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It is possibly the cheesiest of all wedding reception songs, but I love it Soood times, and I’m not too cool to admit that

Suddenly, I’ht

If Fate hadn’t had other plans, I have no doubt I would have thrownon for hours

But Fate does step in, in the form of six feet, two inches of old flame

At first I can’t believe it’s really him—he hasn’t been back to Bliss River in years—but there’s no y brown hair that falls over his forehead just so Nothose wide shoulders or that narroaist or how utterly delicious this jerk looks in a suit

It’s Mason Stewart, all right

Mason Stewart, brooding at the edge of the dance floor holding a lightly sweating beer loosely between two fingers like he never left town in the first place, when in reality Mason has avoided Bliss River like the plague for four long years We haven’t seen hide nor hair of Mason around these parts, not since the night he asked me to marry hi

He was offered a residency in Atlanta, only an hour away, and he’d promised to take it To take it, and to takean apart at an a to save the world, one patient at a ti to live together

Finally live together, and do all those other si for“I do”

By the tiht times Shortly after his sixteenth birthday, she left toith husband number nine and Mason went to live with his Uncle Parker, a man who made it clear he wasn’t thrilled to be saddled with his sister’s kid Mason blamed his mom—and the ridiculous, outdated, backward institution of hest years of his childhood

To be fair, I kne he felt aboutbefore he popped the question I should have been suspicious the moment he dropped down on one knee

Instead, I’d ith happiness, slipped the ring oneveryone I knew, breathlessly sharing the happy news

But instead of co to celebrate our engagement, Mason had bailed on Bliss River and our happily ever after, leavingmarried” phone calls had been a mistake

A mistake…

Like leaving the kitchen

Like heading for the dance floor

Like getting close enough to see Mason’s blue eyes flash when he spots hts

Chapter 2

Mason