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“ T urn the music up,” Bellamy yells out the window, her southern accent thicker with her excitement. Red hair flows in the wind, matching the color of the autumn leaves. With her head halfway out my window, she raps Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics to “Peekaboo.”

“I need a karaoke night soon,” she calls out over the music.

Bellamy loves to sing and dance. And even in the time we haven’t been together, it’s been one of my favorite things to watch her do. She always looks so carefree in those moments.

“You need to add this to your pregame warmup list,” she says, and I make a mental note to do exactly that.

Bellamy is always guaranteed to know the lyrics to almost any rap or country song. She normally listens to country when she’s sad or just wanting to chill. But rap is her happy music.

No doubt, we’re both happy today. Both of us are feeling the high of walking out of our parents’ house, hand in hand, to head back to school.

We even got a ride in first thing this morning, and her wrist was able to tolerate riding faster than she has in a very long time.

Bellamy felt so good that, for the first time since we met, she mentioned training for barrel racing again before the local rodeo comes back to town in the fall.

Other than the bomb about her dad, this weekend has been perfect. She hasn’t brought him back up, likely trusting my dad is doing everything in his power to make sure the man doesn’t bother her or her mom.

I don’t want to bring him up on such a good day, so instead, when the song ends, I decide to tell her about something else that’s been on my mind.

“So I’ve been thinking…” I say, turning the radio down.

Bellamy tucks her head back into my Silverado. “What’s on your mind, Stud?”

“Ever since we started riding together again, it’s brought back my love for the ranch. My love to be there, to work there, to grow old there.”

She’s smirking when I glance her way, reaching over and squeezing my thigh. “I hope there’s a spot for me to grow old with you there?”

My body warms as I smile widely. “Is that what you want, Bella?”

She nods, a soft look taking over her expression. “More than anything.”

“Good, because I have plans for us.”

Curiosity floods her green gaze, reminding me so much of that first summer.

“Yesterday, having Joey out and seeing how therapeutic the horse riding was for him, I could really envision us making that into something on Cane Creek Ranch. A type of therapy for kids with autism and other disabilities. I wanted to talk to you about it, but I thought it may even be a good outlet for kids you’ll be helping with emotional trauma. What do you think?”

Her hand goes to her chest. “I think it sounds brilliant. Like a dream come true.”

Pride fills me with her response.

“During my senior year, I’d like to get a business plan together and present it to Dad. I want you to help me.”

She gives another squeeze to my thigh as she bounces once in her seat. “I’d love that.”

“And we can rent you an office space in town or whatever path you see yourself taking. I’ll be right there to support you and help you make it happen.”

Bellamy ponders on something before saying, “We don’t have to live in our parents’ house, do we?”

That makes me laugh. “Not forever, at least. Papaw will be deeding me and Maverick each some acreage to build our own houses on.”

She shakes her head, almost in disbelief. “This is all so surreal. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this level of happiness in my life.”

Lowering my hand from the wheel, I intertwine her fingers with mine. “You’re mine. And everyone knows it. No more hiding, no more secrets, no more worrying.”

I lift her hand, placing my lips to her skin. “I love you.”

She beams up at me, and that’s when I see a Starbucks right as we enter town. “Does my baby want an iced coffee before we get back to The Wolves Den?”

Her attention shifts, smiling as she realizes I’m already turning into the entrance. “And I literally thought I couldn’t love you more. What could I ever do to repay you for this, sir?” The way she goes from sweet and soft to playful and teasing will always light me up inside.

“Stay with me tonight, snuggle while we fall asleep to Fast & the Furious , and then let me wake you up tomorrow with my head between your legs.”

Her pupils dilate as she bites her lip. “That can be arranged.”

Later that night, I decide I want to share something with her. Something that’s been on my mind lately.

I go into my desk and grab my first journal that Bellamy gave me.

Bellamy examines what’s in my hand and sits up in my bed, her long red hair tussled all around and wearing nothing but my t-shirt. The sight hits me right in the chest. I’ve dreamed of getting to be with her like this for so long.

“I want to share something with you,” I smile, sitting down beside her on my bed and opening the notebook.

“A memory of Jules?” she asks.

“Yes, but this one is extra special.”

She moves closer and sweetly asks, “Why is that?”

“Because it’s about you.”

Her eyebrows pinch, and she points to her chest. “Me?”

I nod, turning the first few pages until I find the one I’m searching for.

“Here it is.”

We were about ten and Jules was nine when we went to the first wedding I ever remember going to.

It was my mom’s cousin’s wedding, so we were up in Boston.

My favorite memory of that weekend has always been the Bruins game they took us to the day after the wedding.

But this morning, I woke up with a fresh memory from that weekend.

It was just after the wedding ceremony that we were bored waiting for the dinner and dancing to start, so our parents let the three of us wander around the grounds a bit, as long as we agreed to stay together.

We found a cool fountain to take a break at. Of course, Mav brought up the kiss at the end of the ceremony and how he hoped he could do that with a girl in our class that year named Kirsten Kameron.

Me and Jules picked on him about that. Then Jules said, “Well, you can’t marry her because I don’t want to be friends with her, and I’m going to be very best friends with both of your wives.”

I remember asking her how she knew that, and she said she just knew. Just like she knew what our wives would be like.

She said Mav’s wife would be tall, beautiful, and strong enough to put him in his place when he needed it, but kind enough to love his big ol’ heart. And my wife would love to ride horses, cook meatloaf almost as good as Gigi, and make my grumpy butt smile every day.

We asked her if she knew so much, then to tell us what her husband would be like, and she responded with one word.

Hudson.

Tears are pouring down Bellamy’s face by the time she finishes reading, and unshed ones shine in my own.

Rubbing the pad of my thumb under her eye to wipe away the tears, she finally looks up at me, away from the page. “Oh my goodness, Cash.”

“I know it.” I woke up in tears the morning I remembered. It was a few days after we found out that our parents had gotten married. Looking back, I think it was Jules’s way of sneaking into my dreams and giving me hope when I needed it most.

“I’m blown away…” Bellamy shakes her head, emotion clogging her throat.

I take her hand in mine and place it against my heart.

“It’s you, it’s always been you. Some people may not understand, but I have no doubt we were meant to be, and it may seem unorthodox that we met because of our parents, but in my heart, I know Jules brought you to me.

Maybe she saw a way to help my dad and your mom along the way too. ”

Bellamy throws herself into my arms, burying her head into my chest as she sniffles. “No words can express how much that entry means to me. I hope you know how special Jules is to me, too.”

I smile softly, tears escaping my eyes. “I know, Bella.”

“And poor Hud,” she whimpers and starts crying again.

I rub her back gently. “I know, but she’ll send him someone too. Just like Mav. I think she’s working on his already.”

She laughs through her tears. “Yep, he definitely needs someone who will put him in his place. You should share this memory with him, too, just in case he forgot it.”

I nod, pressing a kiss to her head. “I should.”

I hug her once more before pulling back so I can see her face. “So you know what this means, right?”

She tilts her head, giving me a questioning glance. “What?”

“That one day, when I ask you to be my wife, you have to say yes.”

A big smile overtakes her features. “As if I would say anything else.”