“Nothing much.” I hadn’t shared my aunt and uncle’s offer with her because I hadn’t wanted to get her hopes up.
She’d suspected they wanted to sell up and was worried about having to move. She even said she would offer to buy the ranch if it came to it, but she doubted they would sell to anyone who wasn’t family.
“You and Natalie seem to be getting along.”
“We are. She’s so talented. I feel bad at how jealous I was of her. She’s helping me finish the song I was working on. Next week, I’m thinking about going to Nashville to meet her manager.”
“You planning on making a comeback?”
“Baby steps. Just dipping my toes in.”
“I’m happy for you.” I placed a kiss on her forehead and inhaled the citrusy scent of her perfume. “I’m happy you don’t feel the need to Google yourself a million times a day. I’m happy you’re getting help. Most of all I’m happy you’re mine.”
“You know what makes me happy?” she asked, hooking her arms around my neck.
“Tell me.”
“Being here with you. Waking up with you. Kissing you.”
I grinned. “I know something that’ll make you even happier.”
She shook her head, her hair bouncing all over her shoulders. “Not possible.”
“How would you like to spend the rest of your life here with me?”
Hope filled her eyes. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying Tricia and Jonah asked if I’d like to buy the ranch.”
She hugged me tight and gave a delighted squeal. “You said yes, right?”
“I said yes. And I’m hoping you’ll say yes too.” Last night, I’d asked my mom if I could have Grandma’s ring. She’d wholeheartedly agreed, and she was the only one who knew I’d planned to pop the question today. I took the antique box from the back pocket of my jeans and got down on one knee. “Marry me. I can’t imagine a day without you or your special kind of crazy.”
Her hands flew to her mouth, and she squeaked in surprise. “Oh. My. God. Yes. A million times, yes.” She held out her shaking hand, and I slid the ring onto her finger.
“Perfect fit.”
“We are, aren’t we?” Tears dotted her eyelashes, and a blush covered her cheeks.
I stood and picked her up, swinging her around and around. When I set her down again, we were both dizzy and out of breath. Elation filled me to bursting. I had a ranch of my own and a woman I loved by my side.
“I love you, Dylan Willows.”
“And I love you, Montana Chambers.” I lowered my lips to her and kissed her like it was the very first time.
“What’s all the racket?” Tricia called, interrupting us and making us break apart. “I can hear you the whole way up to the house.” I looked over my shoulder and saw her along with the rest of the family coming our way.
Montana grinned and held up her finger. “Dylan asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”
Tricia gave a toothy grin and nodded. “I knew.”
“How’d you know?” I asked, not really surprised or minding.
“We all knew,” Jonah supplied. “You should know your mom can’t hold her piss. Her and your aunt were going on and on for hours about wedding plans last night.”
My cousins, sisters, and brothers whooped and hollered, my mom cried, and my aunt pulled me into a bear hug. “You picked a good one, baby boy.”
“Don’t I know it.”
She let me go, and I took my fiancée’s hand in mine.
We were two imperfect people who were perfect for each other.
Epilogue
Montana
Talk about a rollercoaster ride.
The past year and a bit had been a series of ups and downs. The biggest up had been marrying Dylan. The biggest down was me falling off the wagon.
After I’d signed a new record deal, I’d taken a sip of champagne to celebrate. Big mistake. I’d been high on life and figured since I attended therapy every week and had a man I loved by my side, I could handle it.
Nope.
One bubbly sip became two, which became three, which then became a full bottle. Thankfully, I hadn’t done anything stupid or newsworthy.
Dylan picked up the pieces, and after a come-to-Jesus moment when I realized I couldn’t do it alone, I checked into rehab. They provided me with coping mechanisms to use when my willpower weakened.
The devil on my shoulder still sniffed around, but I knew how to gag him when he got too vocal.
It’d been eight months, three days, five hours and six minutes since I last had a drink, and it’d been a long time since I last thought about getting shit-faced, black-out, don’t-remember-a-damn-thing drunk.
In four months, I would become a mom, and the little lady growing in my tummy was all the encouragement I needed to stay dry.
There was no getting away from it, I’d carry my addiction for the rest of my life. I was an alcoholic—albeit a currently sober one.
When I’d gotten out of rehab, I’d given my first interview since before the poster-ripping episode to Gayle King. She’d been kind but tough.
Speaking out about my struggles helped others like me, and gave me a new audience, which helped make me a crossover success.
The song Natalie and I had written reached number one a few weeks ago in both the country and pop charts.
“It’s time, princess,” Tricia said.
“I don’t think I can watch him do this.” I closed my eyes and wrapped my hands around my stomach. “What if he falls? What if he dies?” My breath hitched. “I can’t have our baby grow up without a daddy.”
Tricia rolled her eyes in the way only she could. “Stop exaggerating. He’s busted his ass to get here. You know
