“The burritos will be here when you get back!” I call, but Bo spins her farther into the crowd so that all I can hear is her delighted giggle.

We dance for a while longer, until our feet hurt—well, my feet hurt. A whole bunch of us, Clem and Hannah and all of my new friends—Callie, Mitch, Bo, Willowdean, Amanda, Ellen, Tim, Millie, and Malik—sneak out to the golf course, kicking our shoes off and leaving them at the door.

Everyone plays a game of tag, racing all over the course, while Tucker tries to teach me to two-step, the both of us barefoot on the lush green.

“Where’d you learn how to do this?” I ask, tripping over his feet for the millionth time.

“My mom and dad,” he says. “They used to dance in the garage.”

“Yeah?” I want him to feel like he can talk, but I don’t want to force it, especially tonight, when everything feels just right.

“I used to always wonder if I’d find someone to dance with me.”

I look down at our feet. “I think that might be TBD. I can’t figure out who leads and who follows.”

“We can take turns,” he says before leaning down, our noses brushing and our lips nearly touching. Goose bumps skip up my spine as he wraps both his arms around me. I gasp a little and that’s when he kisses me, like he’s sucking the air right out of my lungs as the golf course lights illuminate us for the entire senior prom to see. I hook one arm around the back of his neck, my other hand splayed out over his chest, as he dips me back and deepens the kiss. I kick one leg in the air, because when someone goes to the trouble of dipping you, you’re legally obligated to make the most of the moment.

Once he brings me back up, we sway to the music faintly playing from inside until we settle in a pocket of darkness, away from the bright lights, and collapse onto the green, which is softer than any carpet I’ve ever felt.

“My queen,” Tucker says as he rolls toward me on his side, his grayish-blue eyes sparkling as he twirls a finger through one of my curls. “I have a very important question to ask you about our future together.”

I turn to him and run a finger along his jaw. It feels just as perfect as it looks. “I . . . you know that basically everything is a giant TBD right now for me.”

He nods. “I know, and I get that we’re both living with a bunch of unknowns, but this is something I need to know before we can move forward. It’s a very important question.”

He’s going to ask me to be his boyfriend. Oh. My. God. I, Waylon Brewer, am going to be someone’s boyfriend. I solemnly swear to be the best arm candy his arm or any arm has ever seen. “Okay, go ahead.”

He swallows and closes his eyes for a moment before opening them again. “Can we get pancakes in the morning?”

I swat at his chest, feeling a little awkward for thinking he was actually about to ask me something that monumental.

He laughs deviously and grins. “And if the answer is yes, will you be my boyfriend?”

My heart flutters in my rib cage. “Yes. To both, but especially the pancakes.”

Acknowledgments

There’s no manual on how to publish a book during a global pandemic, but the people I’m fortunate enough to work with have found ways to innovate and push forward with creativity and compassion. They have made this process one of joy during one of the most tumultuous times I’ve witnessed in my lifetime.

First and foremost, to my editor, Alessandra Balzer, I’m so grateful for our working relationship and the friendship we have built over the years. Thank you for seeing the potential in Dumplin’ from the beginning (and in me even before then!) and for allowing me to grow and explore this universe. Working with you is one of the greatest honors of my career.

John Cusick, thank you so much for answering every call, text, and email with calm and enthusiasm. You are such a rock in my life, and we have too much fun together to even call it work at this point. Thank you also to Molly Cusick, who started it all and to the entire team at Folio Literary Management.

Thank you to Dana Spector. You are one of the fiercest women in Hollywood, and I’m thankful to have you in my court.

I’m deeply grateful to Jackie Burke and Anna Bernard, my two publicists, for keeping so many balls spinning—even when I’ve neglected my inbox. (Which is more often than I’d like to admit.)

My family at Harper has been the best team a girl could ask for, especially Suzanne Murphy, Donna Bray, Caitlin Johnson, Ebony LaDelle, Shannon Cox, Audrey Diestelkamp, Ann Dye, Lindsey Karl, Patty Rosati, Almeda Beynon, Sarah Kaufman, Alison Donalty, Kathryn Silsand, Kristen Eckhardt, Andrea Pappenheimer, Kerry Moynagh, Kathy Faber, and Nellie Kurtzman. Thank you as well to everyone at Epic Reads, HCCFrenzy, and HarperCollins360. So many people carry the torch of bringing a book to readers. I know I’m certainly missing someone, but I’m not any less thankful for those who I have.

This incredible cover would not exist without Jenna Stempel-Lobell and this divine art by Josh McKenna. I also owe a great deal of gratitude to Aurora Parlagreco for setting such a fantastic tone with that first Dumplin’ cover.

Thank you to Chad Burris for lending your incredible vocal talents to the audiobook and for bringing Waylon to life so vividly.

Many people played a role in making this book the best it could be and I would be lost without their thoughtful guidance. Thank you specifically to Bethany Hagen, Jeramey Kraatz, Phil Stamper, and D. Ann Williams.

Whether it was a Zoom game night, a perfectly timed meme via text, or a very socially distant hangout session, my friends have kept me sane through this year. Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, the Taylor family, John Stickney, Hayley Harris, Deanna Green, Ashley Meredith, Luke and Lauren Brewer, Tara Hudson, Adib Khorram, Corey Whaley, and Ashley Lindemann. I love you each so, so much. Thank you also to Bob, Liz, Emma, Roger, Vivienne, Aurelia, Pam, and Frank. I’m so grateful to call you family and always be able to count on your love.

I owe a great deal of gratitude to my Dumplin’ movie team. You all have brought me so much happiness and I’m so proud of all that we’ve created. Thank you especially to Kristin Hahn, Jennifer Aniston, Mohamed AlRafi, Trish Hoffman, Kelly Todd, Danny Nozell, Danielle Macdonald, Maddie Baillio, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Odeya Rush, Luke Benward, Hillary Begley, and Georgie Flores.

Thank you especially to Ginger Minj, who spurred me on to write Waylon’s story.

And of course, the one and only Dolly Parton. Dolly, you shine light on everything you touch. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that my little books would bring us together, but they have and it’s turned out to be one of the most incredible things that’s ever happened to me. Thank you for your friendship and support.

Mom and Dad, thank you for always allowing me to be too weird and too loud and too much. You never said no. (Actually, sometimes you might have, but it was probably for good reason, and I ignored you anyway.)

Dexter, Rufus, and Opie . . . yes, I am thanking my dog and two cats. Thank you for the cuddles and for all the joy you bring me.

Ian, our love is my favorite inspiration. Thank you for believing in me even when you have absolutely no reason to and for always letting me sleep in.

Lastly, to my readers . . . there is not enough gratitude in the world to properly express how much your support and enthusiasm means to me. When Dumplin’, the first book in this series, released in 2015, we lived in a different world. I didn’t know how a book about a fat person who just wanted to take up space and find love might be received. I didn’t know if there was an audience for the kind of stories I wanted to tell. But it turned out that I wasn’t alone. Since then, and thanks to the work of so many artists and activists, the conversations around bodies have changed astronomically. We still have such a long way to go, but I’m eagerly looking forward to every step of that journey. Thank you for being part of this moment with me and for proving that good stories come in all shapes and sizes.\

Creating and living in the world of Clover City has been an honor and I’ve been able to do so for three books because of you, my dear readers. Thank you for finding a place in your heart for Willowdean, Millie, Waylon, and the whole gang. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I love you. Go big or go home.