Chapter 34
Thirty-Four
Gentry, Six Months Later
Early morning light spills in through the gap in the curtains, warm and golden, brushing across the bed like it’s moving carefully so it doesn’t wake him.
I’ve been awake for a while, propped on my side, watching Remington breathe.
His leg is pressed between mine, like even in his sleep, he needs to be touching me.
He stirs, stretching his arms above his head, and blinks once, slow and sleepy, before his piercing blues settle on me. My chest tightens in that soft, achy way, as if the love I feel for him is too strong to hold inside. His blond hair is tousled, catching the sunlight in uneven strands.
Remington smiles, small at first, and the dimples appear like they always do, deep enough to make my heart stutter. It’s unfair how easily he disarms me, how something as simple as his beautiful face in the morning can make everything else in the world fall quiet.
“Mornin’,” he rasps.
My stomach flutters at the sound of his sleep-covered voice. “Mornin’.”
I trace the lines of him with my eyes—the warmth of his skin, the way his smile lingers, the twinkle in his eyes—cataloging this version of us to memory.
Unguarded. Unhurried. Wrapped in light and warmth and each other.
“Been up a while?”
Breathing out a small laugh, I say, “You know I can’t sleep in for shit.”
He chuckles, running his fingers through his hair. “Maybe one of these days.”
“Wouldn’t hold your breath.”
Remington rolls over, checking the clock on the wall behind him. “Think the boys are awake?”
“Doubt it,” I murmur. “Haven’t heard ’em yet.”
Tucker and Lukas had a sleepover in the living room last night. There was popcorn and candy and root beer floats. If I had to guess, they were probably up until the early hours of the morning.
“I’m nervous about this afternoon,” Remington admits, a boyish look in his eyes.
“There ain’t nothin’ to be nervous about,” I tell him, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “It’s gonna be great.”
It’s a big day…for everyone. There’s a buzz in the air that’s been present all week.
The adoption is being finalized today; something Remington’s been working toward for months now.
The whole family is going to the courthouse to show our support, and I honestly don’t know who’s more excited about this.
Over the last year, Lukas has so easily woven into our lives.
The bond he and Remington have is beautiful, he’s found a best friend in Tucker, and as much as I never thought I’d be helping raise a teenager in my early fifties, I can’t imagine my life being any different.
But the jitters rumbling in my stomach have little to do with this afternoon and everything to do with what I’m about to share with Remington.
While he’s been working with lawyers, making sure everything is set in place for today, I’ve been handling my own little secret project on the side—something I’ve wanted to do since the moment Remington told me about his dreams.
Swallowing thickly, I say, “Before we get up, there’s somethin’ I wanna talk to you about.”
“Oh, god. That doesn’t sound good,” he teases.
“It’s nothin’ bad,” I assure him, my voice rough, giving away how nervous I am. “Look, I ain’t good at…speeches.”
Remington smiles. “You don’t say?”
“Ha ha,” I deadpan, biting back the grin trying to come through. “This is…” Pausing, I clench my jaw, exhaling a deep breath through my nose. “This matters.”
His eyes soften as he watches me patiently. My stomach is a mess, and my pulse thunders. I don’t know what I’m so damn nervous about, but it’s hard to breathe.
“I see you, Remington,” I say, dropping my gaze to where my fingers interlace with his between us.
“The way you disappear into the clay, the way your whole face lights up when you’re teachin’ a class.
Like it’s the only place you can breathe right.
” I clear my throat. “Took me practically my whole damn life to figure out that kind of passion ain’t somethin’ you talk out of a man.
It’s somethin’ you protect. Somethin’ worth fightin’ for. ”
I finally lift my gaze, meeting his, and it damn near knocks the wind out of me.
“I got all this land…” I continue. “So much of it ain’t used for nothin’.”
Remington’s breath hitches, but he doesn’t say anything.
“I wanted to wait until I spoke with the builders and the county to make sure it was possible, but I got the final go-ahead last week. Remington, I want you to have the opportunity to go after your dream. Your real dream. I want to invest. I want to build you a pottery studio, right here on this property.”
“Gentry,” he breathes, his eyes misty and red-rimmed.
“Let me finish.” My throat tightens. “Please.”
He nods, biting down on his bottom lip.
“And I want you here,” I say, slower now.
“You and Lukas. I ain’t tryin’ to be anythin’ I’m not.
I ain’t replacin’ what he lost, just like I know you’re not either.
But I care about you, and I care about him.
” My voice cracks. I take a breath through my nose.
