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“It’s like these guys are great except for one part of them,” she said, twirling the ends of her hair and eyeing the split ends. “Maybe there’s a reason for that.”

“But that’s a relationship, right? Nothing’s a hundred percent perfect.”

“And yet…” she said. “Rhett’s gone above and beyond, and you’re expecting him to have all the same flaws as he did before. It’s almost like you’re not getting over the past anymore but worrying what he’ll do in the future to hurt you again.”

My throat felt tight.

“What if—” She held out her hands. “Just humor me. What if there was someone who could meet your needs? Who wasn’t perfect, but who wasgoodin all the ways that counted? Andwhat ifit took him fifteen years to become the version of himself that deserved you? How would you act then?”

Fear gripped my chest, and I swallowed. “I probably wouldn’t be as scared as I am now.”

She smiled. “You know, fear is just excitement’s ugly cousin.”

I laughed. “You need to write fortune cookies.”

“Who says I don’t already?” She winked.

A knock sounded on the door, and she got a smile like the Cheshire cat. “Destiny’s knocking.”

“And here I thought it was Rhett.” I shook my head at her and then kissed her forehead. “He may be my twin flame, but you’ll always be my soul mate.”

She smiled. “Back atchu, bugaboo.”

I gave myself one last glance in the mirror, admiring the way I looked in my favorite distressed denim shorts and a black tank with a bow that drew the eye to the girls. I paired it with a paisley red headband and some casual sneakers, giving myself that effortless look that actually did take effort.

“You look good,” Cam said, slapping my butt. “Go get him.”

I pretended to be a horse, whinnying and galloping out of the bathroom. I still had a smile on my face as I opened the door to see Rhett Griffen waiting for me.

He looked so good in his faded blue jeans and his cut-off white shirt that showed the sides of his muscled chest. Don’t even get me started on his strong, broad shoulders with veins that...

My mind was getting carried away, and judging by the way his gaze dipped over my body, his was too.

He cleared his throat. “You look good, Mags.”

“Could say the same for you, Coach.”

He smiled, stepping back for me to exit the house. “Today, it’s just Rhett.”

I smiled and followed him out to his truck, thinking to myself that he was never “just Rhett.” Not to me.

As I walked to the passenger side, I noticed a cooler and a couple of fishing poles in the truck bed, along with a tackle box. “Looks like you’ve got everything we’ll need,” I said. “But I don’t see any chairs.”

He held the door open for me, a coy smile on his lips. “Just you wait.”

I got in the truck and buckled up as he shut the door. My eyes wandered over him while he walked around the front of the truck. That cut-off shirt was doing him far too many favors.

I glanced down at my lap when he got in so he couldn’t see I’d been staring.

“Thanks for coming out with me,” he said as we drove off.

I smiled. “How was the rodeo yesterday?”

“I won a nice little purse.”

I raised my eyebrows. “They give out purses to men for winning?”

He laughed, the sound warm. “No, a purse is what we call the prize money.”