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“He likes doing his own thing,” she agreed. “And your parents? I haven’t seen them around town yet.”

“They’re good. Dad’s busy on the ranch, and Mom’s having fun this summer, hanging out with all her grandchildren.”

“I saw online that Gage got married. And Liv,” she said.

I nodded. “Tyler did too a couple years ago. I’m the last one standing.” The words came out of my mouth roughly, knowing that life could have been so much different if only I’d made a few better choices when it came to us.

“Here we are,” she replied, parking in front of Woody’s. It was like déjà vu, being with her at this place again. But we were both older. I could actually grow a full beard now, if I wanted to. She’d filled out since then too, making her even more womanly than before.

Before I got too distracted by her curves, I got out of the car, hurrying to her side to open her door.

She got out, her chest inches from me, and gave me a look. “You didn’t need to do that.”

I put my hand on the hood of the car, my voice low as I said, “I’ve learned a few things about how to treat a woman since we broke up.”

Color flooded her cheeks. “Let’s go inside.”

We walked through the diner, and I could feel everyone’s eyes on us. No one commented on it, though, until we got back to the booth and Agatha approached with her ticket book.

“Imagine that, Rhett and Mags here together again,” she said, her grin deepening the smile lines on her face. She pulled a pencil from behind her ear. “Last time you two were here in the same booth, you couldn’t keep your hands off each other.”

Now Mags was blushing even harder, but I said, “Can you blame me? I mean, look at her.”

Agatha tossed her head back, laughing. “Quite the charmer. What can I get you two to drink?”

We ordered sodas, and as Agatha walked away, Mags looked around the diner from the black and white checkered tiles to the businesses advertised on the laminate tabletop. “Things really haven’t changed around here, have they?”

“That’s not true.” I gestured toward the tabletop. “CJ owns the garage now. And Fletcher owns the doctor’s office. It’s Madigan Medical now. Tyler opened boutique apartments for seniors. And thanks to Gage, the school has turf for the kids to play football on now.”

“And you? Same old Rhett?”

I shook my head. “I’m hoping to show you that I’ve changed too.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Is that so?”

I leaned forward to reply, but Agatha came back, setting down our drinks, taking our orders and distracting us from our conversation. Maggie sipped from her straw, not quite looking at me. But I had to make her see.

“Look, Mags. I know I have no right to ask for a second chance since I messed up the first chance so badly, but I want us to get to know each other again. Not the Rhett and Maggie who were high school sweethearts and thought they were invincible. The us now. Because the truth is fourteen years is a long time, but you’ve always been in the back of my mind. And even though this diner looks the same, I’m not that guy you knew, and I want to get to know the woman you’ve become.”

7

MAGNOLIA

I lookedat this man across from me. He did look so much like the boy I used to love. Bright hazel eyes. Dimples in his cheeks that only showed with the slightest quirk of his lips. Strong arms and calloused hands. A smile that could melt gold.

But he was different too. I could see the color of five o’clock shadow under his skin. His hair was still full, but his widow’s peak was more distinct. And instead of being wiry, he had thick arms and legs with muscles formed from years of hard work.

I’d loved Rhett with all my heart back then. What if he had grown out of all the parts that hurt me? Could my life with him be better than I dreamed it through the idealistic eyes of a young woman? Could I forget the pain he caused me?

I didn’t know.

“Rhett, you proposed to me.”

He lowered his gaze. “I did.”

“And an hour later you were sleeping with another woman,” I reminded him, that wound coming up, buried in scar tissue but painful nonetheless.

His eyes begged me to understand. “You said no. I thought we were over, Mags. I didn’t know how to cope.”