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And there came Rhys’s bright white, dimpled smile once more. “Does my looking like this make you happy?”
“Yep. It also turns me on.”
“Good to know.”
I glanced over my shoulder toward the living room. My parents were still relaxing and watching TV.
“Would you like to greet my momma and daddy, number seven?” I asked.
“My football jersey number.”
“Do you still have your senior year jersey?”
“Sure do.”
“Good to know.”
“And yes, I’d like to greet your parents. It’s only proper that I do—but I want to do something else first.”
Rhys stepped through the doorway, gently cupped my face in his hands, and pressed his warm lips against mine, breathing me in like I was him. Then he pulled back and gazed into my eyes.
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
“That this night will be another one for the books.”
As Rhys and I walked to his truck, he reached for my hand, held it for a few seconds, and then let it go. “Sorry. It’s automatic for me to do that. I know you’re not ready to be open about us,” he said, cutting his eyes over at me.
“Actually, I am.”
I smiled and grabbed his hand. He immediately stopped walking and pulled me back to him.
“Riley, there’s no rush.”
“I know, but I’ve been thinking about everything, especially the past year. We should’ve been together all that time, and I won’t waste any more of it acting like we aren’t together now. I no longer care what the folks around here might think about us.”
“Does this mean you’re officially my girl again?”
“Yes.”
Rhys’s eyes filled with tears, and his chin quivered like mine. Then we wrapped our arms around each other and kissed as we stood on my momma and daddy’s walkway.
Everything in our lives had already changed so much since I’d come back into town, and it had just changed again. Rhys and I were journeying into the unknown, but I was up to whatever lay ahead. I knew it would be one hell of an adventure.
Like always, Rhys opened the passenger-side door for me when we reached Black Betty, but this time, I gasped after he had because a bouquet was lying on my seat.
“Oh my gosh,” I said, picking it up. “Rhys, you didn’t have to do this.”
“I wanted to.”
“The daisies are beautiful! Thank you so much for them.”
“You’re welcome. I kept them in here, thinking that if you didn’t want anyone to see them, you could enjoy them privately for a little while. I was going to take them home with me later.”
“Nope, they’re staying with me.”
“I’ve got a bottle of water and an extra-large mason jar in my back floorboard for your flowers. That way, they won’t wilt.”
“You’re always prepared.”
