Page 48 of Rhett & Moses
“We look so young,” I marveled, taking in our outdated hairstyles and the fashions of all those years ago “But also...”
“Right together,” Moses completed when I trailed off. “That’s what struck me, too. Even before we were a couple, there was something there, something real.”
I nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. The photo showed what we’d been before secrets and separation had come between us, two people who simply fit together, who brightened in each other’s presence.
“I thought you should see it,” Moses continued, his voice soft but steady. “A reminder that what’s between us now isn’t just nostalgia or unresolved feelings from the past. It’s built on something real, something that was there from the beginning.”
The significance of him showing me this now, after visiting the property, wasn’t lost on me. It was his way of saying he was considering it, considering us, seriously.
“Thank you for showing me,” I said, covering his hand with mine where it rested on the page. “For remembering us as we were, and for being willing to see what we might become.”
Moses turned his hand beneath mine, interlacing our fingers. “I’m still processing everything, the house, what it represents, how we make this work long-term. But I’m not running this time, Rhett. Whatever happens, I’m staying in this conversation, in this relationship.”
It wasn’t a definitive answer about the property, but it was something much more valuable, a commitment to the process, to figuring things out together rather than separately. After twenty years of distance, it was exactly what I needed to hear.
“That’s all I ask,” I assured him, squeezing his hand gently. “We’ll figure out the rest as we go.”
Moses nodded, closing the yearbook carefully. As we left the library, heading back toward the bar where our evening would continue, I felt a sense of peace settle over me. The property might or might not become ours, but the commitment to building a future together was already taking shape, foundations being laid with each honest conversation, each shared memory, each new understanding.
It was, I reflected as we walked hand in hand through the streets of Gomillion, a different kind of architecture, the careful construction of a relationship built to weather whatever storms might come. And like any worthwhile building project, it would take time, patience, and vision. But the result, I was increasingly certain, would be worth every moment of the journey.
CHAPTER 13
RHETT
I tuggedat my bow tie for the fifth time in as many minutes, glaring at my reflection in the mirror of Rhett’s hotel bathroom. Formal wear had never been my strong suit, quite literally, and the black-tie dress code for tonight’s press dinner had me on edge in more ways than one.
“Stop fidgeting,” Rhett said, appearing behind me in the mirror. He looked devastatingly handsome in his tailored tuxedo, the black fabric accentuating his broad shoulders, his silver-flecked hair styled to perfection. “You look incredible.”
“I look like a waiter who got lost on the way to a catering gig,” I grumbled, still fighting with the bow tie.
Rhett chuckled, gently turning me around to face him and batting my hands away from my neck. “Allow me,” he said, his fingers deftly adjusting the tie with practiced ease. “There. Perfect.”
His hands lingered at my collar, smoothing the fabric in a touch that was half practical, half caress. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Moses. You look sophisticated, distinguished. Every bit the successful businessman you are.”
I snorted, but couldn’t help preening a little under his appreciative gaze. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Callahan.”
“I’m counting on it,” he replied with a wink that sent heat coursing through me despite my nerves. “But first, we have a dinner to attend. Ready to face the wolves?”
The “wolves” in question were the local press and various dignitaries gathered for the final official event of reunion week, a formal dinner at Gomillion’s town hall. When I’d initially received the invitation months ago, I’d immediately declined, unable to imagine anything worse than being scrutinized by the very people who’d driven me from town two decades earlier. But that was before this week, before the truth had come out, before Rhett had reentered my life and changed everything.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I sighed, checking my reflection one last time. The man who stared back at me was both familiar and strange, still Moses Morley, but a version I hadn’t quite seen before. Confident, composed, no longer hiding.
Rhett offered his arm with mock formality. “Shall we, Mr. Morley?”
I rolled my eyes but took his arm, nonetheless. “Lead on, Mr. Callahan.”
The town hall was only a short walk from the hotel, the warm evening air pleasant against our faces as we strolled down Main Street. Gomillion looked different at night, the streetlights casting a warm glow that softened the edges of the buildings, blurring the line between past and present. A few locals nodded as we passed, some offering tentative smiles that would have been unthinkable a week ago.
“Progress,” Rhett murmured, noting my surprised reaction to a friendly greeting from the hardware store owner who’d previously been one of my harshest critics.
“Small steps,” I agreed, though even these minor acknowledgments felt significant after years of ostracism.
The town hall loomed ahead, its normally staid façade transformed by elegant lighting and floral arrangements for theevening’s event. A small group of photographers hovered near the entrance, documenting the arrivals of Gomillion’s elite and the remaining reunion attendees who’d chosen to stay for the entire week.
I hesitated at the edge of the sidewalk, suddenly uncertain. “Maybe this was a mistake,” I muttered, watching as flashbulbs popped for the arrival of Principal Bushman and his wife. “I’m not exactly press-ready material, especially given everything that’s happened.”
Rhett’s hand found mine, his grip firm and grounding. “You are exactly what they need to see tonight, a man who told the truth despite the personal cost, who stood up for what was right. If anyone should hold their head high walking in there, it’s you.”
