Daniella sits on a bar stool, her elbow on the bar top as she talks to Hardy, both have a drink in their hands. She adjusts her low cut long sleeve tee before fiddling with her necklace then tugs on her tight ripped jeans, fixing the collar on her denim jacket. Hardy can't stop himself from checking her out. She laughs at something the bartender says, flirting with him to get a free drink, which she ends up getting along with a napkin with his phone number on it that she puts in her pocket. She turns to Michael and smiles. "This is nice." She wraps her hand around the drink in her hand. He notices she isn't wearing her engagement ring. "It's nice to be back in Knoxville." She says as she smiles back at a table of guys in the corner before slowing turning back to the bartender. "Excuse me, Levi?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Can you put those boys' next round on me?" Dani hands him her card. "Thank you, Levi." He nods and starts pouring four drinks for them before heading to their table. "Nice to be 'on the market' again- y'know Free Bird."

"You better be careful, darlin'." Hardy says, taking a drink of his beer.

"Why? It's just honest flirtin'."

"I'm just sayin' baby." He puts his hands on her shoulders, squeezes them, then leans down to press a friendly kiss to her cheek. "Just be careful." He excuses himself to go to the restroom.

"Hey there girly." Someone says behind her, his hand on the small of her back. It's one of the guys from the table.

"Hey handsome." She smiles back.

"I'm Riley."

"Daniella. Are you from that table back there?" He nods with a smile. "I'm glad you came over here."

"Why's that, baby?"

"You're the best lookin one over there. I couldn't just buy you a drink without being obvious." She bites her lip. "I'm glad you got the message though." She gives him a trouble makin' grin, her hand still around her drink.

"Wanna get outta here?" He asks, leaning against the bar. "My truck's out in the lot." Hardy returns and sits next to her. "Shit sorry, are y'all together?"

"No." She answers over Michael, grabbing her purse and jacket. Hardy shakes his head, earning a smack to the back of it. "I'll let you know where I am, darlin." She whispers to her best friend, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"C'mon now darlin." Riley smiles to himself, taking her hand in his while his free one waves his friends goodbye.

+++

"I'm not from 'round here, so you'll have to give me directions." Riley says as he starts his diesel truck up, letting it sit in idle to warm up. "Are you from 'round here?"

"I'm from Sneedville; a couple hours east, but I went to college at the school in town, spent three years of my life right here." She tosses her purse on the floor and buckles up. "Turn right outta here and take the street all the way down." She points the way she's talking. "Step on it, boy!" She laughs when he gives her a confused look.

Riley shrugs as he puts the truck in drive to turn right out of the bar parking lot and head down the main road. "Now where, ma'am?"

"Uh," she clicks her tongue. "Right." He nods and turns. "In 'bout a mile, there's a dirt road on the left."

"I'm trustin' you, Daniella." He chuckles, turning his truck down the hidden path.

"There's a lake at the end of this." She laughs back. "You don't mind a little mud, do ya?" She smirks another trouble making grin.

"Of course not, darlin." He smiles back, slamming on the accelerator pedal, laughing with the girl in his passenger seat. He parks his mud covered truck by the lake.

"Look at you." She grins, kicking off her boots before hopping out of the lifted truck. She laughs as she makes her way to the lakeshore, barefoot with her painted pink toenails. "C'mon now, Riley!" She shouts, stretching her arms out above her head in the moonlight.

"You're a little hell raiser aren't you?" He says as he walks towards her, she laughs in response. "Who was that with you at the bar?"

"That's Michael, my best friend." She cuffs her jeans. "He's my ride home so I shouldn't stay out too long." She flutters her eyelashes at him as she stands straight. She grabs a hold of Riley's denim snap up and pulls him down to her height, kissing him. He smiles and puts a hand on the small of her back, kissing her back. "Where're you from, Riley?"

