not lost at all. I have a growing new business and a girlfriend who tells me she loves me and my cat all the time. I’m in fucking heaven.”
Calder arches a cocky eyebrow that drops the second Everly asks, “When are you going to put a ring on it?”
All humor drains from his face as he broods into his beer. “Dakota needs more time. She just got divorced. Our circumstances
are way different than Luke’s.”
Everly eyes Calder warily. “I’ll be watching you two closely over this holiday break. You better not be screwing this up.
And you . . .” Everly swerves her head to stare at Wyatt sitting beside Calder. “Mr. Quiet Wyatt. What’s your status?”
My brother stares back at Everly, not saying a word.
“Baby number two?” she chirps, lifting her brows expectantly.
Wyatt closes his eyes and shakes his head. “I promised Trista we’d get the rescue center built before we discussed more babies.”
“Well, chop, chop! A woman’s fertility doesn’t last forever. Get that center built and get me another cousin or maybe I’ll
find Trista a surrogate sperm donor.” She frowns and shakes her head. “I don’t . . . you know what . . . forget I said that.
Just get to work on the rescue center, okay? I’ll be right back. I need to go make a call.”
She jumps up and marches out of the bar, muttering obscenities under her breath the whole way.
“Ireland has made her even more fucking terrifying,” Calder deadpans.
Wyatt and I nod in agreement.
And as I watch her tapping into her phone outside, I can’t help but frown.
Everly’s usually pretty passionate about stuff, but this feels different.
It feels like she’s choosing to fixate on our problems to avoid some of her own.
And despite my own mess of a life, I’m going to get to the bottom of it before she heads back for school.
Judy comes over with a tray of food, eyeing Everly as she gesticulates wildly on her phone. “That girl ain’t right.”
We all nod in agreement as she begins setting our food down in front of us. She pauses when she’s done, shooting us all an
uncomfortable look. “Say, I wasn’t sure I should say anything, but I feel like I won’t be able to sleep at night if I don’t.”
Wyatt, Calder, and I all straighten in our seats, taking in the obvious shift in Judy’s demeanor.
She puffs out a sharp breath and says, “Robyn told me when she was here last weekend that her and her husband are trying to
buy Monroe Lumber.”
Wyatt and Calder’s jaws drop, and I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Now, I know it’s none of my business and you’re all adults, but I just don’t get a good feeling about their intentions with
all of this. Her husband has always held a grudge against you boys even after all these years and I wouldn’t be surprised
if they’re trying to buy it to make your lives miserable.”
“Addison is going to lose her shit over this,” I state through clenched teeth.
“Not to mention Monroe’s is our primary lumber supplier,” Wyatt adds, his voice deep and ominous. “If we have to outsource,
it will fuck with our costs big-time. Our estimates won’t be market competitive with the other builders around here.”
“Are they planning to move to Boulder?” Calder asks, frowning up at Judy.
She grimaces. “It sounds like they might. I think Matt has burned some bridges in Colorado Springs with his construction company
and they’re trying to start over somewhere.”
“Fucking hell,” Wyatt grumbles under his breath.
“But John won’t sell to them, right, Luke?” Calder asks, looking at me intently. “That’s the whole point of . . .” His voice trails off.
I clench my beer, my jaw taut with irritation. I don’t honestly know if John would sell to them. He’s certainly making Addison
uncomfortable with the meetings he’s been having with them. And with how intent John seems to be for Addison not to run the
yard on her own, I wouldn’t put it past him to undercut his own daughter.
How did I not realize this when I saw Robyn last week? I should have known right away she was up to something when she said
she had lunch with John.
Fuck.
I don’t want this for Addison. This feels personal now. Like it’s my fault Robyn and Matt are even here. Of all the businesses
those fuck-wits could buy, it has to be Monroe’s? This is way too intentional.
Damn this fucking nightmare of my past that I can’t seem to break free of.
Addison is just collateral damage in all of this, which she doesn’t deserve. And God, she’s been so happy this week. We’re
happy. We’re getting married and on the path to figuring us out. This could totally fuck everything up.
And if John does sell to Robyn and Matt, then what does that mean for me and Addison? Would she ask me for a divorce sooner?
Fuck.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I drink down the contents of my beer and crack my neck. Looks like I have an errand to run before the wedding festivities
begin.
I wonder where I can find a bulletproof vest.