Delaney's POV:

When the 'Welcome to Dawsonville" sign appeared in front of me, I wondered if Brantley was aware of the connection that I had to the town. When we pulled into the parking lot of the Dawsonville Pool Room, that suspicion grew even more. There was no way that he had chosen this place out of anywhere to want to come to if he didn't know that my best friend was married to Chase Elliott, that they lived only a few minutes from here. Then again, it was possible that he didn't know it since we haven't really talked about our friends or all the other things that people talked about when getting to know more about someone that they were interested in.

I was in the middle of removing my helmet as I climbed off the back of the –paying close attention to not touch the shiny chrome pipes that extended down the side of the bike– when I locked eyes with Brantley. "How did you know that this is probably my most favorite place on earth?" I asked, a smile on my face as I thought about the times that Amanda, Chase, and I had hung out here since becoming friends. Not only was the food here delicious, the atmosphere was unlike anything that I was used to in Charlotte.

With its retro black and white checkered floors –a nod to the checkered flag that waved at the end of every race– the place was almost a shine to the Elliott's that had put the small town on the map. Memorabilia covered the walls, chronicling both Chase and his dad's careers in racing and all the things that they had achieved. It was nothing for someone to walk into the place and see Bill, Chase's father, behind the counter flipping burgers or tossing onion rings into the fryer just because he wanted to or to see Chase –mostly during the off-season– playing a round of pool with some of his friends in the sport.

The locals here were pretty much immune to the fact that they had a living legend and one that was making his own name in the sport of racing within their midst.

And when you think about it, Jefferson was kind of the same when it came to Brantley. No one seems to care that Brantley is a big star. They just remember him as the kid who grew up in town, the one that went out and pursued his dreams.

"I didn't.This place just has some of the best burgers in the state and unlike anywhere other than Jefferson, the people here don't treat me like I'm anyone other than just a guy who likes the food here." said Brantley, swinging his leg over the bike. I watched as he hung his helmet over the handlebars before taking mine from my hands and setting in on the other. His hands landed on my hips and he pulled me against him as he sat back down onto the bike. He pulled me so that I was standing between his legs and looking down at him. "But now I'm curious. I know this place isn't too far from home but how do you know about this place?"

"Well, when one of your best friends is married to an Elliott, you just kind of know about this place." I said, glancing over my shoulder at the front of the building. The smell of burgers grilling filled the air around us, giving me a sense of familiarity.

"Of course you are friends with Chase's wife." and Brantley, almost as if all the pieces just fell into place. "I should have known that considering your ex's profession." As he said 'ex', it sounded a whole lot like he growled the word, almost as if he hated the fact that I had ever been with anyone else. I can't describe the way that it made me feel either. All I knew was that it spoke to me on a level that I didn't know that I found extremely hot.

"We haven't really done a whole lot of talking about that type of stuff."

"We haven't." he replied. "How many other friends do you have that are connected to the sport?"

"Well, there's Layla. She's married to Ryan Blaney." I said, looping my arms around his neck. "She and Amanda are really the only two besides their husbands that I would call friends. I'm friendly enough with some of the other wives and drivers that I get christmas cards and all but as far as hanging out with them, I haven't spent enough time with them to get to that point."

"I get that." said Brantley, standing from the bike. He pulled me flush against him and stole a quick kiss. "It's kind of the same way with me and the people in music. No big secret that I have more than a few famous friends, friends that you will meet eventually, but most of the ones that the industry wants to pair me with are people that I can speak to when needed but I don't talk to them on a regular basis like I do Jason, Chase, Riley, and Luke."

"I know I shouldn't be all starstruck, but those are some of the biggest names in country music, B. And you talk about them as if they are just average Joe's."

"No different than how you just talked about Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney. They are two of the most popular drivers in the sport right now." he countered. "They are just regular people to you. Those guys are the same for me."

"I guess you're right."

Before Brantley could reply, my stomach growled loudly, reminding me that it had been since breakfast since I'd eaten anything. He smiled at me before lowering his lips to mine. This time, the kiss was deeper than the quick kisses he'd stolen off and on. This was more sensual, lasted longer, and left me with that drunk feeling you get when you have just had the mess kissed out of us.

Breaking the kiss, Brantley laced his fingers with mine, as he led us into the restaurant. The smell of food cooking was stronger as we passed through the door, making my stomach growl once again.

Brantley and I found two empty barstools at the counter and sat down on them, grabbing two menus from behind the counter. His left hand rested on my thigh, his fingers moving mindlessly as he scanned the menu. Those fingers stoked a flame inside me that was quickly beginning to consume me. Or at least it felt like it.

"Think I'm going to have a Bully Burger with a side of fried pickles." I said, my mouth already watering for the food. I knew from experience that the Bully burger was amazing and that the fried pickles had that perfect crunch. Paired with homemade buttermilk ranch, and it was one of the best meals that you would ever eat.

"I was thinking the same thing." said Brantley, a smirk spreading across his face .

When the waitress came over, I watched as recognition hit her as to who Brantley was but I have to give her credit, she didn't turn into a total fangirl. But what shocked me though was when she recognized me. When I asked how she knew me, she pointed to the wall of photos behind us. Even from a distance, I could see a picture of Amanda, Chase, Ryan, Layla, Alex, and I from the night that Chase had proposed.

The memory of that night replayed in my head then, reminding me of just how much had changed in the years that had passed since it had been taken. In the photo, Chase and Amanda were a family of two and a half and now they were about to be a family of five in a matter of months. Layla and Ryan were newly dating and now they were married and had a baby of their own. And then there was Alex and I. I didn't have to look at the photo to know that in it I would be looking at Alex as if he was my personal Prince Charming; it had been the way I'd looked at him until my world had shifted on its axis and our marriage imploded. And now look at me... a divorced single mother out on a date with someone that I wholeheartedly believed was way out of my league.

