His lips sweep mine and his hand moves to my hip, adding pressure. “You’re still sexy. Sexier even.”
“You just want me to try on the uniform.”
“I mean it, but yeah, I want to see you in it.” His eyes twinkle with mischief.
I sigh. “I’ll be right back.” I drop my homecoming queen crown into the box.
“Really?” He sits tall and smiles. I kiss him straight on the lips and stand, making my way into the bedroom.
I strip down to my underwear and pull the top over my head. It slides down, a little snug and shorter than it used to be, exposing more of my stomach. I pull up the skirt, holding my breath until it moves over my hips. I look at myself in the mirror and laugh. I can’t believe I just put this on.
“It’s kinda tight.” I walk out of the room and Hunter’s eyes become round.
“Holy shit. It’s my high school wet dream in the flesh.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Stop it.” My skin flushes under his gaze.
“Come ‘ere.” He stands and reaches his hand out. I take it, smiling. He turns me around slowly, whistling.
“So sexy.” He stops when I’m facing him again and lands his lips on mine. His hands rest on the top of my butt, pushing me closer to him. “You look gorgeous. I still can’t believe that your stuff is spread out on the floor because you’re movin’ in. I can’t believe you’re here, to stay forever. My God, I love you.” He lifts my body, my legs wrapping around him.
“Hey,” I cup his face.
“Yeah?”
“I love you, too. Thanks for not givin’ up on us.”
“Never.” He starts to make his way to the bedroom.
“Babe, we need to clean up this mess and finish unpackin’.”
“Tomorrow. We have the rest of our lives to make a home. Tonight, I’m gonna love you ’til we’re both exhausted.” He takes us into the bedroom and lays me on the bed.
I stare into his eyes, pausing this moment so I can record it in my mind. The first time we built a home together. This is more than just moving in and living together. It’s about building something from the ground up with our hearts. We had a roadblock, but eventually the detour led me back to Hunter. It led me to a love you can’t forget. A love that doesn’t stop spinning in your world. I accept our flaws and mistakes. I now know we’re not perfect, and our relationship doesn’t have to be peachy to be real or important. I’m more than okay with that, because despite our flaws, I choose Hunter each and every day.
Four years later
“WHAT’S THE SURPRISE?” MACKENZIE looks at me as I get dressed.
“You’ll see. Hurry up, though.” I urge her to get dressed as well. We got to Springville last night and stayed at my parents’ house. Every time we come down, we alternate whose house we stay in. That’s going to change soon, she just doesn’t know it yet.
“Can I at least have coffee before we go?” She looks up at me from her sleepy eyes.
“Of course.” I walk toward her and wrap my arms around her. “I’m just really excited.”
“I can tell.” She kisses me and promises to be ready fast.
In four years, I married the love of my life, made a home with her, wrote songs for more well-known musicians, leading me to win an award for one of them. Mackenzie and I have lived a full life in Nashville, working hard and accomplishing so much along the way. The most important thing is that we’ve loved. So damn much.
I’ve made a name for myself in the country music industry. Singers request to work with me for my refreshing take on music. I just write what’s in me, but I’m grateful they want to work with me.
I walk into the kitchen to prepare coffee for Mackenzie while she gets ready. “Mornin’, Momma.” I kiss my mom on the cheek. “Dad’s outside?”
“Yeah. You know he’s out there bright and early.” I nod and grab a mug. “Are you excited?” My mom smiles wide.
“Yes. I can’t wait to show her. I hope she loves it.” I fill two mugs with coffee.
“I’m sure she will. I can’t wait to have you here,” my mom whispers.
“Me, too.” I add cream to Mackenzie’s coffee right when she walks into the kitchen.
“Good mornin’, Magnolia,” she talks to my mom.
“Hi, sweetie.” My mom’s knowing smile is spread on her face.
“Here you go.” I hand Mackenzie the mug. She takes a sip and sighs.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll see y’all later. I’m going to work in the garden.” My mom busies herself and walks out of the house, probably trying to contain my surprise.
