Page 99 of The One With the Mountain Man

She knew.

All of it. How?

"Did you know," she sat back, her voice returning to its usual volume, "that you actually need Marley?"

I shook away the memories and replayed Eve's words. "Excuse me?"

Her eyes locked on mine, wise and all-knowing. "She's your comfort. Your success."

What the actual fuck was my sister going on about? "And you know this from one conversation?"

"No, but that definitely confirmed things for me. I see all, Huk. I see the way your friendships have strengthened with Scottie, Travis, and Digger. I hear the way Red talks about you, Colin too. Sharon's gossip and Maeve's subtle comments. I don't have to sit down and grill you to know that you've changed, and that change has all come since meeting Marley. You're calmer, more at peace, which has allowed you to slot back into our lives slowly but surely. I love you for helping Karis and Gus, but you can't tell me you'd be as at ease with them if you'd never met Marley."

No, I couldn't. I'd probably be crawling the walls trying to get out of town. But instead I was sitting outside of The Green Door, casual as you please, with no actual plans to skip town.

Not unless Marley did.

"How does all this tie into needing Marley for comfort or success or whatever the fuck you're talking about?" Now I was starting to wonder if Eve was like one of those tarot card readers or mediums who just said a lot of words until they made some sort of sense.

"What's your one regret?"

"Eve. Fucking get to the fucking point." My tapping had migrated to my foot and the urge to disappear on a mountain was strong.

"Fine," she huffed, throwing her hands in the air. "But you're no fun. I was leading you down a very insightful road, I'll have you know. Here's the plain vanilla, no fun, version. You couldn't save us. Not completely. You had to settle for good enough and it's been eating at you for years. Forever. You can protect Marley just like she protects you. You can hold on to that and know that you succeeded. Without her you're just a growly wandering mountain man who looks entirely too good in tight t-shirts and cowboy hats."

I loved that she could deliver a heaping pile of deep thoughts and end it with something light.

"And why is looking good a problem?"

"Because you're cake behind bulletproof glass. Right there but untouchable. You've been torturing the Eastern Seaboard for a decade."

She let me sit in my silence while I finished my drink and finally touched the truffle fries. "I want to introduce her to everyone, but I don't want it to end in a Finn Fam Fight." The idea of bringing Marley into the house felt so wrong. At least not at first. Meeting the entire family at once and in that house was just too much.

Eve looked me up and down. "Let me handle it. Are you guys free for lunch Sunday afternoon?"

I planned on keeping Marley in bed as long as possible on Sunday, but I could slightly alter our plans if Eve could make this task less painful. "What do you have in mind?"

"Still Standing. Noon. Private event for a very select few Finns. We'll do this in batches. Nora last...if ever. Maybe we just do Nora and the 'rents at dinner one day years from now."

I tapped the table again. This just might work. "All right, Kiddo. You're officially in charge of the Marley welcome wagon. If you fuck it up, it's on you."

When I got backto Golden Hour the first thing I heard was Marley talking. Sure enough the sound washed over me and soothed away the tension in my shoulders better than any massage.

How was Eve so fucking perceptive and no one ever noticed? If that wasn't textbook Finn Fam nothing was. Instead of entering through the front door I walked around to the steps that led to the deck. Marley sat at her makeshift desk, one knee pulled up, talking to her laptop. I leaned against the column and listened, not wanting to interrupt.

"We're thinking of doing Thanksgiving at Elora's this year and Christmas in the Bahamas."

I tensed back up at the mention of the holidays. They were a long way off but in the vague fog of my mind all holidays would be spent at Marley's side for the rest of time. Did I care if they were in Florida or the Bahamas instead of here?

"Yes, I'm hosting," a different, lighter voice took over, "Craig wants to fry the turkey."

"I'll have the burn unit on standby," a masculine voice chimed in.

I'd only heard her talk to her family once before and only for a minute before the call ended. I wasn't a huge fan of them then and even less of a fan after I learned they didn't think her stalker was an issue. I wasn't about to bound in and introduce myself then tell them they sucked ass.

"OkayDoctorTranquill." Elora rolled her eyes so hard I could see it from here.

"How does that sound, Marley?" Her mother asked.

---