The drive was peaceful, quiet even, but the buzz from Stetson’s performance was still radiating from him, floating in the space between us. I clasped his hand a little tighter, the world feeling lighter yet my senses feeling heightened.
“Where are you takin’ me?” I asked after the drive had taken far longer than I assumed it would.
“Hold your horses. It will be worth the wait. That I can promise you,” he said, just as he took a sharp right turn off the main road.
The gravel grumbled underneath his tires, enticing me to roll down my window and let the spring breeze filter through the car. The scent of nature lassoed around me, forcing my eyes to close and my head to fall back onto the headrest.
One hand clung to Stetson as he caressed his thumb back and forth on my skin and the other dangled out of the window, letting the wind effortlessly drive it up and down.
On the anniversary of my failed wedding, I felt, for the first time, that a new life was blossoming alongside the spring season. Everything bad had died—well,almosteverything—leaving room for all of the new. Now, it was time for new things, new beginnings, and a new me.
Although, one thing still remained outstanding. One thing that could take this all away, but after the concert and everything with Ruby, I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud to him. Not tonight.
“We’re here.” Stetson’s voice was laced with that cocky tone that I’d once found overly annoying but now found disturbingly sexy, whipping me back into the present and pushing the guilt out of sight.
My head lifted from the back of the seat as I opened my eyes, blinking a few times to clear the view. The truck slowed, rolling to a stop. Black oaks canopied the sky above us, so much so that I couldn’t see anything other than darkness and a few branches here and there.
The creak of the old truck door echoed through the night air as Stetson reached into the back seat, pulling something with him before hopping out of the truck. Whatever he grabbed, he tucked it under his arm and opened my door, offering his hand to me.
I walked closely behind him, gripping his hand with both of mine. The nighttime sounds were almost as loud as Stetson’s concert had been—the cicadas chatting, the branches creaking, and the wind dancing within the trees provided the most perfect soundtrack.
About fifty feet from the truck, we came to a clearing. The trees overhead vanished and replacing them was a breathtaking view of the night sky. Millions of stars twinkled overhead in every direction. I’d never seen anything so clear despite living in the middle of nowhere my entire life.
“I never would have thought you could get these kinds of views in a place like Nashville,” I admitted.
“You don’t, unless you know what you’re looking for. And lucky for you, I know exactly what I’m looking for,” he stated.
“It’s unreal. It feels like I’m looking at a picture.” My head was still shifted back as I tried to consume as many stars as I could.
“Well, you showed me your favorite spot in Quincey Falls, so it was only fair I showed you mine here in Nashville,” he said. “Well, just on the outskirts of Nashville.”
“It’s perfect,” I breathed. “This whole night has been perfect.” My gaze finally fell to him. He’d laid out a plaid blanket on the ground, equipped with a bottle of wine and two wineglasses.
“It really has been. I’ve never felt happier or more content in my entire life.” I reached for his hand as I snuggled up next to him. “Are you cold?” he asked.
“A little.”
“Here, take my jacket,” he insisted. “I still have plenty of adrenaline pumping through me to keep me warm.”
“Thank you,” I said.
He laid himself back, resting his weight on his arms. “I think if someone asked me what my perfect day looked like, this would be it.” He lowered down farther, lacing his fingers together and using his hands as a headrest. The muscles in his biceps bulged through his denim shirt. “From the second I picked you up at the airport to our little rendezvous at my apartment—we can’t forget about that…” His eyes shot over to me, a seductive glance washing over his face. “To the concert, the new song, Ruby being front and center, and you waiting backstage, just all of it. If you would’ve told me a year ago this is where I’d be, staring up at the stars with a pretty woman lying next to me, I would’ve called you a damn liar.”
His posture looked inviting. I leaned my body down next to his, finding my head a comfy resting spot on top of his chest. I pressed my ear down, looking for that constant rhythm of his steady heartbeat and finding it almost immediately.
“I have to agree,” I said. “You know what’s wild? It was exactly a year ago today that it felt like my entire world was collapsingaround me and I was unsure if I’d ever find myself again. I’d lost myself once before, but I was much younger then, which I think allowed me to believe I had time,” I admitted. “But last year, it felt harder, like I’d already wasted so much of my life in a relationship that absolutely wasn’t meant to be, and I was running out of time.” I took a big inhale, letting the air fill my lungs completely before slowly letting it go. “Then you quite literally stumbled out of the shadows and into my life when I least expected it.”
He chuckled, the rumble of his chest vibrating underneath me. “I never said my timing was perfect.”
“But it was. I just didn’t realize it,” I insisted. “Helping you find your way has allowed me to start to do the same, and I’ll forever be grateful for that. For you.”
His weight shifted underneath me, forcing me up.
He sat up and pulled my chin closer. “Grateful doesn’t even begin to describe what I am for you. You, Scarlett Carson, make life worth living.”
His words were barely out of his mouth before he pushed his lips to mine.
These kisses,ourkisses would never get old.
