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“Mags, I promise, I’ll spend every damn day proving to your dad that I’m the man you deserve.”

“And me?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Because I saw that girl at the rodeo, in the bathrooms, and she said you tell everyone you sleep with that you love them.”

His jaw ticked, and he stepped back from me, both of us standing still in the middle of the dance floor.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

“Damn it, Maggie, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” He beat his chest. “I got a new number so chicks couldn’t call me. I told you about my cancer diagnosis. I didn’t even tell my mom about it until I knew everything would be okay. I wore a fucking wedding ring just so no one would get any ideas. How else can I prove to you thatI’m in this?That I’m not giving up or running away this time?”

I stared at him, my jaw tight. “Maybe do it for longer than a couple months! You say you’ve made all these changes, but I’m still getting to know you, Rhett!”

He held his chest. “I know me, Maggie. And if this doesn’t work out, it’s going to be because you’re scared, not because I fucked it up.”

His words hit me, one after another, and I knew we were making a scene, I knew everyone was staring, but I couldn’t find it in me to disagree with him or care what anyone else thought of us.

“You’re right. I’m scared. And I don’t know how to get that feeling to go away,” I said. “Tell me how to make it go away.”

A commotion was growing on the other end of the bar, and we both looked that way to find people carrying Cam and Cooper on their shoulders.

“THEY’RE GETTING MARRIED, THEY’RE GETTING MARRIED!”

Soon the entire bar was shouting, and Cam and Cooper were getting closer to us. Rhett and I had no choice but to smile and cheer along as they headed our way.

Regardless of what was going on with us, they needed our support. Now more than ever.

* * *

When we got backto the camper, Camryn and Cooper took the queen bed, and Rhett and I opted for the bunks. But instead of climbing to the top one, Rhett crawled in next to me, spooning me from behind.

He brushed my hair over my shoulders and placed a kiss softly on the back of my neck. And I cried, because after all these years, I had a chance to live the kind of life I wanted with Rhett without all that heartbreak, and he was right about what he said tonight.

I was more afraid than I’d ever been.

As Cam’s breathing slowed and Cooper’s soft snores filled the trailer, I turned in Rhett’s arms to face him. In the dim light coming through the blinds, I could see his deep hazel eyes open.

For a moment, we watched each other, and I reached up, cupping his jaw, running my thumb over his bottom lip. “You were right, earlier.”

He drew his lips to the side. “It’s not always fun being right.”

“Beg to differ.”

He smiled slightly.

I leaned in and kissed him. “Give me time to get used to the idea of us?”

He rested his forehead against mine. “Guess it’s not fair of me to think you’ve been dreaming of me for fifteen years too.”

I looked up at him. “Some things are too good to risk dreaming about.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because when you find out reality doesn’t match, it just breaks your heart that much more.”

47

RHETT

The girls layin the back seat, both of them slouched against the doors and sleeping as we drove back to Cottonwood Falls Sunday afternoon. The night before had worn out all of us, even Cooper, judging by the way he was slumped in the passenger seat, dark sunglasses over his eyes.