I nodded and turned toward the steps again.
We climbed, hand in hand, while just ahead, the performance of our lives loomed in our future.
As we neared the top, Dean’s steps grew softer. His fingers tightened around mine, and I could feel the tension in his gripbetray the calm in his expression. The shift in his energy was subtle, but it was there, and it took me back to that first night at the hotel—when he’d admitted, in that quiet, honest way, that he was nervous. The same vulnerability flickered in him now, even though he was doing everything he could to hide it.
I took a deep breath, letting the crisp air fill my lungs, as my eyes scanned the deck full of people. Around fifty were already there, too caught up in their own conversations to notice our arrival. The sounds of the party wrapped around me like a vice—laughter, the clink of bottles, the occasional shout echoing from somewhere in the distance.
A live band played near the lodge, strumming a country tune I didn’t recognize, but the twang of the steel guitar hit me in a way I couldn’t explain—familiar, almost like a memory I couldn’t latch onto.
Everywhere I looked, people wore blue jeans and western shirts, the theme of the event obviously taken quite seriously. I hadn’t fully known what to expect, but something about this evening was different than I’d imagined. More familiar. Quaint. Something I’d expect from a bar-b-cue at Jake and Katie’s, instead of a corporate event.
I stepped closer to Dean, still trying to calm my racing heart, when something on the dance floor caught my attention.
A little girl—spinning.
Arms stretched wide, the edge of her long skirt in her hand, eyes closed, as though the thought of falling wasn’t even a consideration.
Her two Dutch braids lifted behind her, and the smile on her face was filled with such delight, it was as if she existed in her own orbit, completely unaware—or unconcerned—that anyone might be watching her.
And no one was.
Except me.
I scanned the distance, expecting to find a frantic parent somewhere on the lawn. But no one seemed to be looking for her. In fact, no one seemed to notice her at all. Everyone on the deck was too busy laughing, drinking, talking over the music, as if she wasn’t even there.
Dean must’ve felt the shift in me, because he bent slightly, voice low against my ear. “Something wrong?”
I shook my head but turned toward him anyway. “Do you think she’s lost?”
His gaze swept the crowd, but found mine again a second later, his brow pulling tight. “Who?”
“The little girl.” I tilted my chin toward the dance floor.
He followed my line of vision where the little girl had begun to wobble.
Before long, she toppled onto her backside—then began to giggle.
Dean smiled, and his whole demeanor softened. “Looks like she’s exactly where she’s meant to be.”
The words were simple, almost offhand. But something about the way he said them—the softness in his voice and the way he accepted that little girl’s presence without question—brushed against a part of me I hadn’t realized I’d left unguarded.
The part of me that had never had that kind of acceptance when I was young. That quiet belonging I’d only experienced a handful of times in my entire life.
Something in my chest tightened, then grew unexpectedly warm.
I took a breath, trying to ground myself, when someone—maybe her dad—scooped her up, dusted her off, and hoisted her onto his shoulders in one easy swoop.
Dean turned to me, a twinkle in his eye before his gaze locked on mine, causing everything in his expression to shift. He staredat me for a long time, and the lines in his forehead grew deeper. “You sure everything’s okay?” he asked quietly.
I wanted to turn away, but instead I lifted my head, knowing the former would only draw more attention. “Yeah. I just… I wasn’t expecting kids to be here.”
His head tilted slightly, brows pulling together as though my answer caught him off guard. “You’re not a fan?”
“It’s not that,” I said quickly, almost stumbling over the words. “I just?—”
I looked into his eyes, searching for something to say that wouldn’t give too much of myself away. “It just surprised me. That’s all.”
Dean didn’t answer right away, but his gaze stayed on mine—steady, quiet, as if he were listening to something I hadn’t actually said out loud.
