Page 38 of Forever Country (Forever Bluegrass #24)

T wo months later...

Holt drove along the country road, deep in Keeneston.

He’d leased out his Nashville home to Dallas since neither Holt nor Annaleigh wanted to be so close to her parents.

They were still managing to keep their agency afloat.

When you’re slimy like that, unfortunately things slide right off.

However, it wasn’t a friendly situation between the Astores and the two of them.

Especially when Holt made it clear, again, he’d never, ever, ever sign with them.

Annaleigh and Holt had found a new house near Paisley’s that they could make their own, together.

Everything was moved in, and he didn’t know how he’d ever lived alone before.

He loved making meals for Annaleigh and waking up with her in his arms. They rode horses, sipped wine by the firepit with Maddie and Cody, and talked about their days, their work, and their dreams.

Which brought Holt to the here and now.

“Where are we?” Annaleigh asked as Holt turned down a dirt road that meandered through the woods.

“You’ll see.” This property was twenty minutes from Keeneston—almost out of the county—but it was so worth it. The edge of this property backed up against part of Cady’s distillery.

The short drive through the woods opened to a field, and there a large contemporary house sat. Annaleigh gasped in surprise. “What is this?”

Holt parked his truck and went to open the door for Annaleigh. He took her hand and walked her toward the house. Her eyes were taking in everything from the large windows to the tree-lined property to the sound of a creek off in the distance.

“Action star Jason Rivers is from Lexington. He built this house five years ago. He thought he would live here part-time, but when he married, his wife was from Hawaii, so they started living there and L.A. He never set foot in this house and so he decided to sell it. And I bought it. For us.”

Holt took a deep breath and dug the engagement ring out of his pocket.

He was so nervous that he might drop it, he kept a death grip on it as he went down onto one knee.

“I want this to be our refuge, the place we raise our children, and the place we celebrate holidays and milestones with our friends and family. And I want that with you, my sweetheart, my Annaleigh. From the moment you knocked on my door, I did more than open the door to you. I also opened my heart. Annaleigh, will you marry me?”

Holt could feel his heart stop as he waited for her answer.

“Yes, I’ll marry you!”

Holt slid the ring on her now trembling finger then had Annaleigh in his arms, which was where he wanted her for the rest of his life.

“You weren’t kidding when you said Keeneston could throw a wedding together quickly.

I can’t believe we pulled this all together in a month,” Annaleigh said, smiling up at her new husband as they danced under the stars in their backyard while Paisley sang about love.

Portable fire heaters lined the reception keeping the guests warm in the crisp fall air.

Other couples began to join the dance. His parents couldn’t stop smiling. His mother was so excited about gaining a daughter. He saw another side of his father too. One who started saying things like, “Which sounds better? Grandpa Trey or Papa Trey?”

Maddie and Cody were still going strong.

Cody had moved to Nashville two weeks after giving notice.

He and Maddie lived in their small apartment while Maddie balanced finishing her degree and the A&M Agency.

True to his word, Sebastian had been giving Maddie way more of an education than school ever could.

Annaleigh and Maddie were hustling to build their client list and grow their agency.

Morgan had been mentoring her as well, and once they got back from their honeymoon, Morgan was dropping Holt as her client and moving one step closer to retirement now that she felt he’d be in good hands with his wife.

He’d tell Annaleigh about that next week.

Dallas and Paisley were just a few of the clients to join A&M over the past month. And, in true Annaleigh fashion, she’d signed several up-and-coming singers and was quickly gaining a reputation as a ferocious defender of her clients during contract negotiations.

Holt had freedom now. Morgan had her person upload his song, Summer Tea, three days after the awards show. That one song had taken off more than any previous song he’d recorded. Holt had finished recording the entire album last week and it would be available when they got back from their honeymoon.

Neal had been laid to rest shortly after the awards show.

Inside his house, Scripps found computers full of pictures, videos, and notes on not only Annaleigh but other women he’d stalked in the states he’d lived in previously and several he’d ended up assaulting.

It had helped to know that Holt had taken a predator off the streets, but it still made him hold Annaleigh a little closer.

The song ended and Holt led his wife off the dance floor and deeper into the yard where they could overlook the creek running through the property.

This was their favorite place. “Tonight has been perfect. I love you.” Holt kissed his wife and everything was just.

.. right. That was, until Annaleigh pulled away from him and frowned.

