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IT TOOK US EIGHT HOURS to get to the Grand Canyon. The navigator on my phone had said closer to ten, but what with Dylan behind the wheel and Tommy babbling on and on with random facts about National Parks and other inane trivia, we somehow made it by five in the afternoon. Still, the work day had officially closed, and they were no longer offering tours.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you one of the seven natural wonders of the world,” said Tommy motioning to the canyon.
Lily started clapping. “Yay! I can finally kick this off my bucket list. I’ve wanted to see it for so long! It makes me realize how small we all are in this huge world.”
Tommy wrapped an arm around her. “Yes, my dear. Everyone must go at least once.”
We viewed the canyon in all its glorious splendor. Tommy watched them packing up the horses and donkeys with the expression of a small child whose favorite toy had been confiscated. Confiscated by his older brother—on whom he turned his wrath.
“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”
Dylan threw up his hands, looking like he was seriously on the verge of hitting Tommy right in the face. After hours trapped in the car listening to volumes on native shrubbery, I hardly blamed him. “Are you serious right now?!”
“You weren’t excited about the tour from the very beginning, and you didn’t warm up to it the entire drive here. Now we pull in just as it’s all ending?! Coincidence?!”
I patted Tommy’s arm gently and stepped in between. “Let’s just take it down a notch, buddy. We can always stay over and go on the tour tomorrow morning.”
“No, we can’t,” Tommy answered petulantly. “Because we have to get married the day after tomorrow, so now we don’t have time.”
He stalked off without another word and sat down beside Lily on the hood of the car and ripped open a bag of M&M’s, gazing out over the magnificent vista with a rather infantile pout. Lily rubbed his back as if trying to calm him down.
Dylan stared at him in amazement before turning to me. “It’s like talking to a toddler. How do you even do it?”
I giggled and swept my hair up into a ponytail. “You forget, I speak a great deal of toddler myself. How do you think I deal with him?”
“Not the same thing.” He followed my gaze out to the ravine.
I rolled my eyes. “How is it not the same thing?”
“When you do it, it’s adorable.”
His answer caught both of us by surprise, and we glanced at each other quickly.
The tops of his high cheekbones flushed pink, and he was about to correct himself when we were suddenly interrupted by a much more cheerful looking Tommy.
“Well, we’re here, so let’s go enjoy the views and get some good pics,” Tommy said.
We stared at the beautiful sights before us in awe. It was beyond beautiful, almost spiritual. Of course, all of us got out our phones and started snapping away. Dylan came over and the two of us took the best selfie ever! He had the biggest smile, flashing all white teeth like a famous movie star as his beautiful eyes lit up the photo. I looked so happy with his arm wrapped around me. The stunning view of the Grand Canyon as our backdrop really made the picture pop with color. I knew it was a photo I’d always cherish.
“Send me that pic!” I said.
He grinned. “Definitely.”
“I want a selfie with my BFF!” Lily said.
Before I could answer, a woman came over and offered to take a group picture of us. We posed and smiled as she said, “Say cheese!”
Snap.
“Thank you,” I said.
The woman handed me back my camera. “You’re welcome.”
I stared at the picture. We all looked so happy. This was the best idea ever. It was just like old times. I might even frame this shot and put it on my shelf.
Everything was perfect! Clean air. Blue sky. Sunny day. Condors soared above us. It was gorgeous and we walked around and enjoyed the breathtaking landscape. I even enjoyed the desert heat. Horizontal bands of prismatic colors, such as brown, red, gold, and tan, captured my attention.
Breathtaking!
We walked along different paths, saw some humongous elk, and found some quiet spots to reflect.
At one overlook, Dylan came up next to me and smiled.
I smiled back.
“It’s so beautiful,” he said.
I stared into those pretty eyes of his, those eyes I could get lost in forever. “Absolutely spectacular.”
A broad smile lit up his face as the wind blew, hair falling across his forehead. The pounding of my heart echoed in my ears. I wasn’t sure if I was talking about him or the view.
“I’m glad we came. Because I never take time out like this,” he said. “Until I was forced too.”
