"What're you doin' here, Reagan?" Swayde's voice was hostile, completely uncharacteristic of him. His eyes were glued to the television that was broadcasting the evening news, as he took a bite of his dinner. 

         Since the moment that she walked in, Swayde had not looked at Renne even once. With a scoff, Renne tromped further into the living room, picking up the television remote, turning off the TV, in a motion to make him give her attention. Standing in front of Swayde, she demanded, "Why are you so upset? What happened?" 

            Swayde replied with a scoff as he continued eating his supper. "I think you already know why, 'Rein.'" He said the nickname with emphasis. There was only one person in the world who called Renne that. That person was Matt. 

         It was then that it hit Renne why it was that Swayde was so upset. "You saw the text from Matt. You...you looked at my phone? Why would you do that?" Renne's voice raised with the last question as she still stood in front of him, hands on her hips. 

         Swayde finally looked up at Renne. "It was sitting on your bed, and a text came in. I saw it when I took the basket of clothes up to your room. When I saw Matt's name, I picked it up and read it." Letting out a scoff, he added, "And frankly, I'm glad I did."

       "Whatever happened to trust? You have never just picked up my phone and randomly started goin' through it." 

         Swayde stood up from the couch, taking his now empty, plastic dinner container to the kitchen. He let out a frustrated chuckle as he breezed past Renne, with her hot on his heels. "Oh, don't you dare even talk to me about trust, Reagan." He was furious, and it was rare Renne saw this side of him. They hardly ever fought.

        "It's not what it looks like, Swayde." Renne tried her best to stay calm, despite the anger cauldron boiling inside of her. 

        Swayde tossed the empty tray in the recycling bin before responding. "Oh, it isn't? So it doesn't look like your ex is texting you, saying he misses you, wanting you to come 'home?' It doesn't look like you have been in communication with him since you've been back here with me? It doesn't look like you have been lyin' to me? Sorry, Reagan, but I think it is exactly what it looks like." Swayde walked out of the kitchen. 

         "Are you even goin' to give me just one second to explain?!" Renne shouted, making Swayde immediately turn around to face her. 

        Taking a step closer to Renne, Swayde pointed a finger at her, "Don't you dare raise your voice at me, young lady." 

        Renne took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Listen, this is the first text that I have gotten from Matt since I broke up with him, and moved back here to Alpine Ridge. I have no idea why on earth he is texting me, but I promise you that there is nothing goin' on between us." 

         "Did you lead him on to believe that you were goin' back there, to him?" 

        "What? No. No, not at all! Like I have already said, I have not talked to him since the day I broke up with him and gave him back his ring." 

          "I want to see all of the texts from him." Swayde reached out his hand, demanding her phone. 

        "Fine. Here." Renne surrendered her phone, punching in her pass code, opening the messages from Matt. "You're not goin' to find anything, because I am telling you the truth."

        Swayde began to scroll through Renne's text messages, not even really reading them. 

       Her voice still laced with frustration, Renne added, "Why are you actin' so jealous? That's something that a boyfriend would do, so I don't know why you are tryin' to act like that."

        Swayde's eyes shot up from Renne's phone. "Then maybe we should make it official. Then would I be able to have you tell me the truth?" It was a threat, but also an offer, said in a still angry voice. 

        "What are you saying, Swayde?" Renne folded her arms over her chest, upset at how Swayde was asking. He had immediately gone from 0 to 60, assuming things, without even thinking to confront Renne before getting upset. 

           "I want to be more than just a friend to you, Reagan, clearly, but I can't do that if you are still in contact with your cheating, lying, scum bag of an ex, Matt!" 

        "If you really mean that, that you want to be my boyfriend, then why didn't you just come and talk to me before just assuming the worst?" 

       Swayde held up Renne's phone. "Because based on the text that he sent you, it was pretty clear there was more to the story than what you were telling me." He hadn't even really read the messages sent between Matt and Renne for multiple reasons. One being that Renne was not lying, and deep down he knew that he trusted her, that she was being honest. The only message she had received from Matt since she broke up with him was the one that came in today. From what he had seen, Renne was telling him the truth, she had not given him any previous reason to believe there was still anything between them. After all, Swayde was the one that Renne had left everything behind to come back to. 

       "What do I have to say or do to make you believe me that there is nothing going on? I have already shown you my phone, with all of the text messages, Swayde, I don't know what else I have to do to prove to you that this is all him, and it's all in his head!" Each word that she said got louder and louder. 

