“Oh my God, what are you doing here?”
“I realized I was wrong. Something my mom said actually about this being where I belong. Where you are is where I belong. And so I came back to make it right. I was waiting to figure out how to do that without ruining Jensen and Emery’s wedding when you walked outside.”
I dropped my hand down into David’s. My body was abuzz with excitement because he was here. He’d come back. For me.
“I’m so sorry, David. I know I’ve been so erratic, and I’m not going to promise to never be emotional again. But I do promise that we’ll do this together. If you’ll have me.”
He tugged me forward until our breaths mingled. My red dress nearly touched his tux.
“I’ll have you.” Then, he bent down and kissed me.
Fireworks exploded.
Church bells rang.
A choir sang.
And, just like that, all the tension and anxiety and worry melted away. I was right where I was supposed to be—in David’s arms with his lips on mine. We moved as one, perfectly in sync. My hands pushed up into his hair, and he only tugged me closer, kissing me as if I were a drowning man’s air.
I didn’t know how long we kissed. It could have been minutes or hours or days. But, when he finally pulled back to rest his forehead against mine and slowly swayed us to the music filtering in from the reception, our breathing was uneven, and my lips were puffy. Thank God for lipstick that didn’t budge.
“You’re really here to stay?” I whispered.
“Turns out, New York doesn’t suit me anymore.”
“And Lubbock does?”
“You do.”
“I still can’t believe you left.”
“Me either.”
I sighed. “I put you in the position to not believe what I was saying. I was the one with the trust issues, and I made it so that you couldn’t trust me.”
“Shh,” he said gently. “No blame. We both did the wrong things. But I just want to be here with you right now.”
I leaned my head against his suit and closed my eyes.
We’d gone through the wringer. A roller coaster that had left us both dizzy. But, at the end, when it had come to a stop, there was only me and him. And that was how I wanted it.
This wasn’t over. We still had a lot to talk about. There would be more ups and downs, but I knew that, if we stayed on the same page, then we could get through it together.
David kissed me one more time before leading me back into the reception. Now that he was here and the dark cloud had lifted from over my head, I felt suddenly like me again.
Not the Sutton before Maverick’s death.
Or the Sutton after Maverick’s death.
But a whole new me.
Sutton with David.
Finally, it felt like my wings had opened, and I was here at last.
We’d only just stepped inside when Linda and Ray appeared before us. I tensed. I didn’t want to have this confrontation. Especially not in front of David. I’d been purposely avoiding them through this entire wedding. I didn’t want a fight.
“Sutton, can we speak to you?” Ray asked, nudging his wife forward.
“You can go on ahead,” I said to David.
But he stood his ground.
“Go on, honey,” Ray said to Linda.
She took a deep breath and then glanced between us. “I’m sorry for what I said to you the other day. I was upset. After spending the whole weekend with Jason and then again all day during the week, he just reminded me so much of Maverick. It made it even harder to watch him go.”
“I understand that, but that doesn’t mean you can threaten me,” I told her.
“You’re absolutely right. I never should have done that. I swear, I don’t know what came over me. Of course, I’m not going to try to take your son from you. You’re a great mother, Sutton. I just miss my son so much, and no one seems to miss him like I do.”
“I do miss him. Constantly. But dating David doesn’t diminish what I had with Maverick, and it doesn’t mean that I’m replacing him. It’s a new part of my life.”
“Ray helped me see that. I get blinded by my grief sometimes.”
“I know all about that,” I said, glancing at David.
“I don’t know if we’ve been officially introduced.” Ray held his hand out. “I’m Ray, and this is my wife, Linda. Figure you’re going to be in Sutton’s and Jason’s lives, so we should be on speaking terms.”
“I’m David, and it’s a pleasure to meet you. Both of you,” David said sincerely.
Linda held her hand out next. “Nice to meet you.”
“I know I said that you couldn’t be in Jason’s life, but I don’t want that. I want him to grow up with his grandparents. I want him to have as many people as possible nearby to help him know his dad. But I want us to work as a team. And, if you need to grieve, don’t take it out on me…let me be a part of it. Believe me, I have days where it needs to all come out, too.”
“That sounds like a deal,” Linda said. She had tears in her eyes. “Jason means so much to us. Thank you for forgiving me and letting us see him.”
“Thank you for understanding,” I said.
Then, I pulled Linda in for a hug.
Ray chuckled over our heads. “All right, dear. Let’s get out on the dance floor. I know a jitterbug that you might enjoy.”
Linda hugged me one more time before taking her husband’s hand and following him out onto the dance floor. To my sheer amazement, they certainly did know how to jitterbug.
I laughed. “Wow, they’re really good. Who knew?”
David kissed my forehead. “I’m glad that went well. I knew it was weighing on you.”
“Thank God you were here when it happened, or I might have blown up on them.”
“Then, it all worked out in the end.”
“I accept that.”
I was trying to steal another kiss when I heard, “Mommy!”
Then, Jason collided with my legs, nearly taking me out entirely. David reached for my arm to steady me, or we both would have toppled over.
“Hey, buddy,” I said, ruffling his hair.
“David!” Jason said with a dimpled grin.
“Hey, Jason. How’s the party?”
He grinned and pointed at the dance floor.
“I think that’s an invitation,” I said to David with a raised eyebrow.
“You’re okay with this?” he asked.
“More than okay.” I took Jason’s hand, and David took the other. “If I’m going to have you in every part of my life, just as I am in every part of your life, then it only seems natural that includes Jason. He loves you, and I love you.”
“And I love you both, too.”
Then, we swung Jason out onto the dance floor.
And, as a family, we danced the night away.