“And I sleep better knowin’ the people I love are under the same roof. ”
The word love sits heavy on my chest, but I don’t take it back. Even though we haven’t said it yet, I’ve known I’m in love with Remington for a while now. I hold his gaze, steady even though my chest feels cracked open.
“Wow,” he whispers. “I don’t…I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say nothin’ right now,” I say. “You can take your time and think it over. It’s a big decision. But I want to spend the rest of my life buildin’ things with you, and not just fences and barns. Somethin’ that matters. And Remington…your dream matters.”
“I don’t need time.” Cupping my face, he brushes his thumb over my cheek. “I just— Nobody has ever done somethin’ like this for me. It’s so thoughtful. It’s huge. Are you sure? You don’t have to build me a studio to get me to move in with you.” He chuckles. “I’ll gladly do that for free.”
My heart skips a beat, and I forget how to breathe for a moment.
“I’ve never been more sure of anythin’ in my life, Remington. Let me do this for you.”
A tear spills over, soaking the pillow as he holds my gaze. His bottom lip quivers, and he tightens his grip on my hand, like my touch is grounding him.
“Okay,” he finally murmurs, his voice rough, thick with emotion. “Wow. Okay, let’s do this.”
A wide grin spreads across my face, my chest exploding with warmth glee. “I love you, Remington Buchanan. I’m in love with you, and you just made me the happiest man in the world.”
“You just really wanna see me cry today, huh?” he teases, a fresh wave of tears cascading down his face. Exhaling a steady breath, he says, “I love you, Gentry Moore. I’m unequivocally in love with you.”
He rolls on top of me, his mouth pressing against mine. The kiss is lazy and soft, not meant to go anywhere, but to confirm and prove everything we just shared.
I love him.
And he loves me.
Nothing has felt more right than that.
I’ve sat through drought hearings, land disputes, things that decide whether a man keeps what he’s spent his whole life building and nourishing. None of that prepared me for a quiet courtroom with bad fluorescent lights and a judge who looks like she’s seen it all.
I look around the room, taking in everyone who showed up to witness something beautiful and extraordinary.
Finn, Ash, and Tucker sit to my left, the latter bouncing with barely contained excitement.
Hollis and Ford are to my right, both looking prouder than I’ve ever seen them.
Remington and Lukas both look nervous as hell, dressed in their best attire, waiting for the hearing to begin.
The judge smiles down at Lukas. “Can you tell me your name, please?”
He does. It’s clear, steady, loud enough. My chest tightens.
“And you understand why you’re here today?”
Lukas glances at Remington, and then nods. “Yes, ma’am.”
“How do you feel about bein’ adopted by Remington?”
There’s a pause. Lukas swallows, looks at Remington again, a bright smile curving his mouth. “I want it, ma’am. There’s nobody else I’d rather have adopt me.”
Something hot burns behind my eyes. I drop my gaze to the floor until it passes, my jaw aching from how hard I’m clenching it.
The judge turns to my man, and my heart stutters. “And you understand that adoption is permanent? That this is a lifelong commitment?”
He answers without missing a beat, without flinching. “Yes, Your Honor. That’s the point.”
Fuck, I love him.
Breathing out a small chuckle, she nods, shuffling some papers. “Then I am very happy to tell you that as of today, this adoption is finalized.”
The gavel comes down, soft and almost anticlimactic, but it brings tears to my eyes as I raise to my feet.
Remington turns to him, voice rough and cracked. “Come here, bud.”
Lukas launches himself forward, his arms wrapped tight around his dad’s neck, and the sound he makes that’s half laugh, half sob nearly brings me to my knees. Remington holds him like he’s been waiting his whole damn life to do just that.
The judge regards the rest of us with a warm smile on her face and tears in her eyes. “Y’all must be family.”
I swallow thickly and nod. “Yes, ma’am.”
Lukas looks at me, eyes glossy and a smile too big for his face. “Gentry, did you hear that?” He sniffles.
Running over, he throws his arms around my middle, resting his head against my chest. His shoulders shake, and it does me in. Tears run hot down my face as I hug him back just as tightly. “I heard. That’s incredible.”
Remington meets my gaze over his head. His face is splotchy, his eyes wet, and he watches me and Lukas with his hands in his pockets and love pouring out of him. It’s staggering, having him look at us like that. Especially after what we talked about this morning.
This is just the beginning for us.
Remington and I started in secret. I fought it and denied it.
And now, here we are.
I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life loving him.
Loving both of them.