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Chapter 56
Behind the chutes was chaos.A few of the guys jeered at me, trying to make a joke out of what had happened on stage with Tanner. I didn't really care. I was starting to get really worried about what Tanner was going to tell me. On the upside, all the people were moving one way, so J.D. took me the other. The back of the arena area was filled with rooms, halls, and spaces that had been left mostly empty because no cattle chutes could fit in them.
I was directed right toward one that looked like it could've been a gift shop. Ty leaned against the wall beside the door, almost like he was guarding it. In other words, this had been planned, but that didn't really matter. When we got close enough, Ty just reached over and turned the knob, proving it wasn't locked.
"I guess he's inside," J.D. said.
"Yep," Ty drawled. "Figured you'd look here."
"Best hookup spot," J.D. agreed. Then he pointed at the door. "This is all you, Cody. We're gonna wait out here."
I stepped in to find a small space, so more of a storage closet than gift shop. Tanner was pacing across the bare concrete floor, repeatedly scrubbing his hand across his mouth. When he heard me, he looked up, and there was worry in his eyes.
I gently closed the door behind me, and it broke his words free. "I'm not gay."
"Oh." Because that was all I could say.
"Cody, I'm into both... guys and girls. I mean, the right kind of guys and girls. Um..." He sighed and turned, taking a few more steps. "Damn, coming out never gets easier. Yeah, so I think of myself as pansexual. Like, I don't really care what's attached, I kinda like what I like. Male, female, trans, whatever."
I just nodded, taking it all in. "Cool?"
"My point is that yeah, I like J.D. Hell, I've been 'eye-fucking' him, as he calls it, for a couple of years. The thing is, I like you too. That? That kiss? It's not an act for me. I know you want to do this because you're worried about me, but you barely know me." He huffed out a breath. "I was wondering if maybe we could fix that?"
"Yeah, um..." I glanced back at the door. "Did you two talk?"
"Me and J.D.?" He nodded. "Yeah, a bit, why?"
"I kinda have a thing going with them. Like, kinda both of them."
"He told me."
"Um..." I gestured between Tanner and myself. "This? I don't know how it fits in if you're not gay."
"Oh." His shoulders sagged. "No, I get it. I mean, I'm not really like either of them."
I just held up my hand. "I promised Ty I'd talk to them before I do anything." So I reached back and opened the door again. "Guys?"
Ty immediately shoved his head in. "You ok?"
"Yeah," I assured him. "Just... come here. Both of you?"
They piled in, looking partly like they were ready to throw down, partly worried, and mostly confused. "You ok?" J.D. asked, mimicking Ty's question.
"Tanner's not gay and I'm publicly dating him," I blurted out. "Is that ok?"
"Wait," Tanner said. "So why did you think I was gay?"
"Because you were looking at J.D.," I hissed. "At the stacking party, you were almost drooling when he came out of the creek, and you'd barely looked at anyone else. Certainly not me. Hell, you didn't even notice Shelby in her short-shorts, and everyone notices her."
He chuckled, shaking his head at that. "Cody, I'm not into Shelby. I like people with this inner strength, maybe a little broken, and a whole lot of not giving up. I have a weakness for defiance and bravado, and you two?" He pointed his finger at me, then J.D. "Kinda fit the bill."
"He's not wrong," J.D. admitted.
I just looked over at Ty. "I know J.D. is just fine with this idea, but what about you?"
"Yeah, wait," J.D. said. "No, I think I wanna go next. See, Cody, I was kinda wanting to know if you were ok with me seeing someone on the side. I mean, since we're doing this whole dating thing. Like, so I'm not cheating on you."
"I'm seeing Ty!" I reminded him. "How can you cheat on me if I'm with someone else?"
"Because these are the rules," Ty said softly. "I'm with you. J.D. is with you. You're with us. I don't see any reason you can't add Tanner into that. I mean, we're already in with him, and knowing he and J.D. have a thing makes me think it makes sense." He groaned. "Which makes no sense, but yeah. Let's just go with 'I'm in,' and leave it at that."
"Ok," I agreed. "And J.D., it's not cheating, because I thought you already were. I mean, since we're not."
"We are," J.D. told me. "Look, I'm your secret boyfriend, and Ty is too. Tanner's the public one, but he's my secret boyfriend."
Tanner just started laughing. "Guys? Guys. You know this is really fucked up, right?"
"Love is love," Ty mumbled. "And before any of you start thinking about starting something, I should probably point out that Cody's father is out there somewhere, and he said something about how he used to castrate steers and is pretty sure he still remembers how."
"Right," J.D. said quickly, opening the door so we could all pile out.
But Tanner stopped beside Ty. "You're actually ok with this?"
"I have my own kinks, ok?" Ty said. "I was a little bitch to you for other reasons. Maybe I can buy you a beer in my room tonight and we can talk it out?"
"I just have one question," Tanner said. "Sex rules?"
"Haven't made them yet," Ty told him. "Right now, I think it's kinda one-on-one in a free-for-all, but don't quote me on that."
