“Oh, you’re the rebound sex guy,” she assured him. “But you’re also my forever sex guy.” She studied him. “My forever everything guy. If you want to be.”
Jack brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss there. “For the record, I’ve never wanted anything more.”
“There you go making me wonder if you’re for real again,” she accused as she stood on tiptoe and kissed him.
Kissed him for now and forever after.
EPILOGUE
TAYLOR WASN’T SURPRISED to see the group of guitar-picking men in front of her tent at the Rockin’ Tyme music festival.
At the end of their shift in the medical tent, she and Amy had gone to wait in the shower line then wash away the day’s grime.
Duffy nodded in acknowledgement of their return but kept singing about mommas and cowboys.
Taylor leaned over to kiss the top of Jack’s head, brushing back a stray shoulder-length hair that had escaped his man-bun as she did so, then sat in the chair next to him to watch them play. With the songs she recognized, she sang along. Loud and carefree and full of enjoying herself. When Jack finished singing a number, she let loose with applause.
Duffy shook his head and gave a pretend disgruntled sigh. “Same groupie two years in a row.”
“Same groupie rest of my life,” Jack corrected, causing the rest of the gang to launch into good-natured ribbing.
Taylor smiled. The past year had been amazing. She and Jack had moved into the farmhouse. They’d both taken PRN positions at the hospital. She went with Jack on most of his events, working at the ones she could get hired on with, and just attending the ones that hadn’t needed another nurse. Her favorite so far had been car racing. She’d loved that boisterous crowd.
They’d found a happy balance of white picket fence and adventure.
Jack nurtured her need to dig, to carve away years of toxic layers to uncover who she was inside. Nurtured and, much as she did with her clay, helped her discover who she was and to embrace that woman.
Who she was loved him with all her heart.
Lost in thought, she’d missed that Jack had set his guitar aside until his getting down on one knee caught her eye.
“Jack?” Heart racing, she asked, “What are you doing?”
“What’s long past due,” he said, taking her hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Her blood pounded through her veins.
“Will you marry me, Taylor?”
“Jack?” She could barely breathe and his name came out as little more than a hoarse whisper.
“Because you are the greatest adventure of my life,” he continued, his eyes warm, reassuring, happy. “And I can’t imagine my world without you at my side.”
That he’d so perfectly echoed what she’d just been thinking, what was in her heart, Taylor couldn’t hold back the moisture stinging her eyes.
“Yes!” She nodded. “Oh, yes.”
“’Bout time,” Duffy piped up from behind Jack.
Amy nodded her agreement. Everyone around them clapped and gave their approval as Jack stood, pulled Taylor to her feet.
“I love you,” he said, kissing her.
“I’m glad,” she whispered back when their lips parted. “So very glad, because you’re my greatest adventure, too.”
* * *