“Darlin’, not only can you do this, you will,” Jameson said. “I’ll have your back every step of the way.”
He took me in his arms and kissed me again, deep and slow. The cool air tingled my skin but Jameson’s warmth spread through me.
“I love you, Jameson Bodine.”
“I love you, too. To the stars and back.”
He put his arm around me and we stood in front of the store for a long moment. I could already see it. The sign out front. The window displays. I had a lot of work to do before I could open, but I could do it. I was building a future here, in Bootleg Springs, one step at a time. A future where I had a place. A home.
Most importantly, a future with Jameson. And I couldn’t imagine anything better.
EPILOGUE
JAMESON
M y angel was no doubt free from her cage.
Leah Mae stood chatting with Cassidy over by the cake table. Her long lavender dress looked like a dream on her, showing all the lines of her willowy body. I’d been staring at her for hours and trying to keep my hands in appropriate places. We were at a wedding, after all. But it wasn’t easy.
The day had finally come for Clay Larkin and Betsy Stirling to get hitched. And they’d done so, on a warm July evening in true Bootleg Springs style. The ceremony had been here, at Gin Rickey Park, right out in the sunshine and fresh air. Afterward, they’d served moonshine and sweet tea in mason jars, along with a table full of food that could have fed an entire town—which was a good thing, because the entire town was here.
Leah Mae drifted through the reception with a beautiful smile on her face. Her honey lemon skin glowed in the sun, her blond hair shining like spun gold. Those red lips were almost more than I could resist.
What could I say. I loved my girl.
She’d been working hard since the fall when we’d started putting plans for her boutique in motion. June had helped her work the numbers and had been thrilled to invest in her little venture. ‘Thrilled’ being a relative term. It was hard to tell with June Bug, but I was pretty sure she’d been excited. Leah Mae had spent her time taking business classes online and working out the details of her boutique—everything from the decor to the items she’d sell.
Scarlett and my brothers had helped us renovate the store. Leah Mae had done the ordering, focusing on other small up-and-coming designers who fit her style. The whole place was fun and kinda funky— what Leah Mae called vogue with a country twist. She’d named it Boots & Lace. It suited her perfectly.
Her mom and stepdad had come out to visit in the spring. I reckoned they hadn’t been too sure about Leah Mae settling down in Bootleg. But after seeing the store, and spending a few days with her, it seemed to have changed their minds.
I’d been happy to meet them and sent them on back to Florida with a small sculpture I’d made. It was a rose made out of thin sheets of metal, meant to remind them of their daughter. Leah Mae’s mom had gotten a bit teary when I’d given it to them.
The grand opening of the store had been a smashing success. Locals loved it, and tourists were already discovering it. Leah Mae’s Instagram following had helped some, and people had come from hundreds of miles just to shop in her store.
I was so damn proud of her, I hardly knew what to do with myself.
I’d been just as busy. Since my installation in Charlotte last fall, demand for my work had gone right crazy. My smaller pieces sold out in days, and I was still booked solid for the next year with larger commissions. Dee was thrilled, I was doing what I loved, and making a damn good living. Couldn’t ask for much more.
Well, I could. And I was fixin’ to.
“Come on, Jame,” Bowie said, sneaking up next to me. He took a quick look around, like he was afraid of being caught. “It’s time.”
I grinned and nodded. We crept away from the reception, heading toward the lake. Devlin, Gibson, and Jonah were already there, standing around Gibson’s Charger.
Devlin glanced around. “Tell me again what we’re doing?”
“Proper send off,” Bowie said. “For Clay and Betsy.”
Gibson popped the trunk and we pulled out some bags and a wooden platform.