Chapter 29 #2
"Naw," J.D. assured us. "This ain't so bad. Upper middle class. The rich folks? That's the country music stars, and they'd never be out here."
"And this?" I said, checking my phone's screen one more time. "J.D., this is a lot nicer than a single-wide mobile home."
"Nicer than the two story no-lot line thing I grew up in," Tanner added.
"The black fence!" J.D. said, all but ignoring us. "That's the one. Right up there. Yep. And the code's my birthday, Cody."
I slowed down and turned into a gravel drive, but there was a gate across the front with the silhouette of a bull's skull welded into the middle. At the side was a box, so I rolled down the window and used the same code as his phone. Immediately, the gate started rolling to the side.
"Very fancy," Tanner breathed as I started easing the truck forward again, up the slight incline toward the house.
But in the back seat, J.D. had his phone out and was texting frantically. He was also smiling, so clearly I was at the right place, but damn. I knew he was rich, but it was different at the events. This? This was the sort of thing most of us would call a dream come true.
"Pull over to the left side," J.D. ordered.
I did, and had just turned the truck off when the garage door began to roll up. Inside was a Latina woman with the biggest smile on her face. That was enough to make J.D. throw open his door and start scrambling to get out.
"Mama!" he called.
I glanced over at Tanner, looking for a little reassurance.
He lifted one shoulder in something like a shrug, proving he was bracing for this too.
Not that I expected it to be bad, but I was still meeting my boyfriend's family - with my other boyfriend.
I could think of so many ways this would go wrong.
J.D. had managed to limp his way closer to give his mom a hug when Tanner and I descended from the beast J.D.
called a truck. From behind the house, the barking of a dog could be heard, but Maria, J.D.
's mom, turned with an even bigger grin - just as a girl burst through the door at the back of the garage.
"Cody!" she squealed, hurrying over toward me.
She was short, thin, curvaceous, and had long raven-dark hair to go with her tawny complexion. Where J.D.'s ethnicity was a little ambiguous, his sister clearly showed her Mexican ancestry. She was also stunning.
Only belatedly did I realize why her shirt looked familiar. It was black with a pink logo I knew very well. I figured that out just as she stopped before me, almost vibrating with excitement.
"I'm so glad you came!" she said breathlessly. "I've watched all your rides, and José's told me all about you. Can you maybe sign my poster?"
"Poster?" I asked.
Which made Maria chuckle. "José sent some home for us. Said he wanted to keep them for collectors' items."
"And I have mine up in my room," Isabella explained. "Come!"
The girl grabbed my hand and hauled me that way, although we only made it a step before J.D. stopped her.
"Don't pull! Cody's got a busted elbow!"
"And J.D. has broken ribs," I shot back.
Tanner just flapped his arms at his sides. "For once, I'm not broken at all."
Isabella giggled, but didn't slow down. She also didn't pull on me, so I followed. Behind us, I heard Maria talking to Tanner, but in front of me?
Holy shit. This place was nice.
Vaulted ceilings, fancy furniture, and a massive TV were visible as Isabella hurried me through the living room and up a long hall. That led to the stairs. Together, we jogged up those, only for her to turn into the first room on the right.
"Here," she said, finding a marker on her desk. Then she pointed.
There, just beside her bed, was my poster. That was me on Without Ado for the few seconds I'd managed to cling to him back in St. Louis, and surprisingly, I looked good.
"Where do you want me to sign?" I asked as I headed to it.
"Anywhere you want," Isabella assured me. "I told my friends you were coming, and this will let me prove it. I mean, we all love you, Cody. Seeing a girl in the Pbr? And one who can keep up with my brother?"
"Trying," I admitted as I took up a lot of space with my signature. "Not quite succeeding."
Isabella just chuckled. "Pretty sure you have the infamous J.D. Adkins whipped. In my whole life, I've never seen him work this hard to impress anyone, not even his sponsors. To me, that looks a lot like winning."
"Yeah, but that's a different sport," I pointed out. "Dating and bull riding are not connected at all."
"Yeah, but which one is more important?" she asked.
I paused, my mouth hanging open because her question hit me harder than it should've.
Riding bulls was supposed to earn me a future, but what sort of future did I want?
What was I willing to give up to get that?
I didn't want one where I'd be alone. Dating J.D.
? That was my future in another way. He was my partner in more ways than one.
A man I could count on to be there when I needed him most - usually with Tanner at his side.
"Do I have to pick?" I asked after a pause that had lasted too long.
"Nope," Isabella said. "See, your reaction told me everything I need to know. You're serious about my brother. You're serious about bull riding. He is too. In my opinion, that means you just passed." Then she winked. "Let me show you the rest of the house."