"Yep," Tanner said, "Cheyenne is going to be interesting."
As a group, we all headed back to where we'd left our gear. Jorge and Isaac were there, both of them looking a little worried. So was someone else. My father was holding my pink helmet, checking it out for the first time. When the bullfighters called out a greeting to Tanner, he quickly tossed it back at my gear bag and looked up.
"Hey, Daddy," I greeted him.
"No," he said, stopping me before I could pull the cute daughter trick. "What was that out there, young man?" he asked, looking over at Tanner.
"Um..." Tanner cleared his throat. "Mr. Jennings. I, uh..."
"He thought one of us was dating her," J.D. said. "So he wanted to make sure he had a chance before we screwed it up for him, but naw. We're just friends. I mean, Ty's got that whole liberal thing, being Canadian and all, and he wants to do some of that feminist social justice bullshit. Me? I just wanna get a cut of her sponsorship."
"Uh huh," my dad grumbled. Then a smile broke out on his face. "I am so damned proud of you, Cody Lane." And he closed the distance to wrap me up in one of his bear hugs, lifting my feet off the ground to swing me from side to side. "First place! And even after they fucked you with that score."
"Yeah." I patted at his chest. "Down, Daddy. You're gonna smother me."
He eased me to the ground. "Yeah, but I need you to promise me something, ok?"
"Yeah, sure."
He flicked a finger toward all the guys behind me. "You don't let any of them make your decisions for you. Now, if you like this boy, then I'm happy for you. But you remember what I said?"
"I do."
He crossed his arms over his chest. "Then how are you getting to Cheyenne?"
"I'm riding with Ty," I decided, since we weren't technically dating, so far as my father knew. "And I might meet up with J.D. along the way. I have his number, you know, and believe it or not, getting stranded is a lot harder with a cell phone, which you didn't have back in the dinosaur age."
He chuckled, reaching out to tap my nose. "And when you get to Cheyenne, make sure you have enough money for your own room, because you never know when he's gonna screw it up and you'll need a man-free bed." He glanced up, making it clear that he was including all of the guys behind me.
"I'm married," Jorge said, stepping back. "Aubree would kick my ass, so just nope. I'm not doing any of that."
Isaac pointed at Jorge. "I sleep with him." He choked. "I mean, in the RV. Oh, fuck me."
I had my lips pressed hard together, trying not to giggle. "Dad, it's ok. Look, you told me to make my own rules, right? Well, I don't know how to break it to you, but everyone in the PBR is a guy, except me. That means my friends are guys, the cute ones are guys, and yeah, my boyfriend is a guy. Because Tanner's my boyfriend now. And I'm putting all the money in that account we share, so you'd better use it to get the truck fixed up and pay bills, ok?"
Dad lifted his hand to palm the back of my neck. "And when you hit a million dollars?"
"Then I come home and we talk about it. I promised, Dad, and I'll keep it."
"That's my girl. Honey, I'm so damned proud of you." He pulled me against him again. "And I'm going to watch every single show. I bought that PBR streaming thing, so I can see it all. And if anything goes wrong - or right - you call me."
I was nodding. "And every night after I ride, so you know I'm ok."
"If not..." He looked at my three guys. "I expect one of you to let me know. Just nights she rides, but I won't be able to sleep if I'm wondering. If you boys wanna take care of her, then you need to do this."
"I'll do it," J.D. promised. "I gotta text my mama anyway, so I might as well."
"I like him," Dad said. Then he looked at Tanner. "You're too quiet. Makes me think you're up to something."
"Usually," Tanner agreed, "but I'm also the one who's going to be keeping the bulls off her. If one of them gets through me, I'll call you myself, sir."
Dad reached out and offered his hand. "It's Dean, and so long as you take care of Cody, then we'll get along just fine." But he pulled me close to hug me again. "I have to get back home, baby girl. Gotta work in the morning. The house ain't gonna be the same without you."
"I know, but I'm finally doing it, Dad."
"Yeah, Cody. Honey, you aren't just doing it, you're doing it with a fucking bang." He paused, then added, "You know how they always say I wanted a boy? Yeah, well they were wrong. Cody, all I ever wanted was you. Just like you are. I couldn't have asked for a better kid, no matter what anyone says."
"I love you too, Daddy," I told him. "Now get out of here before you make me all weepy in front of my friends."
He nodded. "Call me?"
"She will," J.D. promised.
"Drive safe," Ty told him.
"We'll take care of her," Tanner added.
Me? I just stood there, waiting for this dream to end. It had to be a dream, right? There was no way at all that this much good could actually happen to me. I was the girl with a boy's name. The one who'd kept her head down so I wouldn't be noticed, and now this? I'd just kissed a guy on national television, placed first in my second PBR event, and...
I turned around to look at my guys, because yeah, I also had three boyfriends. Three of them, and I might not have a clue how the hell this was going to work, but that was ok. I'd overcome worse odds. After all, I was here.
And tomorrow, I'd worry about all the rest.
