Chapter 22
Ford
After dinner, we cleaned up, then sat in the living room with Aspen and my parents while my brothers played football outside.
Eve left early, claiming she was tired. When Natasha offered to go with her, Eve insisted she stay.
Natasha was worried about her, but Eve probably needed time to herself.
"Where are we spending the night?" Natasha asked.
I loved that we always ended up together.
I was cognizant of the fact that our arrangement had morphed into something very much like a relationship, but I couldn't talk to her about the changes until after the parade. She was busy with the planning, and I didn't want to distract her from that.
"Let's go to your place since you're working tomorrow."
She nodded, her face relaxing. "That works for me."
A holiday movie played in the background, and Aspen kept a close eye on us.
"I'm looking forward to the parade on Saturday. There's something about it being in Christmas Town that makes the season more festive," Mom said.
"It was the one new thing we decided to try this year. A lot of the shop owners want to keep everything the same. And this is our way of testing how open the community is to new events there."
"I think you're going to get a good turnout."
Natasha chewed her lip. "That's what I'm worried about. That we'll have more people than we can handle."
"That's a good problem to have," Aspen said.
"I just want everything to be perfect," Natasha said, looking away.
"It's your first time hosting a parade. There might be some hiccups along the way, but I'm positive you and Eve can handle it." The sisters were great at planning and organizing. I was positive they'd thought of every possible scenario.
Natasha smiled at me, and I felt everyone watching us closely.
"Have you two reconnected?" Mom finally asked.
I let out a breath. "We've been hanging out. Natasha was nice enough to take pity on me and escort me to a few holiday events in town." Then I smiled at Natasha. "I think we still need to do a holiday light trail."
"Once the parade is over, I'm yours,” Natasha said.
"Maybe Sunday then," I said, and she nodded.
"Oh? What other things did you do?" Mom asked, curiosity filling her tone.
"Oh, let's see." I folded my knee in my lap, holding it in place, and looked at Natasha for her acknowledgment. "We went to the old theater in Christmas Town for a holiday showing. We cut down our Christmas trees. Then we went to the weekly holiday ball, which is not to be missed."
"It's a real ball where everyone gets dressed up in gowns and tuxes. We offer a spa package, hair and makeup, and even a dress try-on session."
Aspen raised her brow. "That sounds friendly."
Natasha's cheeks flushed pink. "Eve asked the fire department to drive their trucks in the parade in exchange for us providing the venue for their holiday party. Eve was there too. We wanted everything to go smoothly."
Natasha made it sound like it was a work thing, but we both knew it wasn't.
Aspen curled her feet underneath her. "I saw that on the schedule and wondered if Eve was going to rent out the ballroom for similar events.”
"This was done as a favor, but I don't see why not. It's perfect for something like that,” Natasha said, easily switching into work mode.
I could tell these two often talked about business decisions.
Aspen worked with two small business owners, Eve and Natasha with Christmas Town, and Noelle with her personal assistant business at Wilde Ski Resort.
I wondered if she wanted to open a business of her own and was learning everything she could from others who had done the same.
I didn't know what kind of business she'd want to open. She never expressed interest in anything in particular.
"I think it's great you're getting out there more," Mom said to me.
I shifted on the couch. Every movement slid me closer to Natasha. "I missed out on a lot when I was enlisted. And I want to immerse myself in everything our hometown has to offer," I said easily, hoping they wouldn't read too much into our activities.
Dad shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. "You two are spending a lot of time together.”
"Between the renovation of the inn and ensuring that Ford has a good holiday now that he's home, we have seen each other frequently. It's been nice to clear the air about our past and move forward as friends," Natasha said smoothly.
My heart dropped when she said as friends, but I knew on a logical level she did that to steer my parents and Aspen away from the relationship train of thought.
Then why did it hurt so much to hear her characterize us this way?
We'd been spending most nights together, and we couldn't seem to keep our hands off each other.
"That's so nice to hear," Mom said, pleased with her answer. But Aspen had a glint in her eye. She was going to have questions for me when I saw her again.
Thankfully, my brothers came inside, tossing the football to each other.
"No balls in the house. Take off your muddy boots, please," Mom chided, and it was like no time had passed.
I was seventeen again, living in my parents' house, thinking about what the future would bring.
I never thought I'd be gone for so long, but now that I was back, I was eager to soak up every moment with my family and Natasha.
Cooper tossed the ball to Aspen and dropped onto the couch next to her.
Her nose wrinkled as she held it away from her body. "Does it look like I want a muddy ball?"
"You looked like you had a stick up—" Then Cooper trailed off, realizing that Mom and Dad were watching him. "You could use a little dirtying up."
Aspen's gaze swung toward Cooper. "Are you kidding me right now?"
"Now. Now. No fighting," Mom said, completely oblivious that Cooper offered to dirty up their daughter, which was decidedly a sexual comment. But maybe I just had sex on the brain. I couldn't think how else anyone would interpret that comment.
The rest of my brothers were joking around, finding a place to sit, so maybe not everyone had heard what he'd said.
"Sit down before you knock over a lamp. How many times do I have to tell you not to wrestle in the house?" Mom continued to chide, her voice exasperated.
My brothers sat on the remaining furniture. Morgan got the last open chair, Maverick sat on the floor, and Hudson perched on the arm of the couch, pushing Aspen closer to Cooper. She looked decidedly uncomfortable.
