Before the Sunset (Cottonwood Cove, #4)(71)

“You know I like big butts,” I teased because I couldn’t help myself.

“I set you up for that.”

“Tell me what the big but is, Miney.”

“This movie deal. Your show taking off. Distance. Travel. Temptation. Change. That’s all waiting for us. And I don’t want anything to ever come between our friendship, so I think we need to let things play out. See how we feel when we aren’t together.”

“Always so fucking practical,” I said. “I’m not worried about it. You’ll see. I’ll prove it to you if that’s what you need.”

“I’m not worried about me, Finn.” Her gaze was so empathetic it made my chest squeeze. Of course, she wasn’t worried about herself. She was loyal as hell; we both knew it. “I want you to be happy, and I don’t ever want to hold you back in any way. I was in a relationship where I was the one who was held back. I won’t be that person, not when I love everything about you just the way you are. So, let’s just take this one day at a time.”

“All right. I can do that.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “But I want to remind you of something.”

“Okay, let me hear it.”

“You aren’t the only one that went without sex for almost a year. Do you not find it strange that I had such a hard time when you moved to London? Your boyfriend met someone new. But your best friend”—I pointed to myself—“was lost without you, Miney. So, the distance doesn’t scare me. I’ve already proven that when I’m not with you, I’m not looking for anyone else. I’m waiting for you. And that was before I fake dated you and got to have all the sex with my girl,” I said, keeping my tone light.

Her eyes blinked several times, and she smiled. “That’s impressive. I’m not going to lie.”

“Just giving you something to think about.” I nipped at her bottom lip and kissed her hard before pulling away. “Can I give you your presents now?”

“Yep. But can I at least put on one of your T-shirts so I’m not unwrapping gifts naked?” She chuckled.

“I can live with that. And then I’ll unwrap you when we’re done.”

“You’re insatiable.” She led me out of the bathroom and down the hall, where she slipped into one of my oversized tees, and I pulled on a pair of joggers.

The sun was just coming up as we settled in front of the tree. She handed me a package, and I reached for one I’d gotten for her.

“You open first, Chewy,” she said, rubbing her hands together after she handed me the package. I tore the paper off and pulled out a large scrapbook. I opened the front cover to see a photo of me in my first school play.

“It all started with Peter Pan,” she said, leaning her head against my shoulder as I flipped the pages. She had newspaper clippings and photographs of every single role I’d ever played. Big and small. Magazine articles that had been cut out over the years about some of the small roles I’d taken. Interviews and quotes and reviews from different sites. It was all pasted in here with photos of me scattered around. Several pictures of my family and Reese attending different events for me.

The last few pages were dedicated to Big Sky Ranch, with all the articles and interviews and clippings she’d pulled for the show and for me. Several photos of me on set, along with photos of the cast. The final page was the article of Reese and me, with a photo of us. The title of the article read: Hollywood’s ‘IT’ Boy and his Small-Town Girl.

I looked up at her, unable to find the words at first.

I shook my head. “This is unbelievable. It must have taken so long to put this together.”

“I worked on it while I was living in London last year, but I’d been collecting everything for years to make you one big scrapbook.”

“I love it. Thank you. This means the world to me.” There was a lump in my throat, and I shook my head. I’d become a sappy bastard with this girl.

“Well, you mean the world to me, Finn Reynolds.” Her voice was all tease, but her eyes told a different story.

Reese and I were the real deal. Whether she believed it or not, I didn’t know. But I knew it. She feared it. Which I understood because loving someone like this opened you up to a lot of hurt. I remember feeling that fear deep in my soul when she’d gotten sick. So I couldn’t blame her for being fearful.

She’d had her share of heartache.

It was my job to show her that we were different.

“All right. Your turn.”

She pushed up on her knees to face me. She closed her eyes and opened her hands. She’d always loved surprises. I placed the large white box with the black satin bow tied around it in her hands. Her eyes sprung open, and she set it on the rug in front of us and untied it. Inside, she pulled out the white cowboy hat I’d seen her looking at a few times at Buttons & Boots downtown. It was suede and the same color as her cowboy boots.

“Oh my gosh, you got me the hat! I love it. Do you know that I’ve been looking at this for two years before I even left for London?”

My eyes widened. “No. If I’d known that, I would have gotten it for you two years ago.”

She placed it on her head and smiled at me. “I love it. Thank you so much.”

“Well, if you’re out there riding Millie every day, you need a good hat, right?”