56
L oud music. Sticky dance floor. Bright neon.
Nowhere.
Between watching Fallon damn near give me a heart attack and beatin’ Pappy’s ass, it’s about fucking time we enjoy the day.
“You ready to break some news?” Fallon murmurs.
I take her hand. “Can’t damn wait.”
My gaze settles on her ring finger. The tattoo. My heart pulses. No damn way to describe that feeling. What she did. It’s permanent. We are permanent.
My girl.
My fucking wife.
We lock eyes and she grins. “Let’s get this over with.”
I scour the room and find my family at the back of the bar, standing around the dart board and a pair of low cocktail tables with chairs. Across both tables, a graveyard of beers and shots.
“Oh, man,” Ford hoots, lifting his beer when he sees us coming. “We’re gonna be feelin’ good tonight.”
Charlie arches a brow. “Think he already feels good.”
“Whose face you bust your knuckles on?” Davis asks.
I grin. “Pappy.” Best feeling of my life was pounding that piece of shit into a pulp.
The smile slips off Davis’s face. “I need bail money?”
“Got it handled,” I say easily, giving a nod to Tripp, who’s just entered the bar.
“The news about Pappy will be in the paper tomorrow,” Fallon says. “He’ll get what he fucking deserves.”
Ruby wrinkles her nose. Confusion simmers in her blue-eyed gaze. “But who’s leaving Fallon flowers? And who told Wyatt about the rodeo?”
Charlie’s eyes move to mine. “Ruby’s right. It doesn’t add up.”
Unease tugs at me. We still don’t know who was in Fallon’s house. All I know is that Weston’s article is set to run tomorrow, and Pappy will get his fucking due. But it feels unfinished.
“C’mon, Davis,” Reese teases. “We have mysteries that need to be solved.”
“That is a question for sober Davis.” Dakota laughs, nodding at her husband, who’s locked in a beer chugging competition with Ford.
“For once, Davis has the right idea. It’s time for beer,” Fallon mutters, slugging down a shot. “Not time to play Hardy Boy Detective mystery.” Irritation clouds her pretty face. The last thing she wants to do is get into this. Not tonight. When my girl’s in a bar, she wants to have a good time.
Fallon picks up a dart and hurls it at the board. “Fuck Pappy. Let’s celebrate.”
Beef appears with more. A bucket of beer. Two pink drinks in goblets with straws. A tray of amber-colored shots. “Congrats, Fallon.” He slaps her arm, rocking her forward. Then eyes the table. “Drinks are on the house until one of you starts a fight.”
Davis arcs a finger around our group. “No one’s starting a fight.”
Charlie and I share a grin.
“Thank god.” Dakota winces and reaches for a shot. I catch a glimpse of a white bandage on the back of her elbow. “I need another drink to take the sting out of this tattoo.” She looks at her sister. “How on Earth did you ever do your knuckles?”
Fallon grins. “Stupidity. Youth.”
I look around the women. Ruby, Reese, and Dakota all have mischievous smiles on their faces. “Hold up. Y’all got tattoos?”
Ruby, curled up on Charlie’s lap, showcases a small cowboy hat tattooed on the inside of her wrist.
“Yup.” Dakota peels back the cloth from her tattoo. A tiny cupcake. “We had a girl’s day.”
“A drunk day,” Ford quips, only to get an elbow from Reese.
He turns to his wife. “Hell, baby, I ain’t complainin’.” Wolfish smile on his face, Ford presses Reese back against the wood-paneled wall. “Let me get a closer look at that tattoo,” he drawls, dragging the hem of Reese’s skirt so far up she squeaks.
“Get a fuckin’ room,” Davis growls.
“You’re one to talk, D.” Charlie grins. “Ain’t that lipstick on your neck?”
Davis flushes.
Ford jerks his head at Fallon. “What’d you get, cowgirl? Everyone’s been mum’s the word.”
I suck in a breath, my heart pounding.
Lips twitching, Fallon holds up her ring finger. My brothers quiet.
Davis studies us for a beat then says, “Looks permanent.”
I look at Fallon. “I guess we have an announcement.”
“I guess we do.”
Ruby claps a hand over her mouth.
Ford rubs his brow, turns to Reese. “If I’m forced to watch them break up, I’m killing them both.”
Fallon takes a shuddery inhale and shrugs. “We hate each other’s fuckin’ guts, but we’re not real great with anyone else, so we decided we’re gonna grit our teeth old-married-couple style and ride this bitch into the grave.”
“Wow,” Reese says. “Romantic.”
Charlie rolls his eyes. “So, you’re staying married.”
I grin and slip Fallon’s hand into mine. “Yeah. We’re staying married.”
Ruby whoops triumphantly. “Hell yes.” She bounces off Charlie’s lap, so happy she’s practically vibrating. “Pay up.”
Grumbles sound, and then everyone slaps wads of cash into her hand.
“You assholes bet on us!” Fallon exclaims, delight and shock in her voice.
“It was Fairy Tale’s idea,” Ford complains. “She gets real violent when it comes to romance.”
Charlie looks proud of his wife.
