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“All right,” he said.
And he felt like an idiot, even though most everybody got out there and danced, but she spun around, illuminated by the firelight, and when she smiled at him, he thought his chest might burst open.
He held her close and then twirled her, and the joy that radiated from her was catching.
And he had a moment of wondering if all the stuff in him was catching too, which concerned him a little bit, because Alaina didn’t deserve to catch any of the bullshit inside of him.
And when she came back to him, there was part of the song that asked, “Would it be okay if I didn’t know the way?”
And he didn’t know the way, he realized that.
And he wanted her. He wanted this.
And just now he wanted to embrace it. Not have any of the walls up, not have any of his defenses in place. Because he just wanted this moment.
And she laughed, and he felt himself do it in response. Until he was spinning right along with her, grinning, and not caring that it stretched his scar tissue all to hell.
To smile that wide.
He so rarely had a reason to, but tonight he had her. Like a spark in his arms, and he never wanted to let her go.
And they danced until the fire died down, and the evening quieted.
Then they got back into his truck, and she was still singing along with every song they danced to.
“You don’t even like country music,” he said.
“I think I do now,” she responded, smiling up at him.
He cleared his throat, and decided he was going to go ahead and follow his next impulse, because his impulses had taken him to some pretty decent places tonight.
“Why don’t you sleep in my room tonight?”
“Okay.”
And when they went up to bed, she was that same spark she’d been by the fire. And it took a long time for the two of them to cool. And when they did, they fell asleep holding each other. And in the morning she was still there.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“WE’REALLGOINGdancing tonight,” Hunter said.
Gus didn’t look up from the stall he was mucking. “Good for you.”
“Don’t you think that maybe you should take your wife dancing?”
And he couldn’t help but think about the night that he had picked Alaina up from Smokey’s Tavern. Yeah, he couldn’t help but think about that.
She’d been out dancing with other men. But never with him. He didn’t go down to the tavern. And maybe that needed to change.
Except he hated the idea of changing at all.
Because everything is so great?
“I just danced with her the other night,” he said.
“Dancing with her at town hall is hardly the same as taking her out, Gus.”
Gus grunted. “Who iswe all?”
