Chapter Twenty-Two
Tanner swung Ashton up onto his shoulders to give him a piggyback to the barn. The kid had talked nonstop about the horses since his riding lesson yesterday. Tanner felt ridiculously proud of him. He was a natural in the saddle, and a good student. He listened carefully to every instruction and followed it as best he could. Tanner’s only concern was whether Ashton was more concerned with learning to ride or with pleasing him.
“Do you think Mom will be able to find her way down here?”
“She will. She’ll be fine. Auntie Shayna said she’d bring her just as soon your mom’s finished making her phone calls.”
Ashton’s grip around his neck tightened. “Do you know who she’s talking to?”
Tanner frowned, he didn’t want to lie to the kid, but the whole reason that he was bringing Ashton to the barn was so that Everly could call her dad without any chance of him overhearing.
“I’m not sure. What do you think, do you want to learn how to muck out a stall while we wait for her?”
It wasn’t the most glamorous job in the world, but Tanner was hoping to distract him from his questions.
“Sure. But do you think that she’s talking to Grandma? Do you think Uncle Joe’s okay?”
“She texted with them last night. She said that they are doing okay.”
He chuckled when Ashton took his hat off so that he could lean in to speak closer to his ear. He sobered up when he heard what the kid had to say. “Something must be going on – something not good – when everything’s okay, she makes her calls with me around.”
Tanner reached up and squeezed his arm. “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. You’re fine.”
“Yeah, but is my mom?”
Tanner should have known to reassure him about Everly – the kid worried about her much more than about himself. “She is, there is nothing bad going on. Don’t worry.”
“I don’t want to, but she has lots of stuff to sort out. She’s going back to work tomorrow. She won’t let me stay home by myself, and now that Grandma’s not there…”
Tanner squeezed his eyes shut. He knew as a general concept that single parents had it tough but he hadn’t ever given it much thought. Now, he was getting an insider’s view, and he didn’t like it – not for Everly, or for Ashton.
“What stuff does she have to sort out for that?” He was supposed to be reassuring or at least distracting the kid, but now he needed to know how things were for them at home.
“I think Mel’s supposed to pick me up from school tomorrow. I think Mom has to be at work early. I think most of the week is like that, except for Wednesday. We haven’t figured out anything for Wednesday.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because Mel can’t do it. I might be able to go to Ava’s house. That’s always cool.”
“And Ava’s the one who lives on the estate – where the plane landed, right?”
“Yeah. Ava’s my best friend.”
Tanner smiled, wondering if the little girl was really his girlfriend. “How long have the two of you been friends?”
“Only since she came to our school. She was new when we were in Miss Taylor’s class. She didn’t have any friends at first, and we hung out.”
“Do you like her?”
Ashton didn’t take his question in the way he intended it. “Duh! We wouldn’t be friends if I didn’t.”
Tanner had to laugh. “True. So, what do you like about her?”
“We have a lot in common.”
“How’s that?”
“Ava’s dad didn’t want to know her when she was born – just like my dad didn’t want to know me. Then, her mom died. That’s why she came to Napa. She came to live with her Uncle Grady. They used to live close to us. That was fun. We used to hang out a lot. But then, Grady met Hannah.”
Tanner frowned to himself, wondering if Ashton had hoped that his mom might get together with this Grady character.
“And you don’t like Hannah?”
“No! I don’t mean that. Hannah’s awesome! It’s just… Ava and her Uncle Grady moved in with Hannah. And now, she’s part of their whole big family. Miss Taylor – our teacher – is with Ava’s Uncle Jacob. And Ava gets to hang out with them, and her other uncle, Xander, he’s cool.”
“I know him.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I served with him in the Navy.”
Ashton tightened his arms around Tanner’s neck, almost choking him. “You did? You were a Navy SEAL? That’s so freaking cool!”
“Not just me, Uncle Ty, who you met earlier, and Uncle Kolby, who you’ll meet later, we all served together with Xander.”
“Whoa!”
“And Uncle Cash? He was a SEAL, too.” He still wasn’t sure if Ashton had forgiven Cash for joking around about stealing Everly. He was hoping that he might rebuild that bridge somehow.
“But not with you guys, right? He’s old.”
Tanner had to laugh. “Right.”
