MY KEYCHAIN felt oddly bulky in my hand. I closed my car door and held the keys, glancing over the car to meet Rex’s gaze.

“You ready?” he asked with a soft smile.

Sweetgum Boulevard was a wide road that ran straight through town, then snaked along the edge of the golf course and half a dozen vineyards. We stood at the transition between town and vines, in the parking lot of a strip mall that had recently changed ownership.

I squared my shoulders and looked at the door at the far end of the strip. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” I told him.

Rex met me in front of my car and tangled his fingers in mine. My heart raced as we approached the door, the view through the big front windows revealing an empty, bare office beyond.

“Is this real?” I asked. “I’m not dreaming?”

Rex grinned at me. “Either way, it feels pretty good, doesn’t it?”

I huffed a laugh and fumbled with my keys. There were the Baker Street house keys, my car fob, and three shiny new keys on a flimsy key ring dangling off the whole lot.
I took the biggest of the new keys and let the rest of the mess fall down with a jangle. Then, squaring my shoulders, I slid it into the lock. When I pulled the door open, the smell of new carpet greeted me. I inhaled and blew the breath out, my whole body trembling.

“Go on,” Rex said softly. “Step over that threshold and claim it, sweetheart.”

His words bolstered me. Rex was the only person who saw my vulnerability. I wasn’t afraid to show him when I was nervous, and his warm, deep voice gave me courage in moments of weakness.

Moments like now, when I wondered if I could really run my own brokerage. If I wanted my name on the front of this office. If I wanted everyone to see me reach out and claim my success.

Old thoughts bubbled up to the surface: What if I mess it up? What if everyone sees? What if I get angry and impulsive, and the whole venture comes crumbling down? Will everyone just roll their eyes and say, typical?

The thoughts were familiar, but they didn’t have the same kind of bite they used to. I didn’t get dragged down into the mud of my own self-doubt. Instead, I squared my shoulders and stepped over the threshold, a wide smile blooming over my lips.

Turning to drag Rex into the office with me, I couldn’t help the laugh that tumbled from me. “Mine!” I exclaimed.

Rex’s smile was bright, proud—and familiar. He’d never doubted me for a second. When I’d hashed out the deal with Sinclair, including the ten-year lease and the low maintenance fees, Rex had read over the contract and told me I could do it. When I’d wondered if Evelyn would pull out when Sinclair tried to make additional demands, Rex told me I’d be able to smooth everything over and get the deal across the line. When I’d picked up the keys and wondered if I was crazy, Rex had told me I certainly was, but that was part of my magic.

He’d been there every step of the way, cheering me on. He’d held me through the night and made me coffees in the mornings. He’d screwed me senseless when I was too caught up in my own thoughts.

And now he was here, beaming at the empty space, at the potential.

The one person who truly believed that I’d always achieve my own potential.

“Your logo is going to look so good on the wall,” he said.

I followed his gaze to the wall on the left, heart fluttering. “I’m thinking I’ll put a reception desk right here. I’ll have to hire an administrator.” I paced out the spot where I visualized a modern desk with lots of warm timber accents. “I’ll add a pendant light and a couch. I want people to feel at home here, just like they’ll feel at home in their new property.”

I looked at the door at the back of the space, where a big storeroom would hold all my files. Beyond it, there was another door to the back of the building. It was small, but not tiny. Just right for a gal to start building her empire.

“Good location for an office,” Rex noted, glancing out the window at the cars zooming by on Sweetgum. Locals often took this road to avoid the interstate, and tourists drove by as they got giddy and drunk on wine tours. Both people would see my name and think about how much they’d love to live here.

Our eyes met. Rex beamed at me, and I answered with a laugh, my hands slapping over my mouth. “I’m doing it, Rex,” I whispered.

“You’re doing it,” he agreed.

Then his eyes took on a different light. Softer, more serious. He gulped, inhaled—and then got down on one knee in front of me.

My heart stuttered to a stop. Rex exhaled a long breath, lifted his eyes to mine, and pulled out a little velvet box.

