Burning the Midnight Oil: A Single Dad Small Town Romance

Chapter 8

“Imiss you, princess.”

“Miss you too, Daddy.” Suzy’s holding the phone as she lies down on her bed. The way she’s got it angled, I can only see from her eyes up. “When do you come home?”

“Just a few more weeks, baby. We’re in the home stretch.”

“What’s a home stretch?”

Breathing out a laugh, I say, “It just means we’re close to the finish line. Close to me being home.”

“Ooooh, okay.”

We’ve been talking on FaceTime for the last half an hour, and she’s been giving me play-by-play details on what she’s been up to today. Like how she ran around the yard with Mabel this morning and played fetch with her, but how Mabel isn’t good at playing fetch because she’ll grab the ball and refuse to give it back to Suzy. Or how Uncle Grady made her the wrong kind of oatmeal for breakfast while her mom was at her hair appointment. He apparently gave her banana and cream—which, according to Suzy, is “so disgusting”—and he should’ve known she wanted strawberry and cream, even though she didn’t tell him that. And how he took her to the arena, and she got to see all kinds of horses, and how now she really wants to be an equestrian when she grows up—but when she says it, it comes out as “requestran.”

She’s getting tired, but she won’t admit it. I can tell every time she yawns because her eyes squint and get watery.

“Well, I’m going to let you get to bed, Miss Suzy Q. I love you, sweet girl, and I hope you sleep well.”

“Love you too, Daddy.” As if on cue, she yawns again.

“Can you give the phone to Mama?”

Suzy climbs off the bed, camera pointing to the ceiling now. I can only see the very corner of the top of her head as she leaves her bedroom and pads down the hall toward Jade’s. “Mama! Daddy wants to talk to you.”

Jade takes the phone, glancing down at me only briefly before returning her attention to Suzy. “Can you please go brush your teeth, and then climb into bed? I’ll be in after a while to tuck you in.” Bringing the phone up, she offers me a tired smile. “Hey. How’s it going?”

“Pretty good. How’s it going there?”

“Fine. I actually needed to talk to you about something.”

My brows lift with concern. “Okay, what’s up?”

Jade gets this look when she’s about to tell me something she thinks I won’t like. It’s like her way of telling me she’s not going to budge, even if I don’t like it. Her jaw ticks, her eyes narrow slightly, and she pushes her shoulders back. She’s doing it right now, so I already don’t like where this is going.

“I spoke with Presley a little bit ago—you know, my old boss.”

I nod.

“Well, they’re hiring, and she’s willing to give me a job. I can start at the beginning of October.”

She would obviously need to go back to work, that’s no surprise, so I’m confused why she seemed like telling me this would agitate me. We haven’t spoken too in depth about what happens once I get back into town, but from what little we have, she’s expressed how excited she is to get back into the workforce and have something that’s just for her. She was more than willing to be a stay-at-home mom when we had Suzy, but I know how much she enjoys being more independent.

“That’s great, Jade. I’m happy for you.”

“I’m not done,” she states, sounding hesitant. “They’ve been bought out by a larger company since I worked there before. Training now takes place at their main office, so I’d have to travel there for that. They’d cover lodging and food and all of that, but I’d have to go to Salt Lake City for training.”

“For how long?”

Wincing, Jade says, “Six weeks,” before adding in a hurry, “But I’ll be home before Thanksgiving, so that’s a plus.”

“I’ll already be home from the circuit by the time you’d need to leave, so I don’t see the problem.”

“Really?”

Huffing out a laugh through my nose, I say, “Yes, Jade. What? Did you expect me to get pissed off? How many times over the course of our life have you rearranged your schedule to accommodate me traveling for work? I think the least I can do is hold down the fort with Suzy while you’re gone.”

Even before we had Suzy, my career was always the most demanding. The one that required constant flexibility. I can fully recognize that being married to a bull rider isn’t easy, in any sense of the term. We travel for nearly half the year, and when we are home, we’re training. Our jobs are dangerous and unpredictable. You never know how you’re going to do, so one year you could be rolling in money, and then the next, you’re struggling to make ends meet. Sure, that doesn’t happen now that I’m as well-known as I am, thanks to sponsors and what have you, but in the early years, things got dicey.

Even though Jade and I are getting a divorce, we still have to co-parent Suzy together. Which means she’s still going to have to deal with a bull rider’s schedule and lifestyle, at least until I retire.

“There’s more,” she mutters, suddenly looking uncomfortable all over again. “Grady is dropping out of college, and I told him he could stay at the house for a while, and that it would be really great if he could help you out while I’m gone since I know you’ll need to go to the arena to train and stuff.” Jade says the entire sentence in one long breath, her face scrunching up when she’s finished.

Lips pinched into a thin line, I bite down on my molars, forcing myself to take a few deep breaths before I respond. This is the second fucking time she’s offered up the house to her brother without even talking to me about it first.

“Are you mad?” she asks.

“I’m a little annoyed you told him he could stay there without talking to me about it first,” I respond before adding, “Again.”

