“Yeah.” He gives a half-laugh, half-groan. “I talked to Derek. We worked it out. I was gonna surprise you.”
“And I was going to surprise you. I was thinking some big, romantic gesture, showing up on your doorstep with a suitcase in hand. That’s romantic, right?”
We just look at each other—both caught between shock and the absurdity of it all.
“You can’t uproot your life because of me,” I say. “You love Whynot. It’s part of who you are on a cellular level. You’d hate living here.”
“And you can’t quit your career because of me,” he replies. “You’ve worked too hard at it and what you do is too important.”
I roll my eyes. “I didn’t do it because of you. I did it because of me.”
Sam chuckles. “Well, I didn’t move for you—I moved for us!”
We both stop, blink—and then start laughing. The kind of laugh that breaks tension clean in two.
“Oh my God,” I wheeze, wiping at my eyes. “We’re both idiots.”
“Idiots in love,” he corrects, stepping closer.
I loop my arms around his neck, still laughing through tears. “You said something once about roots and wings.”
He nods. “Yeah.”
“Well,” I say softly, “I’ve been flying for a long time. I think it’s time to fold the wings for a while and nurture the roots—with you.”
He exhales, a shaky sound that feels like relief. “You’re sure? What you do is important, Penny. I don’t want you to abandon your dreams.”
“I’m positive this is the right decision,” I say. “I feel it so deep in my gut. Whynot’s where I belong. With you.”
He cups my face, thumb brushing along my cheekbone. “Okay, but just so you know, you’re not staying with Muriel.”
“Excuse me?”
“Hell no,” he says with that grin that always melts my heart. “You’re moving in with me.”
“Just like that?”
“Penny, I’ve loved you fast from the start. I’m not slowing down now.”
I laugh, kissing him again, softer this time, deeper. “Guess we’re terrible at long distance.”
“Guess we are,” he murmurs. “Good thing we’re better at together.”
We stand there in the quiet, surrounded by boxes and the hum of the city outside. His hand slips into mine, fingers interlaced, and the world narrows to this small, perfect moment.
I look up at him and smile. “Funny how everything feels right when it’s this simple.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I tug him closer, resting my head against his chest. “We finally both found where we truly belong.”
CHAPTER 25
Sam
The evening airin Whynot smells like fried dough and blooming magnolia.
Courthouse Square is strung with lights that sway gently in the spring breeze, and a local band plays from the gazebo—a mix of bluegrass and classic country that makes everyone’s hips move, even the ones pretending they’re too dignified to dance.