I grinned. “Maybe this will show you what you’re missing, Mr. Workaholic.”
He pushed a stray strand of hair from my face. “Is this your way of telling me to stop and smell the roses?”
“Yeah, it is.” I couldn’t help but be drawn to him. And I even imagined my lips pressed up against his in a glorious kiss.
“I’ve missed you, Rose,” he said. “I really have.”
He let his hand linger a moment too long on my arm and my stomach fluttered.
“I missed you too, so much,” I said. “Life wasn’t the same after you left.”
“You did good for yourself, and I’m so proud of you. You became a vet. I remember how much you always loved animals. Like when you tried to save those baby birds that fell out of the nest when Jackson’s big oak tree was cut down.”
“Those workers were cussing at me! One even came at me with a chainsaw. They didn’t care one tiny bit! But I didn’t let them deter me as I scooped up the nest and the babies, and relocated them nearby.”
“I admire that. I’m so glad Mama bird found them.”
“My heart leapt in joy when they reunited.”
“You should’ve come to New York,” he said. “We could use sweet, caring people like you.”
“I know I could make more money if I went to a big city, but I love a small town. It’s where my heart is, ya know?”
“I know how much you love Wessler,” he said. “I don’t think you’ll ever leave.”
“It’s my home.”
“I get it, Rose, I really do.”
Why couldn’t I stop staring at him? Just stop it already! I told myself.
Dylan was muscular, handsome, and tall; and after all this time, he still took my breath away. And it was right there that I felt like we had this amazing connection, more than just old friends. I was sure he could feel it too.
“I saw an article of you in Time magazine,” I said. “It totally blew me away.”
“I didn’t know you saw it.”
“Yeah, Tommy bought a few copies. Gave me one. You really got that tall, dark, sexy thing going, don’t you?” He blushed a tiny bit and I continued. “I mean, really. You looked so extraordinarily handsome in a tailored, designer suit. I swear I went weak at the knees.”
Dylan grinned. “Thanks, Rose.”
Not only was he sexy, but he was also smart, successful, secure, self-assured, confident, and intelligent. He wasn’t like Tommy because he had his life put together. And I admired him for that. He went to New York City and made something of himself after college. But he was always driven. That’s just who he was.
He and Tommy were complete opposites; that was for sure.
Back at the car, Tommy walked over to me.
“So I was talking to one of the guides, seeing if I could get one of the donkeys shipped home to be a companion for Leopold—”
“Tommy,” I paled, “tell me he didn’t—”
“No, he just laughed at me. But the guy was totally cool. We were shooting the breeze and he asked if we wanted to go to a party tonight. I said no because I had to get married to the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“Awwwwww,” I said.
“That’s so sweet,” Lily said, smiling.
I turned to Dylan and Lily. “See guys? That’s exactly why I picked Tommy to be my groom.”
Tommy’s eyes twinkled in the sun. “I’m a charming type of guy like that.”
“Yes, you are,” I said.
“Well, I’m gonna take one last look before we go. I want to get a good picture.”
I grinned as he walked toward the gorgeous view.
Lily sat in the passenger’s seat and blew out a long breath. “Didn’t he already take enough selfies?”
“What can I say? My future husband is a conceited selfie-taker,” I said.
“And he ate all the M&M’s,” Lily said. “So he’s a greedy, conceited selfie-taker.”
We all laughed.
***
“I’M BACK,” TOMMY SAID.
“About time,” Lily laughed. “Hey, have you ever thought about another hobby besides taking pics of yourself all the time?”
He playfully nudged her. “I don’t take that many selfies. You’re so exaggerating.”
She grinned. “Am I?”
“Did you get a good shot for all your social media?” I asked.
“Oh, did I ever! And I got something else too. Since we can’t make the party, Sam gave me these.”
“He just gave them to you?” Lily asked.
“Yeah. He’s in a real good mood.”
She laughed. “I bet he is. How many of these did he take himself?”
Tommy held out his hand with a grin. I peered down at the four small green buttons in his palm.
“What is that?” I asked.
He bit his lip, and his eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Peyote.”