“Bye,” we both say in unison.
I look at Mackenzie, widening my eyes.
“What?” She looks at me over the rim of her mug.
“Drink faster,” I urge her.
“So impatient.” She drinks her coffee. I know she’s dying to see what her surprise is.
“Bring the coffee with you.” I grab her hand and pull her out of the house and to my truck.
Mackenzie’s laugh travels with us as she settles in the truck. I drive to the address I’ve memorized in the last few weeks and slow down when I see the stone, two-story house. I pull into the long driveway and stop in front of the house. Mackenzie is silent as she stares in front of her.
I turn off the car and get out, opening the door for her. “Come on.”
“What is this?”
I smirk. “A house.”
“Smart ass.” She walks with me to the front door. “What the hell, Hunter? You have a key?”
“Yeah,” I shrug as if it’s no big deal. I open the door and let her look at the space. Hard wood floors and a wide living room spread in front of us.
I hug her from behind, locking my arms around her, and whisper, “Welcome home.”
“What?” She turns around. Her blue eyes are wide, and her mouth hangs open.
“I bought us this house. Do you like it? Take a look around.”
“You bought a house? Without me?”
“Yeah,” my heart starts to pound. Shit, maybe I shouldn’t have. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“You bought a house. In Springville.” She spins, taking it all in. “With crown molding.” I laugh.
“Are you mad?”
“Mad? Are you kidding me? We’re really movin’ back,” she states.
“We are.” We’ve been talking about moving back for some time. It was always an option, but I wanted to become a more popular song-writer before leaving Nashville. I can work from anywhere when it comes to writing music, and Nashville is close enough that I can make day trips for writing sessions.
“Look around.” I let her take her time as she explores each room.
“How many bedrooms?” She looks at me over her shoulder. Her eyes sparkle as she runs her hand over the cool granite counter.
“Four. It has three and a half baths. Six acres. A barn,” I list off the information I know she wants. “A stone fireplace and a back porch. The land is partly forested.”
“It sounds perfect.” I follow her around the house as she climbs the stairs and looks into each room.
“We’ve always talked about comin’ back, and I think we’re ready. I can work from here and go to Nashville when I need to. This is where I want to start a family. I want to see our children runnin’ around here, teaching them to ride horses. I wanna show them where their momma and pops come from. Give them the life we had.” I kiss away her tears.
“I love it. I love the amount of land it has and the space. Are you sure you can do this already?”
“Hell yeah. Baby, I want this. I want to be here.”
“Show me the barn.”
“With pleasure.” I hold her hand and take her out back, through the porch. The red barn sits a bit away from the house, and it’s completely ready.
“It’s gorgeous.” She looks in the stalls and faces me. “Can we bring Macey and Addie to live with us?”
I nod. “Yes. That’s the plan.” I rea
ch her, cupping her face. “Dance with me.” I turn on the music on my phone, playing “Memories of Us.” Her responding smile fills me with so much love. I pull her in real close, and sway to the music. It’s the only song I’ve ever needed to record, and I recorded it for moments like this.
“We’re going to build new memories here that will weave with the ones we already carry,” I promise her.
Chapter 1
Olivia
I’M GOING TO KILL her. Who the hell gets into the kind of trouble she does. Of course she calls me at two in the morning to rescue her because she can’t call her parents. Well, I’m going to call her dad if she continues to pull these stunts.
I jump out of my car and walk straight into the bar, ignoring the bouncer when he yells, “Hey!”
I scan the almost empty bar and find her.
“Let’s go!”
“Hey! Oh, did you just roll out of bed or something?” She furrows her eyebrows at me.
I glare at her. For being only twenty years old, my little cousin is a pain in the ass.
“What do you think? You call me at two in the morning that you’re stranded at a bar downtown, begging I pick you up, because you’re too afraid to take a cab by yourself.” I don’t even try to hide my annoyance. Jen’s eyes bug out, and she quickly regains herself as I mention her fear.
