Cowboy Casanova

Chapter 10 (Three Months Later)

FAITH POV: Tim has a little more than a crush on me. It's obvious...

My manager Gary likes to make little jokes about us often. Tim just smiles, and doesn't even try to deny it. I guess people could say we've been "dating" for a while. I don't know. I'm not sure if I can imagine a future with him. Hell, I wasn't even sure if he really liked me until he pulled me up on stage a few weeks ago to serenade me. It was everywhere the next day... 

"Hey!" He says, coming into my dressing room and wrapping his arms around me. I put my hands on his arms and smile. 

"Hey"

"You nervous?" He asks, smiling bright. 

"Not really." I answer skeptically. "How 'bout you?" He has to be up to something... 

"I'm a bit to be honest." He says, still smiling. "Just, not about the show." 

"Well," I start. "what are you nervous for?" I say, standing up to face him. He gives me a tight squeeze in his arms. 

"Oh nothin'"

"Really?" 

"Wanna go for a drive?" He pops out of nowhere. 

"I have to go on-"

"I'll make arrangements." He cuts me off. There has to be some hidden reason he's willing to find another opener for the night. 

"Alright..." I say carefully. He laughs. 

"Don't worry! It'll be fun."

He borrowed a red Jeep from one of the runners so we could drive around. It took a while for us to get out away from the city, but once we did, it was incredible. 

"Where are we?" I ask. Our touring schedule is getting so busy that I only know where we are half of the time. Tim always knows where we are. He's just kind of attentive to those details. 

"Outside of State College." He says, looking over to me in the passenger seat. We have the top down, so my hair is blowing everywhere. I'm sure Gary is going to want to kill me. 

"What state?" I ask. He laughs. 

"Pennsylvania." He answers. I nod and look out at all the hills and valleys. "Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something." 

"Alright?"

"I've just been thinking about you... and me. And I-uh." He starts to stutter. I laugh a bit as he pulls off into a field and stops. 

"And?"

"Faith, I really like you." He says, kind of cringing. I nod, feeling a bit awkward. 

"I really like you too." I answer, letting out a little giggle. 

"But I more than like you." He says looking down at the steering wheel. It's like he wants to speak up, but the words won't come out. 

"Yeah?" I say provocatively. 

"I'm in love with you Faith..." He finally spits out. Now it's my turn to say it back, but my tongue is tied. 

"I love you too." I choke out. He looks at me with a different expression than I've ever seen before. He pulls out a box from his pocket. I begin to panic a little. 

"Faith, maybe I'm making a bit of a misstep, but I can't imagine living a day without you." He says. "I can't imagine walking back out on stage without knowing your near. I can't imagine breathing without you." He continues. 

"Tim... I'm-" I try to say as he grabs my hands. 

"You are truly the most incredible woman I've ever met." He says, then stops. 

"Tim, you know I love you." I start. "But, I'm not sure if I'm ready to be married. You know, after everything with Dan... I just want to be 100% sure that we work together." I finish, hoping it's not harsh. He nods, but doesn't take it hard. 

"Just know, the offer stands open, alright?" He says. God, I hope I didn't just break his heart. I mean, I love him... I really do love him. I just... I just can't picture myself being married again. 

Tim managed to get his bud Kenny to play while we were out. When I walk on stage, my head is in shambles. I can barely concentrate on the lyrics as I babble through the songs. I screwed up... I screwed up big time. Tim is an incredible guy! Why did I even doubt him? 

After making it through my set, I run back to my dressing room, avoiding Tim at all costs. I pace back and forth for a good half hour before figuring out how I could do this. I look for a sharpie, but I can't seem to find one. That's when my red lipstick catches my eye. 

I run over to Tim's dressing room and write yes on the mirror. Hopefully, he can make the connection. In the meantime, I run to go get a quick shower to ease my nerves. What if he changed his mind? 

I get out of the shower, dry  my hair, and get re-dressed in record breaking time. I run back to Tim's dressing room to see him standing there smiling, looking at the mirror. He looks over to me and wraps me in his arms, then slipping the ring on my finger. It's beautiful, but dull in comparison to my excitement. I'm doing the right thing I tell myself. I smile along as he sweeps me off my feet, then giving me a kiss.