"I still can't believe my family came," I say, glancing around for my surprise.
"How did it feel seeing them in the stands?" she asks, understanding the weight of that moment.
"Like everything clicked into place." I reach for her hand.
"Your dad was crying," she says softly. "When the horn sounded and you were still on, he had tears in his eyes."
"Yeah?"
"Your mom was sobbing, Kit was screaming herself hoarse, and Brook was taking video and pictures of everything." Kinsley's laugh carries joy and wonder. "They love you, Wyatt. They've always loved you. They just didn't know how to love the part of you that needed to leave to become who you were meant to be."
"And you?" I ask, bringing her knuckles to my lips. "How do you feel about loving a man who risks his neck for belt buckles?"
"Terrified," she admits with a smile. "And proud. And so grateful that you're mine."
The server appears with perfect timing, setting down a small crystal plate in front of Kinsley.
"Compliments of the gentleman," he says before disappearing.
Confusion crosses her face as she sees the caramel apple, then wonder blooms as she spots the engagement ring nestled around the stick. Her hand goes to her chest, fingers finding the turquoise necklace. "Wyatt," she breathes.
I move to one knee beside her chair while Vegas glitters below us. The diamond solitaire catches the light—the ring that took me three weeks to choose.
My voice cracks when I speak. "Kinsley Rose, five months ago, I thought I had it all figured out."
Tears stream down her cheeks, but she's smiling, her hands trembling in mine.
"Then you showed up and changed everything. Made me see that love isn't about picking sides—it's about finding someone who makes you whole."
I take the ring from the apple stem with steady hands.
"You stuck by me through all of it—the lies, the family mess, even bull riding. You made me better without trying to fix me."
The restaurant quiets around us, but all I see is Kinsley's face—glowing, more beautiful than anything Vegas could offer.
"I love you. All of me loves all of you. Will you marry me? Let me prove that this cowboy knows how to stay."
She's nodding before I finish, laughing and crying as she throws her arms around my neck. "Yes," she whispers. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes."
The ring slides home like it belongs there. When I kiss her, she tastes like everything I've ever wanted—happiness and home and a future worth fighting for.
"I love you, cowboy," she whispers.
I frame her face and brush away her tears. "I will be a selfish man, Kinsley. I want family dinners and morning rides and all the beautiful, ordinary moments that make a life worth living."
"I can't wait," she whispers against my lips.
Neither can I.
Epilogue
January
Gritstone Ranch
FORD
My hand grips the whiskey glass, but all I can see is Callie Rose in that red dress—the way it clung to her, the way she moved. Twenty-five years since she walked out with Kinsley on her hip, and I still can't stop thinking about her.