Carpentry and Cocktails: A Heartfelt Small Town Romance (Green Valley Library Book 5)

by Smartypants Romance

  “I can’t get her a diamond. I overheard her say she doesn’t want another diamond ring. What else is there?”

  “I know,” Harry announced. “I like gemstones. I just learned about sapphires yesterday at the library from Miss Naomi. Get a mermaid sapphire. It is also called a Montana sapphire, a peacock sapphire, and a sea-garden sapphire. Mermaid sapphires can be all of the blue colors, sky blue, greenish blue, turquoise blue, aquamarine blue. Why are there so many blues? Oh! Willa likes mermaids! She has one on her arm. And she said she is a mermaid queen. I heard her tell that to Riri.”

  Wyatt smirked as he drew his arm back to cast his own line, which told me he’d heard the mermaid queen story. “Who told you?” I asked.

  “Garrett called me right after it happened,” he admitted.

  “Of course. Nothing is secret around here. Which works for me, I guess. Now I know what kind of ring to buy. Thank you, Harry.”

  “You’re welcome, Uncle Everett.” He shrugged. “Thanks for the aunt.”

  When you knew something was right, the idea of waiting for it was crazy. I couldn’t be with her, knowing we were meant for each other, and not do something to make it happen. Over the past few weeks, I’d been making plans. And now, burning a hole in my pocket, was one round mermaid sapphire in sky-blue, exactly like her eyes, set on a twisted platinum band. Tonight, would definitely be the night.

  I pulled Willa’s van into the driveway and hopped out. I had already packed everything we would need to camp overnight at Sky Lake. The familiar sound of my Bronco pulling into the driveway put a smile on my face. With a turn I saw Willa waving at me wildly from the driver’s seat with that gorgeous smile lighting up her face.

  “Everett! Oh, my van!” Willa hopped out of my Bronco and raced past me up the driveway to run her hands over the van. “Where has she been? I kept forgetting to ask!” I chuckled. I swear, she was about to spread her arms out and give it a hug.

  “I just picked it up from the Winston Brother’s garage. She’s all fixed up. It took forever for some of the parts to come in. Cletus said something about catastrophic engine failure, but I knew how much you loved her, so I had them fix it anyway.”

  “I’m not even mad that I don’t get to fix her myself. Thank you!” I laughed as she pressed her cheek to the hood and grinned at me.

  “You’re welcome, sweetness. How about a test run to Sky Lake? Feel like going camping tonight?”

  “Uh! Yes! I’m off. I’ll go pack.”

  “Already done. I just got back from the Piggly Wiggly with food. We are all set to go.”

  “Best day ever!” With a run and a hop, she was in my arms. She was wrapped around my body and tied up in my heart. I knew I’d never let her go.

  “Let’s get on the road.” She covered my face with kisses as I walked us the few steps to the van. “Get in.”

  “Okay.” With a huge grin she opened the door and sat in the driver’s seat. “This was a school bus, so you’ll have to sit in the back, Everett. Bummer.” She giggled and started it up.

  “That’s all right. I’ll test that big bed you’ve got back there. Make sure it’s comfortable for later tonight.” I plopped onto the mattress, which was surprisingly soft.

  “Solid plan.” Her laugh filled the van as she pulled out of the driveway.

  The drive to Sky Lake gave me the time I needed to get my thoughts in order. I had been so caught up in choosing the stone, designing the ring, making sure everything about it would be perfect for her, that I didn’t bother to think of what to say. I was meticulous about reserving a campsite, shopping for groceries, and getting the van fixed, but apparently, I was about to leave the words to chance. Maybe it would be better that way.

  “We’re almost there. Are you sleeping? You’ve been so quiet,” she said as she pulled to a stop and turned around in her seat.

  “I’m awake.” I crossed the van to sit on the bench behind her chair and direct her to our spot near the lake. I’d been guaranteed it would be picturesque and beautiful, exactly right for my plans. “Back up into the spot.”

  “’Kay,” she said as she turned the van around.

