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“I was trying to protect you, prepare you for the responsibility that comes with overseeing all of this.”

“While I respect what you’ve created, I don’t intend to lead like you have. This ranch is our livelihood and legacy, but my family will always come first.”

My dad sniffed, once again scanning the stalls. “I’m good with this Randy guy as a trial run. But if he doesn’t work out, that’s on you.” That was my dad’s way of compromising. He moved to leave, but stopped short. “Your mother wanted me to invite you and Dial over for dinner.”

“I’ll check with Dial and get back to you.”

And just like that, it was over—no major blow-up, no need for me to excommunicate myself from the family. While having the conversation had been hard, it was necessary. It had taken me thirty-one years to realize that I could push back, say no, and hold firm. That being on my father’s bad side wasn’t the end of the world, and that I needed to start putting myself first. I’d found a way to get what I wanted while appeasing my father, and I didn’t have to knuckle up. Win-win.

25

Dial

Even after all these months, waking up in Ozzie’s bed was still foreign to me. It was Sunday, which meant we got to linger, and he held me close while stroking my locs.

“Dial?”

“Hmm?”

“Let’s get married.”

“What?”

“Let’s get married, like, today.” He released me, climbing out of bed. “Shit, I’m doing this wrong. Hold on.” He opened dresser drawers, rummaging through in search of something. When he turned around, his hand was extended.

“Ozzie…” My eyes grew wide at the sight of the small box cradled in the middle of his palm.

“Dial, this is ten years in the making. You make me happier than I probably deserve. And while it took us a month of Sundays to get this right, we’re here now and I’m looking to fast-track our happily-ever-after. Dial Eugenia Birch, will you let me spend the rest of my life loving you?”

He opened the box to reveal a sapphire stone surrounded by diamonds with a delicate band.

The world seemed to tilt when he dropped to one knee, like every memory we’d shared rushed up at once and pressed against my ribs. I felt my breath catch, trembling, because I’d imagined this moment a thousand different ways when we were younger, and then spent several years convincing myself it would never happen. My heart swelled so fast it almost hurt, full of all the pieces of us that had survived the worst parts of our story.

I thought of our daughter, of the nights he held me when I was breaking, of the nights I held her alone, of the years we spent circling each other like two people afraid to admit we still belonged together. And now he was offering forever again—not the naïve version we’d once dreamed about, but something rebuilt, scarred, stronger.

“When did you get a ring?”

“I’ve had it a long time. It belonged to Gigi, and she and Pop-Pop were married for, like, sixty years, so I think it’s good luck.”

Emotion rose so quickly it blurred my vision, a mix of disbelief and relief and a love so fierce that it made my hands shake. I felt cracked open in the best way, overwhelmed by the realization that after everything, every heartbreak, every mistake, he still chose me, and I still wanted him with a certainty that lived bone deep.

“Yes, I will—I do, of course,” I said. “But I have one condition: that you allow me to love you right back.”

“Sounds like a well-crafted plan.”

I hopped into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. “I love you, Oz. I can’t wait to be your wife.”

“Today. Let’s do it today.”

My heart skittered in my chest. “Baby, that’s impossible.”

“My best friend is an ordained officiant.”

“We need a license.”

“My best friend is also the mayor of this damn town. I’m sure he’d gladly open the courthouse for a quickie license.”

“What about our parents? My mother would kill me.”