Page 80 of From Grumpy to Forever
I’d heard it before. Multiple times. I nodded and dropped my gaze to the ground.
“Now, given the very specific nature of the conditions, the precise wording, and the fact that the original document was drafted many years ago in a different time for society, I’m apt to agree with Ms. Walker and her counsel that the requirement of the spouse be dismissed.”
Hope soared within me.
“However,” the judge continued. “That is not what is going to happen in this case.”
I didn’t miss the self-satisfied sound that slipped from Jacob. I swallowed hard against my feelings and waited for the verdict.
“What is going to happen is that Ms. Walker and her husband, Mr. Reid Lyons, will be rightfully and completely awarded full possession and ownership of the Tamarack Inn, along with the entirety of the funds that have been set aside as stated in the Walkers’ original will and testament. Effective immediately.”
“What?” Jacob yelled. “That’s bullshit. This is fake,” he said. “Didn’t you hear them? They just admitted it in front of the entire town. The marriage is fake. They’ve been playing all of you. They deserve to be in jail, not rewarded with?—”
“That is enough, Mr. Walker. I told you my decision was final.”
Reid squeezed my shoulder, shaking me a little.
It was only then that I dared look up. “Did he just say what I think he said?”
Reid’s smile told me everything I needed to know.
“But…I thought…”
“No.” Jacob’s rage-fueled voice cut through the air. “I refuse to accept this.” He snatched the phone from William’s hand and spoke to his lawyer. “We’ll fight this. We’ll expose their lie and?—”
“No, Jacob.” His lawyer, from his office on the other end of the phone, was calm and controlled. “I don’t know if you were listening earlier, but I was. This case was lost before it began. What I witnessed was two people very much in love with each other and very much in a legal marriage. Even through the phone, I could see that. There is no case here.”
“What?” Jacob’s face turned an awkward shade of purple. “You’re fired.” He shoved the phone back at William and spun on his heel, looking for a way out of the crowd that had begun to close in, ready to congratulate us on officially owning the inn.
“This isn’t over, Avery,” he spat in my direction.
“Oh yes, it is, Jacob.” Reid’s arm held me close as he pulled me slightly behind him and stepped up to Jacob. “This is very much over. And I suggest, for your own sake, you get out of town.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No.” To my surprise, Reid chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not. You’re not worth my time, but I think there are a few others who might have a different opinion.” He raised his eyebrows and jerked his head toward the crowd that now included all of Reid’s brothers, who’d joined at some point when I wasn’t paying attention.
“Avery,” Jacob tried again. “We can talk about this.”
Reid tried again to steer me away, but I needed to face him. “No,” I said as I turned to face him. “We can not talk about this, Jacob. You heard the judge. The inn is mine—” I stopped myself and reached for Reid’s hand. “It’s ours.” I gave him a smile, and he squeezed my hand in return before I continued. “It’s just as Grandma and Grandpa wanted,” I told my cousin. “You can either accept that or not. That’s up to you. But either way, we’re done here.”
I exhaled and released the tension I’d been holding, right as the clouds finally opened up and the rain started.
* * *
Reid
Avery shrieked as the rain started, but it quickly turned into a laugh as I tugged on her hand and started running, leading her through the crowd.
We moved through the throngs of our friends and neighbors, all of whom cheered us on and offered us congratulations until we were finally free and I got her under the shelter of the gazebo that had been placed in the center of the plaza to honor the late Michael Carlson, the savior of town.
Surprisingly, the gazebo was empty. What was left of the crowd was still gathered at the far end on the plaza, while everyone else had scattered into the coffee shop and other stores, seeking shelter or going about their business now that the show was over.
And it was over. Finally.
I spun my wife in my arms and held her close.
Her hair was wet and pasted in strands to her face. Her dress clung to her in all the right places, and she’d never looked more beautiful.
