Chapter Forty-Four
Jovie
I sit in the chair beside the bed, watching Axle’s chest rise and fall.
I slipped over to the clinic and brought back a stethoscope so I could listen to his lungs. The rib is definitely broken. Probably two ribs, but his lungs are clear. He’ll have another six weeks of healing, but he’ll be okay.
I gave him a dose of pain medication and something to help him sleep tonight, and I wait until it’s kicked in before I grab a sweatshirt, pull it on over my tank top, and slip out the door.
I drive to the ranch house and park in front.
Charli is seated on the top step.
I sent her a message an hour ago, asking if she would unlock the door.
She stands as I approach.
“He’s in his room,” she says.
“Thanks.”
She heads to the trail at the side of the house that leads to her cabin. She stops before she reaches it and calls back to me, “Jovie?”
I turn to her. “Yeah?”
“I know you’re angry about the fight, but take it easy on him, okay? He’s hurt.”
“I know.”
Her eyes flick to the front door as it opens, then back to me. “I warned him you were coming.”
I nod, and she disappears behind the house.
I turn to see Cabe standing by the railing, hands shoved into his pockets, shoulders tight.
I must make some kind of sound because his head jerks up.
His eyes meet mine.
The hurt on his face crushes me.
Before I can think about it, I’m rushing to him, and his brows lift in surprise as I practically launch myself across the porch.
His arms automatically come around me. The embrace is strong, safe, and familiar.
“Whoa,” he says softly.
“I’m sorry,” I say into his chest. The words come out muffled against his shirt. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
His hand settles on my back. “Jo—”
“No,” I say, pulling back enough to look up at him. “Let me say it.”
I tighten my grip. “You shouldn’t have found out about us that way.” My throat burns. “You didn’t deserve that.”
His jaw tightens. “No,” he says, “I didn’t.”
I let out a sob. “We were going to tell you. As soon as he got back from Dallas.”
“How long?”
I press my lips together.
“How long?” he repeats.
I swallow hard.
“We’ve been spending time together since the beginning of summer, but it didn’t become anything serious until a few weeks ago.”
“The beginning of summer.”
“I know. It sounds bad, but it was just friendly at first.”
He lets me go and sits back on the railing.
“Royce knew,” he says. “Charli did too. Did everybody know?”
I stare at him. “No. I didn’t know Charli knew.”
“Apparently, she guessed.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I must have been fucking blind.”
A beat passes.
I walk over and sit beside him.
The moment stretches. Heavy and painful.
Cabe watches me carefully.
“We didn’t even know it was happening. At first, it was completely platonic. Two raging insomniacs, sitting out on the deck, looking at the stars. We’d just sit out there, sharing the night. Sometimes, we’d talk, and sometimes, we wouldn’t.”
He looks at the ground as he listens.
“Before I knew it, we were talking all the time, laughing, sharing food, and getting comfortable with each other.” My voice cracks. “I need you to know that he tried to stop it. He tried to keep me at arm’s length, and I wouldn’t let him.”
“Right.”
I turn to face him. “He did, Cabe.” The tears start burning again. “I wanted him, and I came on to him.”
Silence.
When I finally look up, Cabe is watching me differently.
I laugh bitterly. “I fell for the ornery cowboy.”
Cabe freezes.
Actually freezes.
“Fell? As in fell in love?”
I didn’t mean to say that out loud.
“You’re in love with him?” he asks with disbelief.
I shrug. “Apparently.”
“I thought you two were just messing around.”
I look away.
“He’s a bull rider, Jo.”
“Trust me, I’m aware.”
“He’s on the road ten months out of the year. He lives in sleazy motel rooms and busted RVs. He’s twenty-nine years old, and his longest relationship was a four-day weekend with a barrel racer in Reno.”
That one almost makes me laugh.
“What the hell were you thinking, falling in love with him?”
The tears spill over.
I throw my hands into the air. “Nobody chooses to fall, Cabe. You run, and you trip and fall.” My voice shakes.
“You hit a hole on your bike, and you fall.” I swipe at my eyes.
“You climb a tree, and the branch breaks, and you fall. You get bucked off a horse or a bull, and you fall.” My gaze finds his.
“It’s exhilarating and terrifying, but if you never take the chance, then you never run.
” I take a shaky breath. “You never ride a bike or climb a tree or ride a horse.” I swallow hard. “You never love anything or anyone.”
Cabe just stares at me. “And you love him.”
It’s not a question; it’s a statement.
“Him,” he repeats.
I laugh through the tears, and the sound comes out broken. “I love you both.”
His brows pull together. “Just different. You’re my best friend, and you always will be. He’s …” Cabe’s eyes narrow. “More.”
The word lands between us.
I nod, and a tear slides down my cheek. I wipe it away.
“So …”
Cabe frowns. “So?”
I take a breath. “So, you have to decide if you can live with that. If you can’t, I’ll understand,” I say. “I really hope you can because it would suck to lose you, but it would kill Axle to lose his brother.”
His entire face scrunches. “What the hell are you talking about? You can’t lose me.” Then he wraps one powerful arm around my shoulders. Pulling me against his side. “You’re my best friend, Jojo.”
My throat tightens.
“Have been since I was eight years old.” His voice is rough. “I love you, and you love me. It may not be what it once was. Or the falling-out-of-a-tree kind of love.”
A sob escapes me.
“It’s just as strong.”
“Stronger,” I mutter.
Then he sighs. “Axle is—”
“You don’t have to tell me who Axle is, Cabe. I’ve always known who he is.”
He raises a brow. “I was gonna say, Axle is my brother. I have to love him. Have to forgive him. It just might take me a minute.”
“That’s fair.” The words come out broken.
For a moment, neither of us speaks. The wind blows across the porch.
He finally pulls back enough to look at me. “This summer did not go the way I’d thought it would.”
“Shocked the hell out of me,” I agree as I stand. “I need to check on him.”
He offers me a sad smile. “Is it that bad? I didn’t collapse his lung, did I?”
I shake my head. “No. Re-broke his rib and maybe cracked another. But I swear, he’s like a cat with nine lives.”
He chuckles. “He is a tough bastard.”
I head down the steps to my truck.
And he calls after me, “Jovie.”
I glance back at him.
“We’re all gonna be okay. Eventually.”
I nod because that’s the best I could hope for. Better than I deserve.