Page 62 of More Than My Hometown

Maisey gives me the side-eye, and for a second, I think my joke didn’t land. Shit. She’s going to think that’s all I’m thinking about now. Or that I’m not taking her seriously. Because I am. I want the same kind of relationship, and more than anything, I love that she’s thinking about our future together this way.

Her side-eye morphs into an eye roll, and then laughter. Phew.

“Oh, no, I draw the line at deer stands and duck blinds. Those can remain unchristened.”

“Fair.”

“I mean it,” she reiterates, letting my hand go so she can dress her hot dog. “I want it all.”

Taking a big bite of her hot dog, she slowly chews, letting her bomb explode. Or well, fizzle out. Because that reaction isn’t surprising to me. It’s relatable.

“Same.”

Maisey stops mid-chew, her eyes going wide, waiting on me to elaborate. There isn’t anything left to say though. I want it all, with her.

I want late nights and shared secrets—inside jokes that only we understand and couldn’t explain if we tried. I want the wedding where our mamas fuss over details that I won’t give two shits about, while Maisey tries not to have a meltdown over everything being perfect. I want sleepless nights filled with crying babies and family camping trips. I want to spoil her on birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Days, Christmases, and every other stupid holiday—made-up or otherwise—that someone can think of for the rest of our lives.

I want her to be the one I wake up with when we’re both old and gray.

“Tell me something, Mais…”

“Anything.”

“You mentioned our kids; what else do you see in this future of ours?”

Maisey stops, hot dog partway to her mouth. “Well, I mean…”

She trails off, pressing her lips together as she looks for the answer that is going to sound the least presumptuous. I let her panic, just for a few seconds, loving how cute she looks like this with her eyes darting back and forth, searching for the answer in the campfire smoke.

Clearing her throat, she turns back to face me fully, popping the last bite of her dinner into her mouth.

“If I’m being that girl, and just letting all my fantasies run wild…” Her eyes sparkle, and I know it’s not just the firelight dancing in them this time. “Two kids, a matching pair. None of this one of each nonsense. Whatever the first one comes out as, that’s what I want the second to be.”

I nod, not sure how to respond to that oddly specific detail. She’s a nurse, so it’s not like she isn’t very aware that’s not how the process works, but it’s her daydream, so who am I to stop her.

“Plus a dog. But not like a golden doodle or something like that. I mean like a beagle or a blue heeler or something that you can take hunting and camping and fishing.”

Shaking my head, I reach for the meat in the cooler again, slipping round two onto the roasting sticks. I hand her one, not bothering to hide the silly grin on my face.

“What’s that look for?”

I shake my head, still not hiding my smile. “When you said you were going to be that girl, I thought I was going to get an earful about a wedding and a house, and maybe even the names you have picked out for our kids, not the very specific dog breeds you want us to have.”

“I have a whole list of names, don’t you worry,” she mutters, yanking a roasting stick out of my hand.

I throw my head back laughing. The last thing I was worried about was her having a list of baby names.

“Laugh all you want, but I’ve been thinking a lot about it. And not just since I’ve been back. It’s all part of why I’m back. Of why…”

She pauses, holding on to her breath.

“Why what?” I press.

“Do you know what my first, gut, knee-jerk reaction was when Dolly texted me last year telling me that she and Hux were together? I was jealous. I mean, I was happy for her too. Because everyone knows those two belong together. But…but at the same time, it made me start thinking about all the things I wanted from life.” She exhales loudly, letting out all the air she’d been holding on to. “How I wanted both the career and the family. And while the career part was going well, the other parts—all those things—were back here, with you. I’m not trying to make this all heavy, but…for all that time I spent growing up thinking about getting away from here, now, this is the only place I want to be.”

“That’s because growing up we didn’t realize we could have a sex tent,” I comment.

Maisey side-eyes me again, and this time I’m sure I’m gonna get it.