Chapter 46
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Reid
The Silver Bit Tavern is alive tonight, the kind of vibrant energy only this place can stir up. The jukebox is working overtime, belting out country classics, while the chatter of the locals mixes with the clinking of glasses and the occasional burst of laughter.
A few cowboys lean against the bar, tossing back whiskey. The usual crowd is here, but there’s a little extra buzz tonight. And it’s not just because of the beer.
It’s because of Dakota.
Damn, I can’t take my eyes off her. She looks amazing, and also, I know how important tonight is for all of us.
I think we all do.
But as we sit around our table, laughing and flirting, I know the town gossip can’t get to us. Colter Creek will be fine, as long as we’re happy, I’m sure of it.
“…so, did you love growing up here, then?” I ask, slinging my arm around Dakota’s shoulder.
“Nah.” Clint chuckles. “She escaped the second she could. Isn’t that right, Dakota?”
A cute redness flames in her cheeks. “Took off faster than a bull out of the chute. But actually, I’m kinda glad to be back. I always thought Colter Creek was too small. But I didn’t like the massiveness of New York City. It didn’t suit me at all.”
Clint leans back in his chair with a smug grin. “Well, we’re glad you’re back.”
She shoots him a playful glare. “Yeah, sure you are.”
“Hey guys, haven’t seen you in here for a while.” I turn to see Tommy Jones smirking at us all. “I only ever see you guys in my feed store these days.”
“We gotta have fun sometime.”
Tommy cocks a knowing eyebrow. “Yeah, looks like you’re having a lot of fun.”
His tone isn’t judgmental. It’s playful, light. That’s the thing about this town. They just want us to be happy. I can feel it.
The locals might gossip, but it’s not out of malice. It’s more of a way for them to stay connected. Everyone here has a stake in each other’s lives.
Sawyer chimes in, finishing off his soda with a dramatic swig. “Right, so shall we take a drive?”
“A drive?” Dakota asks, her eyebrow arching in curiosity. “I thought this was it. Where are we going?”
He doesn’t answer, just winks at her, that charming grin of his tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Seriously?” she says, leaning back in her seat. “You’re not going to tell me?”
He shrugs, that mischievous glint in his eyes. “You’ll see.”
The moment we slide into the truck again, I know things are about to shift. Sawyer starts the engine, the rumble of it vibrating through my chest.
Dakota’s sitting between Clint and me, her body close, just enough that I can feel the heat radiating off her, feel the rise and fall of her breath with every turn of the wheel.
I glance at her, and our eyes meet. That spark is there, hot and flickering. I see the way her lips curve, barely, but it’s enough to set my pulse racing. I lean forward, my arm brushing hers, just to see if she notices.
And she does. The faintest of shivers runs through her, and her breath hitches. She’s caught between wanting to resist and giving in. And damn, I want her to give in.
Sawyer’s quiet in the driver’s seat, his hands tight on the wheel, but there’s a pulse in the air. He knows what’s going on. He feels it, too.
Clint’s brooding silence is only adding to the tension. He’s always been the steady one, but tonight, even he can’t hide the fact that he’s on edge.
The truck bounces lightly on the dirt road, but all I can feel is Dakota, her body so close to mine, the scent of her perfume wrapping around me in an intoxicating haze. Her legs brush mine, and I feel a surge of heat that I try, unsuccessfully, to ignore.
“Where are we headed?” Dakota asks, just a little too breathy. She’s already anticipating what’s about to happen.
Sawyer’s grin lights up the dark interior of the truck, but he doesn’t answer, just pushes the pedal harder, sending us rumbling down the road.
Dakota turns slightly to me, her lips curling into that challenge that drives me wild. “I don’t like not knowing.”
I don’t answer right away. I’m trying to keep myself in check, trying not to grab her right here, right now. The space between us is tight, the tension thick, and I know if I push, if I make the wrong move, it’ll explode.
But I can’t help myself. I lean closer, my lips just brushing her ear, my breath warm against her skin. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
She shivers, her body trembling under my touch, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she tilts her head, exposing the soft curve of her neck, inviting me in.
It’s all I need.
Without thinking, my lips trace the line of her jaw, feeling the soft pulse of her skin beneath my mouth. She gasps, a soft, breathless sound, and the heat of her breath fans across my cheek.
Sawyer’s eyes flick to us in the rearview mirror, and I know Clint is watching too, his own gaze locked on Dakota with that brooding intensity that speaks volumes. The three of us are surrounding her, closing in, and I can feel everything between us crackling with heat, with need.
Sawyer’s hand slides up to the knob of the truck’s radio, clicking it off in one smooth motion, as though to silence any distractions.
The truck slows, and Sawyer pulls us off the road, parking in a secluded spot near the lake. The night is still, the only sound the faint whisper of wind through the trees and the soft lap of water against the shore.
Clint is the first to get out, slamming his door with more force than necessary. I follow closely behind, not taking my eyes off Dakota.
She’s still sitting there, her chest rising and falling a little too quickly. Her hands are clenched in her lap, and her body is tight.