“End of summer,” Ruby crows. “I knew you two always wanted to smooch.”
“Yeah, well.” Fallon grins up at me. “I kinda love him, even if he is an idiot.”
I haul her against my chest and kiss her hard. In front of everyone.
Whoops and hollers come from our family. The entire bar.
I pull back and cup her face in my hands. “Love you back, baby.”
“You two just healed all our little hearts,” Reese says, beaming. “I hope you know that.”
“Y’all are gonna drive each other absolutely fuckin’ insane.” Ford slings an arm around his wife’s shoulders, lifts his beer and grins. “Congratulations.”
Charlie gives me a nod. “Yeah, man, congrats.”
“We’re so happy for you,” Dakota says, tears in her eyes.
“Hell.” Davis rubs his jaw, sits back to kick a boot up on his knee. “That’s an announcement if I ever heard one.”
Their words, the sincerity in them, have joy blooming inside my chest.
“Thanks,” I say gruffly.
It hits me then; I finally have what I’ve always wanted.
Fallon.
This woman who never has me doubting myself, who always fights for me. We’re together. Sure, there’s plans to make and shit to figure out, but we have a future. A life where we grow old together on the front porch in rocking chairs and bicker until our last breath.
We raise our shots in cheers then shoot them down. The jukebox cranks out Dolly Parton. We take our seats around the low cocktail tables.
Charlie lifts a beer bottle to his bearded lips. “Now that y’all got the death-defying stunts out of the way, you two know what you’re doin’ next?”
“Ain’t sure.” I wrap an arm around Fallon. “My girl doesn’t plan. Maybe one day we’ll have to when we have babies—”
Fallon presses a palm to my chest. “Whoa. Let’s take it one step at a time, Romeo.”
I just grin at her. I think about Fallon twenty-three hours a day; the other hour, I’m thinking of how our kids would look. If that ain’t obsessed, I don’t know what is.
“You don’t want kids?” I ask.
Her eyes soften. “Fine. I’ll take a kid. Or two.”
I grin around the table. My family. My friends. My wife. Too damn perfect for words.
That’s when I notice Reese and Ford, locked in a hushed conversation.
“Y’all want to share it with the group?” Davis asks, and all heads whip to Reese and Ford.
Ford rolls his eyes at his twin, wraps an arm around Reese. “We’ve been talkin’—”
“Ford, not now,” Reese says, trying to shush him.
Fallon and I share an amused look.
“Hell, why not now?” Ford says in a loud whisper to Reese. “They’re all going to find out anyway.”
Charlie frowns. “What’s goin’ on with you two?”
Ford’s expression is soft as he looks at his wife. “Tell ’em, Birdie.”
Reese’s gaze finds Ruby and Charlie. She folds her hands in her lap like she’s at a business meeting. “We wanted to talk to you both about something. So, Ford and I were talking and…” She takes a deep breath then says, “I wanted to offer to be your surrogate.”
Ruby’s jaw drops.
Hell, everyone’s does.
Fallon grips my hand, squeezes hard.
Ruby and Charlie sit frozen, stunned.
“If you want us to.” Reese plays with the gold necklace around her throat. “I know it could be messy mixing family with…well, this, and I know my past might be an issue—” At that, Ford flinches, shakes his head and holds her tight. “But if you can’t find someone, and still need someone, I’m here.”
Charlie, still looking dazed, asks, “Really?”
“Really,” Ford says, expression serious. “We’ve thought about it long and hard. It’s not the beers talkin’.”
“But what about you two?” Ruby’s voice is wobbly.
“Hell, Fairy Tale, we ain’t even been married a year. We ain’t ready for babies yet.” He shrugs. “’Sides, it don’t seem fair we get a family before you two do.”
Charlie and Ruby share a wet, wide-eyed look.
Ford continues. “We know money’s tight with the ranch and the flower shop.
We’re family, brother. We want to do this for y’all.
Because we love you.” He clears his throat, blinks hard.
The muscles in his jaw and throat work as he finds the words.
“There ain’t no two people in the world who deserve it more. ”
My throat closes up. Everyone at the table is fighting back a wave of emotions. Including, Fallon. She doesn’t bother to stop a tear from slipping down her face.
A choked sob comes from Ruby. “Really?” she breathes, hands clasped to her heart.
“Really.” Tears brim in Reese’s emerald eyes. “It would be an absolute honor, Ruby. If you’ll let me.”
Ruby sits there crying, nodding yes .
“Baby, you’re killin’ me,” Charlie gruffs, looking all kind of tortured. He looks at Ford and Reese. “What she’s tryin’ to say is…yes,” he says, sounding dazed. “Let’s do the damn thing.”
Dakota brings her hands to her face.
Ruby bursts into tears. She launches off Charlie’s lap and flings her arms around Reese. Her smile is so bright, she’s the beam of the sun. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
They stay locked together, a mixture of sobs and squeals.
Fuck. There’s not a dry eye at the table.
Dakota lets out a hiccupping sob.
Davis sits there, moist eyes, a muscle pulsing in his jaw. He stares into his beer like he can will it to sober him up.