"Alabama." He says, sitting down on the grass. "Here visiting my buddies." She sits next to him, her toes in the water. "I have an appointment with Big Loud in Nashville the day after tomorrow."

"Big Loud? The record company?" Morgan's signed to that. "So you sing?" She asks, sliding a little closer to him.

"Yeah and I play guitar." Damn, does she know how to pick 'em or what? "I have one in my truck."

"Well, go on and get it, darlin'." He nods and heads back to his truck, returning shortly with a guitar and barefoot. "Southern boy like you in Tennessee, I shoulda known." He has a big grin on his face. "Play me somethin'!"

He chuckles quietly as he starts picking some random tune, leaning against a tree with her laying on the grass next to him. After a while of mindless strumming and picking, she slides the guitar out of his hands then herself onto his lap, her hands run over his chest and neck before kissing him. He holds the back of her neck, kissing her back harder. Dani starts to unsnap the buttons on his shirt then slides it down his toned arms, he pushes her jacket off before tugging the at sleeves of her t-shirt, kissing down her neck to her chest. Riley pulls away to fish his wallet out of his back pocket, pulling out a condom. She laughs as she takes it from him, wrapping her arms around his neck while he lays her down on her back against the lakeshore, the rest of their clothes coming off.

+++

"Who's Morgan?" Riley asks as he drives them back to the bar.

"Hm?" She asks as she turns her attention from the window, her head and body feels fuzzy from their previous activities.

"Morgan." He repeats. "Who is he?"

"I don't-he's not-" her face is red. "He's, uh, my ex I think?"

"You think?"

"It's complicated." She huffs, running her hand through her messy hair as he pulls into the dive bar parking lot.

"Hey, thanks for the beer." Riley says, getting out of the truck, winking at her as he opens the door for her, following her back into the bar.

"You're welcome, baby. The next time you're in town, gimme a call." She writes her number on the back of his hand, kisses him again then returns to her spot by Hardy. "Hey." She sighs heavily as she rubs her face with her hands.

"What's up, baby?" Michael asks, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"I called him Morgan while we were hookin' up." She whispers to him, hiding her face in her hands as Michael's jaw drops. "Not just once, either."

"Yikes."

"He's a nice guy- a great guy- don't get me wrong but," she huffs loudly, "he's not Morgan." She takes a deep breath before turning around, smiling back at Riley. "Let's play a game of pool." She grabs Michael's hand and pulls him to the table. "If I win, you get to buy me a drink." She winks at Hardy who rolls his eyes.

It's just like the first time they met.

+++

Dani is shoved against the door of her bedroom, her long sleeve tee is practically torn open as she kicks her shoes off. Hardy has his hand down her pants as they clumsily make their way to her bed, their lips never separating. She unbuttons his Hawaiian shirt and throws it to the floor as he starts on her jeans, yanking the belt out of the loops. She moans as he moves to kiss her neck, pulling her bralette off, dropping it on the floor with his jeans, underwear soon following.

•••

"Damn it!" She shouts, pushing Hardy off her. "Sorry, Morgan- Michael!" Dani flops on her back, her hands hiding her flushed face. She keeps calling him the wrong name and it's starting to piss them both off. "What's wrong with me!?"

"The heart wants what it wants." He mumbles back, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed, adjusting the chain around his neck. "And your heart," he points at her chest, "it wants Morgan." He says with sad eyes. They both know she's supposed to end up with Morgan, they're soulmates for sure. Hardy starts to get dressed but there's a foot that stops him from putting his jeans back on. He slides his hand from her ankle up to her hip, kissing her flushed skin, leaving love bites and hickies on her thigh. She bites her lip to keep any words in her mouth, knowing that the wrong name will spill out. "I had fun tonight, Dani."

"I did too. It was nice hangin' out with you, and kickin' your ass in pool again." She giggles, pulling him down to lay down with her, her legs twisting up with his as she sighs. She misses Morgan but it's starting to get easier being away from him.

