Page 30 of Against All Odds (Ember Falls #3)

twenty-two

Everett

“ P ass me a beer,” I say to Lachlan.

He leans into the cooler, grabbing one and tossing it to me as we sit around the fire pit. “You’re not in your usually asshole mood.”

I’m not in any kind of mood, I’m just whatever.

I don’t know exactly how the fuck they want me to be when I finally got everything I wanted and then had it end before it started.

I shrug. “I didn’t realize I had to always be on.”

He raises his hands. “Easy, killer. I didn’t say anything bad. Just that you seem off.”

“I am.”

There. That’s about all the honesty they’re getting. I loved a girl, lost her, got her back, only to lose her again because she wants to leave Ember Falls and I can’t.

I could never put my mother in a home, and I can’t take her out of this place.

So I’m fucking stuck, and that means letting Violet go.

Miles leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Was it a bad day at work?”

I shake my head, not finding myself able to talk to them about this. I can’t tell anyone since it’s not my news to spread. I just get to suffer in my head. “I’ll be fine. I just need to get back in the swing of things.”

Lachlan and Miles glance at each other and then back at me before Lachlan speaks. “Dude, you know you don’t have to shoulder everything on your own. I know you’re not all about sharing, but we’re your friends.”

“Seriously, how many times have you been there for us?” Miles says, backing him up.

“I share when I can.”

Lachlan lifts one brow. “The fuck you do. You never talk about the shit you’re dealing with.”

“I’m fine. I appreciate the concern. Let’s just drink beer and talk about sports.”

Lachlan takes a long swig of his beer before going right back into it. “I think it’s about Violet,” he says to Miles.

I sigh heavily and turn my head.

“Probably, you know he has issues with women,” Miles informs him. “I’m not sure if it also includes performance issues.”

“I have an issue with you two dickheads,” I mutter under my breath.

“Do you remember when Ainsley came to town? He was the one offering all his unsolicited advice,” Lachlan jokes.

“I think I gave very solid advice considering you’re engaged and living with her ...”

Idiot was so sure that it couldn’t work and look at them now. Happy and living in domestic bliss. I should get a thank-you card instead of this treatment.

Miles scoffs. “Oh, he had plenty of opinions about Penelope too.”

“Again, you’re now living together, and I’m sure you’re going to be married before we know it. I don’t want to hear shit.”

“So maybe you’re just good at giving the advice and not taking it,” Miles counters.

“Maybe I don’t need advice from two fools who couldn’t get their heads out of their asses.”

Although it’s not the baby part for me. I mean, sure, it’s not ideal and I really didn’t plan on becoming a father anytime soon, but I know I could love that child.

I watched my parents do it without a thought.

I’ve lived that love, and I could provide that to a baby regardless of whether they were technically mine.

Love is not born from blood, but by a person’s willingness to give it freely.

And unlike what I would have initially thought, I want everything with Violet, including this child that is half of her and will be wholly loved.

Right now, she’s scared, and I get it. Once again, her life is flipped upside down. She needs time, which is what I’m giving her, but I’m not walking away.

“Come on!” I hear a woman yell in the background, and the three of us turn our heads.

“ Ana! No!” Violet is trying to be quiet, but I’d know her voice anywhere.

“Oh, please!” the other girl says. “You’re no fun!”

Lachlan and Miles both turn their gazes to me, and I shrug. “Violet?” I call out.

“Shit,” I hear her say under her breath. “Hey, Ev, umm, I was just outside and ... we saw the fire ... and my friend wanted to come make sure it wasn’t a house fire.”

The three of us all snort at the same time. “Not a house fire,” I say. “Besides, we have the fire chief here, so if it was, we’d be fine.”

“Come over and join us!” Miles yells, and I punch him in the arm. “Ouch! Fucker, that hurt.”

“It’s okay! We don’t want to bother you guys,” Violet says. “My God, Ana , stop.”

Instead of stopping, a girl pops her head around the side of the house. “Hey, I’m Ana, a friend of Violet’s from California, and we would love to come join you guys.”

Lachlan chuckles. “It looks like Violet would rather do anything else.”

“Violet would. Hi, Lachlan,” she answers and turns to her boss. “Hey, Miles.”

“Vi.”

She looks to me. “I’m so sorry. Ana is ... unrelenting.”

