“Vegas. I’ve never been there either.”

I have no idea how we went from New York to Vegas. It makes no damn sense. “The two aren’t really alike, Wyatt.”

He laughs. “I know, but it’s easier to get married in Vegas.”

I stop moving. Wyatt keeps going a few steps and then turns back. “Married?” I ask in disbelief.

We just got back together after a bunch of crazy shit. We’ve been through a whirlwind.

“Before you start making a thousand excuses. Answer this . . . do you love me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to be with anyone else?”

“No.”

“Will you marry me?” My breath hitches as he removes a ring from his pocket. “I promised Mama when I found the girl I couldn’t imagine not waking up to each day that I’d marry her. I planned this big thing for how to ask you, but then we lost our baby. I’ve known that I wanted you to be my wife since the first time I woke with you wrapped around me. I thought we were crazy, and maybe we are, but I don’t want to ever sleep without you by my side. Marry me Angie. Marry me and we’ll start our life together. I’ll be by your side through it all.”

A tear falls down my face. “Through thick and thin.”

He smiles. “Through thick and thin.”

I grab his face and kiss him. I love him. It’s insane and crazy, but fuck it. We only live once. If nothing else, we’ve learned that.

“Vegas?”

“Tonight,” he demands.

“You got married?” Presley screams as I show her the ring on my finger. Wyatt explained that after the festival he went and had it made for me. He really had been just waiting for the right time to propose. It’s a beautiful teardrop-shaped diamond flanked by three diamonds on each side. It now sits in front of a platinum band from our wedding. “I can’t believe you! I can’t believe you got married without telling me! I’m so happy for you but so freaking mad!”

We’ve been back in Bell Buckle for a whole two hours, and she’s been nonstop. Felicia finally dropped the lawsuit yesterday and I figured she’d be happy and it was a good time to tell her. Apparently there wasn’t going to be a good time.

“It was spur of the moment!” I explain for the hundredth time.

“Spur of the freaking moment my ass! He planned this!” she yells toward the hallway. “He knew what he was doing.”

I laugh as I hear my husband’s chuckle from the other room. “Seriously, Pres. I’m not the white dress and flowers girl anyway. It would’ve been at a courthouse. This was exactly what we wanted.”

She gives me a look that says she doesn’t care about my excuse. “I’ve known you almost twenty years and have waited for this. You deprived me.” She throws her hand onto her forehead as if she’s about to faint.

“And you’re dramatic.”

“It was my Scarlett O’Hara impression.”

“You failed.”

She comes back around the island and takes my hand. “It’s beautiful. I’m seriously happy for you. Tell me about it!”

I sit on the chair and replay it. We got on a plane, got to Vegas, found a chapel, and that was it. We came back home after days of non-stop sex, packed our stuff, and moved here.

“This is the most unromantic wedding ever,” she admonishes.

“It was perfect.”

She smiles. “I can see this is exactly what you’d want. No fanfare, just him.”

“Exactly!”

“I can’t believe you’re a Mrs. Hennington before I am.”

Zach strides into the kitchen right as the last word leaves her mouth, and he stops, holding both his hands out in front of him. “I’ll come back.”

“Oh, no Zachary. Don’t leave.” Her voice is sugary sweet. “It wasn’t like your evil ex-girlfriend delayed our day. I’ve only waited since I was like . . . ohhh . . . thirteen to be your wife.”

I silently laugh. “Stop being hard on him,” I defend him. It wasn’t his fault and he honestly didn’t want to push the date back. Zach would’ve married Presley the day she returned if he had his way.

“You’re his sister-in-law for ten minutes and you’re already taking his side?” she says with her hands on her hips.

Zach laughs. “I always wanted a sister.”

He’s crazy. I’m the last sister he’d have wanted. I was the one trying to get my brother’s friends to date me just to piss them off.

Presley tucks herself against his chest. “I thought you always wanted me to be your wife.”

“Darlin’,” Zach squeezes her close. “You’re my whole world. Makin’ you my wife is the icing on the cake.”

“Uh huh.” She leans in for a short kiss. “Real smooth.”

“You’re right,” he concurs. “I am.”

Wyatt walks in and leans against the door. “Ready to head home, baby?”

“Yup!” I stand. “We have a lot of unpacking to do, and we need to stop by your parents’ place.”

Presley bursts out laughing. “Ohhh.” She laughs harder. “Your mama is going to kill you! You’re her first son to get married, and you go off to Vegas without tellin’ her? Y’all are going to get it!”

For the first time, I start to notice that Presley doesn’t sound like my city girl anymore. She hadn’t said “y’all” or dropped the “g” at the end of a word once since her first year of college. Now, though, she’s all country again. Looks like I’m not the only one who found my true place.

Wyatt’s face falls, and he glances at me with sheer panic. “Fuck!”

Zach walks over and slaps him on the back. “You’re dead, brother.”

“Damn it. Maybe we can pretend we didn’t get married,” he suggests.

“What?”

“We won’t tell anyone else.” He starts to ramble. “We’ll say we’re engaged, you can tell her that it just happened and that you want a big ole wedding. It’ll be fine. She’ll never have to know.”

I stand there in disbelief. “You want to lie . . . to your mother . . . about us being married?”

“You’ve met her. Don’t act so surprised.”

I’m not even sure which way to go with this. I could agree and lie to his mom, which I’m pretty sure she’s going to figure it out at some point and that’ll be worse, or I can sit back and watch. Honestly, I’ve forgiven him, but it doesn’t mean that a little suffering here and there is a bad thing.

“Time to man up, Little Buckaroo.”

Wyatt grabs my hips and tugs me toward him. “I swear, Angelina.”

“Oh!” My eyes widen. “Going for the full name, are we?”

He mumbles something under his breath.

“Have fun y’all! Call me, and, Ang, if you record it, I’ll pay you!” Presley says loudly as Wyatt pulls me out the door.

I wave to her as we keep moving.

Wyatt is quiet in the truck on the way over, but I can’t stop smiling. It’s ridiculously cute and funny how worried he is. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Macie is the most understanding person I’ve ever met. Then again, this is her youngest.