Page 118 of That Moment
“My favorite story isn’t the biggest or flashiest. It’s small.” I glance at my parents, launching into a memory about my dad, a memory that showed me how I deserved to be loved someday. “That’s my favorite. No grand gesture, just… choosing each other, and choosing us, over and over.”
There’s a soft chorus of awws, some teasing sniffles from the cousins because Slades can’t handle a single thing with dignityand without jokes. Mom presses her face into Dad’s shoulder. He kisses the top of her head, not even pretending he isn’t emotional as tears stream down his wrinkle-lined face.
“To choosing love,” I finish, voice steady now. “Every day.”
The music starts up again, and everyone returns to their conversations. I slide back into the cluster with Brooklyn and Amelia near the dining room archway. We’re shoulder-to-shoulder with cousins, passing bites of cake and debating whether Trent or Tyler cries more at family events.
“Tyler,” Brooklyn declares, deadpan. “I’ve seen him cry when the Broncos lost.”
“Trent,” Amelia counters, smiling. “But only at weddings. He pretends he has flower allergies.”
I laugh with them, but my gaze keeps drifting toward the big back windows that frame the deck. The porch lights throw creamy halos over the railing, beyond them the yard dipping into blue shadow. I scan for him, pulse tripping, ready to catch his eye… but all I see are silhouettes moving in and out of the glow. A flash of a cowboy hat that isn’t his. A tall shape that turns out to be Decker.
“Earth to Adrienne,” Brooklyn murmurs in my ear, amused.
“I’m listening,” I lie, sipping my drink. I try to excuse myself, just for a second, just to slip toward the deck, but the conversation folds tighter around me: questions about where the wine opener is, a cousin asking where the spare forks are, Amelia tugging me into a quick selfie with the cake in the background. I smile for the photo, and when the screen drops, my gaze slides past Amelia’s shoulder, back to the window.
My breath catches. He’s outside by the far corner of the deck, half-turned, a beer dangling from his fingers. Axel’s beside him, saying something animatedly, and Aiden’s on the other side, grinning like a devil. The three of them laugh and carry on, and my stomach dips.
Scotty tips his head, listening. For a heartbeat, he glances toward the house, his eyes flicking toward the window in a flash.
Look at me,I think, uselessly.Just once.
“Adrienne!” Dolly materializes in front of me, cheeks flushed, daughter on her hip like a squirming bow-wrapped football. “Do you know where the extra napkins went? Ranger swears he put them by the fridge, but I think he means ‘near the fridge,’ which could be anywhere from the porch to Wyoming.”
“Pantry, second shelf. Behind the paper cups.”
“You’re a saint.” She leans in, conspiratorial. “Also, you look…” Her gaze narrows, a teasing smile forming. “Suspiciously glowy.”
“Go get your napkins,” I warn, fighting a smile. She winks, pivots, and is swallowed by the crowd.
The moment she turns, I look back through the window. Scotty’s turned slightly away now, the line of his jaw lit by porch glow, his outline cut clean against the dark yard. I swallow, reminding myself that I promised I’d tell him tonight…
Chapter 22
Scotty
I’ve been standing with Axel and Aiden, shooting the shit about trucks and hay prices, pretending my head isn’t half-spun out over Adrienne. Every time I glance toward the kitchen window, I catch flashes of her.
“I’m gonna grab another beer,” Axel says as he steps toward the door, “you guys want another?”
“I’m good,” I nod.
“Grab me another, would ya?” Aiden nudges my arm with his bottle. “You and I should talk for a sec.”
My stomach tightens. His tone’s too serious. I follow him a few steps down the deck, past the crowd. “Everything good?”
He hesitates, eyes flicking toward Axel like he’s waiting for him to join us. “It’s about Adrienne.” He says, like he’s weighing how to start.
The air shifts instantly. “What about her?”
Before he can answer, Axel strolls back over, beers dangling from his fingers, grin easy. “No need, man. I already gave him theI’m still her brothertalk.”
Aiden looks between us, confused. “You did?”
“Yup,” Axel laughs, squeezing my shoulder. "Last night, actually, but it’s all null and void anyway.”
I frown. Aiden and I are clearly both confused. “What do you mean, null and void?”
