"Does it have to be?"
"My life is in LA. Yours is here."
"Your life could be here."
She looked at me then, and there was so much sadness in her eyes. "Could it? Really? I abandon my career, break my contracts, and what? Become a ranch wife?"
"You make that sound like a bad thing."
"It's not. It's just... I don't know who I am anymore, Lee. I'm not Stevie Wilson the superstar, but I'm not just Stephy from Austin either. I'm something in between, and I need to figure out what that means."
"And the festival?"
"Is a start. A test. Can I be in public without panicking? Can I be around people without being 'on'? Can I just... be?"
I understood then. This wasn't just about wanting to have fun at a small-town festival. This was about reclaiming her life, piece by piece.
"Okay," I said, pulling her against me. "We'll go. But you stay close to me."
Her smile was small, but genuine. ”Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else."
We lay there as the morning aged into afternoon, both aware that something fundamental had shifted. The bubble hadn't burst, but it had developed a leak. Reality was seeping in, drop by drop.
But for now, we had this. This bed, this closeness, this connection that transcended whatever we called it.
For now, it was enough.
Chapter 15
Stephanie
Liam leaned against the bathroom doorframe, watching me in the mirror, and crossed his arms. "Sweetheart, you look beautiful. You've looked beautiful in everything you've tried on. You'd look beautiful in a burlap sack."
"A burlap sack might actually be better for blending in." I tugged at the hem of my sundress—a soft blue thing with tiny white flowers that Ivy had lent me. It was pretty. Simple. The kind of thing a normal woman wore to a small-town festival.
But I didn't know how to be a normal woman anymore.
"Hey." Liam crossed the room and turned me away from the mirror, his hands warm on my shoulders. "What's going on in that head of yours?"
"Nothing." I pressed my forehead to his chest, breathing him in—soap and cedar and safety. “Everything,” I admitted. “What if someone recognizes me? What if I ruin your family's day? What if?—"
"We don't have to go." His voice was gentle, no pressure. “Aunt Lou and Ivy will understand. We can stay right here, andI'll find ways to entertain you." His hands slid down to my hips, pulling me closer. "I can think of a few activities that don't require leaving the bedroom."
Heat rushed through me at the suggestion in his voice, and for a moment I was tempted. So tempted. Staying here, wrapped up in him, safe from the world and all its prying eyes...
But I wouldn’t give in.
I'd begged him to take me to this festival. I'd convinced him to let me go despite his concerns about my safety. I knew he'd said yes because he wanted to give me this—a taste of normal life, a chance to feel like a regular person.
I couldn't chicken out now.
"Nice try, Ranger." I pulled back and squared my shoulders. "But I need to do this."
Something shifted in his expression—pride, maybe, mixed with that ever-present worry he tried so hard to hide. "You sure?"
"I'm sure. Louisa and Ivy went out of their way to invite me. Your aunt has been telling me about this festival for weeks. I want to see her win that pie contest. I want to eat terrible fair food and watch fireworks and just... be normal. Even if it's only for one day."
Liam studied my face for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Okay. But stay close to me, you hear? Anything feels off, anyone looks at you too long, we leave. No arguments."
