Epilogue
The whistles and cheers fill the coliseum, everyone waiting in anticipation. My legs bounce with nervousness and I chew on my bottom lip.
“Stop. He’s going to do great.” Cami lays a calming hand on my thigh and I clamp both of mine over hers.
“I know. It’s still nerve-wracking. I don’t think it ever gets easier.” Vaughan throws his arm over my shoulder as he balances little Sloane on his lap.
My little nephew is one year old and he’s the cutest little boy in the world.
Cami, just like I knew she would be, is the best mother.
Vaughan is proud and cries a little when he thinks about the life he and Cami created.
And Dagen is the most amazing big sister.
I thought that a fourteen year old would be too busy with her social life and meeting boys to have time for her drooly little brother.
But that girl will drop the world just to be with him.
She’s always wanted a sibling and Sloane has made her big sister heart swell with joy.
She’s already asking them for a little sister.
Vaughan is on board, but Cami said she needs a little more time.
“Next up. Hayes McCallan.” The voice booms on the loud speaker and the crowd goes wild.
Like they always do, ladies swoon when they hear his name. Many come dressed in revealing clothing and jeans three sizes too small, all in the hopes of gaining his attention. They all get let down hard when he tells them he has a wife.
Wife.
It’s a word I began to think I’d never hear. To think that my sister and I have the same last name again is quite hilarious. The Villalobos sisters became the McCallan sisters.
Hayes was quite serious about borrowing Luca’s plane to fly off and get married right away, but I told him we needed to slow down.
Vivian would murder us if we beat her down the aisle.
We let her have her moment (more like moments since her high lasted for months) and then we set about planning our wedding.
I don’t know how long we can consider ourselves newlyweds, but I’m assuming it’ll be soon before we have to drop that title. It’s only been three and a half months so we’re probably okay with soaking it up a bit longer.
We decided to get married before Christmas in the exact barn where we got engaged.
Well, not the actual barn but you get the picture.
It was a bit cool to have an outdoor wedding, but no one cared.
We were all so wrapped up that we couldn’t feel the cool breeze that blew by.
Hayes, in true fashion, wore his cowboy hat and I –deciding to surprise him– wore mine.
After we took a few more minutes by ourselves after our impromptu, we joined everyone else inside to celebrate Christmas Eve.
As we exchanged secret Santa gifts, Hayes spilled the beans that he rigged it a little so that he would get my name.
When he handed me the beautiful box, I was stumped as to what it could be.
When I pulled the lid off, I gasped at the beautiful tan cowboy hat.
It had a matching hatband that looked like a small and elegant belt.
The biggest surprise was when I went to try it on, I noticed something inscribed under the brim. Tears returned as I read what it said.
My girl, my heart, my love. Xx, Your Jolly Rancher
Cowboy hats and me were friends when the theme called for it. But now…now it’s practically part of my uniform along with my trusty jeans and boots.
“Did we miss anything?” Bishop makes way for Anais to pass in front of him as they reclaim their seats.
“No. You’re just in time.” Anais sits next to Vaughan and Bishop reaches over her to grab Sloane. Besides Uncle H, Uncle Bishop is Sloaney’s favorite.
Not long after Christmas –New Year’s Eve, to be exact– Phoenix and Bishop and Anais made up.
We could all tell Nix was having a difficult time without his niece and best friend.
We spent the next week, encouraging him to make ammends and be the one to make things right.
It took a little bit for Bishop to fully trust Nix again, and it took even longer for Nix not to grind his teeth and clench his fists when he saw Bish and Anais showing affection.
Now he only blows hot air when he sees them.
“How has he been at training, bellisima?” Luca leans forward and speaks into my ear.
CeCe holds Naveen in her arms and he twists and turns, trying to get himself into Bishop’s arms and next to his cousin. Bishop holds out his big hand, lifts him up and plops him down right next to Sloane. If anyone can hold two babies in his arms without a problem, it’s Bish.
“Good. Great, actually,” I tell Luca. “It’s me that never does well. I always feel like I’m going to puke right before the clock starts.” He smiles and pats my shoulder with a reaffirming nod.
“I love you Hayes.” A woman standing in front of me jumps up and waves her arms.
“Hey! Goldilocks. I’m trying to take pictures for his wife. Sit your thirty ass down and shut it.” Vivian pops up from where she sits next to Luca and he touches her arm, slowly getting her to turn down the heat.
The woman looks over her shoulder and Viv points an angry finger at me.
The blonde’s eyes find mine and I hold up my hand, flashing her my stunning ring.
Slowly she lowers until she’s planted in her seat and shrinks.
We can always count on Viv to make a scene in public.
But at least it soothed my nerves a bit.
“Peaches. Chill out. You’re going to get kicked out.” Nix’s voice can be heard from the speaker of her phone.
She isn’t really taking pictures for me, but rather FaceTiming with Nix as he’s away at spring training. He really wanted to be here, but Hayes insisted he stay in Florida and told him he’d be at the next one.
I watch Hayes climb into place, his helmet and vest secure, and close my eyes to say a little prayer.
It’s the same one every time. Keep him safe, protect him from harm, and help him to kick ass.
When I open my eyes, Maxine and Jim stare up at me from where they sit next to my parents in the row just below us.
They’re always so nervous and together we all sit with bated breath.
His booted feet are planted on the scuffed bars of the bucking chute and men stand all around him. The lock clicks, Hayes falls into his seat, and a bell has the gate flying open.
The bull is a honker and Hayes’ hand is gripped tight under the rope. The fringe on his leather chaps fly this way and that way, and the damn bull looks like a jump and kicker. But my man holds tight, spurring the big guy and letting those points stack.
If anyone ever tells you that eight seconds flashes in the blink of an eye, they’ve never been married to a bull rider. Eight seconds feels like a lifetime when you’re watching someone getting tossed around by a bull that’s trying to get him to see daylight.
People are whistling and cheering louder and louder as each second passes and pretty soon, everyone is on their feet.
A buzzer sounds and I throw my hands into the air.
Eight seconds is over and he was nearly perfect.
He loosens his grip as the bullfighters work their magic to divert the bull’s attention, and jumps from his seat, rolling once he hits the ground.
He pops up and immediately surges for the gate where he stands on the top and searches for me. I wave to him as tears fall from my eyes and he winks and blows me a kiss.
“Not you, sister,” Viv screams, presumably at the woman from earlier who is equally as giddy.
Our eyes find the scoreboard as we wait for the points to tally and the butterflies storm all over again. This is it; the short go round which means a winner will be decided. Hayes isn’t favored to win, but he is definitely the fans favorite.
We watch and wait and then it happens.
“A score of 91.5 for the rider Hayes McCallan puts him first place.” The announcer’s voice booms and for a second time, the fans roar with exuberance. Hayes jumps in the air, falling to his feet and Beaux rushes to his side.
My life has become a constant loop of an eight second ride.
Exciting, nerve wracking, thrilling highs and lows and at the end of each day, the best ride of my life.
Sometimes you get bucked off, and other times you come out a champion.
But the one consistent thing I can count on is Hayes always being by my side.