I close my eyes and run my hand around his rib cage to pull him closer to me.
“I love you, cowboy.” I whisper the words, voice shaking.
Waylon presses his lips to mine. It’s tender at first, and then his hands travel down to my ass. The kiss deepens as our tongues lap at the other’s, a sense of urgency becoming more palpable.
He lifts me onto the counter in one smooth motion, his mouth never leaving mine. My hands roam his muscled back, and I wrap my legs around his hips for good measure. I don’t want to let go. Ever.
Tater barks from the floor, pulling our attention to him. We look down at him, and he spins in circles, barking again.
“What’s up with him?”
“He’s happy,” Waylon says. “The feeling is mutual.”
“Waylon?” I lean back, staring at his perfect face.
“Yeah?” He looks back at me, smile as wide as a canyon.
“What do we do now?”
Waylon presses his lips together and scratches his chin. “Let’s make dinner together.”
I’m confused for a second. Like, how can he think of food at a time like this? His easy smile sets in as he helps me off the counter. He kisses the top of my head and runs his hand down my arm.
But then it hits me. As he’s pulling items out of the fridge and handing them over to me. Since the day I moved in, we’ve fit together with such ease. It wasn’t totally unexpected, the proof lingering in last year’s memories. Despite whatever differences we have, we fit together. It’s beautiful in its simplicity. So whenhe says let’s make dinner together, what he’s really saying is, let’s keep it simple. He means we don’t have to know everything right now in this moment.
I know what I need to know. Waylon loves me. And K.J. is a lesbian.
EPILOGUE I
LYRIC
The wedding ceremony was beautiful.Ridge and Darcy stood before all of us as an example of just how wonderful and perfect love can be. He cried when she came down the aisle. Lou as flower girl was precious.
As I stood next to Darcy up there, I couldn’t help but stare across at the man I love. He stared right back. And when they were saying their vows, he winked at me.
Since our kitchen confession, I haven’t slept in my own room. All my stuff is still in there, but at this point, it serves as a very large walk-in closet. Not that I’m complaining. Each night I curl up into Waylon’s side and Tater is always close by—sometimes at our feet and other times he weasels his way between us.
Now, we’re at the reception and I’m watching Waylon twirl Lou around the dance floor. I think Waylon would make a good dad. The way he is with Lou isprecious—attentive and warm. What a wild thought to be having right now.Keep it simple, I remind myself.
The song ends and Waylon’s eyes pan over to me. He saunters over, extending his hand to me.
“Come here,” he says. “I have something to show you.”
He leads me to a small room we used earlier for a cocktail hour. But as he opens the door, I find it’s been transformed. Gone are the small tables, and instead my eyes grow wide at all the small play pens full of puppies.
“Lou insisted that we bring in puppies and dogs from this local rescue, Loving Paws, and she’s making all the guests come in here to see if they want to take one home with them,” he says.
“Oh my gosh, this is incredible.” My eyes dart from one pen to the next. There must be thirty dogs of all ages and sizes here.
I’m not surprised in the least that Lou was able to convince her dad and Darcy to do this. She can be very persistent and persuasive. Mostly just persistent.
“So?” he says, turning to me. “What do you think?”
“About what?”
“Becoming fur parents, of course,” he says with a laugh.
“Are you serious?” Tears prick the corners of my eyes.
