Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Fourth of July on Wild Acre Ranch also happened to be Rhett's birthday. If he had it his way, we'd have a couple beers at The BP, shoot some pool, and call it a night. But a man never really got his way when a good woman was involved.
For years, Rhett's mama threw a huge shindig—live band, fireworks, the whole nine.
My personal favorite was last year's frozen beverages, courtesy of The Margarita Man.
Dad had just started chemo, so I was drinkin' for both of us.
Reckon I don't need to mention Sass holdin' my hair back that night while I prayed to the porcelain God.
This year, Mama Calloway was in Bozeman with her sister and had made it real clear she wouldn't set foot on Wild Acre as long as Mr. C was breathin' the same air. Which, fair, TBH. Findin' out your husband had a whole other kid out there had a way of sourin' a woman on a place.
The other kid was Elena. Rhett's sister.
Half-sister, technically, but I didn't figure that distinction meant much to either of 'em.
Rhett had flown out to Michigan the moment he found out, went back for Christmas, and had been textin' her regular ever since.
She was up there with her boyfriend Chase and their baby girl—a baby who'd had one hell of a start to life, courtesy of Elena's piece-of-shit ex.
All were fine now. Whole thing had shaken out okay in the end.
But okay and ready to travel with a new baby and a baby-daddy recovering from a gunshot wound were two different things.
And Rhett, for all his checked-in, steady, dependable-as-the-sunrise bullshit, was itchin' to get back out there.
The man had found a sister, and he was the kind of person who took that seriously.
Regularly caught him lookin' at pictures of his niece on his phone with a big-ass grin on his face. But we were gettin' fuckin' old, and if either of us was plannin' to procreate, we'd better be suitin' up—or, not, I reckon.
With my mind on the beautiful, majestic, and absolutely not sexy, heathenistic manner in which one procreates, my eyes scanned the party-goers for my little heathen. Clenched my ass cheeks, and a little shiver runnin' up my spine had me shimmyin' my shoulders like a fool.
"No way you're cold," Sassy said as she sidled up next to me, standin' in the middle of the yard out front the big house. "It's July. Grow some balls."
Girl didn't pull punches, that was for damn sure.
"You grow some balls."
Sassy just rolled her eyes as we stood next to each other in uncomfortable silence. I fuckin' hated that it was uncomfortable. Yeah, we'd been engaged, but more than that, she was my best goddamn friend. I hated that I'd done this to us, but it had to be done.
I knew it.
She knew it.
I looked over at her only to see the softest, sweetest smile on her face as she watched Rhett laugh at something Slim had said over their game of horseshoes. She caught me catchin' her and she winced, lookin' away and anywhere except at Rhett.
"It's a good party, Sass. Mama C'd be proud."
She hummed, but said nothing. Just stayed standin', like she'd rather be anywhere else in the world but couldn't make her feet move. Like she needed somethin' from me as much as I needed to give it to her.
"It's okay, ya know."
She peered up at me from the corner of her eye. "What is?"
I met her eyes as directly as I could when I gave her my truth. "Lovin' him."
She scoffed and looked away, then went quiet. I was sure our little heart-to-heart would end right there, with me sayin' my piece and her still bein' stubborn.
Then, so quiet I barely heard it, "I didn't mean to."
"I know." I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into my side.
"I'm sorry," she said, leanin' into me.
"I'm not," I said firmly. Because I wasn't. It wasn't right, and we both knew it. "I love ya, Sass. Always will. But we were never meant to be forever. And that's okay. I'm okay. We're okay."
I kissed the top of her head, gave her another squeeze and a quick smile before I strolled off to find my girl.
"Wooooo-weeeee, viper!" I shouted as I closed the distance between us. "This is my jam!"
She was at a picnic table covered in some fancy-pancy linens in a red-and-white checkered pattern. It was cute, I reckoned. Cuter, though? The smile that lit up Calvin's face the moment she slammed her shot glass back down on the table.
"You wanna dance, cowboy?"
The little denim shorts she was wearin' were made for sin, and she most definitely wasn't wearin' a bra under her skin-tight white shirt that hit just above her belly button.
She looked damn fuckable, and every red-blooded man on the ranch was droolin' over her tits.
But I was the only lucky bastard that'd actually get to fuck those tits tonight, so the assholes could stare all they wanted.
She sashayed my way, and I had to adjust my rock-hard dick in my pants. The band had just busted out "Boot Scootin' Boogie" and I really did wanna dance.
"Pssh, whole lotta cowboys 'round here, but I ain't one of 'em," I said as she made her way to me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and hers went around my neck. "I'm good with bein' your boy scout," I whispered against her lips.
Then I kissed her hard—right there in front of pretty much the whole damn town. Yeah, I'd kissed her at The BP, but the bar had been loud and crowded. I wasn't so sure anyone had even noticed.
They were noticin' now.
Hoots and hollers rang out across the lawn, a few whistles cuttin' through the music.
"Let's dance, baby," I said when we pulled apart. I took her hand and led her to the makeshift dirt dancefloor, passin' Sassy on the way. She smiled at us, and it told me all I needed to know.
We really would be okay.