“Agreed.” Cannon clapped me on the shoulder just as Gracie looked up, and her gaze locked with mine. She and Tatum walked over to the table, and she was still catching her breath.
“Hey. Tatum said she’d take a photo of us. I want a recent one to take with me.” She reached for my hand. “Let’s go over by the tree.”
I followed her over and quickly dipped her back, and we both laughed as Tatum took some pictures.
“These are great.” Tatum glanced down at the phone before handing it back to Gracie.
“Gracie,” Shana Peterson called out, and Gracie jogged over to her as Tatum and I started walking back to the table.
“Hey,” Tatum said to me. “How are you doing with everything?”
“I’m good. Happy for my girl, but of course I’m going to miss her like crazy.”
I didn’t want to wallow. Not when everyone was acting like I should be. I was trying to keep it together. Stay positive.
Maybe we’d be fine.
I wasn’t a big complainer, so I was doing what I could to appear unfazed.
“You don’t have to be stoic for me, but I’m glad you’re putting on a brave face for her,” she said. “She’s really freaking out.”
I narrowed my gaze. “She seems all right. I think she’s ready.”
“I mean, it’s all perspective, right?”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning…” She paused and glanced over her shoulder to see Gracie deep in conversation with Shana Peterson. “I’ll just give it to you straight, so you know where her head is. Because I don’t think she’ll tell you.”
“Okay.”
“She’s got to do this, Cutler. She has something to prove to herself and maybe to everyone else, because she’s really beaten herself up over what happened in Paris. But she’s struggling with leaving you, and she won’t admit it, because she doesn’t want to make it harder on you.” She shrugged. “Just be patient with her. She loves you.”
I nodded before rubbing my face. “I’d wait forever for that girl. I understand that she needs to do this. I understand that she might love it there and start a whole new life. And it’s not for me to stop her from doing that.”
“So you need to let her go and see what happens.” Her gaze was sad, and she forced a smile. “Who knew you were such a romantic guy? You’ve totally ruined your playboy reputation.”
I laughed. “All it takes is the right girl to change everything.”
Gracie came walking back over and took both of our hands in hers. “Come on. I just convinced all the guys to get out on the dance floor with us. Let’s go.”
“Phoenix is going to line dance?” Tatum gasped. “This is definitely a first.”
We all lined up, and Brody, Bass, and Cannon all had shit-eating grins on their faces.
Phoenix looked like he was being tortured, which made it even funnier.
And Gracie led as we moved across the dance floor listening to Kenny Chesney, with the whole crowd singing along now.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind as we moved together, and she tipped her head back, her lips grazing my ear.
“I love you, Cutler Heart.”
Yeah. I love you too, Gracie girl.
We ate. We danced. We laughed. And we stayed late into the night.
She was leaving on a flight before the sun would even be up.
