When I met her that night in Nashville at Stetson’s show, I had a strong urge to hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay. At the time, I just assumed it was because of everything I knew, but now I knew it because of so much more.
I pulled her in closer, hoping to provide a different kind of comfort. “Everything’s going to be okay,” I whispered. The words drifted between us, and for once, I finally believed it, and I think she did too.
When we finally let go, she turned to Stetson. “Thank you for finding her,” she said.
My heart could’ve burst open right then and there. This gift, the second chance I’d been given, would be something I’d never take for granted.
“You’re welcome, Ruby, but I didn’t just find her, she found us too,” Stetson replied.
“Today was perfect,” I said. Both of us were lying on our backs, looking up at the stars. We’d ended up in my favorite spot, the sound of the waterfall quiet but powerful and the stars were showing off, shining especially bright tonight. “I had never pictured what it would be like to finally meet my child, but this exceeded any expectation I could have had.” The symphony of bugs played a tune in the background.
“Everything since you’ve come into my life has been perfect… well, minus the bullshit article, but I’m starting to think maybe that happened for a reason too.” He sighed, his chest falling underneath my head.
We let the silence in, basking in all that happened today and in the last eight months.
“Hold on, I need to grab something from the truck,” he said, sitting me up and gently moving out from underneath me.
I hugged my knees to my chest and let a smile creep across my face because for once in my life, happiness consumed me and there were no doubts hiding in the shadows, no guilt threatening to take it away. Just pure happiness.
“I had this made after the first night I met you because I knew you were someone special, someone who was going to have a big impact on my life. If only I would’ve known just how big.” He strutted back toward me.
Once he was close enough, the moon provided enough light to see what appeared to be a large wooden frame.
He crouched down next to me, his scent wafting into my nose and forcing me to take a deep inhale. “This was the sky the night we met,” he said, revealing the picture inside of the frame. “That night, after I walked away from you, I looked up at those stars and I swear they were telling me a story about a lost cowboy that came looking for answers and ended up finding them in more ways than one.”
“Stetson, it’s perfect,” I said, taking the frame in my hand and admiring every inch of it. “I love it.”
He took the picture from me, setting it down before planting himself firmly behind me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, and clasping his wrist in his palm. “You’re the calm to my chaos, the stars in my night sky, and the beauty in my mundane.”
I grinned, wanting to respond but not able to because I was too busy basking in his compliments.
“Do you see that?” He shot his hand toward the sky, his finger pointing to something off in the distance. “Just past the stars…”
“What?” I questioned. “I can’t see anything past the stars. They go on forever.”
“Exactly,” he stated. “That’s how much I love you.Past the stars.”
I swiveled around, catapulting my body into him and knocking him onto his back. “I love you too, Stetson Walker.”
There it was.
The fireworks. The butterflies. The love that felt infinite.
Epilogue
One Year Later
This next single isn’t new, but nobody can stop talkin’ about it. No surprise there, Stetson Walker never seems to let us down. And now, with the help of the up-and-coming songwriter, Scarlett Carson, it was destined to be a chart-topper. Here’s ‘Once you Love a Cowboy, You’ll Never be the Same.’ Thanks for listening to 99.6 Talkin’ Country.
Ruby’s hand found the dial, turning it up until the music consumed the entire car.
“Not only is my uncle the talk of country music, but now so are you.” She beamed. “How freaking cool is that?”
A country-wide smile strung across my mouth.
The air whipping through my Jeep was hot but satisfying as I turned off Route 27, headed straight toward Rolling Meadows.
“Do you ever get used to hearing your songs on the radio?” Ruby asked from the passenger seat.
