“You would have. It wouldn’t have been easy. In fact, I’m sure it would have been the hardest thing you’d ever done. But you would have been okay.”

  She propped her head in her hand and looked down at him. “How can you be so sure?”

  “You’re that last remaining part of your kids. You’re the one who’s going to make sure no one ever forgets them. You’re going to be their champion, their voice.”

  A tear trickled down her cheek as she processed his beautiful words. “I do want to find a way to do that. I think it’s nice that the school wanted to name the library after them, but I’d like to do more. Since the library didn’t need all of the money I got from Trevor’s life insurance and the settlement, maybe I could use the rest to start a non-profit in their honor.”

  His lips tipped up as he nodded. “I think that’s a great idea, babe.”

  “I know our kids won’t ever know their brother and sister, but I want them to know their lives mattered, that they were special.”

  “I love that.”

  “I love you.” She kissed him, feeling a kind of contentment she’d never expected to experience again.

  After a series of quick kisses, he said, “And I love you. So. Damn. Much.”

  “Do you think I’m biting off more than I can chew though?” She sank her teeth into her lower lip as she considered the logistics of trying to balance her new life. “I mean, between learning the ropes around here and substitute teaching, maybe I shouldn’t think about taking on another new challenge right now?”

  “I think you’ll always make time for the things that are important to you.” Rush rolled onto his side, facing her. “Let your passion guide you, Tay. You’ll be surprised to find more hours in the day than you ever thought possible.” He chuckled. “I remember when I first took over the inn, I used to work fourteen, fifteen-hour days and never feel tired. Sometimes I’d even forget to eat until Dana sat me down and shoved a sandwich in my hand.”

  Taylor giggled as she thought of the woman, who’d become like a second mother to her, doing just that. “Dana seems much happier working part-time. It gives her more time to spend with her husband, pursue all her hobbies.”

  “Yeah…” Rush ran a fingertip over the slope of Taylor’s shoulder and down her arm, leaving thrill bumps in his wake. “And I’m glad she made it clear that she’s not interested in fully retiring. I’d miss her around here.”

  “I would too.” In the short time Taylor had been there, the inn had already become home and Dana was a big part of the reason. Of course, the bigger reason was Rush.

  “When are you going to have the rest of your clothes and things sent from Brock?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. My parents don’t mind storing them for me, and it’s not like I have anywhere to put them. My room is great, but there’s no room to store everything I own.”

  “You could keep it here.” He looked around his spacious bedroom. “I’ve got plenty of room. A near-empty chest of drawers, a walk-in closet that I only use part of. The other half of the bathroom vanity is free too.”

  Her heart beat faster as she stared at him. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

  “I know you’re a traditional girl, and you’d probably prefer a ring first.”

  “No!” She held up her hand, hoping he wasn’t about to haul out said ring. She covered her face with her hand, shaking her head with a laugh as she realized how emphatic she’d sounded. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to marry you. You know I do.”

  “Just not yet. I get that.”

  “You do?”

  “Of course I do.”

  He hauled her against his chest, wrapping his arms and legs around her. It was the hottest prison she could imagine.

  “Then you don’t mind waiting a while?” she asked.

  “I’ll wait as long as you need me to.” He kissed her forehead. “As long as I have you right here with me every night, I can wait as long as it takes.”

  “You really want me to live here with you? Are you sure? It’s a big step.”

  He chuckled, and she felt the vibration against her chest, making her smile. “Hell, I would have asked you weeks ago if I’d thought there was a chance you’d say yes.”

  She had been adamant about waiting to live with Trevor until after they were married. But then she’d been trying to live up to other people’s expectations. Now she was her own woman, living life on her terms, with no one to answer to. “I’d love to live here with you.”

  “Really?” His blue eyes sparkled with excitement, and she couldn’t tear her eyes from his. “You mean it?”

  “Yeah, I mean it.”

  His response was an erotic kiss that made her grateful they were already naked in his bed because there was nowhere else she’d want to be.

  “We’ll get you moved in after Sage and Wes’s wedding, if that’s okay?”

  She was still drunk on his kiss when she murmured, “Sure.”

  “I am going to make you so happy,” he whispered. “I know I can never take Trevor’s place, and I wouldn’t want to. He’ll always have a piece of your heart, and I’m okay with that. But I want the rest of it.”

  She smiled. He already had more than he realized. “I can’t promise you all of it. Part of it belongs to my kids… and any kids we might have together.”

  “Do you know how much I want that?” he asked, touching her face reverently. “To have a baby with you?”

  Her heart twisted when she thought about holding another precious baby in her arms. She’d given up on that dream long ago, since Trevor didn’t want any more children. He’d claimed two was enough, and she hadn’t argued since she knew she’d already been blessed. “I’m excited about that too. You’re going to be an awesome dad, you know.”

  “I hope so.” He inhaled. “God, I hope so. My dad was incredible. If I could be half the father he was to us, I’d be happy.”

  “I know Wes didn’t raise Nick, but I’ve seen them together. They’re really close.”