"What are we watching?" Hudson asked.
Dad nodded toward the TV. "It's a classic. I thought it would be nice to have it on in the background."
It was a long movie, one that I wasn't particularly fond of. It always seemed kind of negative to me, even though it had a positive ending where everyone came together.
Natasha leaned forward as if she was going to get up. "We're going to head out. I have a parade to get ready for tomorrow."
I stood with her and waited while she said her goodbyes to my family. They accepted her as if she'd never left, and for that, I was grateful. When I enlisted, I wasn't running from my family, just the small-town kind of life, and now that I was back, there was nowhere else I'd rather be.
Mom hugged Natasha. "Thank you so much for coming. We can't wait to see the parade."
"Thanks, Maria. Dinner was delicious as always." Then Natasha turned her attention to my father, who said, "You're welcome here anytime."
"That's very kind of you," Natasha said, tears welling in her eyes.
I hugged Mom and Dad, promising to stop by again soon, and we headed out. My brothers were involved in some argument over which holiday movie was their favorite and barely noticed us leaving.
"Your family is something else," Natasha said as I helped her into the cab of the truck.
"I missed them."
She smiled softly. "I bet they missed you too."
I closed the door and walked around to my side of the truck, wishing that this was the first of many Thanksgiving holidays spent with my family because we were a couple, and this was the beginning of our new relationship.
One we'd have as adults who knew what we wanted and wouldn't let anything get in our way.
On Friday morning, Natasha was up early meeting with Eve in her office downstairs. I'd dozed in bed, not wanting to get up, but finally deciding I should get some work done on my bathroom.
I showered and got dressed, stopping by Natasha's office on the way out.
She looked up at me with a smile. "Where are you going?"
"I thought I'd tile my bathroom today." I was hoping to finish it soon. Most of my spare time had been monopolized by Natasha, not that I was complaining. But I wanted a functioning bathroom sooner rather than later.
Natasha flashed me a smile. "That sounds nice."
I patted the doorframe. "Let me know if you need any help."
Natasha exchanged a look with Eve. "I think we have everything covered, but thank you for offering."
Natasha wasn't great about asking for help, but I wasn't sure what I could do other than my assigned task for the parade, which was man the toy drive. Besides, I'd see her tonight.
I waved to her, not wanting to kiss her in front of her sister. Eve knew something was going on between us, but I wasn't sure what she thought. I hadn't asked.
I headed home to tile the bathroom, happy to have some free time to work on it finally. In the afternoon, I threw together a sandwich and ate standing up.
My phone buzzed. It was my friend in the army, River.
"Hey, man, what's up?" It was rare for someone to call instead of text, and I was worried something was wrong.
River sighed. "Hey. It's Mitchell. He's not doing so great."
I set my sandwich aside, my appetite gone. "What do you mean?"
"Ever since he got out, he's feeling down, and his brother is worried. He thought we could help."
I considered what I'd need to do to get away for a few days. My brothers would understand, and cover for me at the inn. "What can I do?"
"We're headed to see him in North Carolina. Can you meet us there?"
I brushed the crumbs off my hands. "I'll be there."
"We need everyone there to show him that we care about him."
"Of course." I was quick to support a fellow soldier. We all had things we were working through, and I wanted Mitchell to know we were there for him.
"Thanks, man. I appreciate it. I'll text you the information on where we'll be."
"I'll let you know once I have a flight." I gazed out the window where flurries fell haphazardly to the ground.
River sighed as if he'd been stressed. "I can't thank you enough."
"Hey, this is what friends do." We promised we'd always be there for each other, and that transcended our service in the military.
"I'll see you soon."
The sandwich felt heavy in my stomach. I had to leave before the parade. I wasn't sure how tenuous the situation was with Mitchell, and I needed to get there to support him and my friends.
I hated leaving Natasha, but I didn't have a choice. She would understand.
I sent her a quick text explaining the situation and hit Send before I could second-guess myself. I didn't want to call her when she was deep in planning with Eve. I'd take care of this situation and be on a flight home in no time.
I cleaned up the kitchen, then searched for a flight to North Carolina. After I booked it, I packed and locked up the house. On the way to the airport, I called Mom and Dad to tell them what was going on.
"Let us know when you get there," Mom had insisted.
"I will." My grip on the steering wheel tightened. I hoped that we weren't too late, and we'd be able to help Mitchell.
"We love you."
"Love you too," I said as I clicked off the call and parked in one of the airport lots.
My family had my back, and Natasha would understand.
I might have left the army, but I still had obligations to my fellow soldiers, who were my friends.
I wouldn't let Mitchell suffer alone. He needed to know that we were there for him.
I'd be back before I knew it, and we'd be planning our holiday light-trail outing. Soon it would be Christmas, and we'd be together.
I hated to be leaving when I'd only recently gotten home. But I didn't have a choice. We vowed to be there for each other if anyone was struggling, and Mitchell was clearly in trouble.
The entire time I was on the shuttle to the airport and went through security, there was this sense that I'd forgotten something.
But I shook it off. I could buy whatever I forgot, and I'd have my brothers check on my house, and the inn's renovation if I was still out of town on Monday.
I'd told Natasha where I was going, and I was confident that she'd understand.