Page 104 of Stuck with my Mechanic Daddies

The moment Lawson walked out, the tension in the room shifted. The fire I’d built up with my speech dimmed, flickering under the weight of doubt.

People weren’t clapping anymore. They were whispering, exchanging uneasy glances. I could feel it creeping in, fear.

Nancy Hayes, standing near the back with that calm, knowing look she always had, was the first to speak up.

“He's right about one thing,” she said, arms folded. “We don’t have money. We don’t have lawyers. Even if we fight, how do we win?”

Charlie Dunn nodded. “We’re just regular people. We don’t have the kind of power he does. If he drags us through lawsuits or buys up enough land, what then?”

The murmurs grew louder, doubt spreading like wildfire.

Ethan crossed his arms, jaw tight. “We’re not rolling over just because Lawson’s got deep pockets.”

“You say that, Ethan,” George Cooper called out, frowning, “but fighting him means dragging our families into something dangerous. My wife and I already got an offer for our property, and if we say no, what's stopping Lawson from making our lives hell?”

I clenched my jaw.That's exactly what he's already doing.

Owen, standing solid beside me, spoke up. “You're afraid. We all are. But fear is exactly what Lawson’s counting on. If he can make you believe you’ve already lost, you won’t even try to fight.”

People shifted, uneasy but listening.

I ran a hand through my hair. “Look, I get it. No one wants trouble. But what do you think’s gonna happen if we don’t stop him? Medford won’t beMedfordanymore.

“You think Lawson’s gonna keep our businesses, our history? Hell no. He's gonna turn this place into another overpriced, soulless pit where none of us belong.” I exhaled sharply. “And you wanna know the worst part? He thinks he deserves this town. Like we owe it to him.”

That hit home.

People frowned, whispering again, but this time, I could tell they were angry.

“But how?” Ryan muttered. “How do we stop a man like that?”

That was the million-dollar question.

I wished Aurora was here. She’d be on our side.

But she wasn’t here; she hadn't been around for a while now.

This battle was clearly taking it out of her.

Ethan’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“We start by sticking together. By making sure Lawson knows Medford isn’t for sale.” He looked out over the crowd. “If you want to keep your home, your business, yourtown, you need to make a choice. We stand, or we surrender. And if we surrender, we lose everything.”

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Harriet Cooper spoke up. “I don’t want to lose everything my husband and I built here. But we need more than just anger. We need a plan.”

“I can help with that.”

Lila Harper’s voice rang out from the middle of the crowd, where she stood, arms crossed, between Jaxon and Colt like a battle formation.

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s how to rally people behind something worth fighting for. Lawson’s got money, but we’ve got something he doesn’t—this town, and the people in it.”

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.

“I’m in,” Nate Harper said, gruff but firm. “Medford’s not just a place to me. It’s home.”

More people started nodding. Voices rising.

---