First Dance

01 • Last Hoedown

Tears prick in my eyes even though I'm laughing.

"You ain't that old, Mamaw. And you definitely didn't pay for a stripper."

We know plenty of men who will take their clothes off for free.

I'm lucky to be friends with a girl named Maren, whose boyfriend, West, is a famous stripper. And there's Tan's fiance, Dominick, who is pretty dang good too.

Then, of course, there is my friend, Lucas. He isn't famous, not by a long shot, but I had faith in him. One day, his name will be up in lights.

Mamaw laughs, but it turns into a cough. I really wish she'd listen to the doctors and quit smoking, but according to her, those jacket-wearing, college-educated fools don't know what's good for her.

I hear a baby cry in the background and wonder if it's my younger sister's newborn or my younger brother's sassy little toddler.

"You got everything you need?" she asks. "Because if you're callin' for money, Tiny, you know the answer is yes. My baby girl can have whatever she needs for her wedding. You've waited long enough."

I shake my head, causing my cowboy boot earrings to jingle softly. More tears prick in my eyes.

Weddings are sacred to the McDermott family. Almost as sacred as the love they represented.

My grandparents have been married for fifty-eight years. Momma and Daddy for thirty. And all my aunties and uncles have been married since before they turned twenty.

McDermott's pride themselves on finding their true love early on and never letting go. No one from back home understands why I've taken so long to tie the knot. Most of them claim I changed since I moved to New York City and forgot how important love is.

Selfish Kennedy. Twirling around in circles on stage. Only thinks about herself.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes as the thoughts get louder.

Things are different outside our hometown, and I hadn't been prepared for the New York City dating scene.

No one told me how hard it would be to find the right man, only to have him tell you he needed time to think about marriage. Or to have the right man tell you no one in his family gets married before thirty. Or how difficult it is to wait and hope the right man will make good on the promise he made when he took your virginity and marry you.

I let out a pent-up breath as I stare at the giant diamond engagement ring on my finger and shove those stupid little thoughts back down.

Flynn needed time, which he got, and now, everything is fine and dandy. We have our whole lives to make memories and babies.

"No," I reply, swallowing back the burn in my throat. "Just wanted to call and tell you everyone got in okay, and we're having the time of our lives."

"Well, stop yappin' and go have fun!" she tells me. "This is your weekend to celebrate the end of your single days. Because, like I always say, it isn't I do, it's I choose. And when Flynn puts that ring on your finger, you're choosing him forever. That's when the hard work of love begins."

Well, if I thought I could get off the phone with Mamaw and not cry, I was wrong. One tear slips past my lashes, and I wipe it away.

I hear a commotion downstairs, shouts and hollers from the thirty-odd girls I invited, and I wonder if the pedal buses have pulled up.

"Listen, Mamaw, I gotta go."

There's a knock at the bedroom door, and, assuming it's Tan coming to get me, I shout, "Just a second!" before I return to the call.