She doesn’t look hurt as she hands it back. In fact, I’m not picking up much of anything.
“Willow, I didn’t want—”
She presses her palm to the side of my face and lifts up to kiss my lips, soft and quick. “You worry too much. He’s just doing his job.”
I grip her wrist to keep her close for another moment. Kissing her a little more. “I’ll see you in a few.”
She grins back .?.?. but that light in her eyes has faded. She steps down.
I wait until she’s out of earshot before turning a sharp glare at Noah. “Tear it up.”
He laughs and tucks it into his jacket. “No way. You’ll thank me for this.”
“That looked intense,” Silas says when I make my way over to him. He’s standing a few feet behind the ceremony setup, watching Storm with Pickles, the pony Ellie chose to be the ringbearer.
I slip my hands in my pockets. “Do me a favor and help Storm tie these to the saddle. Think you can manage that without her stepping on you?”
“We talkin’ about the horse or the trainer?”
“Just don’t get trampled by either—especially while carrying these.” I hand him the rings.
He takes them and smirks.
I squint around the growing crowd. “How’s the shoulder?”
He stills. “Barely feel it anymore. Think it resolved itself.”
“Liar,” I rasp casually.
“Says the man about to walk down the aisle to win a custody battle.”
I wince without a sound, keeping my eyes focused on the decked-out oak tree.
“I love her,” I rasp out loud.
From the corner of my eye, I catch Silas glance over at me. Then he nods slowly, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I’m glad.”
I scoff. “That’s it? You’re glad?”
“Dal, a few months ago I could hardly say three words to you. No one could.” He shakes his head, still barely looking at me. “It was like you buried yourself with her.”
The soft strum of a guitar drifts through the air, signaling it’s almost time.
“Kid changed you,” Silas continues. “Gave you a reason to wake up, show up, brought some life back to your eyes. But withher.?.?.” His blue eyes shift to the redhead feeding Pickles a carrot. “You’re you again. Lookin’ people in the eye, smiling, teasing. It’s like she pulled you out of a place the rest of us couldn’t reach.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” Wilder adds, stepping to my left.
I glance back at the house. Then the end of the aisle. Wishing I knew how to tell Willow all this. “I don’t think she’s convinced,” I mutter.
Silas slips his hands into his pockets, mimicking my stance. “Well, you’re about to say your vows. If there were ever a time to do it .?.?.”
I shake my head. “No. This is between her and me.”
28
I walk down the aisle in my white dress—it’s simple, but elegant enough to feel like a bride.Hisbride. I grabbed this one off the rack a few days ago when Rose hauled me to the town mall. It caught my eye instantly. For its knee-length, mostly, to go with my boots. But also because it didn’t make me feel like I was putting on a show. It felt comfortable, uncomplicated.Right.
The ache in my heart is still fresh. My pride—my confidence and my reassurance that this thing with Dallas and me could turn into something that lasts forever—torn a little.
