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"Eating like one," Dean told her.
I moved to her side and kissed the top of her head. "How's your arm?"
"Torn tendon," J.D. said. "Pulled muscles and shit, but she can't use it."
"So you're both sidelined," I realized. "Fuck. I'm sorry."
"No, I'm riding," Cody said, reaching over for J.D.'s vape and taking a pull on it. "Daddy and J.D. bought me a new glove too. It's black!"
"Just gotta rosin it up," J.D. told her.
"Mhm!" Cody agreed.
Then Dean snatched the vape out of her hand and did the same. I couldn't help it. I barked out a laugh and decided everything I'd ever thought I'd known had just gone out the window.
"Are you getting high with your daughter?" I asked.
"Yes," Dean said, shoving a bag towards me. "I didn't know they made it like this." He took another hit, then tossed the vape onto the table. "And I couldn't roll joints when she was little."
"No, you smoked them out back with Gerardo," Cody taunted. "You weren't even subtle about it."
"You were supposed to be sleeping when we did that."
J.D. just giggled. Yes, he giggled. That convinced me he'd had a few hits himself. So, giving in, I grabbed the thing and decided to take my own dose of medicine. I wasn't a huge fan of the taste of it, yet I certainly wasn't going to complain about the ache in my back because of Cody's bull. So I just inhaled hard and decided to roll with this.
"J.D. said he's got enough pot to kill an elephant," Dean told me, "so I bought enough munchies to feed a zoo." And he waved at the pair across from them.
Cody immediately giggled. "Is that what we are?"
"Kiddo, I think your little menagerie definitely counts." And he grinned at me. "You three are cute, though. I approve."
"You're not really being a good father, are you?" I asked, digging into the bag he'd given me. Inside was a burger, fries, and some kind of pastry. Yep, this was exactly what I needed.
"Nope, I was not a good father," Dean agreed. "They told me I was doing it all wrong, but I was doing all I knew. Those ladies at church said I was making my little girl into a boy. The men told me I needed a wife to raise her so I didn't have to worry about it."
"But you did good with her," J.D. said.
Dean just nodded. "Yeah, I did." Then he chuckled and dropped something onto the table. "Wanna see how good?"
"Dad!" Cody groaned. "No!"
"I told ya, kid. You get hurt and I break out the pictures." Then he flipped it open. "See this? That was the first time she ever tried mutton bustin'."
I couldn't help myself. I had to lean in to see. Sure enough, there was a tiny little girl, maybe five? She had on itty-bitty cowboy boots, a hat strapped to her head, and she was hanging onto a sheep for all she was worth. She was also grinning from ear to ear.
"Oh, no form!" J.D. laughed.
Dean turned a page. "Nah, she got that soon enough, though. This was when she won Junior Steer Riding."
That version of Cody was a teenager, or close. Thirteen? Fourteen? Not very old, at any rate. Her hair was in twin braids on her head. Her grin was massive, and her hat was much too big. She looked like none of her parts fit, but the steer she was on was bucking and she was sitting it like she knew exactly what she was doing.
But at the table, she had her face in her hands. "Why are you doing this to me?" she groaned.
"You got prom in there?" I asked.
"Yep," Dean agreed, flipping to that page.
Oh, and this version of Cody was much better. Still young, but in the way of girls who are right on the cusp of being women. She had on one hell of a dress, and the girl beside her looked almost like a date. The pair had on corsages that matched the other's dress.