+++

Daniella pulls on Hardy's Hawaiian shirt and a pair of underwear before she starts walking around the house, sighing when she opens the door to the master bedroom. She sits on the bed and looks around the room, her heart aching. Michael wakes and see she's gone so he pulls his pants on and looks around for her, finding her in his room. "Hey, baby."

"Hi." She whispers back.

"How're you?"

"I'm fine." He sits next to her, his arm around her shoulders. "Just miss him still, y'know?"

"You're allowed to miss him. He was your dad."

"But I mean it was months ago, I should be fine now." She stands, going to his closet full of boxes with his stuff in them. There's one with her name on it that she hasn't seen before. She slides it off the shelf and takes it back to her room, sitting with her legs under her. "What's this?"

"Open it." Hardy shrugs, sitting next to her. It's filled with a bunch of old memories and pictures of her and her dad and some with her mom and Morgan. "Wow." She pulls one out with both her parents and her from when she was little. "That's your mom?" He points to a short woman with brown hair.

"Yep, wicked bitch." She mumbles, tossing it onto the bed.

"Who's that?"

"Her son, step brother I guess. I've never met him and I never want to." She digs through it and smiles at a picture of her dad with Morgan from when they went fishing for the first time together; he was super nervous.

"Your dad seemed like a great person." Michael whispers, his hand on her shoulder, looking at a picture of him in a Marines uniform.

"He really was. Totally selfless and hardworking." She sighs. "He liked Morgan a lot when we were datin' in high school but he wanted to play the tough dad to protect me." She chuckles quietly. "He went from workin' fifteen hour days on a farm when he was younger to enlistin' and servin' in the Marines to being a volunteer firefighter to being a corrections officer. He survived some of the most dangerous jobs but gets stabbed at a fuckin prison." Her voice cracks.

"Hey." Hardy says, pulling her against him as she starts to get teary eyed and sniffly. "Hey, you're okay."

"God, I know." She starts putting everything back into the box, sliding it under her bed. "I miss Morgan." She admits, wiping her eyes.

"Well, go talk to him." Michael sighs. "I'll give you some privacy." He leaves her room, closing the door behind him.

"Hello?" Morgan answers, half asleep. "Hello?"

"Hey." She breathes out. "How're you doin'?"

"I'm good." He responds.

"That's good. I'm good too."

"Good, that's good." He yawns.

"Yeah, I just wanted to call and check on you."

"Thanks, darlin'." He smiles. "Wanna go out for lunch later?"

"Sure, I'd love that."

"I'll pick you up 'round one, then."

"Sounds good, see you then." She hangs up and stands. "Michael!" She calls, heading down to the den. "Hey, I'm goin' out for lunch with Morgan."

"That's good." He sighs, looking back at her from his spot on the couch.

She nods and tries to hide a smile. "Just wanted to let you know, okay?"

"Thanks." He nods, turning back around.

She huffs quietly before turning to change. "Shit, where my ring?" She starts panicking as she looks through the medicine cabinet. "Where's my fucking ring!?" Hardy joins her, the shuffling worrying him. "Michael, where's my ring?"

He looks down at his fingers. "I don't have it."

"Fuck." Tears form in her eyes. "It's his mamaw's ring."

"Oh shit." Hardy goes to her bedroom to look around while she tears the bathroom apart. "Found it!" He shouts, they run into each other in the hallway, both falling onto the floor.

She grabs it out of his hand and holds it tight, breathing a sigh of relief. "Holy shit. Thank you." She kisses his face before going to stand, Hardy stops her and pulls her back down, his hands sliding to her waist to kiss her. "Michael-"

"Y'all are on a break until one, right?"

"I mean we're going out for lunch, I don't know if we're gettin' back together." She responds, leaning on her elbow to slide the engagement ring back on her finger so she doesn't lose it again.

"Good, so you're single until one." He kisses her again, unbuttoning the shirt she stole from him.

They end up having sex right there on the hallway floor.