“What are their names?” she asks.
“I was waiting for you, actually, to name them.”
“Okay.” Winnie nods seriously. “Let me think.”
Tanner leans up against the fence next to her and he nods to her reasoning behind each name she chooses.
“See what I mean?” Lauren motions toward the two.
“You were right.” Rhett nods. “I mean I knew it, but like, you’re right.”
“Knew what? What did she say?” I grill Rhett, but he only shakes his head with a humored smile. I cross my arms and dart my eyes between the two of them. “What?”
Rhett sighs. “Lauren said he isn’t just in love with you, but he’s falling for Winnie too.”
Over my shoulder, Winnie is laughing a big belly laugh and Tanner is watching her with a smile that could thaw the iciest of hearts.
The baying begins again behind us and Winnie’s head flicks in its direction. “What was that?”
“That, my friend.” He gives her his hand to help her down. “Was the sheep.”
She follows him across the path to climb up the fence next to me.
I don’t even bother arguing with Lauren or Rhett. I would have to be blindandan idiot to miss their connection. It claws at my nerves because it’s going to break her heart to leave this place, and I’m quickly realizing it may just shatter mine.
We end up having dessert and iced tea on the front deck. Winnie and Tanner sit on the steps together at her insistence, taking in the last of the sun. The rocking chair Lauren sits in creaks as she keeps a hand resting on her belly and the slight breeze tosses the wind chimes.
The light from the window glows lazily along the deck and it catches Tanner's profile as he turns his full attention to Winnie. His strong jaw is clean shaven, his mustache is perfectly groomed, and his eyebrows arch as he listens to her. Every ounce of his attention is on my girl, until she shovels a huge bite into her mouth and he turns back to look at me. No trace of annoyance or irritation crosses his gaze. Instead, there is something in his eyes that I never knew in Ethan’s. Something more complicated. Something capable of shattering all of our hearts come August.
Later, lying in bed, my phone rings like it always does, and I answer like I always do.
“Hey Han.”
“Hi Tan.”
“I got sheep today.”
I smile to myself in the dark. “Did you? That sounds like a super exciting day.”
“Honestly that was nowhere near the top of the list of exciting things that happened today.”
“Then what was at the top?”
“Having you in that dress, in my kitchen, helping me cook,” he says. Every word is incredibly soft. “That was the top.”
“I didn’t help cook.”
He laughs gently and the wind chimes twinkle in the background.
“Maybe not, but it was still the best part of my day. Only second to almost kissing you next to those damn sheep.”
“That breaks the rules,” I whisper.
“Good.” His words are firm and honest.
“What else did you do today?” I ask. “Tell me more.”
I drift off to sleep to the mundane details of his cleaning routine.