“Rex—” My words died.

Rex smiled, hopeful, soft, so handsome it almost hurt to look at him. “Abigail,” he started. “The past six months have been the happiest of my life. Building a home with you has been a joy. I can’t wait to see you build something here for yourself, and to have the privilege to cheer you on every step of the way.”

“Stop it,” I whispered, the world gone blurry from tears clouding my vision.

“You’re the most courageous, beautiful, driven, wild person I’ve ever known. Ever since we were kids, I’ve admired you.”

“That’s not true,” I whispered.

He laughed. “It is. You make me want to be better. You make me better. Every day, when I get to watch you work. Watch you buckle down and make things happen. Watch you bulldoze through life like nothing will ever stop you—Abigail, it makes me fall in love with you more and more every single day. Please, sweetheart, please, make me the happiest man in the world and tell me you’ll be my wife.”

My throat was clogged with some unknown obstruction. I could hardly see. My heart wasn’t working right. “Rex,” I croaked.

“You don’t have to take my name,” he added. “Hell, if you want me to be Rex Stone, I’ll take yours. Anything, Abigail. Anything for you. Just say yes.” He flipped open the box and revealed a round-cut diamond solitaire on a yellow gold band.

Tears finally spilled. “Yes,” I told him. “Of course. Yes!”

His smile was blinding. He plucked the ring from the box and slid it on my finger in a smooth motion, as if he were afraid I’d change my mind and putting the ring on me would make it permanent. He held the ring there for a minute, then tugged me down so my butt landed on his bent knee.

I laughed, flinging my arms around his shoulders, and I kissed him. The ring felt unfamiliar on my finger, a slight weight that reminded me that my life had changed—for the better.

“I love you,” he mumbled against my lips. “I love you so much, Abigail, I can hardly put it into words.”

“I love you too, future husband,” I said, then pulled my hand away from his shoulder to admire my new ring. It glinted in the light streaming through the window, throwing diamond sparks over my skin. I couldn’t have wiped the smile off my face if my life depended on it.

Then a scream made me jump—and it was only Rex’s arm around my back that kept me balanced on his knee. The door to the storeroom opened, and Sophie, Charlie, Sebastian, Gabe, and Donny tumbled out. Sophie held two handfuls of helium balloons on colorful strings. Charlie had a party horn in her mouth, blowing it out to full extension. Gabe smiled, and Donny fist-pumped with one hand, his other holding his phone up to take a video (he was really good at it, having had all that practice with Blair).

I laughed, clinging to Rex as he stood up with me still in his arms, and then extended my hand toward our friends and wiggled my fingers. “I’m getting married!” I squealed.

The whole crowd of them mobbed us, and I was surrounded by the happy congratulations and oohs and ahhs for my ring, my smile so wide my cheeks already ached.

I’d already been married once, but this felt different. I wasn’t trying to live up to some impossible standard. I wasn’t trying to be someone else. With Rex, I was me—and that was enough.

Smiling, I hooked my arms around my future husband’s neck, and I planted a kiss right on his lips. He deepened it, going for tongue right there in front of everyone. When Gabe finally said, “All right, all right, enough,” we broke apart with a laugh.

“I’ll grab the cake,” Sophie announced, letting go of the balloons to let them float up to the ceiling.

“I’ll grab the wine!” Charlie said, following Sophie to the back room where they’d evidently stashed their party supplies.

“Let’s celebrate!” Donny said, slapping his brother on the back before planting a kiss on my cheek. “Welcome to the family.”

Gabe walked over to me, put his hands on my shoulders, and smiled. “I’m so proud of you, Abigail,” he said, then turned to Rex. “If you hurt her, I’ll murder you.”

Rex answered with a blazing smile, and, with his arm still holding me tight to his side where I belonged, he said, “I know.”

Then we celebrated my new venture and our engagement, and I let happiness fill me up all the way down to my toes. Things didn’t get much better than this—and it was just the beginning.