I laugh before I can stop myself. “You haven’t changed at all.”
He studies me for a beat. “You have.”
Something about the way he says it makes my smile falter. “Is that bad?”
“No,” he says immediately. “Just noticeable.”
A warm wave rolls through me unexpectedly.
It’s familiar and easy in a way I didn’t realize I’d been craving. After how strange everything has felt since the crash, since the wedding, since all of it, the normalcy settles into me like something warm and earned.
It’s nice.
Jet wiggles her eyebrows. “Look at us. The gang. One crispy bride, one cowboy furnace, and one single mom running on caffeine and spite.”
“Single mom?” I ask.
“Yep,” Jet says proudly. “My kid’s five. Chaotic. Loud. Perfect. You’ll meet her.”
She gives me a look that says she doesn’t doubt I’ll still be around long enough.
My heart twists.
“How about you?” I ask.
Jet shrugs. “Still singing at open mic nights. Still dreaming of landing a spot at the rodeo. Still making tips off tourists who think my name is actually Jet Li.”
I smile into my water. “I missed you.”
Jet reaches over and squeezes my hand. “I missed you more.”
I pull out my new phone. “Hey, I had to get a new phone. My last one… flew out my car window. Can I get your number again?”
Jet gasps. “Absolutely. Also, I will be texting you memes at all hours.”
She taps her number in lightning fast.
Jet leaves to drop our order, and I exhale slowly. Dallas watches me, elbows on the table, expression softer than it should be.
“You said earlier you’re trying to figure out your next move,” he says.
“I am,” I admit. “Everything’s… up in the air.”
He nods. “What about your dad?”
My stomach drops like a stone.
Dallas remembers him. The dominant voice. The controlling hands. The giant shadow.
“I don’t want to talk about him today,” I say quietly. “Not here.”
Dallas nods once. “Fair enough. But how long are you thinking of staying at your mom’s?”
The question lands heavier than he probably means it to.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “A little while, I guess.”
He nods, not pushing. “You got a plan?”