I grin. “It’s fine, we were just having a few beers and talking about this weekend’s tournament.”

I’d been doing my best not to think about her, which isn’t working out well. I’ve already debated going to her house sixteen times to convince her that we can work this out. She has no idea how much I care for her, or maybe she does know but doesn’t want me to feel that way.

I don’t know what the fuck I’m thinking anymore. I go in circles, confusing myself even more.

“Oh? Tournament for what?” Ana asks.

“Ultimate Frisbee,” Lachlan says.

Her eyes widen. “What is that?”

“It’s a sport,” Miles explains. “We play in a league.”

“Ohhh,” Ana says, nodding. “I see, it’s an old-guy thing. Sorry, I didn’t know that was big here in Umber Falls.”

Violet sighs heavily and looks up at the sky. “Ember Falls, Ana! I swear, I want to hit the reset button on my life.”

“Control, alt, delete, babe,” Ana replies to her.

“I regret texting you,” Violet tells her and then turns to me. “I sent a text to her before we went to the farm that I needed to talk to her, and she couldn’t get ahold of me during the day.”

“Yeah, the service is terrible at the farm.”

It’s really annoying for my staff if they ever need to reach me, but they just call their barn line if it’s urgent and they know I’m there.

Violet smiles softly. “My very impulsive friend here got on a plane and flew here.”

Wow, that’s a bit spontaneous and also impressive. I don’t know anyone who would just get on a plane and fly across the country because I didn’t answer my phone.

Well, maybe Hazel would.

I turn to look at Ana, who just shrugs. “I have a private jet.”

“I see.” I chuckle. “That makes it convenient.”

“Doesn’t it? So you’re Everett?” Ana asks, walking over and sitting in the open chair beside me. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“You as well.”

“Anyone else feel like we’re missing something?” Lachlan asks not so subtly.

Ana turns to look at him. “Oh, I just really wanted to meet the guy that Violet said was her first love. She had so many good things to say about him, and now I can see why.” Her smile is wide as she looks me up and down.

Violet covers her face with her hands and then drops them. “Anything she says, please just forget.”

“That’s not going to happen,” I tell her and then turn to Ana. “So what else did Violet say?”

Ana glances over at Violet and smiles. “Just that you’re a good friend to her, and I really appreciate that. Thank you for helping her out.”

I nod once. “Of course.”

Miles snorts. “Yeah, he’s really a very kind soul. I mean, Violet needed her pipes filled, and he was all too willing.”

Lachlan chokes on his beer, and Miles pats his back. “Easy there.”

“You’re a dead man,” I warn him. “It was her propane that didn’t work, so I was able to turn it on.”

Ana grins. “You turned it on, did you?”

I turn to look at Violet, wondering what exactly she told her. She must’ve mentioned we slept together.

Violet stands opposite of me, her arms crossed, and raises one brow. “She’s just as bad as your friends, so don’t look to me for help. She has no filter.”

Ana stands and claps her hands, holding them in front of her chest. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to ruin your bro night. I just wanted to say hello and make sure you weren’t in any fire danger, but I see you’re all good.”

Lachlan speaks before I can. “You guys are sure you don’t want to hang out?”

“No, no,” Violet chimes in quickly. “Ana leaves tomorrow, and we had plans to spend time together.”

Ana rolls her eyes with a sigh. “Please, you want to bake. This is so much more fun. I would really like to know your neighbor, your boss, and the fire chief.”

“Analeigh, we have to go.”

I grin, debating whether I should push a little and also encourage them to stay, but I can tell Violet is not in the mood.

I refrain from being a ballbuster for probably the first time in my life.

Then Ana sighs again. “Fine, you’re no fun.”

Violet rolls her eyes. “Bye, guys.”

“Bye, Vi. It was nice to meet you, Analeigh,” Miles says quickly.

She waves. “Bye, Everett. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”

I nod and lift my hand. “Great meeting you, Ana.” I catch Violet’s eyes. “Bye, Violet.”

She waves at me and then grabs Ana’s arm, pulling her toward the house. Once the girls are out of sight, I lean back, seeing that my two friends are watching me intently. “What?”

“Just laughing because I think we just met the female version of you.”

“So you’re saying she’s awesome.” I grin and take a long pull from my beer.

Miles shakes his head. “I was focusing more on how you were watching Violet.”

