37. A Bet
A BET
Ivy
My horse’s name was Applejack, and she was pure white with gray splotches all over her. She was stunning, and if I could magically bring her back home to Colorado with me, I would. She’d have her own stall in Oliver’s barn, and every day I’d bring her treats and carrots.
“How you doin’ over there?” Oliver asked, his voice quiet and just between the two of us as we trotted along the dirt path through a cluster of trees. The sun was starting to peek out from behind the trees, and the blue of the water off the cliffs ahead was bright as hell.
My eyes met his, the deep, endless blue of them saying more than he ever would.
“Good.” I couldn’t help the smile that took over when Applejack let out a breathy chuff from below me. “Okay, really good.”
It sounded stupid, but that was exactly how I was. Really fucking good.
I’d spent the last two days with my best friends—drinking mixed drinks, eating ice cream, making homemade pizzas, laying on the beach, swimming, and we even went diving and shark teeth–hunting along the beach.
This morning in the bathroom, he’d caught me off guard. Honestly, his comment in the kitchen had surprised me. Not in a bad way, just in the way that spoke of how this man kept me on my toes. Always guessing. Always wondering what he’d say or do next, yet never feeling safer than I did next to him.
“I’m glad. Legs okay?” His eyes shot down to my lap, and I couldn’t stop the heat that reached my cheeks.
I wasn’t sure if he meant my thighs from riding, or if he was referring to the fact that every bump and strut, there was nothing protecting me from rubbing against the material of these damn leggings.
It’d gotten easier to hold myself sturdy in the saddle as we went, but the first mile had me wanting to scream.
Preferably at him, but that wasn’t the point.
“Fine. Perfect, actually. Thanks for asking.”
Oliver smirked. The fucker knew exactly what he was doing.
I’d never seen myself as being the girl with the daddy kink.
In fact, I’d read plenty of books with daddy kinks, and none of them affected me any differently than the rest. But something about Oliver made it different.
His foul mouth growling in my ear while he took control of every aspect of my pleasure had my mind reeling and spinning in a way I’d never once witnessed before him.
I cleared my throat, forcing my eyes away from him and ahead of us. Aspen and Rowan were side by side, making occasional comments about the landscape and pointing out things to each other.
As if against my own wishes, my eyes began wondering back to the cowboy beside me. His horse, Flap Jack, was dark brown with a white snout. She was stunning, and the fact that both our horses were named after a breakfast food made me giggle when Millie introduced us.
The stupid Levis he had on looked as if they were molded for his ass, and his ass alone.
He even donned his cowboy hat, the brown the same color as Flap Jack.
Anyone else dressed like this would be accused of trying to play up the cowboy routine, doing it for the aesthetics.
But not Oliver Carragan. One look at his hair curling out under that hat, his light scruff, the bit of chest hair peeking out of his button-down?
There wasn’t a doubt to anyone with eyes that he was a true cowboy.
“Enjoying the view?”
My eyes shot back to his. The damn smirk he was wearing said he saw that long eye-fuck I’d just given him, but I swallowed down the nerves over it.
“Yes,” I said simply, my eyes returning back in front as we cleared the trees and the sky opened up along the cliffs.
I glanced back over at him for a moment, a smile on his face, as I thought about the fact that there wasn’t anyone else I’d want to enjoy this view with.
We’d finished dinner, which had been amazing.
Oliver had found a cozy Italian place on the way back from the trails.
We’d stopped and had pasta, wine, and way too many slices of cheesy garlic bread.
The horseback riding had been everything I’d dreamed of and then some.
I’d snapped a couple photos once we’d gotten to the lighthouse, and I was eager to post them on my page.
A small break up from the normal book content.
I felt as if I were living in romance novel here.
Once they were up, I almost closed the app when it refreshed and they were staring back at me. It wasn’t as if I’d blocked them, but this was still more than I’d expected so soon.
He was standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist as she held up a sonogram photo.
They both smiled at the camera. I swiped to the next one to find the same photo, only they were smiling at each other.
And the third was a close up of her painted nails holding the sonogram with some blue and pink flowers in the back.
I guess people were taking guesses on whether the baby was a boy or girl.
Lovely.
Aspen plopped down next to me on the couch, looking over at my phone. She let out a groan. “Ew. Seriously? You didn’t block them? I did the moment you texted me and so did Ember. Payton is probably stalking and making a game plan to slash his tires, though.”
I chuckled—the sound not hollow but not quite full, either. The silence stretched on as I didn’t say anything more.
“How are you feeling?” she asked quietly. The guys were out on the deck, and Ember and Payton were dead-set on getting the hot tub to warm up tonight before we left tomorrow.
I shrugged, my eyes turning back down to the photos.
“It’s weird, ya know? It feels like…I’m not sure.
” I let out a breath before I turned fully towards her, my phone locking as I tossed it on the coffee table.
“When Becca told me she was pregnant, I was almost relieved? As if this finally gave me the push I needed to leave and not look back. Like it was permission to admit the relationship was a failure. That we weren’t meant to be. ”
My eyes drifted out to the guys, one in particular stealing my attention as he smiled at something Theo said.
“I don’t know, Aspen. It comes in waves. Sometimes I feel guilty for not caring as much. Like I should spend months crying about this and be so heartbroken, but I just don’t. Three years with the man, and I feel nothing more than shock, I guess, that it went down the way it did.”
She reached over, taking my hand in hers. “I think, in your heart, you two broke up a long time ago. It just took your mind a bit to catch up.”
Nodding, I smiled sadly. “I think you’re right.”
We were quiet for a few moments, but I should’ve known she wouldn’t let a sleeping dog lie.
“So,” she began, the chaos gleaming in her eyes.
“Just spit it out.”
“You’re totally going to be my sister.” There wasn’t a bit of joking in her tone. Just pure joy, but I couldn’t hide my gut reaction.
My eyes shot to hers, wide with shock. “Aspen, shut the fuck up. What are you talking about?!”
Her head fell back, laughter finally slipping endlessly from her lips. “The two of you are so bad at hiding it. It’s like if he isn’t staring at you like he could scoop you up and take you away for months, you’re staring at him like he’s the last cowboy to wrangle up a bull or whatever.”
“That’s a horrid comparison, Aspen,” I muttered, my arms crossed across my chest as I tried to muster a glare for her.
“Nah, I think it’s pretty accurate.” She poked me in the side, a smile still on her face. “So, what’s going on with you two?”
I groaned. “Nothing. I told him no because we both need to be careful with this.” I waved my hand around. “Whatever this is.”
“Uh, why?”
“Because we share a whole friend and family group. Like, our lives are intertwined at the core. If shit goes wrong, it could be horrible for all of us.”
Aspen stared at me, a brow arched as she gave me a slow nod. “Right. Of course. So you absolutely fucked him. Got it.”
My eyes cut back to hers. “Keep your voice down!”
“Oh, I can’t wait to tell the girls I won the bet.”
“What bet?”
She bit her bottom lip, only to let out a sigh. “Don’t be mad. We just had a bet going on, on when it would happen. Ember guessed the moment you started working for him, Payton said my wedding, and I said just before our trip. So I won.”
I stared, shocked. “I don’t even know what to say to you right now.”
“Are you mad? Don’t be mad. It was harmless and only because we all desperately want you to be happy. Both of you.” She leaned over, wrapping her arms around my shoulders in a tight hug.
“You suck,” I mumbled as I leaned my head down on her arm.
I wasn’t actually mad at any of them. I was more perturbed that any of them knew me that well and saw right through the shit I’d been feeding them for months.
Apparently, it was obvious I had a whole host of feelings for my boss.