“Did you know that my grandpa was a Navy SEAL, too?”
“I did.” They were going to get around to the subject of his grandpa – Zeke – sooner or later, Tanner didn’t want to trip himself up by telling lies or half-truths.
When they reached the barn, Tanner squatted down so that Ashton could climb off his back. He looked so serious that Tanner had to ask, “What’s up, bud?”
Ashton shrugged. “My grandpa lives around here somewhere. I want to meet him.”
Tanner felt bad. “I’m sure you will.” What he didn’t want to say was that Ashton might get to meet him in just an hour or two. Everly had stayed up at the house so that she could talk to Zeke without him overhearing.
“What time do we have to go home?”
Tanner got to his feet and rested his hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Too soon for my liking, but we’ll get you back here for another visit just as soon as we can make it happen.”
Ashton heaved out a big sigh. “I hope so. But if I never get to come back, I’ll always remember this weekend.”
Tanner squeezed his eyes shut. The kid’s words felt like an arrow to his heart. “You’ll be back, kiddo. One way or another, you’re coming back.” It took everything he had not to add, for good . If Tanner got his way, that was what would happen.
~ ~ ~
Everly stood out on the front porch, watching the driveway nervously. Her talk on the phone with her dad had gone well. Between Cash’s reassurances, and her son’s desperate desire to meet his grandpa, she’d decided to ask if he wanted to come and join everyone for lunch.
Not that it was her place to invite him to their family lunch. She was grateful that Cash had informed her that he wanted to invite him – if she was okay with it.
She kept telling herself that she just needed to relax and go with the flow, but it felt like there was much more riding on this than just a one-off visit between grandson and grandpa. Of course, there was so much more than that; she was making it about Ashton, but the father-daughter encounter was a big deal, too.
When the big black truck turned in off the highway, her mind went back to the day – not so very long ago – when she’d seen him climb out of that truck. At the time, she thought that he’d blown things between her and Tanner – even though she’d been about to end it herself. Now, she couldn’t help but think that he’d actually done them a big favor.
The truck parked next to the fence in front of the house. Most of the family was already here, and they’d all parked around the back. She was glad that she and her dad would have some privacy for their first few minutes.
He got out and came toward her, looking hesitant. As much as she wanted to remain detached, even a little aloof, if she could manage it, her resolve disappeared when he smiled.
“Hi, Everly, love.”
“Hi, Dad.”
They stood facing each other, several feet apart, the distance between them seeming to gape as wide as it had her whole life. He was here, he was smiling, but he didn’t know what to do to reach her, any more than she knew how to reach out to him.
“Cash told me that I should explain why I didn’t show up when I was supposed to meet you at Chico.”
That took her by surprise. “Okay.”
He shifted from one foot to the other. “I just didn’t want to worry you.”
“Honestly, Dad? At this point I’d rather be worried about whatever it is than keep thinking that you’re making up excuses.”
He blew out a sigh. “Okay. I’ve been doing some jobs for Cash and Mav here and there over the last couple of years. There was one job last year where things went wrong. I can’t tell you too much about it. All that matters is that there are some people who want to get back at Cash and Mav. They thought that I might have some information that they wanted. So, they… waylaid me on my way out of Salt Lake. That’s why I didn’t make it back here in time to meet up with you.”
She frowned. “But you were back here on Sunday. You could have… We could have…” She pursed her lips. “I’m torn now – torn between thinking that I’ve been too hard on you when I should have been worrying about you and wondering if this is just a convenient story.”
He shook his head sadly. “I don’t blame you for feeling that way, Everly. I really don’t. It’s the truth, but if you don’t believe me, I understand.” He met her gaze and held it. “If you want me to leave, I’ll get back in the truck and drive away. I’ll leave it a while before I reach out again, but I’m sorry, love, I’m never going to stop trying altogether.”
“I want to believe you, Dad, I really do. I… I’ll tell you what, how about for today while we’re here, we just stick a pin in all of it. Ashton’s been longing to meet you. I don’t think I could forgive myself if we didn’t make it happen today. Let’s just set everything else aside and enjoy this afternoon as if it’s a one-off visit. How about that?”