At the same time, I hear a deep chuckle. I look over Jen’s shoulder and find the source of laughter. I glare as he puts his hand on her shoulder. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
“Babe, I would’ve taken you home.” He winks. Who is this guy? “You didn’t have to wake up grandma here.”
That’s it!
“What the hell is your problem? First of all, get yours hands off my little cousin. She’s not even legal. Give me your fake ID.” I look at Jen as I hold my hand out.
“Seriously?”
“Oh, I’m fucking serious. I’m tired of your charades. Return it or I’m calling your dad.”
“You wouldn’t.”
I grab my phone and click on his name, ready to hit call. Jen stares at me, daring me to call him. I hit call and let it ring on speaker. Her brown eyes widen and she fumbles for her purse. I end the call and take her ID.
“Secondly…” My phone vibrates in my hand cutting me off. “Hello? Oh, hey Uncle Jim. No sorry, I must’ve dialed you by mistake in my sleep … Okay. Sorry to wake you … Yeah, she’s home. I’ll let her know. Bye.”
“Wow. So, grandma can lie like a pro.”
“Secondly,” I ignore his comment. “You do not offend women by calling them older than they are. Do I look like a grandma?”
“Babe, those PJs are something my great-grandmother would wear.” I stare down and shrug.
“So, I like to be comfortable when I sleep.”
“Hey, as long as you’re happy. So, Jen, you coming with me?”
“Oh, no. After you dragged my ass here to pick you up, you’re going home.”
“Sorry, Ryder. Let me take her home before she loses her shit. I’ll hang out with you and Cash another night.”
Great, there are two of them.
“Yes, there are two of us.” Some guy steps around the corner of the bar, and I hadn’t realized I said that out loud. I’m tired. He looks at my attire and tries to hide his smile. At least he seems more polite than his friend.
“Jen, let’s go. I have to be up in a few hours.”
“So why not simply stay up and have some fun? Chances are, if you go back to sleep, you’ll be more exhausted in the morning.” The new guy says.
“Sorry, kid. Bar’s closing.”
“I’m as much a kid as you are a grandma.” He smiles slowly. “What’s your name?”
“None of your business. Jen, I’m leaving.”
I turn and walk away. I hear her heels clicking behind me. Good choice.
“Damn, Olivia, did you have to embarrass me like that in front of Ryder? Do you even know who he is?”
“No, and I don’t care. You need to stop getting into these messes. You came to a bar with one guy who was supposedly the man of your dreams. Then, he leaves your ass and I have to pick you up. Only to find you flirting with some god-like man.”
“He is hot, isn’t he?” I roll my eyes. To be twenty again.
“Jen, I love you, but you need to get your shit together. You start your third year of college in a few weeks. I know you’re young and want to have a blast living your life. I get it, been there, done that. Believe it or not. But take it slow.”
“I believe it, but you’ve lost it lately. I know you’re depressed or whatever,” she waves her hand in the air. “But like, come out with me one night. Ryder is the guitarist for Rebel Desire and Cash is the lead singer. I think he liked you.”
“I’m tired, Jen. I’m tired.”
She sighs and looks out the window. “You’re always tired.”
I was so excited when Jen decided to move in with me after high school. We have been living together for two years. Despite the age difference, we have always been close. Now, I feel like I have a twenty-year-old daughter. That means I would have birthed her at eight. No way.
I get it all comes with the territory of being in college and being the cool one with the fake ID, but I don’t want her to get hurt unnecessarily.
“Your dad wanted me to remind you about lunch tomorrow.”
“Got it.”
I pull up to our townhouse, and Jen rushes in. I sigh and lock the door behind me. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror at the entrance of my home and cringe. I do look like a grandma. Worse. I think my grandma had more style than me. I walk up the stairs, shutting off all the lights on the way there and make my way to the master bedroom at the end of the hall. All by my lonesome self.
