“I called dibs early.”
“You suck,” she quips.
Mrs. Rooney comes around the corner. “It’s time to start! Make sure you keep your timing.” Yes, we wouldn’t want to mess up the order. “That means you, Trent Hennington. Don’t make me get your mama over here.”
I love that he may be the sheriff, but we all know who is in charge in this town.
“What is this parade for again?” For the life of me I can’t remember why we’re celebrating.
She laughs. “This is the parade to celebrate Bell Buckle’s founding father’s birthday and you and Zachary movin’ in together.”
“What?” I deadpan. “Are you serious?” I look at Grace.
She shrugs. “You know how your mama and her friends are. They’d do anything to throw a parade. Don’t tell me you’re that surprised. We had a damn parade because Mayor Peckham had his appendix removed.”
I can’t believe this. We’re having a parade because I’m going to live with Zach? I’m going to kill my mama and her friends.
“Let’s pretend this has nothing to do with me,” I tell Grace.
“Whatever you want, sweetheart.”
Grace checks her makeup while I look around.
“Presley, honey.” Mrs. Rooney grabs my attention. “Be sure you pull that dress down a little more. The whole town doesn’t need to see those cheeks, baby girl. You might be livin’ with him, but you don’t want to give the milk away for free, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh, dear Lord,” I grumble. I would love to tell her I sold the cow when I was seventeen, but I choose not to. “It’s not that short.”
She doesn’t respond, but sure enough, I’m tugging it down.
The parade starts. Grace takes her spot at the front of the float, and I go to the back. Grace waves like the beauty queen she once was, though I don’t think this is what she envisioned as the former Miss Bell Buckle—riding on a crepe paper float complete with a large plastic heart behind us. But she seems happy.
We ride for a few minutes when suddenly the parade stops.
“What the heck?” I say to Grace.
I look over to see what is going on and see Zach standing in the middle of the road. “Zach?” I move toward the edge.
He hops on the float with a huge smile. “Hi, darlin’.”
“Hi.” I give him a look that says I think he’s lost his mind. “What are you doing?”
“I needed to tell you something.”
“Right now?” I ask.
“Yup.”
I look around, waiting for Mrs. Rooney to come beat him with a paddle or something, but they all stand there with smiles. The boys get on the float and my heart begins to race. I glance back where my family stands, all holding hands.
“You see,” he says nonchalantly, “the boys and I were talkin’ the other day. We all think it’s time we’re a family.”
Tears fill my eyes. “You do?”
“Yup!” the twins say in unison.
Zach drops to his knee. “I love you, Presley. I love Cayden and Logan. I love every part of your life and want to share it with you.” He takes my hand. “I fell in love with you when I was fifteen years old. I swore, one day, I would marry you. I came pretty damn close once.” He winks, and I attempt to refrain from crying. “I never thought you’d find your way back to me, but here we are. I promise to love you with every piece of me. I will never betray you. I will never leave you willingly. I’ll stand by your side and be all that you need.” Tears now fall from my eyes without any chance of stopping. “I want to have a home for all four of us. Cayden and Logan have given me permission to ask you . . . Presley Benson, will you be my wife?”
I look at my boys, who stand behind him with huge grins. The fact that he asked them makes my heart swell. Tears of joy fall from my eyes as I look at the man I love with my whole heart. Second chances don’t come along every day, but I’m eternally grateful for ours. “Of course I will, Cowboy.” Zach places the diamond ring I wore when we were younger on my finger. I can’t believe he kept it.
He stands, takes me in his arms, and kisses me while cheers erupt around us. Our lips part. “Looks like we finally hit a home run,” he says huskily.
I smile. “I’d say this was a grand slam.”
THE END
Dear Reader,
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THE SALVATION SERIES
The Belonging Duet
Beloved (Book One)
Beholden (Book Two)
The Consolation Duet
Consolation (Book One)
Conviction (Book Two)
Defenseless
Indefinite
RETURN TO ME SERIES
Say You’ll Stay
Say You Want Me (Wyatt & Angie) Coming Soon
Say You’re Mine (Trent & Grace) Coming Soon
Hyped—Sexy Contemporary Standalone (Coming Soon)
T O MY HUSBAND AND CHILDREN. You sacrifice so much for me to continue to live out my dream. Days and nights of me being absent even when I’m here. I’m working on it. I promise. I love you more than my own life.
My beta readers, Michelle, Jenn, Holly, Katie, Melissa, and Sunny, I love you guys. Thank you for reading the dozens of drafts and changes I send you. I can’t tell you what your love and encouragement mean to me. You’re the reason that I keep going—I swear.
My readers. There’s no way I can thank you enough. It still blows me away that you read my words. You guys have become a part of my heart and soul.
Bloggers: I don’t think you guys understand what you do for the book world. It’s not a job you get paid for. It’s something you love and you do because of that. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you to Lisa my editor for your support and guidance through my projects. Sarah Hansen, from Okay Creations, for making my covers perfect. Ashley Williams for proofreading so many times until you probably see spots! Christine, from Perfectly Publishable, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all the work you put into making these books beautiful. Your support is invaluable. I truly love your beautiful heart.
My agent, Amy Tannenbaum . . . thank you for your guidance and support through this book. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. Thank you for never getting frustrated with my unending questions.
Squad, BBFT, FYW, & Holiday Reads Girls—Thank you for your friendship, love, and the way you push me to step outside of the box. I love you guys!
Christy Peckham, my right hand, my friend, my tormentor- Ha! No, you keep me on track and never waver. I’m so blessed to have you in my corner.
Melissa Erickson, you’re amazing. I love your face.
Kristi, your friendship means everything to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything. I could not have made it through this last year without you. Literally.
Vi, Claire, Mandi, Amy, Syreeta, Kristy, Kyla, Mia, Tijan, Alessandra, Meghan, Jessica, Michelle, Laurelin, Kennedy, and Lauren—Thank you for keeping me striving to be better and listening to my crazy.
C ORINNE MICHAELS IS THE USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author. She’s an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. Corinne is happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness.
Both her maternal and paternal grandmothers were librarians, which only intensified her love of reading. After years of writing short stories, she couldn’t ignore the call to finish her debut novel, Beloved. Her alpha men are broken, beautiful, and will steal your heart.
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Say You'll Stay Page 29