Even as she said the words, she’d doubted the wisdom of them, but she’d never forget the smile on her dad’s face as he thanked her. In that moment, she didn’t know if she was brave enough to do as Cash had suggested and take the leap. All she knew was that she’d made the right choice for today, for her son, for her dad – and for herself.
~ ~ ~
Tanner stood at the grill, gripping his bottle of beer tightly. Ty was flipping burgers while he joked around with Kolby. Tanner smiled as he listened to them, but he couldn’t focus on what they were saying. He was keeping an eye on Ashton who was deep in conversation with Mateo. He was grateful that it looked like the two of them were getting along well – he was hoping that they’d become good friends over time. Of course, they’d only get to spend time together if he could convince Everly to move here.
She’d gone out front to meet her dad when he arrived, so that the two of them could talk in private. Tanner didn’t know how that conversation would go. He kept glancing at the corner of the house, hoping that she and Zeke would walk around it together.
He startled when Cash slung his arm around his shoulders and laughed.
“Get your head out of the clouds, Tan. It’s all going to be okay; she’s talking to Zeke out front.”
“That’s what I’m worried about – what’s taking them so long?”
Cash chuckled. “Give them a minute, would ya? Think about it; their conversation isn’t just about what’s going to happen this afternoon or next week. I know that’s all you can think about, but they have a whole lifetime’s history to work on.”
“I know. It’s just…” He glanced over at Ashton. “I’m not going to lie – not going to claim that I don’t selfishly want them to work it out – but it’s more than that. That little guy right there? He’s desperate to get to know his grandpa.”
Cash nodded slowly. “I get that. I don’t think that’s in question, though. She’s got a good head on her shoulders; no matter what she decides, she’ll do what she thinks is best for the kid. Ashton and Zeke will get to know each other, I don’t doubt it. The only question is how long it will take her to trust Zeke not to break the kid’s heart like he’s broken hers.”
Tanner blew out a sigh. “Shit! I am being selfish, aren’t I? I’m most concerned about moving them up here somehow, but there’s so much more to it than that for her.”
Cash grasped his shoulder and gave it a shake. “It’s not selfish. Being with you, being here, letting Zeke into their lives, it’s all wrapped up together. And when you look at it that way, you should be able to see how it might take her some time. That’s why I’m saying that it’s not going to be all sorted out with one five-minute conversation.”
“Yeah. I need to give her more time, don’t I?”
“More time to make her mind up about moving here, yeah. But that doesn’t mean you need to back off while she thinks about it.”
“It kind of does. They have to go home this afternoon.”
Cash smirked at him.
“What?” Tanner eyed him warily. “What are you thinking? You’re scheming; I can tell.”
Cash chuckled. “You say that like it’s something out of the ordinary; I’m always scheming, you know that.”
Tanner had to laugh with him. “True but tell me what you’re thinking.”
Cash looked at Kolby and Ty, who were both following their conversation with interest. “How busy are you guys next week?”
“I don’t have much going on,” said Kolby.
“We’re almost done with getting the restaurant ready,” said Ty. “I have some stuff I need to do, but I can make myself as free as you need me to be.”
“What are you thinking?” Tanner asked again.
Cash chuckled. “Give me a minute.” He gave a piercing whistle that had everyone turning to look in their direction. “Laney! Get your ass over here. You too, Luke!”
Laney laughed when she reached them. “What’s up? I didn’t do anything wrong – I promise.” She turned to Luke. “What did you do? Because I know it wasn’t me.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong – not as far as I know,” Cash told her. “How busy are you guys next week?”
Laney frowned. “Same as usual, why? What’s going on?”
“Are you training youngsters?”
“Yeah, why?” Laney smiled at the others. “I feel like he’s trying to set me up for something – who knows what’s going on?”
Cash laughed. “I’m trying to set all four of you up to help Tanner out.”
“What do you need, bud?” Luke asked.
“Beats me. I’m no wiser than the rest of you.” He turned to Cash. “Are you going to explain?”
“Sure. I’m thinking that instead of working with the colts, you might be better off spending the week with that youngster.” He jerked his chin to where Ashton and Mateo were sitting on the bottom rail of the fence.
Tanner frowned. “They have to go home. He’s back at school tomorrow, and Everly’s back at work.”
Cash rolled his eyes. “Exactly. That’s why I want these guys to step up and cover things here so that you can go with them.”
