The crowd cheered, and I let loose a whistle that had Brady looking my way with undisguised love, right there for everyone to see. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before he started casually mentioning marriage-adjacent things. He wasn’tsubtle, and I knew him better than anyone. Except for maybe Abby. He’d been the one to recognize what was going on between me and Brady in the first place. And after we’d publicly admitted at a Friday night bonfire that he, the wise and intuitive Cole Abernathy, had been right all along, he’d forgiven us for keeping our relationship a secret behind his back.
Men were dramatic creatures, bless their hearts.
The reception was being held in the big barn in the center of the property. We’d spent the last two weeks prepping and cleaning it out, setting up chairs, a dance floor, and decorations. The doors were open wide on either end. And with the sun setting over the mountains in the distance and the twinkle lights sparkling overhead, it looked otherworldly.
I was already planning my pitch to keep it like this to host weddings and add it to our event-planning repertoire. Mom usually handled small-scale events for locals—book clubs, the Kirby Falls women’s league, the festival planning committee, and fellowship groups from around the area. But I was actually looking forward to expanding what we offered. We could bring in a part-time event planner to manage things, and we could host folks who appreciated the magic of our tiny mountain town. I kind of liked the idea that some happily-ever-afters might start right here.
“Here you go,” Brady said, passing me a glass of sparkling wine.
“Nice job up there, minister.”
He made a face. “Ew. Don’t call me that. I’m not into it.”
I laughed.
I knew now that his goal had always been to make me laugh. It was a relief not to have to hide it anymore.
“Countdown?” he asked out of nowhere, as was his way.
“Only 145 days,” I answered without checking my phone.
“Nice,” he said, clinking his glass with mine.
We had a running countdown to our first trip. We were going to Iceland in January. Seeing the northern lights surrounded by snow and visiting the black sand beaches on the southern coast had been on the top of my list for years. AndI was excited that Brady hadn’t been yet either. It was something we could experience together.
We stood shoulder to shoulder, watching folks sway on the dance floor. We’d get out there soon enough, but right now, I just wanted to take in the beauty of the place—my home—and the people I loved.
My eyes drifted to a spot of stillness at one of the tables.
Larry was wearing black, of course. But she’d ditched the combat boots for sparkling stilettos. Her dark hair was loose and curled, hitting the tops of her shoulders. The longest I’d seen it in years.
She was unmoving, and I followed the tilt of her head to where her attention was focused.
Kayla stood in the circle of someone’s arms—a guy I didn’t recognize and had never seen before. My heart sank as the man leaned in and whispered something. She smiled in response and kissed him in a way that would have had me covering the eyes of anyone under ten.Jesus.
Larry visibly stiffened, and I fought the urge to go to her, to comfort her. I didn’t know how to make things better. I’d never loved someone from afar the way she did.
Oh, I had experience with secrecy, but the one-sidedness of her feelings broke my heart. She was still unwilling to talk to Kayla or come out to her, certain that the truth would push her friend away, and she’d lose her forever. To Laramie, that would be worse than never having her the way she wanted.
“Well, would you look at that,” Brady murmured.
I looked over, but his attention was focused on a woman who’d approached Larry. She was holding a camera and smiling down at my cousin.
I recognized her as the wedding photographer, someone Chloe had hired out of Greenville. She was tall and curvy and beautiful, her black maxi dress flaring dramatically around her hips.
After a brief back-and-forth, the newcomer pulled out the chair next to Larry and perched on the edge of the seat. Her body curved toward Larry, and they looked like parentheses closing in on one another.
The woman angled the back of her fancy digital camera and showed my cousin something, scrolling through several images I couldn’t make out from here.
“What do you suppose—?” I cut myself off as the photographer passed Larry a card, smiling widely the whole time. Then, she looped the camera strap around her neck once more and stood.
Larry watched the woman walk away, then quickly glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. Her wide eyes collided with mine, but I smiled reassuringly and offered a wave.
She waved back awkwardly, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, turning back to face the dance floor. Kayla and her date were nowhere to be seen.
“Very interesting,” Brady said quietly, shooting me a sly smile.
Larry had come out to him a few weeks ago. She’d said it was because he and I were in a “committed relationship” and she didn’t want me to have to lie to him and “be responsible for turning us into idiots again.” But she’d said it all with a teasing tilt to her lips, and I suspected she was testing the waters to see how it might go should she decide to come out to the rest of the family.
