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Bryce,
It’s in your blood. Now you just have to follow your heart.
-H
I carried that damn piece of hotel stationery in my wallet for two years. The creases where it was folded, were taped together, and the edges were barely holding up. That had a lot to do with the wear and tear I put on it daily. Pulling it out before every single ride and reading it. Using it to remind me somewhere out there was a girl I didn’t stand a chance with that believed in me.I didn’t want to believe in having a lucky charm, but she was it for me. That letter was what got me through my rides.
“Didn't mean to interrupt, sorry about that. Just so you know his shoes are right next to mine.”
“Bryce, you remember Hannah right?”
Nicole had that look on her face, the devious one I had seen her get more than once when she was pulling one over on Cole. She knew damn well I remembered her. She reminded me almost daily that Hannah was going to be part of the wedding party as well. It was almost as if she was baiting me to ask about her.
I had kept my mouth shut. Not only because I was with Gigi but because it had been two years. Hannah was seeing someone anyway. Not that I had looked her up but because Nicole let me know. After I asked for Hannah’s number she had mentioned it a few times, it surprised her I never came around when Hannah visited.
There was a reason. I was more scared than one of our rescue horses when they first got to the farm. Seeing her was going to bring back the feeling when the front desk handed me the note and said she had left. I was so excited that morning. I planned to tell her I was going to take her advice and go for it. Thank her for believing in me even though she barely knew me. Hell, I was going to ask her out on a proper date. I opened the note and read it. Flipping it over, back and forth, wondering why the hell she left without saying goodbye. Our meeting obviously meant more to me than it did to her.
Before they forced me to answer the obvious question, Cole walked out shoving a beer in my hand. I almost wished it had been a shot of whiskey.
“Hey Han, didn’t know you were coming by.”He leaned down kissing her cheek and my blood boiled knowing I couldn’t do the same.
“Yeah, change of plans. Decided to come down early. Had some things I needed to sort out this week.”Her eyes shot to Nicole, and a small exchange happened between them without words.
“Well, we’re all happy you came. Right Bryce? You remember Hannah right?”
What the fuck? Nicole was fighting back a smirk as her soon-to-be husband picked up right where she left off.
“Yes. Now I’m going to be a good houseguest and clean up the mess you made at the door. I don’t need her going all Bridezilla on me again. Nice seeing you again Hannah.”
Turning myself around I poured as much of the beer down my throat in one gulp as I could walking back inside. What was supposed to be a weekend of telling myself she was happy was just turned into a six-day marathon.
*****
Cole waited until the fourth day of me having excuses not to go to his place before he called me out on it.“So your next ride you plan on sucking or will you be winning again?”
“I don’tplanto suck at any of them. It just happens.”
He leaned himself against the tailgate of my truck. I had gone home to the farm where I had my nice little house. It wasn’t as big or fancy as my siblings but it had a bed, running water, and a kitchen. It was all I needed.
“Maybe Nicole can talk Hannah into coming to watch us. Maybe then you’ll…”
“Shut up Cole.”
Throwing his hands up he pretended he had said nothing wrong.“So am I supposed to just pretend that everything is perfect with Gigi still and that you didn’t look like your soul left your body for a minute when you saw Hannah sitting on my back deck? I just need to know so that the next time you two are in a room I don’t go following my girls lead in making things impossibly awkward for the two of you.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Hannah is with someone and so am I and that’s the end of that.”
“That is where you’re wrong Bryce. Neither one of you is happy, anyone who has two eyes and a fucking brain can see that. She’s also single. You didn’t hear that from me though.”
Stopping me dead in my tracks, that feeling of bile rising in my throat started up again. She wasn’t single; she had a boyfriend that she was seeing basically since she went back home. Again, not that I had looked at her social media in the last two years. In my defense; Nicole had a habit of tagging me every time she posted something I was in and Hannah usually liked or commented on the photos. It was never regarding me directly. Usually, just a general comment about looking like everyone was having a good time.
“It’s been two years, Cole. Even if, and that is a huge if, she was actually single, and I was, it's not like we were dating in the first place back then. You saw how she looked at me. I’m just a guy she gave some advice to about riding a bull. That’s it.”
Whipping his phone out of his pocket he began typing. I didn’t know who he was texting or why but I was glad that he had finally stopped bothering me about this whole thing. We had a few more days and then he would be off on his honeymoon.
Nicole, the amazing wife she was preparing to become, planned everything to do with the wedding around Cole’s riding schedule. Including their honeymoon. He was still going to be working for most of their trip but she didn’t even care. She loved him so damn much that letting him go ride a bull for a night or two instead of whisking her away on some fairytale honeymoon was more important to her.
“You have one job right now. One I think you will enjoy.”
