Page 80 of The County Fair Queen

"Beau," Rivers said, squeezing his son's shoulder. "We talked about this."

"No,' he said, flinging his hands in the air. "You talked about it. I didn't agree to anything. You're better with him, Daddy. We both are. I'm not gonna let you just sit here and let him say 'no.' He's family. He's ours. Phillip belongs with us. So, you can both be mad at me all you want, but he's moving in with us whether he wants to or not."

I sucked in a sharp breath, the cool air slashing at my throat like knives to silk. "Move in with you?"

"Yeah. And you know what? It's like what Daddy says when he tells me to eat my spinach: 'you're gonna like it and love it and want some more of it.'"

"I don't think that really applies here, son."

"I don't care. Phillip's ours. He's coming home with us, and that's the end of the discussion. Then, after a few more months, you're gonna buy each other rings, and you're gonna getmarried, and I'm gonna start calling him Dad. Cause that's what he's gonna be. Family."

"Oh my God," I said, unable to do much more than blink.

"Son of a…" Rivers closed his eyes and shook his head. "This isn't how this was supposed to happen, Phillip. I swear."

Beau rolled his eyes. "It don't matter how you wanted it to go. All that matters is that we get there in the end. You love Phillip, don't you?"

Rivers blushed, looking everywhere except at me.

"Exactly. And you love Daddy, don't you?"

"Yeah," I said, mortified that this was all playing out on local access television for tens and tens of early-bird Tallulahns unlucky enough to be tuning in.

"So, what's stopping us from being a family, huh? We love each other, so just shut up and move in already."

"Manners," Rivers croaked, his eyes wet with hope. He reached for me, sliding his hand in mine. "I'm sorry, Firecracker. This isn't how I wanted to ask you."

"You want us to live together?" I said. "You want us to be a family?"

He smiled nervously, tussling his son's hair. "We already are, aren't we?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but when I caught sight of Jordy, my heart cracked. He was standing next to my father doing his best to put on a brave face. We hadn't spent a day apart in almost ten years. He was my best friend. My only friend, when it had really counted. Our eyes met, and he gave me a quick nod.

"Rivers," I whispered. "I can't just–"

Rivers' hand was tight around my wrist, and when our eyes met, he was smiling just as brightly as before. "Jordan is your family, Firecracker. That makes him ours, too. We've got a nice-enough guest room downstairs. If it isn't up to your standards,he can have my office. I'd never ask you to leave him behind, baby."

I stared around the studio at a sea of familiar faces. Friends and family I hadn't known I needed until returning to Tallulah. The old me might have scoffed at the notion. This wasn't my plan. Not a single second of it. The comeback I'd been working for had been an absolute failure. I'd bankrupted a multimedia conglomerate… again. The news of my failure had barely been a blip on the celebrity radar. The man I wanted to avoid more than anything had somehow wormed his way into my heart, bringing with him sunshine and warmth, and a son I loved with my whole heart.

When our flight touched down in Tallulah four months ago, I couldn't wait for it to be over. Now I never wanted the moment to end. So, with Rivers and Beau staring at me so much hope in their eyes that I almost couldn't stand it, I said, "Yes."

"Fuck yeah!" a familiar voice called out from behind the camera. The television monitor flicked over to a commercial for Yoga by Eulah, and then the sound of high heels clicking against linoleum made their way toward us. My kinky-haired, one-time reality television showrunner lifted her hand for a congratulatory high-five, and when I refused to indulge her, she slapped my bicep with far more force than the situation called for.

"Brenda/Carole—"

"I don't know why the hell you keep calling me that. You know my name's Bernadette."

I narrowed my eyes. "Old habits. As I was saying, as much as I love every second of what just happened, if you ever pull something like this, I will destroy you."

"Yeah, you just go ahead and try, cupcake." She wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me away from the group. "Listen, this was fantastic. The ratings are going to go throughthe roof. But this isn't the end." She walked us toward an empty space beside the day-old danishes and stale bagels. "KARQ didn't hire me to deliver lackluster ratings. I'm here to shake shit up. We both are. So, I figure we can turn this into a six or seven-month plot arc. We can chronicle your moving in, the eventual proposal, maybe even air the wedding live. Everyone loves a wedding. I've got a vision, Philly, and I'm ready to see you sparkle. And don't even get me started on your father and the little twink. They might still be giving each other bedroom eyes, both of them too scared to make a move, but there's a love story in there that's just begging to be told."

As she droned on about talk show-slash-reality show plotlines and character arcs, I peeked my head over my shoulder and caught sight of Riv, who was staring right back at me. And I knew. I fucking knew!

Worldwide fame didn't hold a candle to my Muscadine King.

The End

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