“What’s that?” Annaleigh asked, reaching forward. “It’s”—Annaleigh bent down and plucked something from a bush—“a thong.”

“The panty droppers.”

“The what?”

Holt laughed. “I guess there are some more Keeneston traditions you still need to learn. See, there is some couple, or couples, that get it on at every group event. You only know it because they leave behind her panties.”

“What else haven’t you told me?” Annaleigh asked as she laughed at the story.

“Well, are you offended by masturbation? Let me tell you about Mr. Chapman.”

Knox Everett would love to have another shot of bourbon, but the football season was in full swing. The team had a bye week, which was why Holt scheduled his wedding for this date.

“You’re looking as if you’re contemplating your life,” DeAndre said, joining him where he stood at one of the standing tables that lined the perimeter of the party area. “Is it about what happened at the children’s hospital yesterday?”

Knox almost dropped his glass. “What are you talking about exactly?”

“You and Holt went to visit the children and you had a blast from your past, right?” DeAndre added the question, but it was really a statement.

Knox shook his head. “I would ask how you know that, but I’m guessing you won’t tell me.”

DeAndre just smirked and raised his glass to Knox. “You’re not given second chances often in life, Knox. I say go for it.” Then he tossed back his drink and gave him a wink. “I’m going to find my wife and try to convince her we need baby number three.”

Was it really a second chance when it was a never was? It was a silly crush that hadn’t been reciprocated or even known about. Could he use this second chance at seeing her to see if maybe this time it could be different?

The Rose sisters sat nearby with Marcy Davies. They turned their hearing aids back down when DeAndre walked away from Knox.

“Well, I guess that call to Nico did the trick,” Miss Lily chuckled.

“I still don’t know how you knew she worked for him,” Miss Daisy said to Marcy.

“An apple pie here and there and I can find more information than Google.”

“So, do you think she’s the one?” Miss Violet asked.

Marcy nodded. “From what I learned, he didn’t think she was interested and she didn’t think he was interested.”

Miss Lily gleefully held up her champagne. “The pieces are in position. Now it’s up to love to work her magic.”

They all clicked glasses and took a sip of their drink before Miss Daisy narrowed her eyes. “I don’t like how lonely Nolan seems.”

The elderly women turned to look at the part-time fireman.

“I haven’t seen a spark in his eyes since Abby,” Marcy said with a frown.

“Nolan is such a good boy,” Miss Lily told them as they all nodded their agreement. “Smart, brave, kind, and loyal. We need to find him someone special. Marcy?”

Marcy flexed her fingers. “I’m on it. I’ll start baking some pies tomorrow. First up, Knox. Then we tackle those firefighters. They’re plowing their way through the Belles and need our help finding love.”

Miss Lily held up her glass again. “To love!”

Annaleigh looked around the dance floor. She was in her husband’s arms and surrounded by family. They might not be family through blood, but they were definitely family of her heart.

Holt’s family had made her feel so welcome and so loved that she felt sorry for Saxton to never experience this. She and her family had come to a truce of sorts. They were cordial for the most part but estranged. To them it all came down to money. To her it all came down to love.

Then there was Keeneston. Home truly is where the heart is and her heart was firmly in Keeneston.

The friends she’d made opened their arms to not only her, but also to Maddie.

Holt and Annaleigh spent as much time as possible in Keeneston.

Holt even made sure she had a fully operational office in their home so she could work remotely if need be.

Sometimes Annaleigh feared it was a dream and she’d wake up. But then she did wake up to find herself in Holt’s arms.

“Husband,” Annaleigh said as the song ended.

“Yes, my wife?”

“Tonight was a dream come true. There’s only one thing I can think of to make it better.”

Holt’s smile slipped. “What is it?”

“The song you’re going to write after you see my wedding lingerie.” His lips quirked back up and fire full of desire flared in his eyes. “Too bad we have all these guests here.”

Holt pulled her flush against him and kissed her so deeply she was starting to not care that guests were there.

“Good thing I still remember the code to the apartment above the café.” Holt bent down and scooped her up into his arms. “Throw your bouquet, sweetheart. I have a gift I can’t wait to unwrap.”

Annaleigh tossed her head back, laughing as Holt began to stride from their reception. Annaleigh tossed the bouquet and didn’t even notice the glare Nabi gave his daughter, Faith, upon catching it. That was for another time. Now it was all about her and Holt’s happily ever after.

The End