  It was going on twilight hour, and soon the sky would catch fire, turning from shades of blue to burn out into pinks and golds. “Come back here with me, sweetheart.” I crossed through to the back of the camper van to open the back doors, letting the warm late spring breeze filter through. The doorway acted like a frame for this perfect view. She sat next to me on the mattress with our legs dangling over the side.

  “Look at the trees, Everett. You can see them in the lake, just like a mirror.” I slipped my arm around her waist to tug her into me. “It’s beautiful out here,” she murmured and turned her face to mine. I watched the sunset reflected in her eyes as the light turned her hair to gold.

  “You’re beautiful,” I whispered. “I know we haven’t been together for very long, but I can’t imagine ever being without you, Willa.”

  “I feel like I’ve known you forever. Time doesn’t matter when you feel this way.” Her soft, smiling eyes glowed as the fire of the sun’s light diminished.

  “I don’t know what the future holds, but what I know for sure is, everything I’ve never done I want to do with you.” I hopped from the edge of the van to stand before her.

  “I love that, Everett. Yes.” Her huge smile lit me up with more joy than I’d ever felt in my life.

  “Yes, what?” I chuckled.

  Her head tipped back, and her cheeks colored red as she answered. “Uh, you have a bulge in your pocket. I mean, I can tell it isn’t the usual package. When you’re happy to see me, it isn’t shaped like a little box.”

  I threw my head back with a laugh. “My god, I love you, Willa.”

  “I love you too, Everett. More than I ever knew it was possible to love another person. So, my answer is yes. You’ve done enough waiting for me. I don’t want you to wait for my answer. Ask.”

  I dropped to a knee and pulled out the box, removed the ring, and tossed the box into the van. “Willa, will you marry me?”

  “Yes, I will marry you.” Tears glinted on her lashes after I slipped the ring on her finger. As she held her hand out to admire it, her eyes darted to mine and she gasped. “This is the prettiest thing I have ever seen. What is it?” I took her hand in mine and smiled.

  “It’s a mermaid sapphire, for my mermaid queen, Willa Faye,” I said with a kiss to her palm.

  “Get up here with me right now,” she demanded while reaching for my shirt to pull me to her. I obliged, standing up to seize her cheeks in my palms and kiss her sweet pink lips. I couldn’t get enough of her. Gently, I urged her back. She scooted while I climbed up to cover her body with mine. Turning to the side, we kissed to seal this deal. We belonged to each other now and nothing would ever tear us apart.

  “I’ll make you happy, I promise,” I vowed between kisses.

  “I know you will. You have been showing me what happiness is ever since I met you. I’m a lucky girl to get to be your wife, Everett Monroe,” she declared as she buried her face in the center of my chest.

  Bathed in the warmth of the soft evening breeze, we made promises and love. We filled each other up with kisses and dreams of our future, and we held each other until the sun came up.

  Epilogue

  Everett

  “I feel like I’ve known you forever, Everett. Time doesn’t matter when you feel this way.”

  Willa

  I took the nail from between my teeth to hammer in the last piece of trim to the window of the new downstairs bathroom. After my first strike of the hammer, the blinds in the window shot up and I stumbled a bit at the sight of Willa’s face peering back at me. “Sorry if I startled you,” I shouted. She shook her head and smiled before hastily lowering the blinds and turning away. I caught a glimpse of the counter behind her as the blinds fell and she stepped away from the window. Instructions were spread out over the counter with her phone on top, the timer set, counting down
the seconds. A chill shot through me. Is that what I think it is? Shamelessly, I bent low to look through the narrow triangle that the blinds left exposed. She was pacing back and forth with what looked like a white stick in her hand.

  My hammer fell to the ground forgotten, as I ran through the kitchen door, across the house, to the bathroom to pound on the door.

  Bang. Crash. Boom.

  “Everett! I thought you were outside!” she cried, throwing open the door just as the timer went off on her phone. I made it, thank god.

  “Well, are you? Let me see it.” I demanded as she laughed nervously, and her eyes filled with tears. She passed the stick to me with a tremulous smile.

  “I don’t know,” she whispered. I took it with a nod and flipped it over.

  Two pink lines.

