Chapter 65
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
Ace
Four Days Later…
I thought winning the rodeo today might make me feel something.
I was so fucking wrong.
Yesterday, I thought Carson signing over Ranch 42 to Hunter might make me feel something. Again, I was wrong.
I'm numb. Ever since watching Harper marry a man that wasn't me, I've felt nothing. Not even anger. Just nothing. Like I'm completely out of fuel. Running on fumes, going through the motions of a life that doesn't feel like mine anymore.
"Want another beer?" Colten asks from the kitchen.
I nod. Still staring out the window.
But then Wyatt runs in, with a now visibly pregnant Lola following behind him and Violet. He rushes at me and jumps on my lap, nearly winding me with an elbow to my ribs.
And I smile. Wrapping my arms around him. He grabs my hat from beside me on the couch and puts it on his head, giving me a huge grin. It swallows his whole face.
"You were awesome today, Uncle A. Like. So good. I’m gonna tell everyone at school."
I hug him tighter. This kid thinks I'm the greatest thing, and I think I'm a complete piece of shit. All I can see is the pain on Harper's face when I told her I was done.
And I know that was what I had to do. Hunter, Colten, and Jett all agree. Yet for some damn reason, I can't stop thinking about the why.
She went to LA to call everything off and come home to me. What the fuck happened?
Hunter is certain she's not in danger. Gianna confirmed it's nothing from her end.
But Harper is damn good at sacrificing herself to save others.
Wyatt pokes me in the cheek, and I chuckle. "Oi."
"Uncle Ace, you need to stop being sad now."
I arch an eyebrow. "What if I can't help it, bud?"
"Then come and play in the yard with Gary. He'll make you happy again."
I laugh, and this time, it's real. Because this six-year-old probably isn't wrong. Running around with a crazy goat for an hour might make me feel something.
Watching Gary headbutt Hunter would definitely bring some sort of joy.
"Gary is not coming inside today, Wyatt," Hunter calls out as he walks in.
He wraps his arm around Lola's waist and pulls her against him. I have to look away.
This is one thing I'm grateful for. My family. Because if they weren't here, I'd be even more of a fucking mess.
Violet comes and sits beside me.
"Dad. Please. Ace needs Gary," Wyatt whines.
"Don't bring me into this!" I joke.
Colten hands me a beer.
"I'll come see Gary with you, okay?" Colten tells Wyatt.
Wyatt jumps to his feet and gives me my hat back.
"Colt, I mean it. That damn goat ate my boots last night. I don't want to even look at him," Hunter says.
Violet giggles beside me. And in that instant, Jett's eyes are on her. I clock it. He clocks me clocking it. We both pretend it didn't happen.
"You good?" I ask her quietly.
She's been quiet recently. Since finding out she's pregnant, we haven't seen her much.
She turns to me, running her fingers through her black hair, and nods.
"I'm okay, Ace. Are you?"
I shrug. "I'll get there, I guess."
She gives me a sad smile and rests her head on my shoulder.
"Life is being a bit unfair to us at the moment, isn't it?" she whispers.
I rest my head against hers. I'm not used to seeing Violet like this—she's usually a ball of fire. Sharp tongue, sharper elbows, the kind of woman who'd fight a man twice her size and win through sheer stubbornness.
"V, I promise, we're going to be fine. Just a rough patch. That's what my mom used to tell me."
She rests her hands on her growing belly.
"I'm kinda scared, Ace. I don't know how to be a mom. How am I meant to do this on my own?"
I close my eyes. My problems feel like nothing compared to hers.
"You aren't on your own, V. You're an honorary Sterling now. The sister I never had. You'll be the best mom. But never alone. You hear me?"
She sniffles beside me. I wrap my arm around her and let her cry into my shirt.
"I can't even drink my worries away," she half laughs, half sobs.
"Probably not the best idea anyways, V. It ain't getting me very far."
She pulls back and wipes her eyes.
"I think you should speak to Harper, Ace. I know what she's doing is fucked up. Like, seriously fucked up. But we all saw how much she loves you. How much you love her. Isn't it worth clearing the air? Maybe then you can move on? Or fix it?"
