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“I’m not. What did you say your name was again?”
The moment stretches. She stands there, staring at my hand, and slowly her eyes move up to meet mine. She steps forward and her palm slips into mine, and it’s soft and warm and feels like heaven, like I always imagined she would, and she gives me a firm squeeze.
“Katherine Stockton. Nice to meet you.”
I hold her hand there between us. She smells like lemon and there are little tufts of white dog fur on her clothes. She tilts her head, studying me in return, and she lets a smile break free.
“Would you like to get coffee with me, Katherine?”
“Call me Kat. And maybe, I don’t know—”
“We could go right now. There’s a decent place nearby and I know Jackie wouldn’t mind.”
“Oh, yeah, you think so?”
“Trust me. She practically made this happen.”
She laughs and sighs and shakes her head. “All right, Ford Arc. Let’s go have coffee.”
Finally, I let her hand go. She turns away from the rehab place and falls into step beside me as we move out toward the parking lot. She looks up and the sunlight falls between her hair. She’ssmiling at me like she just found a treasure on the sidewalk, and I’m smiling back because I just found something even better.
“Nice ride,” I say. “You want to drive?”
“Oh, no, don’t tell me you don’t have a car.” She squints at me. “You do have a job, don’t you?”
“I don’t work.”
“Great. A deadbeat. Am I going to pay for the drinks too?”
“Tell you what. I’ll buy the coffee if you promise to stick around for an hour.”
“An hour, huh? You sure you’re not a deadbeat?”
“Promise.”
“All right. You’ve got one hour to impress me, Ford Arc, and that hour’s starting now.”
We climb into her car together. It’s old, it’s stained, but it’s hers, and I’m hers, and that’s enough.
Chapter 31
Kat
Six Months Later
“You may kiss the bride.”
The words I’ve waited for my whole life.
Ford leans down, presses his lips to mine, and I let myself flow against him like water down a steep cliff. We hold there until someone whistles and someone laughs, and the church breaks into applause. I’m blushing bright pink when we pull away, and Ford’s grinning like a lunatic, and we face the audience like a pair of actors bowing at the end of a perfect play.
My mom’s in the front row next to Carmine’s wife, Brice. Mom is the only person from my family that we invited. Sara Lynn reached out to make amends shortly after Ford and I got back together, but I’m not ready to accept her apologies yet, and I’m not sure I ever will be. At least I heard her nose is still slightly crooked from where I broke it, which I’m not too proud to admit brings me immense pleasure.
Meanwhile, Ford’s family is completely absent. The seats are packed with other people: friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, anyone we felt like inviting.
Tina and Melody stand by my side. The Atlas Organization stands with Ford: Carmine, Gareth, Evander, and Lanzo. They’re big and handsome and loud and rich as sin and a whole lot of trouble, but they’re like brothers to Ford, which means I love them too.
The wedding’s a massive party in a beautiful barn an hour north of Dallas. The grounds are incredible and include an actual horse farm, which basically sealed the deal for me. The ceremony flows into the reception which turns into dinner and a party, and I make the rounds with my new husband, thanking everyone for showing up.
