CHAPTER 42
Tate
The moment we walked into the station, I saw Sheriff Hank sitting behind a desk with his feet propped up. He popped up like he was a man forty years younger when he saw us.
Clearing his throat and dusting donut crumbs off of his chest, he walked over to us while adjusting his clothes into something more presentable. “Hello, boys. What brings you around?”
I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t look retired.”
He smiled and held his hands up. “Busted.”
“Why the hell is Eve working as a Deputy if you’re not retired?” Nash looked at the men and women working around us. “Sure as hell doesn’t look like there’s a shortage of employees.”
“Just tell us where she is. We can handle the rest later.” Aiden leaned closer to Hank. “The rest being you putting your granddaughter in danger for whatever plan you’re cooking up now.”
“She’s not in danger. I had Jimmy send her out to the stretch of road between town and our cabins. Only a few people use the road. I had to come up with something to keep her from hiding away. I knew if she reacted to this like she did her last breakup, she’d stay hidden for weeks, if not months. You boys can’t find her if she’s in hiding. I made your job easier for you.” He smirked. “You’re welcome.”
I put my hands on my waist and shook my head. “Did you really bring us to town to find a boyfriend for Eve?”
His smile was as guilty as I’d ever seen. “Well, shouldn’t you three be on your way to rescuing my Evie?”
“You have a lot to explain. Later. Right now, we’re going to get Eve off the side of the road.” I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “And thank you. For Eve.”
“You’re welcome. I expect your first kid to be named after me. If I’m still around, I’m going to teach the little brat all my tricks.” Hank surprised us all with a tight hug. “I’ll call Eve and fire her later tonight. That should give you boys plenty of time to get back in her good graces.”
It wasn’t until we were in the truck, heading toward Eve, that I was able to formulate a clear thought again. It wasn’t much of one but it was the one banging around in my head the loudest. “Kids.”
Aiden heaved out a giant breath. “Oh, thank god. I thought I was the only one freaking out.”
“Kids. Babies. Eve wants all of that. I’ve never thought about having kids before.” I rubbed my chest and shifted in my seat. “Are we right for that kind of job? Dads? That’s… That’s big.”
“There’s three of us. Maybe just one of us would fuck it up, but with the three of us together, we have to make at least one good dad.” Nash swallowed audibly. “We want Eve. We want to be her future. I think I’m good with whatever that means.”
“It’s something I never thought would happen.” Aiden let out a quiet laugh. “I don’t think I hate the idea, though. Eve would be hot as fuck pregnant with our kids. She’ll be a great mom, too.”
“You sure as hell came around to the idea fast.” I shifted so I could see both of them. “You’re both in for kids?”
“Yeah. If that’s what Eve wants. I’d be good with a hundred kids for her.” Nash shook his head and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “She has to take us back. She cares about us. Right?”
I chewed on my bottom lip, suddenly nervous. “Yeah, of course. She wanted to do the battle with us. She wants us.”
“It has to work out.” Aiden’s voice was stern. “It’s not over until Eve is ours and we’re counting our babies on the front porch of our house.”
Nash growled. “Fuck yeah.”
“What about you, Tate? Are you down for a couple dozen kids?” Aiden grinned, already knowing the answer.
“I just hope they get my good looks.” I rubbed my jaw as tension left it. “We fought in wars. We’ve got this.”
“Sonofabitch. I’m going to kill everyone.” Nash jerked the wheel to the side and pulled off the road to park just behind a Sheriff’s Department jeep.
Eve was strutting back to the jeep from where she’d pulled someone over. I saw red as I realized the danger she could’ve been in. She wasn’t a cop and she wasn’t armed, yet she was pulling someone over. I surged out of the truck and watched as Eve’s smile faltered and her step stuttered. She tripped over a rock and Nash got to her before she could fall.
He picked her up and put her down on the hood of the jeep. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The truck pulled away and I saw it was a Hellstone Ranch work truck. That made me feel a little better, since I figured it was one of Eve’s friends, but I was still furious at Hank.