“I wasn’t watching her.”

He laughs once. “The hell you weren’t. You basically tracked her the entire time.”

I thought I held it together pretty well, but apparently not. Did seeing Violet cause my heart to speed up? Yes, but it always does.

She’s been the only woman I’ve ever known to make it feel as though tunnel vision is a real thing. When she smiles because of something I say, it’s like I can run through a wall and have the strength of ten men.

It’s too bad I can’t do anything to make her life better right now. It’s out of my hands, and I have to respect what she wants.

Even if it means not getting to be around her.

“Bye, Mom,” I say after going through our morning routine. “I’ll see you for dinner.”

Tomorrow her doctors are coming to the house to do a few routine tests and let me know that there haven’t been any changes.

Like always.

I get outside and walk over to Vi’s house. I have with me some of the things the Mommy Blogs said help with morning sickness.

Inside the bag is ginger candy, ginger tea, ginger ale, some peppermint aroma therapy shit—not sure how that is going to work, but they all swore by it—and salt.

Like a shaker. I wrote out some suggestions they had on how to use them because the salt one was a bit of a mystery to me.

Apparently, she’s supposed to lick her hand, like she’s doing a shot, shake the salt on, lick it, and lay there for ten minutes.

No clue, but since she’s still miserable, I figure it can’t hurt to try.

Not wanting to wake her, I put the bag on the porch and start heading back, but when I get halfway down the drive, I hear someone yelling my name.

“Everett!”

I turn and see someone rushing from Violet’s porch, but it’s not her. It’s Analeigh.

I walk toward her, worry filling me. “Is everything okay with Violet?”

The way she’s moving has my chest tight with worry. What if there’s something wrong and she needs help? I find myself moving a little faster as the fear mounts.

She smiles. “It is. I’m getting ready to head back to the airport, and Vi is in the shower, but I wanted to talk to you and saw you leave something on the porch.”

I clear my throat and wait for the lecture that is sure to come.

The whole don’t hurt my friend or I’ll kill you .

Not that I want to hurt her friend.

Not that I’d ever try to do that.

“Okay,” I say, once I’ve steeled myself.

“Violet ... well, you knew her as a kid, and I’m sure you know all about her parents, so I won’t bore you with that, but she’s got a lot of trust issues, and I’m afraid Dylan hasn’t made that any better.”

“I’m sure not.”

Ana nods. “You can breathe, you know. I’m not going to threaten you. I really just want to thank you.”

“Thank me?”

“Yeah, when I got here, I had no idea what mess I was walking into. Violet isn’t prone to hysterics, so when she texted me that she needed me, I was terrified about what happened to her.

She’s my best friend. My upbringing didn’t leave me with a lot of people who liked me for me.

It was always about my father or what I could get them, but Violet isn’t that way.

She practically comes unglued when I do things for her.

” Ana sighs and then looks down. “She’s like a sister to me.

I love her and would do anything for her.

When she told me she was going to move to Ember Falls, I’m not exaggerating when I say I sobbed.

My husband had to hold me for hours the night she left, because I was a mess, but then I got here and I found she wasn’t falling apart, and I think that’s because of you. ”

I rock back on my heels, not sure what to say, and then step back. “I haven’t done anything that a man shouldn’t do.”

“I know a lot of men, and trust me, they’re not doing these things.”

“Then they don’t deserve a woman like Violet, even if she doesn’t feel the same way.”

Ana shakes her head. “Violet is afraid to be hurt. She’s afraid Dylan is going to force her hand, and right now it’s too new to see it doesn’t have to be that way. She just needs someone to show her that.”

One more day.

That goes through my mind again and again.

I hear my mother saying how she would grab it with two hands.

Violet may leave again. She may walk out of my life, leaving me, but ... I will regret not spending every single day I could have with her now.

Analeigh steps closer and gently touches my arm. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I can leave here and not feel sick to my stomach every day. She has people who care about her. Maybe even love her enough to fight for her.”

I nod because I don’t trust myself to say anything aloud.

She smiles. “Also, please, do me one favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t let that woman get a goat. Dear God, I had to hear about them all night as she baked enough to fill a store.”

I laugh at that. “She really loved that goat.”

Ana steps closer and grins. “I think she liked the man who took her more, but what do I know?”

Then she walks away, leaving me wondering how the hell I get my girl back.