“I want to be with you. I want Lulu to grow up in the country with animals and nature at her fingertips. I want us to live here.”
I actually think I start gasping for air because Liam starts patting my back.
‘Are you all right?” he asks me.
“Yes.” I nod vigorously. “I am very all right. I’m just…fully shocked.”
He takes my hands in his. “No pressure, right? I’m just laying out to you where I stand.”
“So you love me and you want to be with me. Here in Montana.”
“Yes.”
He backs me up so I’m leaning against a huge pine tree.
His mouth covers mine as he kisses me at a relaxed, unhurried pace.
I nibble at his bottom lip until he growls and kisses me harder and more urgently.
“I could kiss you for hours,” he mutters as he pulls out his phone and glances at the screen. “But I’m on the clock.”
“Why?”
“I’m delivering the best man toast in three minutes.”
“Three?” I step back and take his hand. “Let’s go. I don’t want you to be late.”
We hustle across the lawn and back to the tent.
“I’m going to give you a shout-out,” he promises as he heads for the stage. “On Hunt’s orders, so don’t worry about co-opting his wedding day. He’s requested it.”
I stare after him.
What is he talking about?
I return to my seat at the bridesmaid table. Emerson takes one look at me and smiles.
“What?” I ask her.
She and Ashley crack up.
“You’ve got pine needles in your hair, and your lipstick is smudged.” Emerson helps me remove the pine needles. “You and Liam ended your deal, didn’t you?”
“You should be a detective.” I sigh. “We didn’t discuss the deal, but we did confess our true feelings.”
Ashley and Emerson both grab me in a hug.
“That’s amazing!” Ashley says. “He said the L-word?”
I nod. “I did too.”
Emerson’s still bumping her shoulder to mine when Liam takes the mic up on the stage.
“I’ve known Winter Allen since we were kids. She was already family, but Jared, Max, and I are beyond thrilled that it’s now official.”
Liam talks for several more minutes about Winter and Hunter as kids and how close they were. He shares an emotional story of how Winter was there for Hunter the night he lost his dad.
“Please join me in my first toast of tonight, to our dad, who should be here in person but I know he is in spirit.”