  Both of her hands flew to her belly as she gasped. With a tilt of her head, her eyes were on mine. The smile that lit up her face was beyond beautiful, beyond joyful. She was ethereal.

  “Sweetness…” I breathed as I sank to my knees, wrapping my arms around her hips and kissing her stomach. The love, holy shit, the love I felt for her. I didn’t know I could feel more than I already did.

  A baby. Our baby.

  “Our wedding day just got moved way up,” I mumbled into her stomach. A laugh full of joy spilled from her as she melted to the floor in my arms and I kissed her tears away.

  “Everett, how can I be this happy?”

  “It’s just us, Willa. You and me. The way it was meant to be. You take care of me.”

  “And I take care of you. I love you so much, Everett. Let’s get married tomorrow.”

  “Anything you want, sweetheart. I’ll call my mother.” We laughed as we picked up the test to look at it again.

  The next evening…

  “Yeah, Ma. The pastor will be here any minute.” Garrett hollered from the kitchen of my parent’s house as I dashed in through the garage door. “She’s doing my head in, man,” he griped. “Why couldn’t you wait until the weekend?”

  “Willa wanted to do it tonight.”

  “You are whipped. Can’t say I blame you though.” He shrugged and stuffed a mini quiche from a silver tray on the counter into his mouth.

  “Garrett William! Get away from that hors d'oeuvres tray! I am not happy that I had to order food last minute from the Front Porch instead of making everything myself, but I’ll live. That is, I’ll live unless you eat it all, mister. Now scat! Get out of my kitchen.” He all but ran out of the kitchen, shooting me an amused look on his way out.

  “You got the cake?” I asked her.

  “Yes. Of course, I got the cake. Who are you talking to, Everett William?” She sighed with indignance, then rolled her eyes at me. My mother had been in—as my father liked to call it—a state, ever since I called her yesterday, asking if she could plan my wedding. “It is huge. Three tiers, chocolate on the inside, vanilla buttercream on the outside. And the topper is to die for. That Jennifer Winston is a goddess! An absolute angel! The little mermaid king and queen toppers are the absolute cutest thing I have ever seen! Willa is going to fall in love with you all over again when she sees it. That sweet little Joy will bring it over in about half an hour.” She clapped her hands together with glee then leaned around me to shout up the kitchen stairs, “Garrett William, get your behind down here and wait at the door for the cake.”

  “Well, okay. I’m going to head upstairs to change,” I said and headed to the staircase.

  “Okay, honey…” she absentmindedly mumbled as I hugged her and headed up. We didn’t have time for tuxedo rentals or anything fancy, so I would wear my best suit. This might be the only time I would ever get to see Willa wear something other than black. My mother was letting her wear her own wedding dress and I was dying to see Willa in white lace.

  “Uncle Everett!” I spun, midway up the stairs, to see my little nieces. Mel stood at the base of the stairs with Mak, her big sister, behind her. “Look! I brought my flower girl basket, just in case you changed your mind.” She waved the basket over her head while rose petals floated to the floor at her feet. Mel had been the flower girl at Wyatt and Sabrina’s wedding. Due to the short notice, Willa and I weren’t going to have attendants at our wedding.

  “Well, I hope no one is going to throw rice at this wedding.” Flynn stood next to Mel. “It’s bad for the birds, you know,” he said.

  “I don’t want to throw rice, Flynn. I have rose petals,” Mel patiently explained as she gathered the fallen petals from the floor.

  “That is false. We can throw rice. Ornithologists have concluded that it doesn’t harm the birds. But Grandma already bought bird seed anyway.” Harry entered the kitchen, with some facts about birds, a shrug, and a smile for me.

  “Hey, Harry,” I greeted.

  “Uncle Everett! I’m so happy!” he exclaimed.

  “You and me both, kid.”

  “I’m in the living room and I’m not touching your Millennium Falcon, Everett,” Flynn yelled.

  “I know you’re not, bud,” I yelled back. He was a boy after my own heart.

