I pull the ring box from my pocket, and my fingers are still, which surprises me. Everything inside me is shaking, but my hands know what they’re doing.
Faith’s breath stutters.
I open the box.
The ring catches the sunlight, small and bright and real.
Nobody makes a sound.
It’s just us. Dirt under my knee. Smoke in the air. Faith’s face the only thing that matters.
“Faith,” I start. “I had a speech.”
Nash makes a choking sound, trying not to laugh.
I ignore him.
“But you know me,” I continue. “I don’t do speeches. I do… showing up. I do fixing fences and paying bills and making sure the coffee’s hot. I do staying.”
Faith’s eyes fill. A tear slips out and tracks down her cheek, and she doesn’t even wipe it away.
“I didn’t think I’d get this again,” I admit. “I didn’t think my house would ever feel… full. Not like this.”
I swallow hard.
“Then you showed up,” I say. “And you didn’t just fit. You made space. You made Lila laugh like she wasn’t bracing for something bad to happen. You made my mom stop worrying every time she looks at me. You made this ranch feel warmer.”
Faith’s lips part, trembling.
“You made me remember what it feels like to want a future,” I say, and that truth hits me right in the sternum as I say it. “Not because I have to. Not because it’s expected. Because I want it. With you.”
Lila sniffles loudly beside me.
Faith makes a soft sound, trying to hold herself together and failing.
I lift the ring box slightly, letting her see it again, as if she could forget.
“So,” I continue. “Will you marry me? Right in Buckhorn one day. In front of everyone. With brisket breath and smoke in your hair and my daughter looking like she’s about to explode.”
Faith laughs, wet and shaky. “Dallas…”
“Say yes,” Lila whispers fiercely.
Faith drops to her knees in the dirt, too, because she’s never cared about being pristine when something matters. Her hands cup my face, warm and trembling, and her forehead presses to mine.
“Yes,” she whispers.
I exhale so hard it feels like I’ve been holding my breath for months.
“Yes,” she says again. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”
The yard erupts.
Cheers. Whistles. Someone yells, “About time,” and I’m pretty sure it’s Jet.
Mom bursts into tears. Rose is crying. Ellie starts bouncing. Boone shakes his head with a grin. Clay actually smiles, which is basically a miracle.
Nash whoops as if he just won the rodeo.