  “Yeah, they are.” Rush smiled. “And I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. Not having his son in his life was eating away at Wes. Now that he does, he’s like a different person.”

  “They’re best friends, just as it should be. I’m sure the same will be true for you if we have a son.”

  “A son.” He bit his lip, his mind obviously wandering. “How cool would that be? Not that I wouldn’t love a daughter just as much, but I’m not gonna lie, that kind of scares me a little.”

  Taylor laughed. “Why? Because you’d be the overprotective daddy who didn’t want his little girl to date until she was thirty?”

  “You know it.”

  “Boy or girl, it won’t matter once you hold them in your arms. I can tell you there’s no feeling in the world like it. You think you know what love is, but once you look into the eyes of your child for the very first time, you know.” She let her tears fall freely, knowing there was no reason to hide them from Rush. He accepted that she would be sad sometimes, and that was okay.

  “I want that for you again too,” he said, catching a tear with his thumb.

  “And it will happen when the time is right.” She smiled. “Fortunately, we have time on our side.” She’d married Trevor and had her kids when she was young, so at thirty, she still had a lot of years left to be a mama.

  “Yeah, no rush.”

  She tilted her head, studying him. “Speaking of rush, I can’t believe I still don’t know your given name.”

  He laughed. “Sometimes I forget it myself. People have been calling me Rush for as long as I can remember. But it’s Shane.”

  “Shane. I like that. Can you envision a Shane Davis Jr., maybe?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  He nuzzled her neck, whispering, “God, you don’t know what it does to me when you say things like that.”

  “Tell me.” Though she really didn’t have to hear him say it. She could feel the effect it had on him.

  He rolled her onto her back, pinning her arms above her head. “How ‘bout I just show you instead?”

  “Hmm, that’s a much better idea.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The weeks leading up to Sage and Wes’s wedding had been crazy busy as both Rush and Taylor helped the bride and groom in any way they could. So when Sage asked Taylor to spend the night at their house, along with Gabby, while Wes spent the night at the inn with his brother, naturally Taylor agreed.

  “I still can’t believe tomorrow is the big day,” Gabby said, touching the pearl-and-crystal-encrusted hair piece Sage planned to wear. “You are going to be the most beautiful bride.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Sage said with a nervous laugh. “My goal is just to get through it without fainting.” She pressed her hand against her flat stomach. “God, I can’t believe how nervous I am already. What am I going to be like by tomorrow?”

  “You’ll be fine.” Taylor’s thoughts drifted to her own wedding day, making her smile. “When I married Trev, I felt the same way.” She laughed. “I was so sure I was going to throw up. That was my worst fear. I swear I had a nightmare about it the night before the wedding and I woke up screaming.”

  Both women smiled as Sage asked, “What was your wedding like?”

  “It was perfect.” She thought of the countless hours of planning that had gone into it and knew she’d do it all over again to ensure her second wedding was as magical as her first. “Trev didn’t care one way or the other, so he just kind of let me take over the planning. It was one of those rustic country affairs on my parents’ property.” She pulled her legs up and curled her arms around them as she rested her back against the ottoman in Sage’s living room. “The weather was perfect. We danced and dined under a big tent. The centerpieces were hydrangeas and lilacs, my favorite.”

  “It sounds wonderful.” Gabby sipped her white wine. “Do you think you’d want to do that all over again if you marry Rush? Or would you guys keep it small and intimate, maybe a destination wedding?”

  “I’m not sure. Rush has never been married before, so maybe a church wedding would be important to him?” She shrugged. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

  “Then you do think about marrying him?” Sage asked, nudging Taylor’s toe with hers from her sprawled position on the floor in front of the fireplace.

  “Of course I think about it.” Taylor smiled. “How can I not? I’m crazy about him. I can’t imagine my life without him.” Feeling that way should scare her, since she knew there were no guarantees in life, but the loss she’d experienced taught her an even more important lesson—to appreciate every day and never take the people she loved for granted.

  “I’m so happy you guys found each other,” Sage said, rolling over onto her stomach as she linked her legs behind her. She rested her chin in her upturned palms. “You’re so perfect for him.”

  “Thanks. He’s pretty perfect for me too.”

  “Has it been hard?” Gabby asked quietly. “Making room in your heart to love someone else? I mean, we know you loved your husband. Did you ever feel guilty for feeling the way you did about Rush in the beginning?”

  “Absolutely. I think that was part of the reason I needed to spend some time in Brock, to come to terms with my feelings for Rush. It gave me the opportunity to let go of the house, visit the cemetery, and have a heart-to-heart with Trevor’s parents. The resounding message I kept getting everywhere I turned was that the people who loved me most would have wanted me to be happy. That’s when I realized it was okay to love Rush.”

  Gabby sighed. “I certainly can’t compare my experience to yours, but I remember when my ex-husband and I started dating, I found myself comparing him to Colt in little ways. I guess that should have been a red flag, huh?”

  “Not necessarily,” Taylor said. “Colt was an important part of your life. It’s only natural you’d think about him from time to time. I don’t think that takes anything away from what you had with your husband. I know I’ll always think of Trevor. Little things will trigger sweet memories that’ll make me smile. I’d never want to lose that, and I know Rush will understand.”

