Chapter 38 Shiloh
Shiloh
After our run, I could have literally jumped off of Riot into Verge’s arms. He has shown up for me in the very best way.
Tyler giving me Cross’ hat right before that run was just the cherry on top of a perfect day.
Did I imagine this day without Cross roping by my side?
Absolutely not. But Verge stepped up in a way I never expected.
The losses in our lives we have endured were all so unexpected.
But at the end of the day, it’s the unexpected things that make our lives and the paths we walk so different and beautiful.
The roads we are on are never promised to be easy, but they shape us and mold us into who we are meant to be all the same.
Tyler has also helped me keep his memory alive whether she realizes it or not. She’s a piece of me now too. She’s the sister I didn’t know I needed.
After we put the horses up, we walked around for a while until Tyler was up for barrel racing on Venom.
I’m excited to watch her. She's been working her ass off, and Venom can freaking fly. I smile remembering the first time we watched her and how she flew through the pattern and Cross put his hand over his beating heart, saying, “I think I’m in love,” and the memory makes me smile as they call her name, “Tyler Drake riding Venom at Dusk, come a runnin’. ”
I glance over to Cash, who is trying to hide his smile, but I see it.
I see the way he looks at her whether he wants to admit it or not.
Something is there, and it gives me a shimmer of hope in my heart.
As much as I hate Cross isn’t here for her, I think those two would be a good match, but I don’t mention it to either of them, because I feel like for all of us it would be too soon, but I can pray it all works out.
Tyler comes flying in the arena wide open. She turns the barrels as if she’s slicing though warm butter, and it’s impressive as hell; Venom is ridiculously athletic too. As she makes her way out, the announcers boom over the speakers.
“Wow. Your new time to beat, ladies, is 13.4 seconds! Tyler Drake, you have taken the lead in the 2026 NFR.”
Verge picks me up from behind, and I giggle as he kisses my cheek and says, “I gotta go, baby. I love you.”
My stomach flips, and I grab his face and kiss him, saying, “Come back to me.”
“Always, Boots.” He smiles and kisses my head. As he goes to walk off, I grab his hand, and he looks up at me.
“I love you, Verge.”
“I love you, Shi.” He walks off, and I’m nervous, but not like I was the night my dad passed. I feel good about it. Cash walks up, swinging his arm around me, and says, “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I sigh.
“Come on,” he says, turning toward the box we will sit in, and we walk over and wait for the bull riding to start.
Tyler joined us a little while ago, and she is on one side of me with Cash on the other, while mom sits beside him.
Beau is apparently sitting with the blondie he met the first day here.
My leg is bouncing up and down, and I’m picking at the sides of my fingers, ready for his ride.
He drew Wicked Ride tonight, and he’s currently the last bull rider to ride.
Go fucking figure.
The wait feels like an eternity. Tyler grabs my nervous hands and says, “Shiloh, you’re going to bounce all of us out of this box, and you’re going to have to explain these bloody fingers to him if you don’t calm down. He's got this okay?”
I nod, and she keeps a hold of my hands for a second longer before offering me a small smile and says, “You’re stronger than you think, babe.”
“We have Cayden Grant in chute one riding Fan the Flames, Eric Wells in chute two riding Hell on Hooves, and lastly, in chute three to wrap up the night, we have Verge McCoy riding Wicked Ride.”
We watch Cayden get thrown off within three seconds, Eric rides the full eight with a score of 78, his free hand was sloppy and his spur went past the bull’s shoulder, and now Verge is up.
My leg relentlessly bounces up and down, and Tyler looks at me and places her hand on my thigh just like Cross used to, and it calms my nerves a little, but not completely.
Cash warps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me in, saying, “The seconds may seem endless, little sister, but remember they aren’t.”
I shake my head and look at Cash. His green eyes make me feel like my dad is here with me. He looks so much like him that it’s unreal.
I look again to the chute, and Verge wraps his hand, and before he nods his head, he looks up in the box we are sitting in and, as always, winks at me. He looks at the cowboys, and I suck in a breath as the gate flies open.
Wicked cuts out quick, bucking left. 1.
His front in winds right with his back end flying left. 2.
Verge holds tight, his form as always impeccable.
Wicked spins, hopping left quickly and then cutting right. 3.
He lurches forward, then down and up. 4.
The breath I’m holding feels like it’s trying to escape me, and my eyes want to shut for the remainder of the time, but I keep my eyes glued to the man on the bull.
The world around me feels as if it’s slowing until I finally hear the buzzer and look at the clock.
8 seconds. Verge grabs the rope, freeing his hand, and jumps off the back of the bull, landing solidly on his feet and running to the box beside the stands that we are in, jumping up and looking right at me.
“91 points, folks, Verge McCoy is your new bull riding Champion of the 2026 NFR!”
I look at him with questioning eyes as he stands on the gate looking right at me with a smile plastered on his face.
“Marry me, Shiloh,” he says, and I cover my mouth, gasping, not realizing I just now let out the breath I was holding.
“What?” I laugh.
“Marry me, baby. I put you through hell for 10 rounds this weekend, and this is the light at the end of the tunnel. Marry me.”
I throw my head back laughing and grab his face, kissing him, and even though the crowd around us is roaring, it’s only me and him at this moment. I pull back with tears streaming down my face, and he asks, “So is that a yes?”
I count to 8 slowly, and his face turns to worry before I burst into laughter before I say, “Thought I’d make you wait 8 seconds for my answer.”
He lets out a breath he was holding, and I hear Tyler giggling beside me along with Cash and mom before I say, “Yes, Verge, I will marry you.”
I lean down once more, kissing him before he hops down, grabbing his rope. He looks back at me and winks, walking back into the chutes.
I take off, almost tripping over my seat, and Tyler laughs, saying, “Go get your man, girl.”
Slipping out of the back of our box, I make my way through the public seating.
I run to the private interior concourse, making my way into the credentials hallway.
I race through the arena floor tunnel, and when I turn the corner, there he is leaning on the wall with a small blue box in his hand, and he gives me that cocky smirk I remember from the first time we met.
“There you are, Boots.”
He pushes off the wall with his shoulder, his rope on his arm, as he makes his way closer to me and gets down on one knee when I say, “I said yes.”
“Cool it, heifer, I had more to say.” He smiles with that dimple popping out, and I throw my head back laughing, but look down as he proceeds.
“Shiloh Hilliard, you are my angel and my reason for living, I love you more than anything in this world. I want to spend every day with you, and be the reason for the smile on your face. Your smile is the reason I’m still here. That day you smiled at me was the day I knew I needed you.”
He opens the box, and my hand flies to my mouth. It’s antique. It has a blue sapphire baguette ring, the band is gold and encrusted with diamonds.
“It was my mother’s. I know without a doubt in my mind she’d want you to have it.
” He smiles, and I nod as tears cascade down my face.
I bring my left hand to his shaking hands as he places it on my ring finger.
He stands admiring it before he brings his hand to my chin, tilting my head up.
His eyes brim with tears, but he doesn’t let one fall before he says, “I love you.”
“I love you, Verge.” I swing my arms around his neck, and he spins me around, and we both laugh together in pure bliss.
I don’t know what our future holds, but what I do know is he will be by my side for all of it.