You, Me, and Forever (Blushing)

I stepped out my front door the following day, already agitated that I’d been guilted into flying home for my parents’ anniversary party tomorrow night. I’d tried making up an excuse that I was buried in work, and of course my father had reminded me that he and Samuel saved lives for a living and they were able to make it. I believe his exact words were, “Some of us have patients who actually depend on us to continue living, yet we are going to be there. You can take a break from chasing your unfulfilled childhood LEGO-building dreams for one evening and show up for your family.”

If I had a nickel for every time the man threw my love for LEGOs in my face, I’d be a very rich man.

Well, I already am a very rich man, so fuck Dad and his snide comments.

I came to a stop when I noticed an unusually freaky creature standing on my porch, staring at me.

What the actual fuck is with this town?

I’d already had to deal with that giant fucking moose with balls the size of King Kong’s walking around downtown like he was window-shopping; there’d also been a black bear on my back porch yesterday, and I swear the dude had winked at me before taking off for the trees. And now this odd-as-fuck thing that I was fairly certain was some sort of white porcupine was in a standoff with me.

My phone vibrated in my hand, and I cautiously put it to my ear when I saw it was Montana.

“Will Hall is here at the inn with me, and he said he was supposed to meet you about some supplies you’d had him look into,” she said.

This was how it was every day. We’d speak for different reasons throughout the day about absolutely nothing most of the time.

“Listen to me carefully,” I whispered. “There’s a weird fucking rodent squaring his shoulders like he wants to take me out on my front porch.”

Laughter filled my ears. “What does this weird rodent look like?”

“Montana. I’m not fucking around,” I snarled as the animal moved closer, and I backed up until I was touching the door with my shoulders. “I think it wants to fight. It’s white and prickly, looks like some kind of porcupine. He’s looking me straight in the eye like a fucking mob boss. This dude is not backing down. Fuck.”

“Take it down a notch, Moneybags.” She chuckled. “That’s Porky. He’s my favorite.”

Of course he is.

“Well, fucking Porky looks like he wants to bite me in the shin.” I squared my shoulders and growled at him.

“You did not just growl. Myles. Stop. He’s super sweet. Bend down and get lower.”

“Fuck no. This thing will stab the shit out of me.”

“Just trust me.”

“My mother told me I should never trust a diamond dealer.”

“And my good senses have told me never to trust a man who destroys historical real estate, but here we are,” she said. “We’re friends, remember? I’d never let you get hurt. Just bend down, and then say his name. Watch what his quills do.”

“This is fucking madness. I don’t even know what the hell I’m doing here,” I griped before bending down and doing what she suggested.

“Are you down low?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“Say his name.”

Fuck me.

Fuck Blushing, Alaska.

Fuck my father, just for the sake of throwing him in there any chance I got.

“Porky,” I grunted, and I’ll be damned if the little dude’s quills didn’t go down instantly.

“Okay, he doesn’t look pissed anymore,” I whispered into the phone. “His quills are down.”

“Yes. He flattened them for you. He wants you to stroke his back. He’s super friendly and affectionate.”

“For fuck’s sake. First, I practically have to take a number to see you at your office because a well-endowed moose is standing on the sidewalk, and now I’m giving a porcupine a goddamn massage?”

“Welcome to Blushing, Moneybags. Give him a little love, and then get over here. I told Will to wait in the inn’s office because I have a wedding to throw in two hours. So you best put some pep in your step.”

“You sound a little amped up,” I teased as I ran my hand over Porky’s back and then pushed to stand.

“I’m in my type A, overachiever mode. I’m like a wedding ninja. A woman with only one focus. Prepare to be dazzled.”

I rolled my eyes and carefully moved past the chunky little fucker as I made my way down the porch steps toward the inn.

“I can’t wait,” I said, oozing sarcasm, just as I heard someone shout her name, and she said she had to go and ended the call.noveldrama

Montana Kingsley has become the most fascinating woman I’ve ever met.