She sighs. “It could be really helpful. Boone. Think about it. You wouldn’t have to ask either of our parents to watch Suzy when you needed to go to the arena. Besides, you two get along. It should be fun.”

“Yeah, but just because I get along with someone, doesn’t mean I want them in my house twenty-four-seven.”

“He’s family, Boone, and he’s just figuring out what he wants out of life. I don’t think it’ll kill us to let him crash with us. I’m sure you’ll barely notice he’s even there.”

Doubtful.

“I told him about how we’re getting a divorce,” she goes on. My jaw ticks and my pulse speeds up. I didn’t tell her about him finding out, but I’m assuming he never told her.

“And?”

“And nothing,” she says defensively. “I just didn’t want it to be a total shock for him when we file once you’re home. I figured it would be more uncomfortable having him find out that way.”

Shortly after, we hang up, but my mind is stuck on Grady. Why didn’t he tell Jade that I told him about the divorce? Why keep that to yourself? Knowing Jade’s going to be gone for weeks while Grady is at the house, I can’t help but wonder how that will go. She’s right, he and I do get along just fine. The week I was home for Stampede Days, he was clean and quiet, and he mostly stayed out of the way. Maybe it’ll be like that. That wouldn’t be so bad, I guess.

Blowing out a breath, I stand up and shove my phone into the pocket of my jeans before making my way out of the camper and back to where my group of friends are all sitting around the fire. We’ve got two weekends left on the circuit, tomorrow being the start of the first. We’re having a chill night with a fire and some beer, all of us exhausted and ready to head home.

“Hey, fucker,” my buddy, Shooter, calls out as he sees me approach. “Where the hell have you been?”

Stopping at one of the coolers, I pluck out an ice-cold bottle of Bud Light before taking a seat around the fire. “Called Suzy before she went to bed, and then talked to Jade for a minute.”

After we all hit the road again after Stampede Days, I finally decided to tell my friends about the divorce. It felt like it was time. I’m pretty sure everybody saw it coming. No one acted all that surprised, but they were supportive and empathetic anyway. It hasn’t exactly been a secret that Jade and I were unhappy. We’d fight constantly on the road each year, and it never got better. I’m sure it was awkward for them to be around. They haven’t outright said it, but I think they were happy to hear she wasn’t coming this season.

I’ve missed Suzy like crazy, but I can’t deny how nice it’s been to not have Jade around, huffing and bitching about everything that annoys her. Because everything about the road bothered her.

The bed in the camper.

The traveling.

The showers.

The bleacher seats in the arenas.

Everything.

“How’s everything back at home?” Sterling, Shooter’s boyfriend and one of the bronc riders, asks.

“Good. I’m excited to get home to Suzy.” I bring the lip of my beer bottle up to my mouth, taking a slow pull. “Guess Grady is leaving college and moving in with us for a while.”

Shooter laughs. “No shit?”

“Apparently,” I grumble, taking another swig.

“Bet Little Wilde’s going to enjoy the fuck out of that,” Shooter quips with a smirk.

“What’re you guys talking about?” Colt, another bull rider, asks as he and Jessie sit down beside us.

“Grady is going to be living with Boone for a while,” Shooter tells him with a suggestive waggle of his brows I don’t fucking get.

“Why are you saying it like that?” I ask, my brows pinched together.

“Oh, come on,” Shooter drawls. “Don’t act like you don’t see the way Grady looks at you.”

“Uh…” I glance around the fire. “I don’t. What the fuck do you mean?”

Cope laughs from where he’s sitting on the other side of Shooter, followed by a snigger from Colt. What the fuck is going on?

Shooter grumbles as he sits up a little straighter. “Little Wilde practically has hearts for eyes when it comes to you, Stanton. Are you blind?”

I scoff, just as my stomach clenches. “Don’t be fucking ridiculous, Shooter. He does not.”

“Um, he totally does, man,” Cope chimes in between fits of laughter.

“You guys are fucking nuts. I’m his brother-in-law.”

“Not for long,” Shooter throws in with a cocky smirk.

“Fuck off. Grady doesn’t see me like that.”

“Whatever you say, bro. I’m calling it now… Little Wilde’s going to be jacking his dick like a pubescent boy, knowing you’re just down the hall from him.”

“Shooter, what the fuck is wrong with you?” I basically bark. I’m not one to be easily irritated, but they’re pissing me right off with this bullshit.

“Hey.” He holds up his hands. “Just calling it like I see it, my man.”

Now the image of my soon to be ex-wife’s little brother doing that is stuck in my mind…and that’s something I definitely don’t want or need to be thinking about. Shooter’s lost his damn mind if he thinks Grady sees me as anything other than family. Besides, it doesn’t matter if he does anyway. He’s my brother-in-law, and I’m not into men.

Downing the rest of my beer, I rise off the chair, tossing it in the garbage. Giving Shooter the finger, I say, “I’m going to bed, you twisted pervert.”

“Fuck you too!” he calls out, his smile clear in his words.

There’s no way he’s right. I would’ve noticed by now had Grady looked at me differently…right?