"Hey, are you okay?" The concern in Brantley's voice pulled me from my thoughts. The slight pressure of his fingers on my thighs as they dug into my thigh grounded me even further.

"Y-yeah."

"You're sure?

"Yeah." I said, forcing a smile on my face.

Brantley locked eyes with me, almost as if he was trying to see into the depths of my soul for what felt like forever. I knew he was looking to see if the mask I made sure was in place would crack, to see if I was just telling him what I thought he wanted to hear. He must have seen what I had intended because a soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips before he leaned in and briefly touched his lips to mine.

"You're a bad liar." he whispered close to my ear after breaking the kiss. When he pulled back, those gorgeous green eyes locked mine again, silently telling me that he would drop this topic for now but we were not done talking about what just happened and what I was feeling.

Brantley's POV:

After leaving the Pool Room, I knew exactly where I wanted to go. There was a little park just outside of Dawsonville that had a walking trail that weaved in and out of the woods, giving you a sense of aloneness when you needed a little alone time. Since finding this place by accident on one of the many trips to the Pool Room with Amber over the years, anytime I came this way, I had to stop –even if it was just to take a short walk to clear my head.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of these little trails scattered around Jeffeerson, even a few on my property. The thing is, sometimes a person just wanted to be alone with my thoughts; especially after losing Amber since I didn't want to run the risk of anyone asking me questions that I didn't want to answer or trying to make me feel better when all I wanted to do was wallow in my own self pity. Plus, since she had been with me when I found this place, it made me feel closer to her in an odd way.

After Delanley and I had climbed off the bike and hung out helmets on the handlebars, I laced my fingers with hers and led her to the beginning of the walking trail. All around us, birds chirped happily as the sun slowly sank. The breeze that had made the hot late-June day bearable was beginning to settle down. You could hear squirrels scampering around in the forest, racing from tree to tree as they looked for food.

But as for Delaney and I, we walked in silence. I knew she was waiting for me to broach the subject of what happened back at the Pool Room. And honestly, I wanted nothing more than to get it out of her, but if there was one thing I learned after losing Amber, it was that when no amount of someone's urging for you to talk about your thoughts, you wouldn't until you were ready. And that's what I wanted –for Delaney to be ready to tell me what she was feeling.

"I thought Alex was my real-life Prince Charming. He said all the right things, made me feel as if I was the only woman that he could ever see spending his life with, and gave me all the extravagant gifts that men like to give women thinking it makes them love them more." she said, a bitterness in her tone that mixed with disbelieving huff. "At the time, I couldn't see his actions and words for what they were. But looking back now, I feel stupid for not seeing right through him. I should have known that things were too good to be true."

"Laney, you aren't stupid." I said, stopping us in the middle of the walking patch. I used both hands to cup her cheeks. My thumbs graved over her cheeks and looked down into her eyes. "You were in love. And love makes us do stupid things. Alex played his part well, never giving you a reason to think that his actions were anything but real. You can't blame yourself for that."

"I know. Its just... seeing that photo, remembering the night that it was taken, it made me aware of how much had changed then." said Delaney. "That photo? It was taken on the night that Chase and Amanda got engaged. She was pregnant with Gannon, their son, at the time and now they are going to welcome a third child in a few months. Ryan and Layla had just started dating and like Amanda and Chase, they are married and have little family."

Delaney pulled out to hold then, obviously needing some space. Even though the last thing I wanted to do was to remove my hands from her body, I let her go. I watched as she bent down and picked up a rock, mindlessly tossing it down the path.

"I was like the mama of the group, you know? The older one that they looked up to. Chase and Ryan both told me on occasion that they modeled what a marriage was supposed to based on how Alex and I navigated things. Guess I let them down huh?" she said, regretful huff slipping past her lips.

"Listen Laney..." I said, waiting for her to turn so that she was facing me. "I know what you're thinking without even having to say it. You think that because those two gave you and your marriage such praise, telling you that you and Alex were the model they went by, that now theirs are going to do the same. Am I right?"

Delany nodded her head instead of replying.

"I thought so. But you have to remember the fact that they know the bad shit that happened too. And if those two guys are anything like the personas that they put out there for the fans, they are going to do whatever they can to not have the same things happen between them and their wives that happened between you and Alex." I said, trying to keep the anger that son of a bitch caused to flare in me at bay. Letting the anger out I had at that cheating piece of shit wouldn't make things any better for Delaney.

"The logical side of me knows that. It's just the illogical side that feels like that if something happens, then they will blame me."

I pulled Delaney into me then and she went willingly. She wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her head on my chest, soaking in me and the silence that was around us. I don't know how long we stood there like that, but it was me that finally broke the silence.

Using my index finger under her chin, I tipped her back so that she was looking into my eyes. "Thank you for telling me. I know it wasn't easy."

"No, it wasn't."

"I just want you to remember one thing." I waited until I knew that I had her full attention before I continued. "I can promise you that the next time you get married, it will be for forever."

"B, you can't know that for sure." she said. When she tried to pull away from me again but this time, I didnt let her go.

"But I do." I replied. "I know it because if there is anyone that deserves to get their happily ever after, it's you. And if you get yours, then that gives me hope that I will get mine too."

I didn't wait for her to reply. Instead, I placed my lips over hers, pouring every emotion that I was feeling in that moment into the kiss. One thing became very apparent the more time I spent with Delaney –falling for her was going to be way too easy. What was going to hurt was when she decided that she didn't want to take on a man that was as broken as me.