Ben crossed to Charlie. Tears streamed down her face.
“You wrote that for me,” she whispered.
“Every word.” He wiped away her tears with his thumb. “Every single word.”
She pulled him down and kissed him in front of everyone. The crowd cheered louder.
When they finally broke apart, Charlie laughed through her tears. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Princess.”
Charlie's phone buzzed. She pulled it from her pocket—bless Della for adding those—and looked at the screen. Her expression changed.
“It's Wren. Frankie's in labor.”
Ben felt his own heart jump. “Now?”
“Now.” Charlie was already texting back. “They're heading to the hospital.”
Just then, Ben’s phone buzzed.
“Ben! Frankie's?—”
“I know. Wren just texted Charlie. How are you holding up?”
“I'm terrified, brother. What if she?—”
“Listen to me.” Ben kept his voice steady. “Frankie's the strongest woman I know besides Charlie. She's got this. And you've got this. You just need to be there for her. Tell her she's amazing. That's all you can do.”
“What if something goes wrong? Brother, as an EMT, I’ve seen?—”
“You won't. You've been preparing for this for months. You've got the best medical team, Frankie's healthy, the baby'shealthy. All you have to do is show up and love them both. Can you do that?”
Another pause. “Yeah. Yeah, I can do that.”
“Good. We'll come by the hospital later if visiting hours allow. If not, we'll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Moose.”
“Anytime, Ram. Now go be with your girl.”
Ben hung up and looked at Charlie. She was watching him with soft eyes.
“What?” he asked.
“You're a good friend.”
“Waylon's family. We take care of family.”
Charlie slipped her hand into his. “Yeah. We do.”
They walked back through the Faire toward the truck, the sun setting behind them, casting everything in gold and amber light. Charlie in her princess dress, Ben in his kilt, both of them heading home together.
It felt right.
It felt like forever.
TWENTY