I was looking forward to seeing her in her element. Her father had bragged on her when I’d been over there yesterday sampling more of his meals. The guy could hold his own with any chef I’d ever worked with back home.

Not only had Blushing, Alaska, proved to be a diamond in the rough, but so were a few of the people who lived here.

I turned the corner and walked the short distance to the inn, noting the commotion of people hustling in and out. Chairs were being carted inside, and three men stepped in front of me carrying boxes of floral arrangements.

Violet came around the corner with a can of hair spray and a box of Band-Aids in her hands.

“Hey,” I said as she strode up the walkway with me.

“Have you seen our girl yet?” she asked.

Our girl.

“No. Just got here. Seems like a madhouse.”

“You have no idea.” She chuckled. “But thank you for offering her that piano, Myles. It means more than you know.”

I knew it would, but I don’t know why I care so much.

“Yeah, it’s not a problem. I know she’s attached to the place.” We made our way into the entry, and I looked out through the glass doors to see Montana setting floral arrangements on each table as people moved around her like they were on a mission. “You think she’ll be all right that this is the last wedding here for a while?”

She adjusted the bud in her ear, and it was the first time I noticed she was wearing some sort of headset. I’d attended plenty of weddings in my day, but I’d had no idea just how much went on behind the scenes until I’d watched this all go down over the last few days.

“Yeah. She’ll be okay.” She shrugged. “I think seeing her ex here with his new fiancée tonight will bring a bit more drama than we normally have at a wedding, but you know Monny—she’ll play it off like she’s fine and do her job.”

“That prick is going to be here?” I asked. She hadn’t mentioned it, and seeing as we spoke daily, that surprised me.

“‘That prick’ is the best man in this wedding. He’ll be impossible to miss.”

“Fuck him.”

“My sentiments exactly.” She winked as she spoke into the microphone resting at her chin. “I’m here, girl. Be right out.”

I sighed. “Have a good wedding. I’m going to meet a guy in the back about some supplies.”

She held her hand up and waved, and before I walked off, I stood there watching Montana outside a little longer. I liked to watch her when she didn’t know I was there. Her intensity when she was working was something I related to. I could see the passion written on her face.

Her head tipped back with a laugh as she fixed the way the napkins were sitting on the plates, and Blakely threw her hands in the air like she knew Montana would be adjusting them.

She took pride in her work.

It was impossible to miss.

“There you are.” Howard’s voice pulled me from my daze. “You’ve got Will Hall waiting for you in the office.”

“Thanks. I thought you were moving today.”

“We did. But Lydia and I will be attending the wedding, so I came back a little early to see if Montana and Violet needed any help.”

“That was nice of you,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Hey, I had a quick question for you.”

“Hit me with it.”

“There’s a really intricate mural painted in the office on the back wall. It looks like you brought in some famous artist to do it. What’s the story with that?” I’d noticed it a few times, and I’d been drawn to the detail.

He chuckled, and then he blinked a few times. “Montana painted that for me when she was home from college one summer.”

My eyes widened. “Montana painted that mural? By freehand?”

“Yep. She spent hours doing it.” He cleared his throat. “Lydia is a cancer survivor, but she went through a couple rough years, and I sank into a pretty dark place the summer my wife started chemo. But Montana came home that summer and found me sulking in the office, and she decided to force me to see the good. She wanted me to make one of her vision boards, and I refused. I was a bit of a stubborn ass back then, worrying about my wife night and day. She and Daniel kept this place going those first few months, and she spent hours every night painting those flowers and butterflies on the wall, because they’re Lydia’s favorite.”

“Wow. I had no idea she was such a talented painter.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “And I’m happy to see Lydia doing so well now.”

“Yep. She’s been cancer-free for two years, and we just take it one day at a time. And Montana has a huge heart, and there’s nothing she won’t do for the people she loves.” He shook his head. “She took the sale of this place really hard, but what I keep trying to tell her is that it’s not the inn that she’ll miss. It’s not the structure. She’s attached to the memories that she made here. But those will live on whether or not this place is still standing. You can’t buy someone’s memories.”

