Page 11 of Silver Sanctuary (The Silver Springs #3)

Seven

N ash whistled as he walked away from Davney’s.

It wasn’t anything fancy, but he had grabbed a couple of sandwiches he was able to verify were allergy friendly, and some lemonades.

He should have picked up a picnic blanket from somewhere, and some candles.

Something to make the meal a little more romantic.

The sound of glass shattering pulled Nash from his daydream and sent him running, just in time to see a gray sedan speed past him as Lacy’s shop came into view. Oh fuck.

It was her store. The glass that broke…

Nash made it to Petals, and found himself looking at the thousands of tiny shards of glass scattered about on the floor.

One of Lacy’s displays was sideways, tipped over on the floor, its contents spilled all over—water and flowers making even more of a mess over the broken glass.

Nash lifted his head for a moment and watched as people continued walking up and down the sidewalk, not even turning their head to look over at the shop.

What the fuck? Was no one going to come check on Lace?

Looking back in the shop, a trail of shining red wetness caught his eye and his heart tripped over itself as it fell into the pit of his stomach.

“Lace? You in here?” Nash opened the door and waited for a response.

A small sniffle came from behind the register.

“Lacy?” Nash walked into the space, crushing glass under his feet. His eyes dropped to the ground. Fuck, it was blood. And it went in a straight line right behind the counter.

He forced himself to walk slowly—the last thing he wanted to do was scare her. As he rounded the side of the counter, the sight in front of him had him throwing their lunch on the counter as he dropped to his knees.

Jesus. She had her legs curled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them tightly. Tears streamed down her cheeks and his heart shattered at the sight of her so upset. But what was really his undoing was the blood he saw running down her legs.

“You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing,” she whispered, her eyes refusing to meet his.

“You’re fucking bleeding. It’s not nothing,” he growled. “What happened?”

“I was fixing the display when a rock came flying through the window. I fell backwards on the other display—couldn’t see who did it.

Some of the shattered glass cut me when I rolled onto the floor, that’s all.

” Her voice shook as she pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes.

Nash reached out, running his hand down her leg as he began assessing the cuts.

“I have to go clean up and figure out how to cover that window. God, the price of plywood. I just… I needed a minute.”

“No.” His command came out a little too harsh, and he hated the way she shrank away from him.

“No, sweetheart, I didn’t mean to scare you.

I just don’t want you moving and getting more hurt.

We need to apply some pressure to that one cut.

I’m going to help you up and then I’m going to take you to the hospital. ”

Nash grabbed a paper towel off the counter top and pressed it against the cut he was most concerned with.

“No hospital. I can’t afford it.”

Fuck.

His eyes darted around the room, trying to locate her first aid kit. Cap was usually meticulous with his business investments, he would have made sure there was one in the building before the store could open.

“Lace, where is your first aid kit?”

She bit her lower lip, looking over his shoulder.

“Lacy?”

“There were a couple of kids that came in the other day.”

“Okay… did one of them get hurt?”

“No.”

The realization of what happened slammed into him just as her shoulders dropped. Shit. “They stole from the shop?”

“I was busy helping their dad get a bouquet together for his wife’s birthday. It was small, but it was a sale. I didn’t notice things went missing until it was too late.”

“What things?”

“The first aid kit, a few of the tools I use like my shears and floral wire. It’s nothing I can’t eventually replace, and I’m sure they were just messing around. I just… Money’s tight right now.”

Nash nodded, understanding exactly what she was saying. No money for the hospital. No money to replace those things. He was already making a mental note to call Sebastian and talk to him about the situation.

“You have the guy’s information on file? We can tell the deputy who comes to take a statement about this.” He waved toward the front of the shop .

“He paid in cash. It’s really not that big of a deal.”

“It’s a very big deal, sweetheart.” Nash pulled out his cell phone. With his one hand still pressed against the cut on Lacy’s leg, Nash worked to get help heading their way.

A rock went through the front window at Petals. Lacy’s hurt. Need Doc. Can someone run to Costillo’s and get plywood?

Hawk:

Is she okay? I’m at The Trident, but I can head back.

She will be.

