Nashhadbeen not just the first but the only man who’d shown her, time and again, that she was perfect just the way she was. Ironic that it’d happen after she’d vowed to let go of that unrealistic expectation of perfection.
But knowing he thought that wasn’t enough. She was still wrestling with shit she didn’t even understand, and she needed to work through it before she opened her life and her heart to someone else. She could only hope Nash was telling the truth when he’d said he’d be there when she figured everything out.
Life went on.
And on.
And on.
It’d been too damn long since Nash had walked away from Rory, and he had to fight himself every day not to slide right back into their old habits. Not to run his finger down her arm at a client’s house, brush the hair out of her face, back her into the wall and kiss her senseless. And he’d forced himself to turn around more than once as he’d headed to town hall just to see her smile.
But he couldn’t allow himself any of it. He’d decided at an early age he wasn’t chasing anyone who didn’t want him. He’d learned that lesson when his momma’d walked straight out of his life and hadn’t looked back. And he’d learned it again in the years living with his old man. Things like that had a way of sticking to a man.
He ran the sander along the posts of the headboard he’d made, smoothing out the rough wood. He’d secretly been crafting it since he’d seen the picture Ava had circled in Rory’s magazine. He had no idea why he was still working on it. Had no idea if he’d give it to them when he was done, and if he did, if she’d even let him into her house to do so.
None of it mattered much, though, because working on this made him feel closer to her, so he was going to keep right on doing it. Which was sad and little pathetic, but it was what it was. When he couldn’t sleep or quiet his mind—which had been all too frequent of late—this was where he went.
The front door to the warehouse opened, and he glanced up to see his old man strolling toward him. Nash clenched his jaw, his thoughts immediately snapping back to what Rory had told him. How his dad had hit on her. And, in doing so, had started the domino effect that caused Rory to push him away.
He hadn’t spoken to his dad since. Hadn’t wanted to. He’d been too worried he’d say something he’d later come to regret.
“Hey, kid. Workin’ on something new?” His dad smoothed his hand over the footboard propped against the wall. “Figured you for something a little more masculine, but whatever floats your boat.”
The whir of the sander and the cadence of the music coming from Nash’s phone were the only things filling the space between them.
When Nash didn’t respond, his dad said, “Wanted to let you know Bozeman’s been puttin’ on the pressure. A deal’s on the horizon.”
Perfect. Just the news he wanted to hear. He’d figured it’d been a lost cause to continue busting his ass in the hopes of buying out his dad since learning the vague details from Bozeman. But he’d still tried. Now, it seemed he didn’t need to.
“Not in a talkative mood?” his dad asked.
Nash shut off the sander and set it on the workbench before pulling off his safety glasses and tossing them aside. “What do you want me to say?”
“Dunno, just thought—”
“You want me to tell you what a bad fucking idea this is? How it’s selfish and short-sighted and not what Granddad had intended? Or maybe we should shove all that aside and just talk about you.” He crossed his arms, his anger too volatile to continue repressing. He’d been doing it for twenty years, and he couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Me?”
“Yeah, you. Let’s talk about how you can’t go a single day in this goddamn town without tryin’ to get your dick wet.”
His dad laughed, like they were buddies sharing a joke. Just two pals talking about how much pussy they were going to score for the weekend instead of a father and son.
“Oh, yeah, it’s real fucking funny, isn’t it? You have any idea what that’s like for someone who shares your name? Your looks? Youreverything? Who’s comin’ in behind you, tryin’ to atone foryoursins? You have any idea how hard I had to bust my ass to gain a solid reputation for this business after you nearly ran it into the ground? Bet you never thought about any of it, did you?”
The smile dropped off his dad’s face, and he ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “Look, kid…so I like to have a good time, so what? I always wrap it up, and the women know the score goin’ in.” He shrugged. “It’s never been an issue for you before.”
“How the hell would you know? You’ve never asked.”
“And you’ve never spoken up, so what changed?”
Nash fisted his hands at his sides so he wouldn’t be tempted to start throwing the thousands of dollars’ worth of tools surrounding him. “What changed was you tried to sleep with my girlfriend.”
His dad’s eyebrows shot up, and he rocked back on his heels. “Your girlfriend? I didn’t even know you were seein’ someone. Who?”
Nash didn’t know whether to be incredulous or downright pissed. Apparently, his dad had hit on so many women in the past two weeks that he couldn’t even remember whom he’d done it to. “Rory. Just had to snag that fresh meat, right?”
“Rory Haven? Shit, I had no idea you were together.”
