Page 90 of Choosing You

“Very. But he’s a tattoo artist, so it just makes sense that he’d put his skills to work.”

“I guess, but he didn’t have to do it here. He’s got a thriving business back in Laurel Bay and they travel practically all over the world to a lot of tattoo conventions. But if I know Jade, she convinced them to come.”

“Do they have kids?” Will asked.

“Nope. With all the traveling they do, Ryleigh said they wanted to wait before starting a family. Plus, she said they get to be the fun aunt and uncle to all their nieces and nephews, so she gets her baby fix in. That’s why I think it was clever for Jade to ask them to help with the face painting.”

“Speaking of Jade, she mentioned that she wanted us to swing by the Books & Beans booth when we get a chance. She wants to talk to you about doing some social media content for her before everyone else in town scoops you up.”

“Aww…then we better make sure we do that.”

“Hey! There’s the most famous couple in town!” Someone called out, but she immediately recognized the voice and grinned.

“Hey! I thought that was what everyone called the two of you!” she said before hugging her cousin Patrick and his wife Marissa and their five-year-old twins. “For years, I’ve been hearing your names in pretty much every conversation about all the improvements to the town!”

“We’re running out of improvements to make!” Marissa said. “It’s damn near perfect here now, so we’re happy to pass the torch to the two of you.”

“Thanks, we appreciate that.”

“Yeah, that was quite the show you two put on last night,” Patrick joked. “Leave it to a Donovan to make sure all the attention was on them!”

“In my defense,” Sloane reasoned, “I had to go big. The town demanded it after so many years of following our antics.”

Patrick turned to Will. “You sure you’re going to be able to handle this one? She’s a handful.”

Will’s arm tightened around her waist. “You know it. I feel like I’ve been waiting a lifetime for her.”

“Aww…” Marissa cooed. “You two are adorable.”

“Mommy, can we ride the tractor again?” one of the twins asked.

“That’s our cue to keep moving,” Patrick said. “This is a fantastic festival. I can’t believe we haven’t come to it sooner.”

“You should come back for Christmas!” Will said. “That one is fantastic! It has…”

“Honey,” Sloane whispered. “Let them go on the hayride.” Then she smiled at her cousin. “If you ever want to know everything humanly possibly about the festivals in this town, call Will. He knows every single detail and isn’t shy about sharing them.”

They all laughed.

“Will do! See you guys later!”

“Have fun!” Sloane called after them as they continued to stroll along. She spotted the Books & Beans booth and led Will over. “Hey, Jade! What are you doing working the booth instead of enjoying the festival with Levi and the boys?”

“Silas is running around with a bunch of his friends; my mom has Calvin over at the petting zoo—which was a last-minute addition to the festival—and Levi is walking around talking to all the local vendors.” She motioned for them to come in closer. “Don’t tell anyone yet, but…he’s thinking of running for mayor! Isn’t that exciting?”

“Holy cow! Yes! Wow!” Sloane said as she hugged Jade. “I can’t believe he’s going in that direction!”

“It wasn’t something he was actively considering, but so many people have pointed out all the good he’s been doing for the area. I don’t think he’s looking to go into…you know…big-time politics, but he’s already so involved in all the local stuff that it just seems like the next step. Plus, we’re such a small town so it’s not like it’s going to take over all his time.”

“Still, it’s pretty cool,” Will said. “And our lips are sealed.” He made the zipping motion over his lips just to prove his point.

“Are you guys having fun?” Jade asked. “We weren’t sure we were going to see you today after the dramatic—and incredibly romantic—exit you made last night.”

Sloane felt herself blush. “It was a great night, but now was my chance to finally experience a full day at a Sweetbriar Ridge festival without running and leaving in the middle of it.”

“You were just here for Meet in the Streets…”

“And while that was a fantastic event,” Will chimed in, “it was a one-day thing. Sloane needs to experience a full-blown town festival. And this one is a favorite! I mean, the haunted house, the hayrides…”

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