“Oh!”
Laney laughed. “Oh is right! Why didn’t we think of that? That’s exactly what you should do, Tan. We can cover things here, can’t we, Luke?”
Luke smiled at Tanner as he said, “Be happy to.”
Ty grinned. “I’ll be here as much as I can, and you know how much Shay loves working with the youngsters; she’ll be here.”
“And me,” said Kolby.
Tanner felt like he was still trying to catch up when Cash cocked an eyebrow at him. “So?”
“I… Hell yeah! Thanks, guys. I don’t know what Everly will make of it, but…” He hoped that she would want him to go with them, but he wasn’t sure what she’d say.
“Looks like you’ll get your chance to ask her,” said Laney.
They all turned to see Everly and Zeke coming around the corner of the house.
“Looks that way,” said Cash. “But it might have to wait a little while.”
Everly and Zeke were coming toward them, but they stopped when Ashton yelled, “Mom!”
He climbed down from the fence and went running to them. Tanner’s heart hammered in his chest as he watched Zeke squat down to greet the little guy. It was crazy, Zeke was his grandpa. While Tanner couldn’t claim any real relationship with the kid yet, he still wanted to rush over there to protect him.
“It’s gonna be fine,” Cash said in a low voice.
Tanner nodded; on a logical level, he already knew that.
The others were all smiling as they watched Ashton and Zeke chat. Cash leaned in closer and spoke so quietly that only Tanner could hear. “Even though he doesn’t know him, Zeke loves that kid. He knows how badly he hurt his daughter over the years – he won’t hurt the kid.”
“He’d better not.”
Cash chuckled. “I never thought I’d see the day when you were territorial over a kid. But just think on this – Ashton’s desperate to belong somewhere. If you guys play this right, he can have a dad and a grandpa at the core of his new family.”
Tanner had to swallow. He didn’t trust himself to speak.
~ ~ ~
Everly stared out the window of the truck as they drove back up the valley toward the airport. She felt like she needed a timeout by herself to process everything that had happened in the last few hours.
She turned to glance over her shoulder. In the back seat, her dad and Ashton were deep in conversation. Ashton was explaining everything Tanner had taught him about how to groom a horse.
As she turned to face the road again, Tanner shot her a quick smile. She held his gaze for a moment and smiled back. He was coming home with them! She still wasn’t sure how it had worked out that way – but she wasn’t complaining.
She’d been dreading saying goodbye to him, and she knew that Ashton felt the same way. Then, Cash had been there, asking about her routine at home, asking Ashton what he did while she was at work. She felt as though she should be mad at him for somehow manipulating things so that it seemed like it had been her idea to bring Tanner home with them to help out. She shook her head with a smile. She liked to think that she was no pushover, but Cash seemed to be a master at getting what he wanted while leaving you feeling that it was your idea the whole time.
“You okay?” Tanner asked in a low voice.
She laughed. “I am. I’m still trying to figure out how your brother engineered all of this.”
“It’s what he does. I couldn’t explain it if I tried – I don’t know myself. In this case, I’m not complaining – I’m more than happy with the way this worked out.” His smile faded. “As long as you are? I don’t want you to feel like you were manipulated into something that you’re not sure about.”
“No.” She gave him a wry smile. “I know I was manipulated, even if I don’t know how. But I’m not complaining either – I’m happy about it, even if a little bemused. And…”
He glanced over at her again, and when he rested his hand on the console and waggled his fingers at her, she placed her hand in his without hesitation. She should perhaps be concerned about what Ashton and her dad might think, but she wasn’t. Things were moving so fast that she didn’t see any point in trying to hide anything.
“And what?” Tanner asked.
She squeezed his hand. “I’m glad that we don’t have to say goodbye this afternoon. And I’m glad… I’m glad that we’re kind of fast-tracking things.”
He grinned. “Me too.”
“Although, you know, if this isn’t going to work out, we might be fast-tracking our way to a more permanent goodbye.”
He shook his head adamantly. “This is going to work, darlin’. We’re going to work out.” He glanced in the rear-view mirror and smiled. “We’re all going to figure out what our family looks like going forward.”
Everly’s breath caught in her chest. Wouldn’t that be something?