Page 89 of Just Business

“I think I’ll mess up your makeup now, if that’s all right with you,” he says, sliding one arm around my waist and hauling me flush against him. His erection presses into me through his pants, and I flush, my heart kicking up, at the thought of having that kind of effect on him that easily. It all still feels unreal sometimes. Our entire story is like a fairytale I wouldn’t believe if I hadn’t lived it myself.

“Five minutes. That’s all I need,” he murmurs into my ear.

True to his word, five minutes is all it takes. Austin bends me over the arm of my couch, and with my skirt bunched around my waist I’m crying out his name at the same time he pulls me to him with a groan.

After I’ve fixed my hair and makeup the best I can, we head to Main Street. It’s a perfect Alabama day; one of those where it’s chilly in the shade, but if you linger too long in the sun, you’ll find yourself shedding a layer of clothing. People joke that a fall day in Alabama gives you a taste of all four seasons. This is one of those days.

When we get there, everything is set up, and most of the town has already arrived, milling about and chatting with one another. Austin goes over to speak with Henry for a minute. That’s another big change that’s happened over the last couple months. He joined the local branch of AA, and when he needed a sponsor he reached out to his new barber, who, it turns out, also once struggled with drinking.

I stand back, admiring the man I love and my heart swells with pride. He’s had some hard nights, especially with everything going on with his dad’s court proceedings, but he’s stood strong and called Henry when he felt like he needed to. And he stands here today, not only surviving, but thriving.

A familiar voice sounds behind me, and I turn just in time to be swept into a huge embrace from Cassie. Ashley and Brad stand beside her, and slightly off to the side is Austin’s mom, whom I haven’t met yet. She looks lovely, despite everything she’s been through recently. Life hasn’t been kind to her, so she hasn’t aged as gracefully as Ashley, but she’s still beautiful.

A look of surprise crosses her face when I open my arms for a hug, but it quickly softens into a shy smile as she returns the embrace. Even though I don’t fully understand her, I’d like to. And more than anything, I’m thankful that she gave birth to a man like Austin.

Tyler isn’t with them, and Cassie must notice me craning my neck, searching for him.

“He’s running late,” she says, reading my mind. “He drove instead of flying, but he gave us an ETA. He’ll be here in time for y’all’s performance.”

“Thanks, Cass,” I whisper. If Tyler misses this, Austin will be crushed.

I’m too nervous to eat. Instead, I sit down with Josie and Lisa to chat. Before I know it, it’s time for us to take the stage. Austin steps up first, since no one knows I’ll be joining him. Tyler arrives right as Austin steps up to the mic and he comes to stand beside me.

“Hey, y'all. By now I’m pretty sure I’ve met most of you, but for those I haven’t—I'm Austin.” He gives a casual one-handed wave. “I came to this town in pretty rough shape. I always tell Penny this town saved me, and she argues that I saved myself. Either way, without coming here and making friends with so many amazing people, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. So, as my way of saying thanks to all of you, I’ve got a special treat.”

He looks at me, his eyes softening, and with a jerk of his chin, he says, “You wanna come up here with me, Penn?”

He walks over, extending his hand to help me up the steps. With giant butterflies fluttering in my chest, I take the stage beside the love of my life.

“Um, hey!” I wave awkwardly at the crowd. “You all know me, but what you might not know is that performing music has always been a dream of mine. Austin gave me the extra push I needed to work toward that dream. We’ve been working on some songs together and we wanted to surprise everyone with them today. Hope you guys love them as much as we do!”

Just as the opening chords begin, I feel it. The air shifts with a soft breeze that brushes against my skin and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. A red bird flutters down, landing right at the edge of the stage, as if it’s not afraid of anything. And in that moment, I know. I hear my mom’s voice in my head saying,Dream big, Penny girl!Right then, I realize my parents are here with me and everything will be okay.

The chords we’ve practiced night and day come together flawlessly. We sing one song after another without a hitch, each note pitch-perfect. I look out and see Josie has tears streaming down her face. Even Greg is dabbing at his eyes with the turkey napkin that’s beside each plate.

We’re just about to sing our last song when Austin clears his throat into the microphone. “Penny,” he begins, his voice thick with emotion. “When I look back over the last few months with you, it still feels like a dream. I remember the moment I saw you chasing me across the parking lot to apologize because you felt like you’d been too mean to me. I knew right then I had to learn everything there was to know about you. With each day that’s passed since, the urge to know you, love you, and cherish you has only grown stronger.”

His voice cracks, and my hand goes to my mouth, realizing what’s happening.

“You challenge me to be a better man, not only for a life with you, but for myself. And for that, I want to thank you. I can say with absolute certainty, there’s no one else I’d rather face life’s great adventures with than you. Whatever comes our way, whether it's joy, love, or grief, I want to do it together.”

He lowers to one knee and pulls a familiar ring box from his pocket. The sight of it steals my breath because I instantly know what’s inside. My hands tremble and my heartbeat pounds so loudly in my head it drowns out everything else.

“So, with that said…” He looks up at me, his eyes full of so much love and hope. “Penny Miller, will you marry me?”

Hot tears stream down my face, probably smearing all of my carefully applied makeup. I knew I should have gone barefaced and looked like myself. But none of that matters right now, because the man I love just proposed to me. And not only that—he proposed with the ring I thought had been buried with my mom.

“Yes!” I exclaim. “A million times yes.”

When Austin slides the ring onto my finger, everyone erupts into applause. He stands, wrapping me in his arms, and lifts me off the ground, spinning me in a circle. Laughter bubbles out of me, mixing with the cheers around us, and I’m certain I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.

“Greg’s had the ring all this time,” Austin whispers into my ear after setting me back on my feet. “He said your dad gave it to him so that you’d have it when the time came.”

I glance out at the crowd, my eyes landing on Greg’s. He kisses two fingers and places them over his heart, a gesture my dad always made whenever he talked about my mom. My throat tightens and I mirror the motion, overwhelmed by all the emotions hitting me at once.

Once we finally weave our way through the crowd to where our crew is gathered, I’m practically buzzing with adrenaline. I’m engaged to the man of my dreams and I performed original songs in front of my entire town. If much more happens today, I’m afraid my heart might burst.

I’m chatting with Josie, showing off my ring while she dabs at my face with a motherly spit shine, trying to clean up my smudged makeup. Suddenly, the napkin she’s using slips from her fingers and drops to the ground. At first, I think Abby must have said something to piss her off since she’s standing right behind us, laughing with some boy she’s been running around with. But when I glance at Josie, her face has gone white as a ghost. She’s staring past me, her wide eyes trained on something over my shoulder.

My heart skips as I turn to see what’s caught her attention.

Tyler is walking toward us, but when he’s a few steps away, he comes to a halt and his expression shifts into one that mirrors Josie’s.

I am so damn confused. Austin is busy introducing Tyler to everyone, but Tyler doesn’t seem to hear anything anyone is saying. His eyes are trained on Josie, unwavering, like she’s the only person in the world.

It’s not until Abby turns around to join our group again that Tyler’s face goes from white to ashen, his jaw going slack. He’s staring back and forth between Josie and Abby, and all the puzzle pieces click into place. All the niggling feelings I had, the way Cassie and Ashley had seemed familiar to me, finally make sense.

Because standing in front of me is Tyler with those unusual eyes—and Abby is the spitting image of him.

The End

---