Chapter 42
FORTY-TWO
DYLAN
JAKE: You ready, Dyl?
DYLAN: I think so.
JAKE: Don’t mess this up!
DYLAN: You need to work on your pep talk.
CHASE: Try not to scowl.
DYLAN: More worried I might tear up.
JAKE: Me too. Gonna be bawling like a baby!
CHASE: Dudes! What has happened to the two of you?
DYLAN: Your turn next, Chase!
CHASE: Never gonna happen.
The late-afternoon sun glistens over the lake as I take my place beneath an archway of wildflowers and vines set on the shore.
There’s a chill to the air that promises winter and snow are not far away.
String lights twinkle in the trees and ahead of me rows of white chairs are filled with smiling guests.
Mama is in the front row, wearing a purple wool dress, already dabbing a tissue at her eyes.
Flic is beside her, wearing a black dress, light blonde hair loose down her back.
She catches my eye and she gives me a wink before mouthing, “Never thought I’d see the day,” and I can’t stop the grin from spreading across my face.
There was a while there where I didn’t either.
But so much has changed in the last year. In the last few months.
The scrubland beside the football field is gone.
It’s now a training ring, perfect for groundwork with the yearlings.
Quicksilver is staying for a while. And Fury is still making progress.
Slowly. He has accepted the saddle but not the rider and seems to enjoy working on the lunge rope.
His confidence is growing day by day. Mine too.
I feel it every time I step into a paddock—a contentment deep in my soul I never thought possible.
This is where I belong.
On the edge of the clearing, the harpist starts to play the first notes of a melody and I take a steadying breath, glancing a final time over the lake.
In the far corner, through a gap in the trees, are the signs of construction and the houses Mama is building for her, Jake, and Chase.
She hopes they’ll be ready in the new year.
The ranch house will feel different without Mama living in it, but Izzy, Mad, and I are making it our own.
Madison chose Chase’s old bedroom, keeping all the Stormhawks memorabilia and declaring herself their biggest fan.
She even joined the kids’ football league I coach on Sundays in Idaho Springs, and comes with me when I run the outreach practice for the Stormhawks.
She may never be a professional quarterback, but she’s got fire in her veins.
She’s got heart. One of the best times of the day is when she gets home from school, bringing that fire and energy with her.
I turn back to the wedding party as Jake steps up beside me on one side, Chase on the other, all three of us in matching suits. Behind us, the wedding officiant waits patiently.
Jake adjusts his cufflinks and shoots a look at Chase. “Damn, Chase, why do you look so much better in your suit than us?”
“I look good in everything, Jakey. And nothing as it happens.”
“Gross,” I mutter, shooting him a sharp look that has him cracking up.
Jake rolls his eyes before his gaze snaps to the top of the aisle and the biggest smile I’ve ever seen lights up his face.
I watch as Harper takes her position, radiant in an ivory silk dress, her chestnut hair falling in loose waves around her face, her lips painted in her signature red.
Her eyes are locked on Jake’s, her smile matching his.
A rush of pride swells in my chest as I glance at Jake.
He’s always been the charmer, the flirt, the one with a smart comment.
But standing in his suit, eyes locked on Harper like she hung the stars, I see the man he’s become—steadfast and grounded in love.
I spent so many years feeling like I had to look out for my little brothers, pulling them out of scrapes, calling them out on their bullshit, and they didn’t turn out half bad.
Seeing Jake about to marry a woman who fits him so perfectly is one of the best things I’ve ever witnessed.
I clap a hand on Jake’s shoulder, leaning in and fighting my own wave of emotion. “Bawling like a baby yet?” I whisper.
Jake’s voice is thick, but his eyes never leave Harper. “Any second now.”
I chuckle and reach into my pocket, fingers brushing over the ring box, ready to do my duty as a groomsman.
I glance toward the front row where Madison sits, wearing a red dress and fluffy white jacket, her hair neatly braided, not a smudge of dirt in sight.
She looks adorable holding Buck’s leash, the yellow retriever sitting proudly, watching Harper at the top of the aisle like every other guest. Madison also looks like she’s counting the minutes until she can ditch the dress for her new Stormhawks jersey and jeans. I don’t blame her.
She catches me looking and gives an exaggerated wink as she pats the matching red bag on her lap—the bag holding the small velvet box I gave her earlier as we made our plans to surprise her mom. My heart tightens at the sight, the lump catching in my throat as my eyes draw to Izzy.
And like always, the rest of the world fades away.
She’s sitting beside Madison, the golden light of the setting sun catching in her hair.
She’s wearing a deep green dress, the fabric clinging to her curves like it was made just for her.
I swear, I could spend a lifetime staring and never get used to how beautiful she is.
But it’s more than that. It’s the way she watches me, like she sees right through to my soul and isn’t afraid of what she finds.
It’s the way she makes me laugh. The confidence she has in this ranch.
In me. Maybe we haven’t known each other long, but it doesn’t feel rushed.
It feels right. Izzy has become my home as much as this land has ever been.
My thoughts draw to later. After the ceremony and the reception we’re holding in a huge, heated wedding tent beside the house, and after the toasts and the music and dancing, Madison will take Izzy’s hand and lead her toward the little clearing in the trees we decorated with lanterns earlier.
And I’ll drop to one knee and ask her to be mine, just like I’ve done every night since the day she came back to the ranch.
And just like every time before, she’ll laugh, press her lips to mine, and say—
“I already am.”
* * *
If Dylan and Izzy had you giggling and kicking your feet, don’t miss Chase and Serena’s swoony fake dating story next in Playing for Keeps...
Get it here or keep reading for an exclusive extract.