Nash wedged himself between Eve’s thighs and wrapped his hands around her waist. “You’re not a cop, Eve. What the hell are you doing pulling someone over? You could get hurt. You could get kidnapped and—”
“It was Billie and her guys. I was hardly in any danger. Not that it’s any of your business.” Eve crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. In her jeans and sheriff’s department t-shirt, she looked too good. I wanted to grab her and remind her of how good I could make her feel.
“Your grandpa isn’t retired. He set this up to keep you from burrowing underground like a little mole, so we could get to you. You aren’t supposed to be pulling people over. If something happened to you, I’d have to beat up an old man, Evie.” I ran my hands down my face and shuddered. “You know you’re coming home with us, don’t you?”
Eve scoffed. “What? You can’t just show up, threaten my grandpa, and tell me you’re taking me home with you. You’re crazy.”
“Yeah, probably. And it’s the reason we’ve been running for so goddamn long, but this place is just crazy enough to balance us out. You are just enough crazy to balance us out.” Nash didn’t take his eyes off her. “You didn’t give us a chance to say anything at the battle. If you would’ve stopped and listened to us, you would know that we’re not leaving. If we do have to move around eventually, you’ll be right there with us.”
“We didn’t think this was possible for us, Eve, but it is. Because of you.” Aiden stood next to Nash and gripped one of Eve’s thighs. “We were so sure of our plan that we almost fucked up and lost you. Never again.”
I was afraid to get too close because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop touching her once I started. “We care about you. We don’t want to leave you. We thought we had to but we don’t. We don’t have to go anywhere and now you’re stuck with us.”
She stared between us with wide eyes. “You don’t want to stay here. You’re leaving.”
“No.” I inched closer. “We accepted permanent positions with the fire department. We’re not going anywhere.”
“But you didn’t want me.” Her eyes filled with tears and I gave up the fight. Nash shifted so I could pull her into my arms and hold her tight.
I stroked the back of her head and enjoyed the feeling of her limbs tightening around me. It felt like the beginning of something. “We were wrong, Eve. We’re supposed to be here. With you.”
“Everyone knew it but us.” Aiden rubbed her back. “This town is full of matchmakers and they’re willing to go to some pretty wild places to make things happen. I don’t want to see what your grandpa is willing to do next so maybe you should forgive us for being slow to the draw and we can call off the matchmakers.”
I kissed the side of her head. “We can be the men who give everything to you. Let us. We’ll build the fucking picket fence and paint it whatever color you want.”
She lifted her head and her entire face was bright red. Through tears and a runny nose, she still was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. “You’re serious? You’re staying?”
“We’re staying.” Nash ran his knuckles over her cheek. “To be with you, Eve. You’re enough. You’re all we need.”
“What if I’m not enough? What if you want to leave after a few months here? What would I do?” Her hands balled into fists on my shoulders. “I can’t go through this feeling again.”
“We were talking on the way here. Would you having a dozen of our babies be enough to convince you we’re staying with you forever?” I laughed at the shocked expression on her face. “We’re not going anywhere, Evie, and it would be nice if we could start our life together now. I’ve missed the shit out of you. We would’ve come to you earlier but we thought you needed space.”
“You’re serious.” Massive tears filled her eyes and when she blinked, they rolled down her cheeks and splashed onto the front of her shirt. “You guys want to stay here with me?”
Aiden nodded. “Yeah. Forever. We’re sure about this, Eve. It took us long enough to get to the answer. Don’t make us wait anymore.”
She looked between us and took a deep breath. When she blew it out, I felt the tension leave her body. “You’re staying.”
“Yeah. We can work out the details later. I think we need to buy a house and all that. We have the fencing to worry about. There’s the issue of finding a bed big enough for all of us. That can all come later, though. Right now, I just really want to get that shirt off you, for a multitude of reasons, and show you how much we missed you.”
Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Nash grabbed the hem of her shirt.
She slapped his hands away and laughed, the sound so sweet to my ears. “Not out here!”
“We’re leaving the jeep here. Hank and his real Deputies can come get it.” Aiden scowled at the vehicle. “I don’t know what we’d do if something happened to you, Evie. I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you’re happy and safe.”
She rested her head on my shoulder as I carried her toward our truck. “If I wake up and this is a dream, I’m going to lose it.”