  “Hey, hey, hey, go on upstairs, Everett.” Clara entered the kitchen from the living room, arms waving dramatically over her head. “Here comes the bride and all that jazz. Go on, scoot. We need to get Willa into the secret location, a.k.a. the dining room. No peeking! The Hill sisters’ luck is finally changing, and we are not doing anything to mess it up.”

  With a salute, I turned and darted up the stairs to go change. Barrett was at the top of the stairs waiting, with Wyatt, Garrett, and my father behind him. “We have something for you,” Barrett said, hand extended with a tiny box in his palm.

  “It’s Grandma’s wedding band,” Wyatt said.

  “But that was supposed to be for Barrett to use,” I protested. I turned to him in disbelief. “You’re the oldest.”

  “I’ll never get married again. I failed spectacularly at it. Once was enough. I want you to give it to Willa. We all do. Wyatt got her bracelet to give to Sabrina. Garrett has her earrings. You’re getting this ring, and you should have it regardless of my marriage woes. You and Papaw Joe were the closest.” He thrust it into my hand with a smile. “Take it, Ev. Be happy with her. Y’all both deserve this.”

  I pulled him into a hug. “Thank you. And this is perfect. I thought I’d have more time to buy a wedding band.” He let me go with a chuckle.

  “Ten minutes, boys.” My father warned. “You mother just texted me. Go change, Everett.”

  “Yeah, Dad’s phone is about to vibrate out of his pocket. Change fast, Ev. Meet you down there.” Garrett smacked my shoulder and pulled me into a hug as he darted around me to head to the backyard.

  We were getting married in the gazebo. My mother had The Weather Channel blaring in the living room all morning, so even if I couldn’t look out the window and see for myself, I could listen to the broadcaster tell me what a beautiful day it was. But it could have been storming and snowing, we could be getting pelted with hail, or caught in a blizzard. None of it would have mattered because today, Willa Faye Hill would become my wife, and nothing would get in the way of me becoming the happiest man who ever was.

  I didn’t skip down the stairs, but it was close. My heart lightened with every step to the French doors that led to the back yard. Throwing them open, I looked out at the yard. The gazebo was covered in Christmas lights, wound up with sheer white ribbon, and it appeared my mother had cleared out the floral department of the Piggly Wiggly because flowers of every type imaginable were all over the back yard. Willa’s sisters, Sadie’s boys, and my family were the only guests. Small was the only way to go when you only had sixteen hours’ notice.

  My mother came around from the garage entrance, carrying a basket of flowers. “I did my best,” she said with a hesitant smile. “It’s almost dusk, so those lights should start to look twinkly and the flowers—it was all they had, and—”

  “Mom, every single thing is perfect. I love it. Thank you for doing
this for me.” I pulled her in for a hug. “I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you too, honey.” She stepped away and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. “I’ll go out and sit down. Press play on the surround sound before you come out and the music will start. Wyatt will walk her down the aisle. She asked him to a few minutes ago.”

  “Okay.” She would be in good hands with Wyatt. I hit play and crossed the lawn to stand by the pastor in the gazebo. We were lucky we’d already obtained our wedding license.

  I didn’t get nervous as I stood there, but a laser focus drove through me as I watched the door and waited for her to come through. Good things come to those who wait, but the best things come to those who fight. Papaw Joe used to say that. Funny that the way I won Willa over was by waiting for her. But I guess you could say we both fought. I fought myself—my wants, needs, desires—and she fought her past. Now our future together was about to begin.

  I inhaled a sharp breath at the first glimpse of her in the doorway. There she was, all white lace and Willa. My breath caught in my throat. She was gorgeous and beaming at me from Wyatt’s side as he led her up the makeshift aisle, which was dotted with multicolored flower petals and lined on either side by our families.

  “You’re beautiful,” I murmured as Wyatt placed her hand in mine and took his seat.

  “Everett, I love you so much,” she whispered.

  “I love you, Willa. More than anything.” Our vows went by in a blur; everything did. The world spun by, and time marched on. But not with her—we were in our own space and time. With Willa, I was at peace, I was still. I felt right, and so loved. All I could see was her sweet face smiling at me, her gorgeous eyes glowing with love, and that beautiful heart which had finally unfurled to let her spirit shine.