Twenty-Five #2
“Yes, friends. Don’t interrupt or I won’t tell you.
” She frowns at me. I pretend to zip my lips and throw away the key, the gesture seeming to tame the beast temporarily because she continues her story.
She can play this game all she wants, but those two are oddly alike, despite their insanely different exteriors.
“As I was saying. I turned around and he was standing like right there. He started babbling on about some crap because my ex turned up an—”
“Wait, back up. What?”
“My ex showed up at the bar.”
“The guy from the cattle station?”
“Yeah, Dale – stupid name. Ugh. He waltzed in with Kai and couldn’t wait to crawl his way over to me.” Ella’s tone is laced with disgust as she relays the evening.
Kai Ballantine I’ve heard of. I have never met him, or his twin brother, Alister, but their reputation proceeds them. Kai is a champion bull rider, a well-known lothario, and has frequent run-ins with the law for various petty crimes – the ones we hear about anyway.
Shit. This is bad. This is really bad.
“What happened, Ella?”
“I don’t know, to be honest. Vague threats were made, and Colt nearly punched him after telling him to fuck off about five times. As usual, Dale just stuck his nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“Is Colt okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, Kai came over and told them to knock it off, then they all left and Colt drove me home.” My face must say everything I don’t vocalise because Ella takes a deep sigh and shakes her head before continuing, “Why are men so dumb?”
“Testosterone and whiskey,” I tell her with a laugh.
Colt and Teddy are perched on the bar stools as Ella and I enter the kitchen. Teddy whirls around with a toothpick in his mouth and a ‘Card Games for Dummies’ book in front of him. A deck of cards rests on top of his whiskey glass next to an open packet of cigarettes.
“Who let the riff raff in?” I ask the room.
“Nice to see you too, floss,” Teddy pipes in.
“Floss?”
“Yeah, ’cause your hair looks like fairy floss,” he offers with a shrug.
River’s voice rings out from the living room. “Babe, you need to come up with a better way of creating nicknames.”
He turns in his chair, smirking wickedly at his wife. “Oh really? Should I tell the class why I call you Peach?”
River scowls at her husband, waving a dismissive hand towards him before returning to what appears to be a very extravagant tea party with Billie and Frank. I won’t lie, I’m genuinely curious about the nickname. Someone remind me to ask River about it once she’s had a couple of wines at karaoke.
“I’m gonna teach Colsy-boy here how to count cards.” Teddy flicks the toothpick between his teeth, his brow furrowing as he pretends to read his book.
“You couldn’t count cards if your life depended on it. And that’s blackjack, dumbass.” Jonas huffs, the laugh sounding more like a snort if anything.
My eyes lock on Colt. “Counting cards? Why are we counting cards?” I ask.
“Why not, Anna Banana?” His voice deepens. I can’t tell if it’s from anger or panic.
Heavy footfalls echo from the shadows as Dallas strides into the room. He slides into me, his lips meeting my cheek with a gentle kiss. “Colt got himself into an almost-bar fight with Ella’s ex.”
“So I heard,” I reply, wrapping my arms around his.
“I’d rather he just settled this on a bull, to be honest,” Teddy says to nobody in particular.
“Bulls and horses aren’t so different, ones just a little bit angrier.
If you can ride a horse, you can ride a bull.
” He speaks with confidence, but the look on his face tells me he’s gone back to his rodeo days.
I never knew Teddy when he rode, but despite his last ride being the one that ended his career, his reputation proceeds him even now.
He was one of the best – and youngest – riders that Fires Creek had ever seen, with only a handful of riders since then even coming close to his.
“Who the hell told you that?” I ask, genuinely intrigued by the answer.
“I did,” Teddy replied with a wicked smirk. At least I can see why he’s got a reputation for being a charmer. Charisma oozes off this man like his life depends on it.
“You’re a nutter, Teddy.” I laugh, turning back to Dallas. “So, is anyone going to tell me what happened with Colt and the ex?”
Colt laughs. “Oh, Anna Banana, it’s cool, don’t worry. I told him I would beat his ass in a game of poker, but it turns out, he works for our cousin. Well, cousin in-law.”
“Doesn’t he work at the Ballant— OH MY GOD, DALLAS!” I scream. Literally everyone turns to look at me, the kids included.
“Jesus, floss. Way to give a man a heart attack,” Teddy quips.
I stifle my voice until it’s barely a whisper before continuing, “How the hell are the Ballentine’s your cousin in-laws?”
Dallas looks at me, a pained expression in his eyes. It’s only then that I realise how badly I fucked this up, and my reaction is probably not what he was hoping for. Every set of eyes in the room stares back at me as they watch me piece it together.
Samantha.
“Okay, so there’s no poker game, and Samantha is the Ballantine’s cousin?” I ask, trying to make sense of the situation.
“Yes, Firefly,” Dallas answers, his arms pulling me closer, like he’s afraid I’ll run.
I clear my throat, the sudden realisation hitting me like a tonne of bricks.
I don’t know if my reaction was disrespectful to the twins or to Dallas’ late wife, but I do know that I feel like the biggest idiot right now.
I’m trying to summon a reply, but Colt pulls me up short, his palm casually resting against my shoulder as Dallas loosens his hold on me, allowing me a moment with his brother.
“You don’t have to worry about me, okay? I shouldn’t have lost my cool, but that guy pisses me off,” Colt says, his voice softening.
Teddy pipes up from his stool. “I don’t even know the bloke and he pisses me off.”
All of us burst into laughter, his sarcastic comment breaking the slight tension that’s still lingering in the air.
My anxiety subsides as I look around at the group of people around me, every one of them completely unique, yet somehow, they fit together like pieces of a puzzle.
All of us have our history, our stories.
They may shape us, dictate how we perceive the world, even determine how we choose to love each other, but our pasts don’t define who we are. If anything, they make us stronger.
I go around the room, letting my gaze rest on every single one of my friends.
Ella; my best friend, my partner in crime, my biggest supporter.
River, Teddy, Jonas, and Frank; the most chaotic, beautiful family I’ve ever met.
So full of love and unapologetic warmth.
Colt with his unintentional lovability, his energy unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed, his strength unmatched.
Billie, the daughter of the man I’m in love with and an incredible soul in her own right.
I take a moment to miss Hannah and her fiancée, Link, wishing they were here tonight.
Finally, I take a deep breath and let myself ease back into Dallas’ arms, the feeling of his embrace sending shivers through my spine. I know that without a doubt, I love him. I love them.
These are my people, my family.
“I love you guys,” I blurt to the room.
Nobody speaks, but ten pairs of eyes lock onto me, except the kids who are busy playing and not remotely concerned with the adult conversation unfolding around them. To my surprise, it’s Jonas who answers. “Yeah, I love you lot too.”
The rest of the group smile, several other confessions are made, and we stand in Dallas’ kitchen laughing together until Colt pipes up. “Alright, enough sap you lot. Who wants a drink?’