Playing Mr. Perfect (The Bradens at Ridgeport #1)

Pepper

Oak Falls is home to horse farms, coffee shops, and quaint restaurants where customers are greeted like family and treated like treasured guests, whether or not they’re from the area. That’s one of the things I love most about my hometown. The people might be nosy and spread gossip faster than the wind, but as we drive through the town where I went from being a curious child to a careful teen, and finally to the woman I am today, a funny thing happens. I realize I didn’t become the woman I am today in Oak Falls. I found her in Paris with Clay, and she took root with him in Charlottesville.

As we near the festival grounds, my nervousness about seeing my family in our newfound coupledom morphs into something else. I’m proud to be with a man who adores me for who I am, with all my meticulousness and overthinking. A man who has shown me that life is so much bigger than proving to the world I’m more than just a smart person or a scientist. A man who has helped me overcome my fears and insecurities. But that doesn’t stop butterflies from swarming in my belly when we reach the crowded fairgrounds.

We’re blessed with a sunny, almost-sixty-degree day, and it looks like the whole town came out to enjoy it. Hordes of people are milling about the lawn and moving in and out of white tents decorated in pinks and reds, selling arts and crafts, jewelry, clothing, and other wares. The scents of barbecue and popcorn carry in the breeze. Bells and chimes ring out in the distance from carnival games, and heart-shaped red balloons with #teamplay printed in white on one side and #Love printed on the other dance from ribbons tied to tents and tables.