“I also got Tristan to let her ride.”
Mary Lou’s eyes go wide. “You what?”
“Yeah, we’ve been working with Cloud a few days a week, and she’s not ready to ride him. I should clarify: She’s ready, but her father’s not. She’s been riding Olympia.”
Every day we ride five minutes longer than we did the day before. Sadie is a natural rider, and I love watching her come alive when she’s in the saddle. We work on small things like posture and better control of the reins. With each day we’re accident-free, Tristan relaxes a touch when we start, and by the end he almost smiles.
I take that as great progress.
“I feel like I missed so much in the last few months!”
“You should move back to Infinity Ridge.”
Mary Lou scoffs. “Not a chance. I love being away from here. This town, it holds a lot of memories that aren’t the greatest. Anyway”—she lifts her glass—“here’s to you and Tristan. May you both find whatever you were missing and be happy.”
I clink my bottle’s neck to hers. “Thank you for being my best friend.”
She rests her head on my shoulder. “Thanks for being mine.”
We head over to the rest of the group after we finish our talk. Mary Lou jokes with Tristan about clearly being obsessed with her since he keeps being with women closely connected to her.
He laughs.
I roll my eyes.
We dance a lot. Mary Lou and Suzanne are always the life of the dance floor, and they drag me along with them.
Finally, the lights go down and the mood shifts.
I look at Tristan, who is staring back across the bar, a grin on his face. He stalks toward me with purpose and desire.
“Dance with me?” he asks.
“I would love to.”
Hand in hand, we go to the dance floor, where his hands go to my waist and mine around his neck.
“Happy?”
I smile up at him. “Very. You?”
“More than I ever thought possible.”
“Could it be because of me?” I question.
“Could be.”
I laugh. “Oh, well, in that case.”
Tristan leans down and gives me a kiss. “You are the reason I smile every day, Lark. You’re the reason the world spins, the birds sing, the sun rises, and the stars shine. You make me incredibly happy.”
Tears fill my eyes. “That was…so beautiful.”
“It’s true. You’re my now and my forever.”
My fingers brush the hair at the back of his neck. “Forever?”
“Forever.”