“Yep. That’s the truth.” I glanced up to see Will sitting in the office, staring out the window. “All right. I’ve left him waiting long enough. I’ll see you when I’m done.”

“I hope you’re going to stick around for the wedding. Watch these girls work their magic. The whole town will be here.”

“I’ll stop by for sure.” I held up my hand and made my way to the office.

“Hey, Will. Sorry I’m late. Thank you for waiting.”

“Yeah, not a problem. I checked on the supplies you’d sent over, and we’re good to go on everything.”

“That’s great news. Thank you for checking on that. I’ll have my team get the orders placed immediately.”

“Great. I’ll be leading the crew next week for Charlie. He said you had some questions about salvaging a few pieces before we demo the place.”

“Yep. There’s a few things I’d like to keep if it’s possible.”

“Anything is possible if you’re willing to pay for the time and manpower to do it.”

“Well, money is no object when it comes to this, so let’s walk the interior and I’ll point them out to you.”

We both moved to our feet. He had his iPad in hand to take photos, and we walked every inch of the inn.

After Will took off, I ducked into the kitchen when the guests started arriving. Music piped through the inn, and it appeared that everyone in town was coming out for this wedding.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were still here,” Montana said as she came walking into the kitchen. She reached for a carrot stick from one of the trays that had been offered to the guests when they’d first arrived.

“I’m here.” I shrugged. “I thought I’d stick around and see you in action.”

“Well, buckle up, Moneybags, because it’s go time.” She winked before speaking into her microphone. “I’m heading to the bride’s suite to get the bridesmaids. You’ve got the groomsmen all lined up, Vi?”

And she turned and hurried out of the kitchen like she’d been shot out of a cannon.

Daniel chuckled as he moved to the oven, and the smell of garlic and butter wafted around the space. He had at least fifteen to twenty people working around him tonight; they’d need a lot of help getting this food out to the guests. It was impressive.

“She doesn’t mess around,” I said.

“Never. She takes her job very serious. Glad I taught my girl about having a work ethic.”

I moved closer, keeping my voice low. “Let me ask you something, Daniel.”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Violet mentioned that Montana’s ex is going to be here with his fiancée tonight. Is that going to be a problem for her?”

His gaze filled with empathy. “You know, I don’t really know. I never thought he was right for her back when they were together. She never seemed all that happy with the guy. I sure as hell never trusted him, and I thought he was up to something the last few months because he traveled all the time. But I’m sure that seeing him move on so fast has hurt her. But when it’s Montana, she’ll never let you know it.”

“Why is that?”

“Because my daughter learned at a young age to guard her heart, unfortunately. She’s tough, and she won’t tell you if she’s hurting even if she is. I probably did a shit job of teaching her that it’s okay to tell someone you’re sad or angry, but I’ve never been real good at it either. Montana likes to fix things, not the other way around.”

I nodded. I understood it. “I think you’ve done a damn good job.”

The music changed, and Daniel called out to Hank. “I’m going to go watch these kids get married. You hold down the fort?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve got it,” his sous chef said.

“Come on, St. James. Let’s go see my girl shine.”

And I followed him out to the outdoor area, just in time to see Susannah walk down the aisle.

Montana was in full work mode, speaking quietly into her microphone at the end of the aisle, where she’d just sent the bride down.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail that swung down her back. She was wearing a floral sundress that hugged her curves on top with a flowy skirt that came down to her ankles. I noted the cowboy boots as she strode off to the side of the aisle, her eyes on Susannah.

My eyes on her.

But mine weren’t the only eyes on her.

I looked up to see the man standing beside Jesse at the other end of the aisle.

The man she’d dated for years who was now engaged to another woman.

I didn’t know if she was there, because if she was—he wasn’t watching her.

His eyes weren’t on his best friend, or the bride who’d just made her way down the aisle.

They were on the same woman I was watching.

My hands fisted at my side.

Protective and feral in a way I’d never experienced.

He must have felt it, because his head turned slowly, and his gaze locked with mine.

That’s right, motherfucker. You’re not the only one who wants her.