Tangle (Dogwood Lane 2)

“And I love you, pretty girl.”

EPILOGUE

HALEY

The bustle inside the newly minted Buds, Branches, and Books is beyond chaos. People come in for hot chocolate and to see what’s been going on behind the blacked-out windows for the last two months.

Christmas songs play softly on the speakers, a tree sits in the corner with little pieces of paper with the names of kids who need help this time of year. It’s more than I ever wanted it to be, and to see it finished, a plan coming to fruition, makes me want to burst at the seams.

“I told you this was going to be a hit.” Trevor wraps his arms around me from behind, nuzzling his face in the crook of my neck. “I’m so proud of you, Ohio.”

“It’s because of you.” I turn my face and brush my lips against his. “I’d tell you that you’re pretty special, but you already know that.”

“Yeah,” he jokes, “I do.”

“Hey,” I say, waving as Neely walks in with another woman. “This must be Grace.”

The short woman with beautiful eyes gives me a warm smile. “This place is adorable,” she gushes. “And yes, I’m Grace. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Haley, if you didn’t know. And this is Trevor.”

I look at my man. The pride on his face as he looks down at me makes my heart skip a beat.

“Nice to meet both of you,” Grace says.

Neely looks around the store, her eyes wide. “Haley. Seriously. This is amazing.”

“Thanks. I’m pretty proud of it.”

“You should be,” she says. “It’s such a great thing for our town.”

Someone tugs on my hand. I look down to see Nathaniel peering up at me with a marshmallow stuck in his hair. “Miss Haley. Can I have more hot chocolate, please?”

“You sure can, buddy.”

“Let me take him,” Trevor says. “You talk to your friends.” He takes the boy’s hand and whispers something conspiratorially, making the child laugh.

My heart swells so big I think it’s going to explode. The more I learn about Trevor, the more I love him. He’s even sweeter with the kids than he is when he insists on taking Lorene to lunch on Saturdays. Watching him grow closer with his father and learn to like Meredith has been endearing, but the thing I love most is none of those. It’s the way he cares about everyone around him.

He stops to help people when they’re broken down on the side of the road. He leaves crazy tips for servers at restaurants when they go out of their way to be kind. He makes my coffee every morning and brings it to me in bed to help start my day off right.

It might’ve been his face that caught my attention and his wit that drew me in, but it’s his heart that keeps me around.

“If they grow men like that down here, I’m moving in,” Grace says, snapping my attention away from Trevor. “No offense, Haley. Or rather, congratulations.”

I can’t help but laugh as Neely sighs dramatically at her friend.

We stand in the middle of the entryway, at the point where the flower shop intersects with the new library. Of course, Meredith wasn’t about to let the town go without books. I think she blinked her eyes twice at Branson before he demanded I expand, on his dollar, and create something special. Although, having watched them together for the last two months, I can see that it’s not Meredith being manipulative, really. Branson simply loves her, and in that love, there is the desire to please her and make sure she’s happy.

“Did you and Trevor work out where you’re going to stay this winter?” Neely asks. “The last update I got was a very dirty, sexually explicit answer from Trevor at the café.”

“For now, Trev will have to spend upward of a week in Nashville at the office. Most of the other stuff he can do from here or Natalie can do. She got a raise. A big one,” I say.

“But where are you staying?” Neely asks. “Your house? At the Love Nest?”

“You have a love nest?” Grace raises a brow. “Damn it. This place is a utopia.”

I laugh. “We’re staying at the Love Nest,” I say. “It’s just the two of us, and Trevor hated my kitchen.”

“I don’t blame him there.” Claire comes up behind me and hugs my neck. “This place is awesome, friend.” She steps around me. “Sorry I’m late. Long story and you don’t want the details.”

“Are you sure?” I ask. “Your stories are usually pretty great.”

“Totally sure.” She glances at Grace. “Hi. I’m Claire.”

Neely laughs. “Claire, this is my friend Grace. Grace, this is the one and only Claire.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Grace’s eyes go wide as she looks toward the entrance. “And which one of you lovely ladies is going to introduce me to him?”