          "I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you have no feelings for Matt anymore, that I am the guy you want a relationship with, but mainly, I want you to tell me that there is nothing else to the story. That what you are tellin' me is entirely true. You keep saying that you want to take things slow; is that because you still have feelings for him? Reagan, I want you to-" 

          Renne didn't let him finish as his mouth became preoccupied when her lips closed over his in a kiss, making him hush up right quick. Standing on her tip toes, Renne wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her back. Those kisses were clear with her intentions. Swayde knew that he was just overreacting, but Matt brought out that side of him. Matt had caused so many roadblocks for Swayde and Renne, and he had treated Renne as poorly as a pebble in the sole of his boot, fit to walk on. Swayde did not appreciate the fact that Matt continually cheated on Renne, came to Alpine Ridge, asked for her hand in marriage after admitting that he had being unfaithful to Renne, basically forcing her to agree to marry him. Matt had assumed that Renne would stay with him despite still being in love with Swayde, but the last straw for Renne was when Matt just figured she would stay with him even after she found out that the woman Matt had been cheating on Renne with was pregnant, with Matt's child. Not only was Matt a cheater, and a player, but he was also a liar. Renne had never had real feelings for him, nothing even remotely close to what she felt towards Swayde, but Matt's wealthy family were the ones responsible for helping Renne get her therapy ranch for special needs and underprivileged children, so she had mainly stayed with him for the five years they were together because she had felt indebted to him. 

       Breaking up with Matt, and moving back here to be with Swayde had been the best decision that Renne had ever made in her life. Now, she only wished that she could be rid of Matt for forever, never wanting to even hear his name ever again, but she knew as long as he was still involved in Healing Hearts, she would be required to have some interaction, strictly business, until he quit...or until she fired him, whichever came first. 

        Renne passionately kissed Swayde a few more times before pulling back to look him dead in the eyes. "Swayde, there is nothin' goin' on between Matt and I. You are the only man that I want a relationship with, clearly, or else I would not have moved my entire life back here, just to be with you." Rolling back so her feet were flat on the ground again, Renne kept her hands tightly around Swayde's neck, rubbing her thumbs over the soft skin on the back of his neck. 

      Swayde let out a breath, giving Renne a quick peck of a kiss on the lips. His arms still low around her slim waist, he looked down into the most innocent, beautiful pair of blue eyes he had ever seen. Their shade of blue was enough to make the Montana sky jealous. "I know. I overreacted. I should have trusted you, because I do trust you, and I should have talked to you before just assuming things. Matt just has a way of making me snap like a toothpick. I apologize, darlin'." 

       "I apologize, too. I'm sorry for losin' my cool. I know that we have promised it before, but unless Matt actually gives us a good reason, can he please not be the reason we fight? We don't fight, which is one thing that makes us so good together, so can we please stop lettin' Matt ruin that?" 

     Swayde nodded his head. "Yes, of course."

     "Good." A grin rose to Renne's lips as she let go of Swayde's neck to move her hands down his well toned chest. "So, was that your way of askin' me to be your girlfriend? By yellin' at me about how jealous you were?" 

       "I was not jealous!" Swayde quickly defended.

       "Uh huh. Sure. And the grass is purple." Renne countered, sarcastically. 

        "Okay, fine, maybe I was a little bit jealous, but only because I thought that I would have to make a trip to Montana and beat the daylights out of that no good two timing piece of garbage again."

         The mention of a trip to Montana hit a chord in Renne. She had to break the news to him sometime, she just wasn't sure how, or when. "That still doesn't answer my question, Swayde McAllister." She grinned.

       Swayde let out a content huff, smiling down at Renne. "Yes, I want you to be my girlfriend. I've wanted to ask you since the day you came back to me, but you kept tellin' me that you wanted to take things slow, so I didn't want to pressure you. I want to take our relationship to the next level, if you're ready for that." 

         "I think it's a little late to still be taking things slow, don't you think?" Renne asked in reference to their little make out session from a minute before. 

        "Now look who is avoiding my comment." Swayde teased. 

        "Yes, I will be your girlfriend." She smiled. They were 24 and 26 years old, yet Renne still felt as giddy as she did the very first time Swayde asked her to be his girlfriend when she was just 16. 

       "Good." Swayde grinned, kissing the top of her head.

       The only reason that Renne had wanted to take things slow with Swayde is because they had just gotten used to spending a lot of time together again for the first time in five years, and they both knew that they would always be each other's forever, so what was the rush? Well, that, and Renne was fixing to have to make a trip up north in a few weeks, so she didn't want to start anything serious with Swayde, just to have to leave him for a bit while she made the trip, unsure how long she would have to be gone for. 

        Standing in Swayde's embrace, Renne kept her arms tightly wrapped around his middle. Resting her head against his well muscled chest, Renne breathed in his clean scent. Woodsy, leather smelling aftershave filled her nose. Man, oh man, the last thing on earth that she wanted to do was to leave him yet again.