Page 31 of Flint

“You never had a torrid love affair with Sylvester.”

“He was the best I ever had.”

“I don’t need to know this!” I complain as if that’s going to stop her.

“There’s nothing wrong with loving a stallion. Every girl needs one to ride.”

“Eew, grandma.”

“All I’m saying is if you found your own stallion, that’s natural and there’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

I open my mouth to reply then realize the sound of cartoons has faded from behind me.

“What’s a stallion, Mom?” Brock asks.

“It’s a horse, sweetie.”

“You ride horses?” Branson asks, fascinated by this new information about me.

I groan as Grandma cackles and answers for me, “Yes, honey. Your mom loves to ride.”

I glare at my grandma before turning my attention back to the twins. “Do you boys know what shoes you want to get?”

“Boots like Flint!” Branson answers.

“Boots like Flint,” I agree and snag a spot in the front of the parking lot.

Shoe shopping with the boys was completely exhausting, and I was on my own. Grandma went to the salon to get her hair done while I searched through thirty-five pairs of kids’ boots to find ones that looked close enough to Flint’s to satisfy the twins.

After that, I pressed my debit card into Grandma’s hand and sent her into the grocery store with the boys. Flint’s place is well-stocked but there are no dinosaur nuggets in the freezer.

While they’re running that errand, I’m hanging out with Mira for a few minutes. It’s the first time I’ve seen her in weeks. She’s so happy she practically floated into the little donut shop called Sprinkles.

“How do you like your job?” Mira asks. She’s glowing as she sips an iced coffee, her skin clear and her eyes shining. She looks better than she ever has.

“It’s good,” I answer, my cheeks going warm as I think about what Flint and I were doing today in the office. One day, I want him to bend me over that antique desk and slide deep inside my body.

She grins. “What is it? Do you think one of the cowboys is cute? Somebody keep coming in a little too frequently?”

I hesitate. I haven’t told her anything about this. It’s not that I didn’t want her to know. At first, we were missing each other on the phone most weeks. Now, it feels like there’s so much to tell that I don’t know where to begin.

Her expression changes and she lowers her voice. “Is someone harassing you? I swear to God, I’ll kick his ass. Cord will help too. He won’t know what hit him. All I need is a name.” She’s already pulling out her phone like she’s going to call her new husband, and I don’t doubt for a second that Cord will help her bury a body. He’s the kind of steady loyal that Flint is.

“Stop that. No one is harassing me!” I look around to make sure no one is listening to us. “Do you know Flint?”

Her expression is guarded. “Yeah, I do.”

“Okay, well, he’s the cowboy you sent me in the Cuddle a Cowboy auction. We met up at the motel and one thing led to another and⁠—“

She gasps. “You did the cowboy tango with Flint?”

“Keep your voice down!” I shush and add, “Yes.”

“Well…?” She’s sitting there looking both pleased and smug, like she already knows what my answer is going to be.

“Best I’ve ever had.”

“I knew it!” She squeals. “This is perfect! He’s best friends with Flint which means our husbands are best friends, so we’re going to share all of the holidays when you guys get married. And our kids are going to grow up together! Oh, do you think if we start trying right now, we could have girls in time to marry Brock and Branson? Then we’d be in-laws too!”