Chapter 33 #2
She waves him off. “Now go enjoy yourselves before I start crying into the peach cobbler. Mama would not appreciate that.”
We meander down Main Street, running into Wade and Truett near the live music.
Wade’s carrying three funnel cakes, his grin blinding as he spots us.
I don’t even know why he’s still in town.
He was supposed to go back to Honey Creek weeks ago.
Every time I’ve asked him about it, he simply smirks, shrugs, and says something to the effect of, “I’m a free bird.
I go wherever the wind takes me.” I think he realized how much better Sweet Briar is than Honey Creek and doesn’t want to leave. But who knows.
I gesture toward the deep-fried sugar. “Why?”
He shrugs. “In case I got hungry.”
Truett heaves a sigh beside him, looking exhausted already. “He bought one.”
“I bought two,” Wade corrects. “Then won another in a ring toss.”
“And you’re going to…eat them all?” I ask.
“Maybe. I offered one to Grumpy Gills, but he declined.”
Truett rolls his eyes, pure distaste splashed across his face.
Chesney laughs. “You’re unbelievable, man.”
The four of us wander from booth to booth.
Sightseeing at a place like this is always top tier.
So many faces, so many people from different walks of life.
A local bluegrass band plays under the gazebo, while kids dance barefoot and carefree in the grass and their parents drink peach wine and gossip about one another.
There’re even a couple of old ranchers arguing over barbecue sauce recipes near the main stage.
Being here with Chesney feels really good.
It solidifies that this thing between us is real.
Seeing him laugh, eat greasy foods, joke around with his brother, and just let himself have fun is the best feeling.
He deserves this, and honestly, so do I.
The last nine months have been challenging for both of us, individually and together.
But I’m confident that what’s meant to be will be, and that thought couldn’t make me happier.
The next two hours pass in a blur of music, sweet treats, and dancing.
The high school put on an amazing talent show, and Ms. Baker, Sweet Briar’s town clerk’s, son won for his insane performance of Michael Jackson’s remake of Come Together.
Then the whole town voted in the annual pie contest. Magnolia and her mom won, with their peach cobbler, for the fourth year in a row.
The sun has dipped low enough to paint the whole sky orange by the time we all finally sit down at one of the picnic tables. Cold beers sweat in our hands, and we have even more food in front of us—most of which, Wade’s inhaling. That man can eat.
Chesney nudges my shoulder. “I ran the numbers,” he murmurs, low enough for only me to hear. Truett and Wade are in a heated conversation about I don’t even know what.
I turn my head, meeting his twinkling gaze. A grin tugs at the corner of my mouth, because I don’t even need to ask. “Oh?”
He chuckles softly. “I spent half the afternoon punching numbers and researching.”
“And what did you find?”
“It works.”
My pulse kicks up. “What?”
“It’ll take time, obviously. We’d have to restructure everything, and figure out loans, and insurance, and ownership.” He’s ticking items off on his fingers. “But financially, it works.”
My smile widens as my stomach flutters. “Really?”
He nods, his eyes bright and his grin blinding. “We’d actually save more than I expected.” Chesney chuckles. “I was so focused, I may have forgotten to eat lunch.”
“Oh, the hypocrisy,” I tease with a snort.
Rolling his eyes, he says, “Yeah, yeah.” His smile softens. “I think we can actually do this, though.”
Warmth spreads through my chest, and my throat becomes unbelievably tight.
I’m thrilled this idea could become a reality in the near future, but it’s not only about that.
It’s about Chesney, and how after everything—the grief, the heartbreak, the years we spent apart, and all that was once said—he spent an entire afternoon building us a future.
He saw something, not only in Wind River, but in us, and he came up with this beautiful plan for me, him, Truett, and the ranches that have been in both our families for generations.
I can’t even wrap my head around how sweet, and thoughtful, and…
utterly romantic that is. I’ve spent years giving my all to Wind River, doing anything I could to keep things running, even when it felt like everything was stacked against me, and when my dad died, there was a brief, sobering time when I didn’t know if I could do it anymore.
I doubted myself. A lot. I felt like I could never do what my dad did—I could never amount to his success and dedication—and I hated myself for it.
It’s exactly how Truett is feeling too. And Chesney came up with a plan so smart that hopefully none of us will ever have to feel that way again. He created the blueprint for our future, something we can pass down to our children one day.
I don’t think. The words simply come out. “I love you.”
Chesney’s watching me with wide eyes and parted lips. I can’t read the expression he’s wearing, but it doesn’t stop me from saying what’s in my heart.
“I know we’ve only technically been together for a little while, but we’ve also known each other basically our whole lives.
And if we’re being honest here, I’ve kind of been in love with you since I was sixteen.
Maybe even earlier than that. You don’t have to say it back.
I’m not expecting you to. I just wanted you to know because—”
Chesney grabs the front of my shirt and kisses me before I can finish.
I suck in a sharp breath, then completely melt into his touch a moment later.
He kisses me long after I’ve stopped talking, right here in the middle of Main Street, under strings of twinkle lights.
When he finally pulls back, he’s smiling, and his eyes are glistening.
Resting his forehead against mine, he says, “I love you.” The world stops moving. The music, the laughter, the festival going on around us… None of it matters. None of it exists in this moment. Chesney smiles, and my heart skips a beat. “And I know I’ve loved you for just as long.”
Someone whistles obnoxiously loud, and we both turn.
Wade’s standing ten feet away with Truett and Magnolia—no clue when they got up from the picnic table—and cups his hands around his mouth. “It’s about damn time!”
Half the crowd turns to look.
Chesney turns white as a ghost and buries his face against my shoulder, groaning.
All eyes are on us. It’s mortifying, yet I can’t stop laughing.
And I’m not the only one. Magnolia has tears in her eyes as she clutches her stomach.
Truett’s shaking his head while wearing the biggest smile I’ve seen from him in months.
Raising his beer triumphantly, Wade beams as he announces, “I told everyone you’d figure it out eventually!”
“You did what?” Chesney mutters at the same time I say, “Who’s everyone?”
Wade shrugs, wearing a smirk full of pride. “Okay, maybe not everyone,” he says. “Just all the staff at the ranch, Magnolia, all the other employees at the café.” He pats Truett on the back before adding, “Oh, and Frowny McGee over here. I lost fifty bucks to him waiting this long.”
Laughter erupts between us again, even from Chesney. His chuckles vibrate against my shoulder as he finally looks up at me.
“Guess we’re really doing this.”
I lace my fingers through his. “After everything we said a minute ago, I sure as hell hope so.”
He snorts, then leans in and whispers into my ear, “I love you, Jasper Smith.”
Sitting beneath the same small-town sky that had once forced two boys to hide, holding the hand of the man I’ve loved for twenty years, it feels like we’re exactly where we were always meant to be.
“I love you, Chesney Jennings.”