“It’s because I seeyou. The real you.”
The music transitions into something slower, softer, and I wrap my arms around his torso, my cheek resting flat on his chest as I seek Jayson out to make sure he’s okay. I’m relieved to see him talking with Daniel and Drew, Charlotte nowhere in sight. She must have ditched him as soon as she could. I don’t ground my children often, but I think she’s earned it.
“Thank you for being so understanding about…everything.”
The words feel inadequate, barely skimming the surface. Fallon has let me handle Jayson in my own way, never demanding, never trying to control my choices. He hasn’t tried to impose on what I should do or demand that I stay away from him. He hasn’t thrown down ultimatums or drawn territorial lines—things a lesser man, a jealous man, would do. I can’t imagine how hard this must be for him—to see me tangled in emotions over Jayson’s return, to stand by and watch mespend time with a man he abhors—but Fallon understands how important Jayson is to me, and I appreciate that trust.
“He’s still in love with you.”
His words crack the ground beneath me, and I freeze mid-step, my body going rigid in his arms. Our dance suddenly feels like I’ve been thrust into a maze, where every path is lined with hidden traps that I have to cautiously navigate.
Knowing I must consider my response carefully, I reply, “It wouldn’t matter because I’m in love with you.”
A flash of sadness darkens his face. It’s gone in a heartbeat, but not before it slashes through me like a broadsword. “You know better than anyone that you can love more than one man at the same time.”
The chasm under us grows wider, burdened with the past I can’t rewrite and the future I refuse to let slip through my fingers. No love is the same, and I want to tell him that loving him is different. That what I feel for Jayson is nothing compared to the fire that burns inside of me for him. But I’m scared that no matter what I say, Fallon will always wonder if my heart loves Ryder and Jayson more.
The music abruptly cuts out, and someone clinks a fork against a glass like a bell.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” Trevor says.
Fallon shifts behind me, his arms resting loosely around my waist as he turns me to face the patio where Trevor is standing. Austin is right next to him, wearing the kind of smile that is blinding in its intensity.
“Get ready for it,” Fallon says.
“Ready for what?” I ask, craning my neck to see what’s going on.
Trevor holds his glass up in my direction. “First, thank you to our lovely hostess, the Wildcat herself, for the great food we know she spent all day cooking.”
I am never going to outlive that nickname he gave me in college.
“Thank you, Elizabeth!” Peyton shouts from somewhere behind me, and it starts a wave of applause. I take a small bow.
“Everyone knows the man beside me. I’m so damn grateful Austin came into my life. I love him more than anything, which leads me to this,” Trevor continues.
Oh my god, is he about to—but then I get suspicious when Christopher comes out the back door, guitar in hand.
“I am not singing,” I warn Fallon. But I will if what’s about to happen—what I hope is about to happen—happens.
“Hush, woman, and wait for it.”
“Let’s see if I can do this as good as Ryder.” Trevor nods at Christopher, who begins playing Taylor Swift’s “Love Song.”
Austin’s eyes shine with excitement as Trevor fishes something out of his pocket and drops down on one knee. My hand flies up to cover my gasp when Trevor starts singing a similar version of the song Ryder played for me the night he proposed in front of his family.
“On bended knee, I pulled out a ring,
And sang, ‘Marry me, Austin…
And say you’re mine forever.’”
My eyes well, elation bursting in my chest, and I spin around to face Fallon. “Did you know about this?”
His smirk gives him away before he nods. “Trevor made me swear to keep it under wraps.”
The joy I’m feeling turns to stone when my gaze falls on the devastation etched on Jayson’s face. Oh god. That song. That night. The night that broke us.
I helplessly watch Jayson’s silhouette disappear into the darkness as he heads down the hill toward Ryder’s gravesite.