She’s fighting the urge to explode.
Sawyer reaches out for her, his movements smooth and easy, but something in the way his fingers linger on her wrist sends a flare of heat through me.
“Are you planning to keep me in suspense all night?” she teases.
She looks between Clint, Sawyer, and me, the flicker of something dangerous and exciting in her eyes.
Clint says nothing, but I see the way he watches her. The tension in the air could cut through glass.
Without a word, I take her hand, pulling her toward the water’s edge, Clint and Sawyer close behind. The moonlight casts a silvery glow over the lake, and the world feels distant, far away from anything real.
Just us. Just the heat that’s building between us.
I stop at the water’s edge, my hand still gripping hers, and turn to face her. She’s breathing fast now, and her lips are parted. She’s waiting for me to do something.
“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” I murmur, brushing my thumb over her wrist. The touch is light, but it sends a shiver through her.
She smiles, but there’s a dangerous edge to it. “What fun would that be?”
And then, without warning, she pulls me closer, her hands threading into my hair as she pulls my lips down to hers.
The kiss is fierce, raw, the kind of kiss that’s been building all night, all this time we’ve been circling around each other. It’s hungry and desperate, full of everything we’ve been trying to ignore.
I respond in kind, my hands sliding down her back, pulling her body flush against mine. I can feel her pulse, feel the heat between us, and it’s almost too much.
She’s gasping into my mouth, her body swaying against me, and I want to rip the space between us wide open. But there’s something about this moment that makes me want to savor it.
Clint steps up beside us, his eyes dark, his words a rough whisper. “You know you’re not the only ones here, right?”
But Dakota doesn’t flinch, doesn’t pull away. Instead, she presses herself even closer to me, her hands wandering down to my chest, tugging at my shirt as if she’s trying to get closer still.
Her lips leave mine, trailing down my neck, and every touch burns me alive. I can feel Clint’s presence beside me, feel Sawyer just a step behind him, but right now, it’s only Dakota and me.
She steps closer to Clint, leaning into his chest, and I feel the magnetic pull of it all. This moment is ours to shape, ours to break apart and rebuild however we want.
It’s about power and vulnerability, about trust and surrender.
And then, almost without thinking, she moves toward Sawyer, her lips finding his in a kiss that is softer, more exploratory.
Sawyer’s reaction is instant. A low groan escapes him as his hands grip her waist, pulling her flush against him.
It’s a kiss that says everything they’ve been circling around.
Dakota pulls away from Sawyer, her lips pink and swollen from the kiss. “This has been the most fun night of my life.”
Clint lights up. “You’re not the only one who’s had fun. I think we’ve all had a hell of a time tonight.”
I can almost see the steel in his jaw as he looks down at her, those blue eyes of his locking with hers.
Sawyer jumps in. “He’s right. It’s not just about tonight. It’s about what happens after. We’re here. We’re all here. And this isn’t just a passing thing. It’s real.”
I feel that. That’s the part that gets to me. He’s not just speaking for himself, I can tell. He’s speaking for all of us.
“I’m done with all the hesitation,” I say. “This isn’t about tonight for me. I want this, Dakota. I want you. Not just in the heat of the moment, but in whatever comes next. I’m in. All the way. We want to be together. To be a family. For real.”
Dakota’s standing there, her arms crossed, looking between us as if we’re all still a puzzle piece she’s trying to figure out. There’s a vulnerability in her eyes that I don’t think she’s used to showing. Hell, maybe none of us are.
She sighs, her breath catching just a little as her gaze flicks to Clint, then Sawyer, then me.
“I didn’t expect this. I didn’t expect you guys to feel this way about me.
But damn if I haven’t been feeling it too.
I want this. All of it.” Her voice falters for just a second, but she’s quick to catch herself.
She’s pulling back from something too big to fully grasp.
“But what if it doesn’t work? What if we can’t figure this out? What if…”
Her words hang there between us, unanswered. But Clint steps forward, his hand brushing the side of her face with a tenderness I don’t think I’ve ever seen in him before.
“We’ll make it work,” he says, the words solid, a promise. “Together. No matter what happens, we’re not running from this. We’re not letting go.”
Sawyer steps up, too, his eyes soft but firm. “This isn’t something we just walk away from. We’re in this for you and for us.”
And me? I’ve got no more walls left to hide behind. I can’t keep pretending I’m not standing here, wanting to be a part of this, of her, in every way.
“You don’t have to make any promises tonight,” I tell her. “But know this: we’re all in. Whatever it looks like, I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere.”
She looks at us, really looks at us, trying to weigh what we’ve said. Maybe she’s sorting through the pieces, trying to find her place in all this.
And then, with a deep breath, she takes a step toward us, closing the gap. Her fingers find mine, and everything just… stops.
We’ve crossed some line, some invisible boundary, and now we’re here, together.
“I want to try,” she says. “I’m scared, but I want this. I want to stay in this town, to make a life in Colter Creek, to try with you all.”
And I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I am right now.