"No." I shake my head firmly. "I can't keep lying to them. Not after last night. Not when this is becoming real. They deserve to know the truth, and we deserve to not have to hide what we are to each other."
"What are we to each other?" she shyly asks.
I take a breath, trying to put into words what I'm feeling. "I don't know yet. But I know you're worth whatever fallout comes from telling the truth. You're worth risking everything."
Her eyes get glassy, and she blinks rapidly. "You really mean that?"
"Every word."
She leans down and kisses my cheek, her lips warm and soft. "Whatever happens, I'll be there for you. We're in this together, remember?"
"Together," I agree, pulling her down for a proper kiss.
A few hours later…
By the time lunch rolls around, I'm a nervous wreck.
Claire and I spent the morning doing normal couple things: making breakfast together, taking a walk around the ranch so I could show her the property in daylight, talking about everything and nothing. She met some of the horses, laughed when one of them tried to eat her hair, and looked so at home here that I’m sure I want her to stay. Forever.
Now we're walking toward the main house for lunch, and I can feel the anxiety crawling up my spine. The buzzing in my ear is back with a vengeance, a high-pitched whine that makes it hard to concentrate.
"You okay?" Claire asks, squeezing my hand.
"No," I admit. "But I'm doing it anyway."
Everyone's already there when we arrive. Wade and Sierra are setting the table. Tucker's helping Emma with her hands at the sink. Marley's chopping vegetables while Boone watches her with that happy expression he gets. Mason's drinking coffee and looking half-asleep. Colt and Harper are bickering about something, and Nicole's laughing at them both.
It's so normal. So lovely. And I'm about to blow it all up.
"Hey," Wade says when he sees us. "Perfect timing. Lunch is almost ready."
"Actually," I say, my voice coming out rougher than intended. "Before we eat, I need to talk to everyone. About Claire. About... everything."
The room goes quiet. Everyone turns to look at me, and I can see the confusion on their faces. Boone's expression shifts to concern. Wade's eyebrows rise. Colt actually stops mid-sentence, which might be a first.
"What's going on?" Tucker asks, his voice calm but wary.
I look at Claire, and she nods encouragingly. We can do this. Together.
"I lied to you all," I start, forcing myself to meet their eyes even though every instinct is screaming at me to run. "About how Claire and I met. About our history. About everything."
"Rhett—" Wade starts, but I hold up a hand.
"Please. Just let me finish." I take a breath. "Claire and I didn't serve together in the military. We didn't keep in touch for years. We met three weeks ago. Online. On a mail order bride website."
The silence is deafening.
Sierra's mouth drops open. Tucker's eyes go wide. Colt actually laughs, then stops when he realizes I'm serious. Mason just stares at me like I've grown a second head.
It's Boone who speaks first. "You hired a mail order bride?"
"Yes." I force the word out. "I was watching all of you find love, find happiness, and I felt... left behind. Alone. And I didn't know how to fix it. So, I did something desperate and probably stupid, and I hired a wife on the internet."
"Holy shit," Colt breathes. "You actually did it. You crazy son of a bitch."
"Colt," Harper hisses, elbowing him.
"What? I'm impressed! That takes balls."
