“Absolutely. Come, Reno.”
They ran up a hill and out of sight behind a row of bushes. Dash reached into the bushes and pulled out a duffel bag. “Hellie can’t hear us talking up here.”
“You really are good at this ninja stuff. What’s in the bag?”
He pulled out a blanket and began spreading it out beside the bushes. “I figured you’d want a front-row seat when she arrives.” They sat down, and Reno settled in beside the blanket, resting his chin between his paws. Dash put his arm around Amber and kissed her temple. “After that, we’ll be busy stargazing, making wishes, and spilling secrets.”
Happiness bubbled up inside her. “You remembered.”
“Why does it surprise you every time I remember something you said?”
“Because it was nonsense. High school stuff.”
“Nothing you say is ever nonsense.” He leaned in for a kiss as Hellie came out of the woods.
“Look.” Amber pointed down the hill to Hellie standing at the edge of the woods wearing a long, flowing dress and a colorful cardigan, with a shiny blue scarf draped over her shoulders. Her silver braids were twisted into a knot on the top of her head, and she had one hand pressed over her heart as she took in the lights on the ground and gazebo.
Amber could barely contain her excitement as Hellie stepped tentatively down the lighted path, looking all around her. “I bet she thinks it was decorated for someone else.”
“That’s what the hearts are for, so she knows without a doubt it was meant for her.”
They watched as she climbed the gazebo steps and walked around, her fingers trailing along the railing as she looked up at the heart-shaped lights. She read one of the paper hearts and looked around again, as if she couldn’t believe it was all for her.
“I have goose bumps,” Amber whispered.
Hellie went to the bench, looking at the food they’d left; then she began reading more of the hearts.
“Can you imagine loving someone so much that you cling to every little thing they did and said?” As she said it, she realized she’d been doing that with Dash.
“I think I can.”
His words were drenched with emotions, sending her nerves into a wild flurry. She wanted to see his face, but she was afraid to look, afraid of what seeing such raw emotions might do to her, so she kept her eyes trained on Hellie. “I’m glad you thought of doing this. Seeing her so happy is a beautiful sight.”
“You sure are.” Dash’s voice was low and husky.
She stole a glance and found him watching her, his emotions as real as the butterflies swarming inside her. “Why are you watching me instead of Hellie after all the effort you put into this?”
“Because seeing you happy for someone else is ten times as beautiful as anything I’ve ever seen. I love when you get dreamy-eyed, like you were when your friends got engaged at the barn. Getting to see that look twice in two weeks? That’s beyond beautiful.”
“You’re too much. What are you hiding?”
“What makes you think I’m hiding anything?”
“You’re too perfect.”
“I’m far from perfect. Remember the toddler smile?” He grinned, pointing to his smile.
“Your smile is not a flaw.”
“You want to hear my flaws? I’ve spent more than a decade so entrenched in my career, I barely saw my family for weeks at a time. And what do I have to show for it? Money? A little notoriety? Who cares about any of that? I already told you what I was like for the first few years of my career. Did I mention that I feel like a bit of a fraud? I wrote a book that I believed in when I was writing it, telling people to work their asses off to achieve their goals. But until recently, I didn’t even have a clue what my next step was going to be, much less what goal I had for the next fifty years of my life. I knew I was missing something, but I’m only now realizing what that was.” He gazed deeply into her eyes. “It was you, Amber, and moments like these, nights like the ones we’ve shared.”
Me too, her heart whispered back.
“But it’s even deeper than that. I never imagined trusting anyone enough to want to share all of myself, to admit my faults and fears and be comfortable just being the guy who grew up in Port Hudson and loves his family. The guy who enjoys getting together with the people here and walking with older ladies. Not the football player, motivational speaker, or bestselling author. With you, all of that is as natural as it was instantaneous. Maybe I’m a fool, but if I am, I never want to be smart again. I finally feel like I’m becoming the man I was always meant to be, and that’s because of you.”
Her heart turned over in her chest. “I feel the same way about you, that I can just be myself all the time, but it’s kind of scary. I’m falling for a guy with a big life, and I don’t even know what will happen after you leave town.”
“I’ll come back—that’s what’ll happen—and we’ll figure it out from there, because I’m falling for an amazing woman who lives a big life in a small town, and I want to be the guy who never stops giving her reasons to look at me the way she is right now.” He leaned closer, his breath whispering over her lips. “Don’t be scared. I won’t let you down.”
He sealed his promise with a kiss so sweet and tender, she wanted to disappear into it.
“I know the timing of the tour sucks, and these next few weeks will be trying when we’re apart, but we’ll talk every night.”
“It’s okay. If it weren’t for your tour, we might never have met.”
“That’s our silver lining. I don’t know exactly what my future schedule looks like. I’ve got ongoing sponsorships and speaking engagements, and I’m toying with some other ideas, but I know I want to figure it out with you, not without you. I’m flying back to New York in two weekends to see my family and attend the fundraiser I told you about. I want you to come with me.”
“To the fundraiser?”
“And to meet my family if you can take the time off. I thought we’d spend Friday evening with them in Port Hudson, then drive to the city and stay at my place. Saturday we’ll hang out in the city and go sightseeing before the fundraiser. My buddies will be at the event, and I really want you to meet them. I’ll have to leave Sunday for Monday’s signing on the West Coast, but we’ll have most of the weekend together, and then there’ll only be two weeks left of the tour.”
Excitement bubbled up inside her, and her mind raced from meeting his family through schedules for the bookstore, zipping right back to—You want me to meet your family!—immediately followed by worries over what to wear to the fundraiser. “That sounds wonderful. I can arrange the time off.”
“Yeah?” His smile expanded to heart-melting proportions.
She nodded eagerly. “I’d love to meet your family. I have no idea what to wear to a fundraiser, but I’ll figure it out. Is it formal?”
“It’s pretty formal and themed. Casino night, old-Hollywood style. But don’t stress over it. You’ll be the most beautiful woman there, no matter what you wear. We can shop for a dress in the city if you want.”
Her giddiness bubbled out. “Are you kidding? I can’t wait until the last minute. I’m already a nervous wreck. I’ll find a dress—don’t worry.”