  “Yeah, but I think it’s different in your case,” Gabby said, resting her head in her hand. “Your husband passed. A part of you will always love him, but you no longer have the option to be with him, so it’s not like Rush would feel threatened by your feelings for him.”

  “Are you saying you think your ex felt threatened by your feelings for Colt?” Taylor asked.

  “He never said as much, but he’d lived in this town long enough to hear all about Colt. We’d be at some town event or party, and I’d run into an old friend from high school. We’d get to talking and laughing about old times and the conversation would inevitably circle back to Colt—how inseparable we were back in the day, how successful he’s gone on to be, that kind of thing.”

  “Did your ex ever flat-out ask you if you still had feelings for Colt?” Taylor asked, smiling at Sage when she refilled Taylor’s wine glass.

  “He did.” She licked her lips. “I was able to deny it for a long time, to him and myself. But when I reconnected with Wes on social media a while back, I started thinking more and more about Colt. Things in my marriage weren’t good, but I think that just made it worse.”

  “It’s all Wes’s fault,” Sage joked. “I’ve told him a hundred times he needs to mind his own damn business!”

  Gabby smiled. “I’m glad I reconnected with Wes. I think it helped him make the decision to move back here.” She smoothed a hand over her hair, raising her chin. “You’re welcome.”

  Sage giggled, tossing a throw pillow at Gabby. “I’m forever in your debt.”

  Being with Gabby and Sage on the eve of one of the most important nights of Sage’s life made Taylor feel as though she was a part of something important. She felt like she was making life-long friendships with these women, the kind of friendships she’d had in Brock and never expected to find again.

  “How did you feel about seeing Colt again at the rehearsal dinner?” Taylor asked Gabby.

  “It didn’t bother me.” Gabby shrugged. “When he left, he made it clear that he’s done with me, so that’s his loss, right? Besides, I’m seeing Dave now, and things are going pretty well. Why would I risk that by getting drawn in by Colt again?”

  As much as she wanted to believe her, Taylor saw the pain behind Gabby’s brave smile.

  “Are you going to try to talk to him about what happened?” Sage asked.

  Though she’d just met Colt, Taylor was angry with him for hurting Gabby. Gabby had clearly taken a huge risk by sleeping with him again, after so many years of separation, and thought it was the start of something meaningful. Instead, he’d packed up and left town without an explanation the next day.

  “Why should I?” Gabby asked, studying her manicure. “He could have called me if he wanted to talk about it. I’m not kidding myself. I know he’s only back here now for the wedding, not for me.”

  “What if he did come back for you?” Sage asked gently. “Would you consider taking him back?”

  Gabby shook her head emphatically. “No way! I am so done with him!”

  ***

  Rush, Wes, and Colt tapped their beer bottles in a toast. “To my big brother finally marrying the woman of his dreams.”

  “Save the sappy speeches for tomorrow,” Wes warned, grinning. “That’s your job as best man.”

  Rush had half-expected Wes to ask his best friend, Colt, to stand beside him on his wedding day. He’d assured Wes he wouldn’t be offended if he asked Colt instead, but Wes was adamant and Rush wasn’t about to argue.

  “I’m not sure this is the right time to tell you guys this,” Colt said, leaning back in his chair. “But, uh, I’ve decided to move back to Vista Falls. For good this time.”

  Wes gave his friend a hard look. “So that’s why you stepped back from the day-to-day operations in Houston, huh? I wondered about that. Part of me thought you were thinking about stepping away from the business altogether, maybe selling me your share.”

  “Not a chance,” Colt said, rolling his eyes. “Without Backwoods, what reason would I have to get out of bed in the morning?”

  Rush could tell Wes was still pissed at Colt for bailing on Gabby without an explanation, but Rush had known Colt a long time and considered him a good friend. He’d obviously been going through his own private hell since he made that decision.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re back,” Rush said, tapping his beer bottle against Colt’s. “This is your home. It’s where you belong.”

  Colt looked at Wes out of the corner of his eye. “You feel that way too, as though I’m welcome here?”

  “I want you here,” Wes said. “Always have. But you must know not everyone’s going to feel that way.”

  “You’re talking about Gabby?” Colt sighed. “Yeah. She didn’t even speak to me unless it was absolutely necessary at the rehearsal dinner.” He tipped back his bottle. “I hate that I hurt her.”

  “So why did you?” Wes asked.

  “I had to figure things out, man,” Colt said. “Get my head on straight.”

  “And did you?” Wes asked, rolling his beer bottle between his hands when he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.

  “I still have a lot of things to work out with my family.”

  “Then stay the hell away from Gabby,” Wes said through gritted teeth. “The last thing she needs is for you to start messing with her mind again.”

  “I heard she’s been out with Dave a few times,” Rush said, eyeing his friend. Rush didn’t necessarily agree Colt should take the hands-off approach with Gabby, and if he knew some other dude was sniffing around her, that might give him the incentive he needed to clean up his personal mess so he could come to her with a clear head… on his knees, if he was smart.