Page 143 of Heart & Hope

I choke through a laugh that turns to a sob.

Sweet Jesus.

So much for not fucking cryin’.

Epilogue

RUBY

Two Years Later . . .

Reed’s hands hold mine. All warmth. Addy stands by my side on the hillside that Reed first took me to on R & R Ranch. The day that my perfectly constructed life cracked, the day I wanted something so badly for someone else that it broke my heart clean in two. How could a man this thoughtful and kind, this bright and full of life, suffer and not be seen.

Harry and Louisa stand behind their sons, who are shoulder to shoulder with Reed. Mack smiles wider than I have ever seen.

My parents didn’t come. No surprise there. But Addy’s did, and that’s something.

The breeze winds around my hair, jostling it over my shoulders. The preacher opens his book. Reed rubs his thumbs over the back of my hands. The diamond ring sits on my finger, and a new bracelet hangs from my right wrist. Sterling silver, a captain’s wheel charm hangs from it with Reed’s name engraved on the back.

Family tradition. At least that’s what Louisa said when she and Addy gave it to me. Now all three of us have one. It’s sweet.And it’s the first time I have felt part of a family dynamic. Felt treasured. Like I belong. Am wanted.

And it’s more amazing than I ever imagined.

Grounding, fulfilling.

Like being wrapped in the warmest blanket, mesmerized as stars burst out overhead.

Harry gave a speech about a man being complete with the right woman at lazy supper on my first Rawlins Christmas. But I think it goes both ways. Reed makes me a better, kinder, and more thoughtful person. He shows me every day the things that make the difference. He makes me so damn happy. For the first time in my life, I actuallyfeelalive. Not just ticking boxes on the way to some huge goal that’s always years off.

And I wanted him to be happy, to be free. Back here when he first fell to his knees, gasping for breath. The first time I saw what he hid so well from everyone else. He was so desperate for more to his life than being stuck in a small town, doing the same thing each day for the rest of his life.

I had felt so helpless. Here was a man, myfriend, who couldn’t see a path forward that he could live with. How could I leave and let that happen? It put everything I had thought I knew until that day into perspective. That was the day my rules first stood on shaky ground.

I watched them fall in the months that followed. And I savored every minute of it. And we did it, together. We created a business and a life that we both love. One where we have the ranch, the lifestyle, but we can travel when we want. We can choose what path we take next.

And the next adventure for Reed and me is marriage. A real one, not the fake charade we started out with. Although I wouldn’t change our first few months for anything.

“We are gathered here today . . .”

Reed slides the wedding band on my finger, the one he first gave me. It’s like an old friend. It fits just right. The way it did the first time, back in Great Falls at the inn. Only now, I won’t be taking it off. I slide his ring onto his finger, and he scrunches up his face. I know he’s trying not to cry. His jaw grinds together.

Mack slaps a hand on his shoulder.

A tear dislodges and tracks down his cheek. I wipe it away as my own tears fall freely.

“You may kiss your bride,” the preacher says with a smile.

A grin cracks over Reed’s face and his eyes light up with mirth. He steps forward and scoops me up, skirts dragging across the grassy ground. His mouth is on mine as he leans to the side, and I dip backward. Hudson’s hearty laugh is followed by the family’s cheers.

I melt into Reed’s kiss, fingers brushing over his jaw.

When he sets me onto my feet and spins me around to face everyone, I look up at him. He hugs me to his side, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Shall we, Mrs. Rawlins?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely, Mr. Rawlins.”

His hands slide from my waist, lacing through my fingers. We walk through the small crowd of family and a few guests. Addy greets me first. “Hey, we are officially sisters!”

“Oh Adds, we are, too!”

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