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Bottle Grounds was hopping tonight, but instead of hoping to run into Dani like I usually would, she was walking in proudly on my arm.
I won’t lie about how I feel. It feels damn good to be able to show everyone we were together again. I wasn’t someone who boasted about things like relationships, but something about this made me want to.
I wanted to shout to the world that this amazing woman was giving me a second chance.
We were here tonight to celebrate Graham and Quinn. Graham had planned an engagement party for their family and friends on this end of town.
Today, they’d gone on a hike to the waterfall we’d been going to since we were kids. That spot was special to them.
My brother pulled out all the stops, packing their favorite meal and dessert, bringing Alex in on all the plans and then having a romantic swim and lunch before asking Quinn to marry him.
I was supposed to get a text if anything went wrong so I could cancel the engagement party, but as I’d predicted when Graham asked me to oversee that, my phone has remained silent.
Everyone was here. My dad, Amelia and Sophie, Aveline and Ethan and their daughter, even Aveline’s brother Lucas and his wife. I even spot Jim, who is Alex’s biological dad and a great friend to Quinn. He was a decent guy and never made any trouble for Graham. In fact, he was a huge supporter of Quinn and Graham getting together. I spot Quinn’s parents talking with him, and I nod my head. I’ve only briefly met them one time when they came up to see Quinn’s new house.
We greet our friends and note the banner hanging above the bar, one congratulating Graham and Quinn on their engagement.
Dani’s folks come in, explaining that Graham had been in the market and invited them to come, and Dani’s smile widens.
“What’s that smile for, pretty girl?” I whisper into her ear.
We’re both standing near the bar, our backs to it while we look out over our friends and family.
“Just makes me happy,” she comments, gesturing to our folks, who are all talking now. “It’s nice to be accepted by Graham and your dad again. It was weird to be…ignored, I guess.”
I shake my head as regret pangs through me. “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to make everyone think you were the villain. I set them straight as soon as I realized.”
Dani turns to me and smiles, placing her hand on my cheek. “I know. I’m happy now, is what I’m saying.”
The three little words I used to say to this woman all the time burn on the tip of my tongue, and I have to swallow back the urge to say them.
I want to. I feel like she’d be ready for me to, but I’m terrified of saying it and pushing us too fast.
Even if in my head I was already building our house on our property, even if I’d gone out on horseback this morning to scout out suitable locations to put it, I didn’t want to rush and ruin a perfectly good thing.
Noise from the bar entrance draws our attention, and we turn to see Graham and his girls enter the bar.
Everyone yells their version of surprise, and Quinn’s shocked face causes people to laugh .
“No wonder you insisted on dinner!” she says loudly, clearly talking to Graham, who has a smile a mile wide on his face. Alex’s grin matches, especially when her dad steps out of the crowd, and she sees him.
“Daddy!” She rushes forward, and he scoops the nine-year-old up into his arms, holding her tight.
I look over and see Quinn’s eyes are watery as she turns to Graham and pulls him into a kiss. Clearly, this was a surprise too.
My brother was good.
The happy couple goes around and talks to everyone, giving hugs and accepting drinks. When they make it to us, I give my brother and his fiancée a hug. I watch out of the corner of my eye as Quinn includes Dani, and it makes me feel like everything is finally the way it should be. Dani should have always been a part of this. Hell, she was the biggest part of this to me.
Graham catches my eye, and I frown, watching him nod to the side.
I squeeze Dani’s hand and then step a few feet away, my eyes immediately drawn back to Dani and Quinn, who are looking at Quinn’s ring.
One day…
“Hey, so,” Graham starts, bringing my attention back to him. “I’m moving in with the girls now that we’re engaged.”
I hold out a hand. “Congrats, man. It’s about time.”
Graham nods, accepting the handshake. “I agree. But what I was getting at is that my apartment is going to be empty.” He pauses, and I shake my head in confusion. Graham sighs. “What I’m saying is, take it.” Then he pointedly looks at Dani and Quinn.
Finally, I get what he’s saying. “You think Dani and I should take over your apartment? Move in together?” While the tone of my voice tells Graham the idea is crazy, somewhere in my chest, I have the feeling of something clicking into place.
Maybe this was a good move.
“Well, I won’t tell you what to do. You’re a grown man. But it’s empty, and neither our dad nor her parents live there, might be worth looking into.”
I nod my head, the idea having more and more merit the longer I process it. “When do you move out?”
Graham laughs, and I chuckle along as we walk back over to the girls. The happy couple gets pulled away, and a Randy Travis song pulls me to the dance floor, my favorite dance partner in tow.
I pull her around, and she smiles as she gazes up at me.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks, and I decide that it would be more fun to surprise her with a date at the apartment rather than telling her.
“Just thinkin’ about how beautiful you are.”
She shakes her head, a grin splitting across her face. “Boy, you are full of charm these days.”
“Only these days?” I ask, spinning her out before bringing her back to me. “I seem to remember my charm worked on you just fine when we were younger.”
She nods. “I suppose it did.”
I nudge her hair back behind her ear and lean in close. “Think I could use that charm in the back seat of my truck?”
A shiver crosses her skin, and she smiles, lifting a sassy eyebrow. “Why don’t you try and find out?”