“She’s beautiful, man.” A sense of awe coated Reid’s tone. “I always figured you’d settle down at some point. She seems good for ya.”
“Thanks. She’s really something. I’m lucky to have her.”
We fell into stilted silence for a moment, the weight of what I needed to say hanging like a storm cloud above me.
“Look, man,” I began, “I’m sorry for—”
“Hux, you don’t have to apologize.”
I held out a hand. “No, I do.” I swallowed past the lump of guilt in my throat. “I do. I was an asshole to you. I was bitter, broken, and I fuckin’ hated everythin’ about my life. And I wanted to hate you too,” I croaked out, my words breaking a bit at the end. “You represented everythin’ I wanted, but didn’t have anymore. And you always came around, you were always there for me, always tryin’ to make me feel better. And I just…” Blowing out a breath, I shrugged and hung my head. “I’m sorry.”
Reid’s grip on my shoulder was firm. “I appreciate it, but I’d probably react the same way if I were in your position. I don’t blame you pushin’ me away. I didn’t stop comin’ because I was upset with you or anythin’ like that. I stayed away because I knew that’s what you needed.” He gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You’re always gonna be my best friend.”
My throat squeezed shut tight, and unshed tears stung my eyes. Fuck, the last thing I wanted or needed, for that matter, was people to see me getting all sappy and shit.
I cleared my throat and clapped him on the shoulder before pulling him into a hug. “Thanks, man,” I whispered, before pulling away. “So, uh…how’ve you been?”
“Good. I’ve been good. Got signed with a PBR team this year.”
“Well damn,” I scoffed. I remembered one of our last conversations before he’d stopped coming around. He’d been talking about wanting to get onto one of them. “Which team you ridin’ for?”
“The Twisters. They’re new. Based outta Oklahoma.”
“You livin’ there now?”
“Fuck, no. I mean, at least not full-time. I go there to train and then go on tour with them, but I always come back home.”
I nodded. “That’s awesome, man. I’m happy for you.”
“When are you gonna ride again?” he asked me.
With a shrug, I blew out a breath and said, “I’m not sure. I gotta get back in shape first. Talk to someone and figure out how to get me on a bull. I want it to be somewhere big. Somewhere loud. I want it to feel as real as possible.”
I could practically feel the excitement coming off of Reid as he said, “Let me talk to my team manager. He’s a good guy, and I bet he could get us some answers.”
I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my mouth.
“Reid Wilson! Is that you?” Mama’s voice rose over the commotion of the party.
Reid chuckled beside me. “Hi, Miss Dotty. You’re lookin’ beautiful as ever.”
“How’re ya doin, sweetheart?” she asked, hijacking the conversation.
“Doin’ good. Just, um…wait, is that…” His voice filled with disbelief. “Is that Walker?”
Walker laughed somewhere off to my left, the sound getting louder with the footfalls of her boots against the ground. “Hi, Reid.”
Was I hearing things, or did he sound a bit breathless as he said, “Well, damn. You’re all grown up.”
I didn’t have time to dwell on it further as the familiar scent of lemongrass and vanilla drifted on the breeze followed by a soft, lyrical voice that made my heart hammer in my chest. “Sorry about that. I’m back.”
I reached out for Quinn, drawing her against my side to press a kiss to the top of her head.
It was crazy how quickly things could change. I was no stranger to that, and yet it still amazed me that the tables could turn, the winds could shift at the drop of a hat.
A few weeks ago, I hated my life, and now…well, now I was on cloud nine.
None of this would have been possible without her.
