Page 52 of The Fence Between Us

“I want to do this,” she whispered back, the desire to persevere clear in her voice.

Rabble tried to soothe her with his gentle touch, but he wasn’t sure that worked well. “He can’t hurt you. Your stepmother can’t hurt you. Want to know why?”

She gave a short, breathy chuckle. “They’re locked away for kidnapping?”

He shook his head, a little surprised Skye was making jokes. “Well, yes, but there’s another reason.”

“Because you won’t let them.” Her tone edged toward serious, though she sounded resigned with a canned answer she thought he expected.

“Well, you’re right about that too, but no.” Rabble gave her a soft smile. “Because, Skye, you are too damn strong for that.”

She leaned in and Rabble pulled her against him tightly, tucking her head beneath his chin. Besides, with the float moving in earnest now, he could use that as an excuse to hold her tighter, even if for only a short while.

“Tell me something good, Rabble,” Skye said quietly. Her voice held such weariness, like a woman whose bright-as-the-sun personality had been hidden behind cloud cover for too long.

She was drawn as firmly as a bowstring, and he could feel her scarcely controlled anxiety crackling just beneath the surface. Skye probably didn’t want him to tell her how good she felt in his arms, how his heart seemed to soar when she was near, or how amazing and beautiful she was. She already knew all of that. At least, he hoped she did.

But, again, was that really what she needed to hear?

He could give her something different to focus on. “I’m thinking of turning my parents’ old land into a camp for kids from low-income and underprivileged families.”

She pulled back from him, stunned. “Oh, my goodness, Rabble, that’s wonderful!” Throwing her arms around him, she hugged him fiercely.

Rabble breathed out a slow sigh. He had brought up the idea to the twins the night before, unsure what they’d think, especially since they didn’t establish Rabble & Bros. Security with the intent of running a children’s summer camp. Typically, the two circles didn’t come anywhere close to overlapping. But the half-formed idea had weighed on him since he’d taken possession of his parent’s property. After tossing around the concept a few times, he wanted to look into it more, draw up some proposals and bounce them off the others.

When Skye’s cornflower-blue eyes and a genuine smile lit her face, he knew he’d made the right choice. The half-moons beneath her eyes, which the makeup didn’t quite hide, and the wariness that tugged at the corners of her mouth seemed to ease some.

“Tell me something else,” she said.

Rabble rolled his eyes. “You’re bossy.”

Her smile transformed, becoming brighter and even more sincere. “I know.”

Rabble looked around them. The others on the float studiously ignored them and waved to the crowd gathered along the parade route. The whole town practically shut down for Independence Day, allowing everyone to enjoy the festivities. Following the parade, the shopping booths and carnival games set up around the courthouse would become the center of the party, which would last until well after dark when fireworks would light up the sky in brilliant-colored bursts.

Noise surrounded them, from the cheering children and whistling adults to the other vehicles and tractors’ exhausts. The local high school band played somewhere in front, and the cheerleaders somewhere toward the back shouted their memorized chants at the top of their lungs. All the individual sounds melded into one seamless cacophony that normallywould have made him jumpy and agitated. But Rabble looking down at Skye, everything faded away until it was just them.

“Rabble?” she asked hesitantly.

He gulped. “You want to know something else good, Skye?”

She nodded, solely focused on his face, like the dissonance around them didn’t exist for her either.

He gambled and went for it, saying the one thing he had wanted to say forever but wasn’t confident she could stand to hear. “You’re it.”

Her brow furrowed in silent question.

Gazing into her eyes, he focused on the several tiny silvery-blue flecks. “You’re it for me. This. You. Us. This is all I could ever want, all I’ve ever wanted, ever since we were young.”

Rabble slid to one knee, a grace he didn’t know he possessed allowing him to stay balanced even as the truck lurched forward. Skye’s hand quivered in his, but she hadn’t kicked him or screamed at him yet, so he took that as a positive sign.

“Rab—” Skye gasped, her other hand flying to her mouth.

“You are the only one who has ever seen me as more than a boy from the wrong side of the fence. I’ve made mistakes, Skye. That can’t be argued with. But I swear, all I have ever wanted was to protect you. Be near you.” He tried not to shift nervously when she didn’t speak, but silent tears streamed down her face. He was vaguely aware of the others watching them, one of the flower girls squealing excitedly, and the crowd seemed to wait on bated breath for Skye’s answer.

“So, Miss Skye Louise Wellington, would you please do me the honor of taking me for your husband and put me out of my misery?” He whispered the last part, a raw need escaping with each word.

A bubbling sob escaping her and she nodded. Cheers erupted around them. The tension in his shoulders lessened as heslipped the small ring onto her finger, an antique pear-shape diamond on a rose-gold band.

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