At the exact moment Nash sent out his reply, Gunner and Stone’s answers popped into the group chat.

Gunner:

Hawk, stay there with Gage. I’m on it.

Stone:

Leaving the office now.

“Gunner’s going to get some plywood for the window, and Stone’s on his way. He’ll be able to look at that cut and tell us if we need to get you to the hospital for stitches.”

“No. I’m not even really hurt.”

“Yes you are, baby. I’m not going to let you downplay this like you do everything else. I’m going to make sure you’re taken care of.”

“Why are you calling me that?” She wrapped her arms around her body, leaning away from him .

“What?”

“Baby? Sweetheart? Why are you being so nice to me? Can’t you see that I’m poison? You should go, before the town turns on you for being near me.”

Nash got down on the floor and sat with his hip pressed against her leg.

Fuck. He’d been biding his time. Dealing with the painfully slow progress he was making, getting her to open up.

He’d wanted to kiss the hell out of her after their date, but Embrie had been there and he’d known it wasn’t the right time.

She’d kissed his cheek at Dolly’s, and he wasn’t ashamed to say he’d thought about that all fucking morning.

Now seeing her hurt… watching her doubt him and his intentions… he just wanted to say fuck it.

Yeah.

Fuck it.

Nash reached up, his thumb dusting off little specks of dirt from her cheek. Then slowly, so slowly he thought his heart was going to thump right out of his chest, he guided her head towards his. Their lips were nearly touching when he felt her melt into him, and that was all it took.

Nash tried to kiss Lacy with every ounce of restraint he had, because he wanted her to know how precious she was to him. But that all went out the window the minute she started kissing him back.

Because it suddenly didn’t feel like he was sharing a first kiss with the single mom who ran a flower shop in the small Texas town he called home.

It felt like the first time his grandfather had set him up on a horse and he went running through the back field at his ranch, cold mountain air whipping him in the face.

It felt like the first time he flew solo after getting his pilot’s license, soaring high above the buildings and landmarks he’d grown up around.

It felt like the day he knew he’d made it into the SEAL ranks.

When he stood by Gage’s side as he married Mel.

The first time he held Mikey, and Sage. It felt familiar, like the last time he’d been back to the ranch…

Softly, Lacy pulled back, her fingers lingering across her lips as if she was trying to memorize the way the kiss had felt.

She didn't have to worry about committing anything to memory, though, because one single taste of her and Nash knew he was addicted.

There would never be a time when he would have his fill of her.

“I’m not going anywhere, Lacy. Not without you in my arms. I hope what we just shared shows you that.”

Her watery eyes looked up at him in surprise. “Why?”

He didn’t understand why it was so important for her to get it. For her to know that he felt the undeniable pull they’d been dancing around for months since he first walked into Petals. “I think you know why.”

“I really don’t, Nash. I don’t understand why you’re so nice to me.

I’m a single mom who has nothing going for her.

I live in a trailer with a landlord who laughs at me when I ask him to fix something—anything—in a place that should probably be condemned.

I can barely afford to feed Embrie, let alone pay you back for all the EpiPens you bought and the gear for soccer.

The only reason we’re still going is because she collapsed into my arms and begged me after that first practice to let her stay on the team.

Can you imagine that? The profound impact you’ve had on my baby?

She told me even if she had to just sit on the bench because she didn’t have the right things to wear, she just wanted to go. ”

“I’m failing her, over and over. I came to Silver Springs thinking this would all work out.

Surely, enough time must have passed! I’d start my business and people would be at least ordering for holidays, birthdays, weddings…

anything. But you know what? There’s honestly only one thing keeping me going right now.

” She laughed, but there was only sadness in her eyes.

“It’s this Navy SEAL with the most blinding smile, wh o buys more flowers than he needs every week for his office and who keeps showing up to save me.

You’re the only customer keeping my business afloat at this point and I just don’t…

I don’t even have the money to fix that glass, or to replace the first aid kit. I don’t get what you see?—”

Nash moved his hand up to Lacy’s face, tucking a curl back behind her ear.

“Lace, don’t you get it? I’d buy every single flower in here from you, every single day, if I thought you would let me.”

“Why?”

“It hasn’t been clear this whole time?”