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“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know how long you’ve been attracted to that man.”
“Well, I was first attracted to him when he was a boy. But since I was a young girl, I think that’s okay.”
“You know what I mean, smart aleck.”
“Just hold off on planning the wedding,” I said.
“You think I’m going to bother planning anything? You’ve had your Maui sunset shindig outlined for ages.”
“True.”
“Any man who wants to marry you probably won’t care where the wedding happens.”
“Also true.” I took my shoes out of the case and lined them up on the floor so they could breathe.
“You made my job easier, baby. Now all you need to do is find the groom.”
Untrue. I’d already found him. He kissed like a pro and had a heart of gold. He had big ambitions and followed through on them. He thought about other people, and he cared deeply about his sister.
He threw tons of money into helping his father, even when the man didn’t deserve it.
Okay, so the jury was still out on how I really felt about that.
I wasn’t entirely sure where Rhett’s heart was in regard to me, but I knew he liked me—even if he didn’t fully trust me yet. He wanted to spend time with me, and I wasn’t going to rush anything. I’d been waiting too long for this.
Besides, if he was serious about me, he would trust me soon.
“I got you a surprise when we were in New York,” I said.
“You didn’t need to do that.”
“I know, but I wanted to. You want a hint?”
She paused. “You know how I lack patience.”
A grin spread over my lips. I’d planned to wait to give this to her, but I lacked that same patience she did. “It runs in the family.” I pulled the little Empire State Building statue from my bag and snapped a quick picture, then sent it to her and waited. “Okay, check your messages.”
“Okay.” A minute later, she squealed, the sound far from the phone speaker. “Bethy! Iloveit!”
“Maybe it’ll be your good luck charm and help you find your very own Sam Baldwin.”
“Hmm. Maybe I’ll nix the book and watch that movie on my time off. I have a hankering for it now.”
I laughed. “Or do both. I’d better let you go now,” I said, shoving my empty suitcase into the closet. “I need to shower before I have to be up in Rhett’s room to do his hair.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Love you, and thank you for the gift. You’re so thoughtful.”
“Love you, Mom.”
We hung up, and I sat on the edge of my mattress. I pulled up the picture Rhett and I had taken on the beach in Miami. It was a selfie I snapped when we’d walked closer to the parking lot and there was enough light to see ourselves. We were both grinning, me with windswept hair, Rhett looking over my shoulder with a fake mustache and baseball hat, his arms wrapped around me.
I loved this photo. Not just because it was us together, but because Rhett’s acquiescence to it meant that he trusted me at least a little. He trusted me not to sell it to the media or share it on my socials, which was enough to silence my fears just a little. It might only be a small start, but Rhett Myerstrusted me.
***
Fort Worth did not take its rodeos lightly. The entire arena at the Stockyards was decked out with people in cow-print bell-bottoms, cowboy hats, plaid, and more denim than I’d ever seen in one place in my entire life. It was hard not to get into the spirit of it all, and when those cowboys jumped on the backs of the bucking broncos, I found myself tensing.
We were seated in the VIP section at the end of the arena. Adalyn had fetched Mexican food from this place called Joe T. Garcia’s up the street, and I had to say, it was pretty amazing.
