Don't Forget Me Tomorrow(118)

I took his hand, gathered it up in both of mine, and pulled it against my chest. “My heart made its pick a long, long time ago, and now, after everything, I’ve never been so sure. It’s you, Ryder. It’s always been you. And I see it now—everything you did—your mistakes and your hopes. Your failures and your love. I forgive you because I see you, Ryder—I see you through all of it, and I know your heart is beautiful despite everything that you’ve done.”

His breaths came ragged and short, and he suddenly hopped off the branch and set the tin aside before he approached.

Slowly.

With purpose and care.

He never looked away from my face as he curled his hands around my waist and pulled me down to set me on my feet.

Energy crashed as he framed my face in his big hands.

“Cookie,” he murmured, his thumbs tracing my cheeks. “I love you, and I’m going to for the rest of my days. For as long as these stars shine above us. And I promise you, I won’t ever give you a reason to question that again.”

He took my hand and placed it over the clock that sat on his chest. “And this heart? It is always going to beat for you. Because there aren’t enough days in eternity that could make me forget about you.”

Then he kissed me.

Slowly and powerfully and without any secrets lingering between us.

Because we had become each other’s truths.

No, we didn’t make it here by perfection. It was messy and ugly and riddled with regrets.

But my mother was right—only I could make the decision of who was worthy of me.

And for me, Ryder had earned that right.

Pulling back, he gazed down at me with those dark eyes, but the blackened pools were the clearest I’d ever seen. “It’s our time, Cookie.”

I gave him the softest smile. “It’s our time.”

Ryder threaded our fingers together then reached down and snagged the tin, slanting me a smirk as he did. “I’m going to need these.”

A giggle got free, and I snuggled up to his side as we started back down the path. “I think you only want me for my sweets.”

He pressed his lips to my temple. “That’s right, I want all the sweets.”

Suggestion filled his voice, and I giggled again as he shifted to curl his arm around my shoulder and tucked me closer to his side. His tone grew somber. “Your brother is going to want to kill me, Dakota. And I know it’s going to take time to prove to him who I really am and how much I really love you, but I will. I’m going to show this whole fucking town that you belong with me, Dakota Cooper. I’m going to give you everything.”

I stilled, shifting so I was standing in front of him, my eyes on the unforgettable lines of his face as I set my palm on his cheek. “I don’t need everything, Ryder. I just need your honesty. I need your truth. Your devotion and your love.”

“You have it, Dakota.” His thumb swiped over my bottom lip. “Love is on the house.”





EPILOGUES





DAKOTA





Six Months Later


The clatter of dishes and voices filled the restaurant. Every table and booth were taken during the lunch rush, except for one of the long tables in the middle that sat twenty that had been reserved for a large party scheduled to arrive in ten minutes.

Satisfaction pushed at my ribs as I wandered through the dining room, ensuring the guests were happy and well fed.

Their smiling faces and their mumbled praise over the food never failed to send me soaring.

I was proud of Time River Market & Café. What I had built and what it offered our small community. From such a young age, I’d known this was what I wanted to do, and it filled me with pride at what it had become.

I’d found a speck of shame in it, but it had been on Ryder and me to eradicate it, to do something good in its place, and I’d found joy in that, too.

A foundation had been started in Amelia’s name in Poplar. It was a shelter for at risk teens, and Ryder and I had doubled the money he’d given me to fund its opening.

Ryder volunteered there every weekend, and he would take the cookies I’d bake and share them while he shared pieces of his story. How one choice could have a devastating ripple effect, but how each of us have the power to walk a good path. That sometimes we stumble, but we have to fight our way back onto the right track.

Fight for health and joy and security.

He’d fought for his, and I was so proud of him for that.

I glanced up to find Beth smirking at me from the other side of the counter. “You look like you’re over there daydreaming again. That man must be something in bed because every day you’re walking around here on a cloud. It’s kind of annoying,” she teased.

I swatted at her as I rounded the counter, redness hitting my cheeks. “Would you stop it?”

“Never, not when you turn to mush any time I mention his name.”

I saw no point in denying it since every thought of him made me all squishy inside.

“Do you need any help?” I figured I’d do best to change the subject before she got carried away.

She ducked her head into the short refrigerator under the counter. “Would you mind double checking the dairy order is coming in tomorrow? We are running super low on whipped cream, and you know how the town considers that a local tragedy.”