“Here.”
I look at Jen and back down at my bed. “What is that?”
“It’s a dress. Duh.”
I roll my eyes. I know it’s a dress. “I meant, why did you throw it on my bed?”
“It’s for you. Put it on; we’re going out.” I merely stare at her with wide eyes waiting for her to explain. Jen sighs and relaxes her shoulders. “It’s Tequila Thursday.” Apparently, that’s all the explanation I need.
“I work in the morning.”
“Eh, you’re flexible on Fridays. I promise it will only be us. No cocky boys or hooking up.” I arch my brow and she laughs. “I promise! You just need to get out of this house for once. Remember how much fun you can have. Even at the ripe age of twenty-eight.”
“Screw you.” I give her a side look and she laughs.
“So that’s a yes. Fix your hair, put on make-up, and here…” She walks into my closet. “Put on these shoes.”
As Jen walks out of my room she yells, “We leave in one hour.”
I sigh and jump in the shower. I know deep down she means well and this is her way of getting me out of my “depression.” Her words. I’m not depressed. I work a lot of hours. I’m tired, not emotional. I close my eyes under the spray of water and get ready for a night out on the town. Not sure about tequila, but I could use a drink.
Jen whistles when I walk down the stairs. “You look hot!” I shrug and bite down my smile.
“Thanks.” The wine-red dress she lent me fits perfectly.
“Come on. Our Uber is about to get here.”
“So you’ll Uber and not cab?”
“You’re with me, so I won’t be alone with a stranger. I’ve heard horror stories.”
“Really?”
“Okay, I’ve read them. When I was little. What was that movie with the cab driver serial killer?”
I laugh and open the door. “Let’s go. I’ve got my firearm carrier permit.”
“You’re not carrying your gun, are you?”
I shrug.
“You’re crazy,” she says. I laugh behind her.
“Does it look like my gun fits in this purse?”
“You’re right.”
I was expecting to see mostly
college-aged people out tonight, but there are quite a few people closer to my age out drinking, too. The Nashville night scene is rocking. Where have I been living?
Jen comes back from the bar holding two shots and two margaritas. “If you don’t want the night to end in the next ten minutes, you won’t have me drink that shot.”
“It’s one shot.”
“Tequila to kill ya. Tequila and I are frenemies. I only take her in my margaritas.”
“Seriously.”
“Yup.” I grab both margaritas and let her take the shots. Jen stares at me but throws them back and begins dancing. The music is a mix of country songs with hip-hop beats. Whoever the DJ is, he knows what he is doing. Never would I have combined Luke Bryan and Nelly. I stop analyzing the music and have fun. After two more margaritas, Jen and I are laughing and singing at the top of our lungs. It’s the perfect girl’s night.
“Thanks for bringing me out,” I tell Jen, once we sit back in the car taking us home.
“I’m glad you came. I was ready for a fight, but you agreed easily. You see how much fun we can have?”
“I know.” I put my head on her shoulder.
“Hey,” a groggy Jen says as she goes straight for the coffee maker.
“Good morning, sunshine!”
“How are you so perky?” She groans as she fills her mug.
“Good drinking genes.” She stares at me blankly. “It’s true. I can drink and hardly get hung over. Also, a bottle of water and Ibuprofen before bed are golden.”
“Thanks for that tip last night,” Jen says sarcastically.
I shrug and continue working from the couch. I lose focus every few minutes at Jen’s groaning. I shush her and work on my client’s advertisement.
I decided to go freelance with my own graphic design company almost a year ago so I can have more balance in my life. Instead, I have ended up working more hours than before and have no social life. Jen says I use my work as an excuse to hide. I tell Jen this career allowed me to buy a townhome and allows her to live in it almost rent-free. So, I’m a homebody…
“I’m going to be sick.”
“That’s it. Let’s go.” Jen looks at me. I continue, “Get dressed. And shower.” I feel my face cringe in disgust. “Sorry.” I shrug my shoulders.
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