"Swayde, we need to talk..." Renne started, looking over her shoulder where Swayde stood, carefully holding the ice pack on her hurt shoulder.

"I already know what you're goin' to say, Reagan." He let out a sigh, letting go of the ice pack, and Renne's hands. He lowered himself into the chair right next to Renne.

"I am goin' to agree to marry Matt." Renne confirmed for the first time out loud. For whatever reason, it didn't sound the same way that she had rehearsed it a million times in her head. This time, it sounded forced, not coming out of her mouth easily. Looking up, Renne watched the expression on Swayde's face drop.

This wasn't what he wanted for Renne, but he knew that she had to make the right decision for herself. "I was afraid you would say that, but I was really hopin' you wouldn't." He let out a forced chuckle, standing up from the chair, walking into the kitchen. Opening a cupboard, Swayde grabbed out two mason jars for water.

"It's the right thing to do, Swayde." Renne knew she shouldn't lie, but she felt like the more she told herself marrying Matt was the right thing, the more she began to believe it. She couldn't bring herself to look at Swayde. Taking the ice pack off her shoulder, Renne stared at it in her hands until Swayde's voice brought her gaze upwards.

"Well that's debatable, but just know, I am happy for you." Renne would have thought Swayde was telling the truth except for the fact that his smile quavered as he walked back to sit next to Renne, setting down two glasses of water. "I just want to say one thing."

"Sure, what is it?" Renne asked, taking a sip of her water.

"There are things that I know about you that I don't think Matt knows. Sure, y'all have been together for a few years now, but I mean, he didn't even know that we used to date until he came here." Swayde took in a deep breath leaning closer to Renne. "I mean, does he know that your favorite color is blue? Or that you prefer to watch the Rifleman and The Andy Griffith show over any other show that is on TV? Does he know how to make your favorite cup of coffee, or your grilled cheese? Does he even know that you prefer to have two ice cubes in your glass instead of three?" Swayde pointed at the glass of water that sat in front of her on the table.

"Swayde, please don't-" Renne started, shaking her head. She knew what he was trying to do, and she didn't need anything else to further complicate her decision.

"Does Matt 'study' you enough to know which eye you wink with, or how you press your tongue against your teeth when you are smiling a playful smile? Does he know how your eyes close and wrinkle up when you are laughing really hard? Does he even know the little phrases you use all the time in your different moods? Does he know where your favorite place to go on a date is?" Swayde paused when Renne reached a hand out to rest on his forearm.

"I never realized you caught all of these things, Swayde." Renne's tone of voice softened. He never told her that he knew these things about her; she hardly even realized that she did them until just now when Swayde pointed them out.

"Of course I realized them, Reg. I was head over boots in love with you; I wanted to memorize everything about you and never forget them. I couldn't help but just stare at you and study you, as weird as that sounds." Swayde rested his other hand on top of where Renne's rested on his forearm.

"I don't think it's weird. I think it is sweet. And, to answer your question, I think that Matt studies me in his own way; he's just not as attentive as you are." She thought of another excuse to back up Matt. Pulling back, Renne took a sip of her water.

"Okay. That may be, but does he know how you like to be kissed? That is something that even the least attentive boyfriend should realize." Swayde was leaning closer to Renne, his voice quieter as his smile grew slightly on his lips.

When Renne caught herself leaning forward, she quickly pulled back, standing up from the chair. "Swayde, we can't do this anymore. Ever again. I really need to start getting over you. I am getting married to Matt...I'm sorry." She couldn't bring herself to look at Swayde because she knew if she did, his blue eyes would most likely convince her that she was doing the wrong thing in marrying Matt instead of marrying Swayde.

Swayde followed Renne's lead, standing up from his seat. "I'm sorry, Reagan, you're right. I shouldn't have done that. And now that you are engaged, I will be better, but just know that I won't ever stop loving you, regardless of who you marry." He was standing closer to her, watching her despite her head being turned down. Swayde's tone of voice was one that Renne had never heard before; it was sincere and genuine, yet soft and kind. Taking a deep breath, Swayde placed two fingers under Renne's chin, lifting her head to look at him. "We have to tell him about what happened between us. It's the right thing to do. He will find out sometime, and it's better if we tell him together."

"He doesn't have to find out." Renne said quickly. "Clearly we are good at keepin' secrets. I mean, I didn't even know that he cheated on me until he told me when he got here yesterday." She slipped before she realized what she was saying.