I chew on the inside of my mouth. It's a battle I have every morning and every night.
I open my mouth—but the door crashes open, and Jett is back in his flamingo shirt, holding two bottles of tequila.
"Did someone say we're partying?" he sings.
I can feel Violet tense beside me. I glance over, and she's watching his every move. Interesting.
"Jett. No one said anything about a party," she says.
He winks at her. She looks away too fast.
"I ain't in the mood to party, Jett," I tell him.
He rolls his eyes and cracks open the bottle. "Wrong answer. Shot." He shoves the tequila in my hand. I can't argue with stupid, so I do as he says. The burn helps. Barely.
"V, wanna come bake some cookies?" Lola calls out from the kitchen.
"See? This is my life now. Baking cookies and doing laundry," Violet mutters.
"I'll take chocolate chip ones, please," I tell her.
She slaps my arm. There she is.
"I'll try not to burn them." And then she's stomping into the kitchen.
"Jett, what are you up to?" I ask, standing and grabbing my hat.
He knocks back more tequila, then hands the bottle to Hunter, who doesn't even question it. I think we're all having quite the week.
"Ace, I can't believe I need to explain this to you. We're going out for a beer, and you, my friend, are going to lose your virginity."
I cough. "Excuse me?"
He slaps his hand on my shoulder, and I tense to resist the urge to throw him through the window.
"Your post-Harper virginity, Ace. You can't spend the rest of your life celibate. You did six years. It's done. Now you can be single—this time, properly."
I take a breath. "You ain't going to let this go, are you?"
I glance at Hunter, who hasn't said a word. I squint at him. "You're in on this, aren't you?"
Hunter laughs. "A little. We've got Ranch 42 secured. We're about to burn the Greeks. To make it three out of three, I need my little brother to move on."
"Asshole," I mutter.
Jett cackles. "Wow, going straight in with anal. Alright, I like your style."
"I ain't doing anything, Jett. I don't need to get laid."
He shakes his head. "No. I'm not watching you do this to yourself again. Your dick will still work on women who aren't called Harper. You'll be fine."
Can it be that bad? Can I even go through with it?
"It's a fuck, Ace. Nothing more. You ain't marrying her. Stop overthinking a one-night stand. I know you haven't forgotten how to fuck."
I nod slowly. "Jett, I know how to use my dick. That ain't my issue. It's that the second I sleep with someone other than Harper, that means it's game over. For real this time."
And that makes my chest nearly implode.
"Ace, I hate to break it to you—it was game over three weeks ago when I had to clean up your puke after what happened. There isn't any coming back. You have to move forward, not stand still. And to do that, you gotta get laid."
"Fine. I'll try. Happy now?" I grunt.
Jett laughs, shaking his head.
"This is like trying to get a toddler to eat vegetables. Except I'm trying to get a grown-ass man to eat pussy."
I run my hand over my face.
"Eatin' pussy kinda feels more like making love than a quick fuck."
Jett's mouth falls open. "Ace. That's the fuckin' foreplay. You don't have to love to appreciate a meal. Jesus. Same way blowjobs work."
Violet walks in, mouth open, and immediately walks back into the kitchen.
I stare at him. Blankly.
"Alright, fuck. Okay. Make a no-kissing rule. Small steps. Just sex. Dick involvement only."
I can't help but laugh.
"Not sure there's a woman out there who's going to agree to fucking me back into single life."
He bursts into uncontrollable laughter.
"Ace, you need to look at your social media comments.
There are thousands of women who'd climb you like a fucking tree, no questions asked.
And they don't even know about the dick piercings yet.
All I'd need to do is post a story asking for resumes.
You don't need dating apps—I've created one for you. You're welcome."
I need at least five more tequilas to deal with this.
He pulls out his phone, and I snatch it straight from his hand. "Nope. Just take me to a bar, and we'll see what happens. Alright?"
He grins. "Deal. Operation Ace Losing His Virginity is back on."
"I'm going to kill you," I mouth to Hunter.
The door crashes open again. Colten.
"So… are we on?"
I run a hand over my face. "You as well?"
Colten nods. "Was my idea, little bro."