I felt him kiss the top of my head, but after that, neither of us moved. It was like we had all the time in the world, like Jax and Charlie weren’t going to make their way up here shortly. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, because I knew Dalton wouldn’t have cared who saw our affection. He told me plenty of times he wanted everyone to know I was his.
Just like I wanted everyone to know he was mine.
When Dalton did pull back, I held in my sound of disappointed. It just felt so good having his arms around me. He cupped my cheek and smoothed his thumb along my skin. I felt his callouses and closed my eyes to lean into his touch.
I’d already fallen for this man, and God, it felt good to know in my heart I was where I should be… that I was with who I was supposed to be with.
Epilogue One
Macey
Macey
Three years later
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, hearing the excitement in my voice. Dalton chuckled but other than that didn’t say anything.
It was our three-year wedding anniversary today, and for the first time since we’d been together, not just being married but since we celebrated just being together, we weren’t following tradition. Normally, we’d pick up takeout from our favorite Italian place right outside of town, then take a drive out to the lake in town, and finally have a picnic under the stars.
It’s what I looked forward to every year, because it’s when it was just us, no work or responsibility, nothing but Dalton and me reconnecting.
But he changed things up on me this year.
We’d been driving for about twenty minutes before I finally felt the car slow right before he made a turn. I heard the crunch of tires on gravel and shifted on the seat, wondering where he was taking me. He’d put a blindfold on me as soon as I sat down in the passenger seat.
I felt anticipation of what he had planned. Dalton wasn’t the type of man who did grand gestures. He was to the point, couldn’t keep a secret, so when birthdays or holidays came around, I usually found out what he got me before the actual day. It was cute and endearing, and so the fact that he kept a secret made me think it was pretty special to him.
After a few moments of driving up a rocky path, he pulled the car to a stop. The window was open, and I felt the breeze waft in, smelled the summer air move in and out of the truck. It felt nice, relaxing. I always loved the summer months, the dry heat that was a constant.
“Dalton?” I looked in his direction even though I couldn’t see him, trying not to smile as excitement moved through me. “Are you going to show me now?” He took my hand in his and gave it a squeeze before leaning in to place a kiss on my cheek. But he still hadn’t responded.
And then he was out of the truck, the door shutting, the vehicle shaking slightly from the motion. A moment later, he opened the passenger door and helped me out, taking hold of my hand once more, shutting my door, and then leading me a few steps forward.
I felt the gravel underneath my sandals, the warm sun beating down on me. We came to a stop, and for just a moment, we stood there. My heart was beating with anticipation, and I felt him finally reach up and undo the knot of the blindfold before pulling the material away. My eyes were closed, the sun bright. I opened them slowly and blinked a few times to clear my vision.
At first, I was confused, but then shock settled in. I felt tears start to build in my eyes and tried to blink them away.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
I was staring at my father’s house. I was staring at the house I’d grown up in.
I couldn’t find words as I slowly turned around and took in the property. It had been years since my father passed away and I’d been up here. I knew from public record that the ranch had been sold a few times over the years, and because of that and becoming private property, I hadn’t been able to come up here and just look around, to reminisce.
Things looked pretty overgrown and rundown, clearly not being kept up with. But I could see the red barn my father and the ranch hands had built one summer off in the distance, could see the pheasant run I’d helped build when I was only ten years old.
The tears slowly tracked down my cheeks, and I wiped them away. I turned to face Dalton. He looked a little bit sheepish, his hands shoved in the front pockets of his jeans, this big smile on his face.