Swayde slowly dropped his hand from her chin. "Wait, he did cheat on you? And he admitted to it? Regg, come on. How can you still want to marry him?" Swayde's voice was beginning to raise in agitation.

"Because I love him, Swayde." She repeated the same rehearsed excuse.

"This isn't love, Reagan. Matt can't love you fully if he can give part of his heart to someone else so easily." Swayde argued.

"And what about me? I love Matt fully even though I have let me heart falter since I have been back here with you."

"Y'all were on your break, so it's different." Swayde tried to justify what happened between him and Renne.

"It's not really that much different, Swayde." Renne took in a breath. "Just like I have said before," She let out her breath. "I don't think that I have ever stopped lovin' you, and I may never, but still, I am getting married to someone else. I don't see any other way that I would fully get over you otherwise. I tried moving out of state and living there for five years, and even that didn't seem to work. I thought it did, but then I came back here and saw you again and I began to realize that all of my efforts didn't work as well as I thought. But either way, I am going to marry Matt. I do love him and it's the right thing to do."

"Reagan, you keep sayin' that, but you have never told me that you are in love with Matt. Have you noticed that?"

She hadn't noticed that, but before she could respond, her phone rang in her pocket. Pulling it out to check the caller ID, Renne groaned. "Speak of the devil..." She held her phone up for Swayde to see the name. Reagan walked out of the kitchen, towards Swayde's front door as she answered the call. "Hey, Matt." Swayde was right behind her.

"Where are you?" Matt asked, an edge in his words.

"I...had to help a friend with something. We are on our way back now." Renne hopped into Swayde's truck, buckling her seat belt.

Swayde took the hint, hopping into his side, starting the truck after buckling his seat belt. The phone call between Renne and Matt was short, and the silence between Swayde and Renne followed them the whole way back to the ranch.

Swayde's truck pulled into Mamaw and Papaw's ranch long before Renne was ready. She still hadn't figure out the best way to tell Matt about her and Swayde or how to tell Matt that she was fixing to marry him, even though she was realizing she was wanting to marry him only because she feels like she owes his family everything.

Renne took a deep breath as she stared out of the dash to where Matt leaned against the porch railing. Unbuckling her seat belt, Renne reached for the door handle, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Looking to her left she saw Swayde giving her a comforting look.

"It's goin' to be alright, Reggie." Swayde grinned a little to try making Renne feel better.

With a short nod, Renne slid out of the truck, hanging her head as she walked up the porch steps. Right as Renne begane to greet Matt, he was already walking off the porch, towards her.

"Where have you been all morning?! Don't tell me that you were with him." Matt growled, forcefully pointing at Swayde, who's back was turned to them at the moment.

"Why does it matter where I was or who I was with? Yes, I was with Swayde. So what?" Renne was exhausted of fighting with Matt, but every time she looked in his eyes, all she could see was how much he did to help her get Healing Hearts up and functioning. "He was helpin' me. I got hurt riding earlier, but it doesn't matter. Swayde and I are just friends."

"Are you? Are you actually just friends with him?"

Renne took in a breath. "Matt, we were talkin' about you and about your proposal."

"Oh." Matt backed down. "Well, have you come to a decision yet?" A tiny smile began to creep onto his lips as he took a step closer to Renne.

"Yes."

"Yes you will marry me, or yes you have made a decision?" Matt's hands were now on Renne's shoulders.

Taking a deep breathe, Renne said a quick silent prayer. "Yes, I will marry you."

Matt exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. The corners of his lips rose in happiness as he pulled Renne towards him, closing his lips over hers.

Renne wanted to pull back from Matt's hard kiss, but instead gave in. This was the man who she would be kissing for the rest of her life, after all, so she should probably get used to it sometime. No matter how much Matt kissed Renne, however, all she could think about was Swayde, and what he said earlier about how she liked to be kissed. Swayde had certainly mastered that over the years, Matt, on the other hand, still had no clue.

A tear fell to Renne's cheek before he could kiss her a third time. The tear that fell wasn't a happy one, however. She knew she should be happy, being engaged and all, but there was no spark whatsoever between her and Matt anymore, so why, oh why was she agreeing to marry him?

Realizing she could no longer think straight anymore, Renne turned from Matt and ran inside the house, and straight up to her room, locking the door behind her. Sliding down against it, Renne pleaded, "God, please help my heart right now." Her gaze made it's way to the fireplace mantle, her eyes landing on the picture of her and Swayde from years ago. Peeling herself up off the floor, Renne grabbed the picture, taking one last look at it before putting it into her desk drawer where it would stay forever.