Chapter Twenty-Two
“I was practically part of the family.”
I was shoving clothes in my suitcase as hard and fast as I could, anger flooding my veins.
So this is what they did? They brought you into their home, fed you a meal, gave you a bed, and offered one of their hot sons to date?
I wasn’t special.
My mind was running irrationally fast.
I had faked a stomachache with Billy and left the arena seconds after talking to Colton’s ex. I grabbed a taxi to the Nash home as fast as I legally could.
Rain poured on the car, making me feel even more anxious.
I knew this would be the only time the house would be empty. I could leave without having to explain myself to anyone.
Once my clothes were shoved away, I made the bed, picked up my suitcase and laptop bag, and slammed the bedroom door behind me.
I was going to find the first stupid hotel in that stupid town. I was going to put up the Do Not Disturb sign and not come out until the rodeo tomorrow. I was going to do my work, keep my head down, and get out of Oklahoma as fast as possible.
Only a few rodeos remained. Colton was only going to be there for his event one night a week. I could avoid him.
The screen door slammed behind me.
I was standing in the downpour of rain, my light blue dress already soaked and clinging to my body.
The taxi was still idling, waiting to take me away from this house that smelled like a home. I shoved my bags and my wet butt in the backseat.
“Where to now?” The man asked.
“A hotel, I don’t care which one,” I said, grumpily.
He pulled down the long gravel driveway, the wipers swiping across the windshield aggressively.
The thunder rumbled and lightning cracked.
“What a storm.”
Another love grows cold on a sleepless night.
“Yeah.”
We were back down the gravel road that led back to town. I leaned my head back and glanced down at my phone.
I had six missed calls from my mom and one text that said: “CALL ME.”
I rolled my eyes, not having a care in the world for what my mother could need from me.
I also had ten missed calls and a bunch of texts from an unknown number. I scrolled through them.
Hey Ally! It’s Colton, just realizing I didn’t have your number before, silly me. Anyway, I can’t find you anywhere. Where are ya?
Barely two minutes later, another was sent.
I’m getting worried. Are you still in the arena?
Three minutes later:
Your photographer said you had a stomachache and left. Are you okay? Will you call me?
Another missed call from his number.
Ally, please call me. Did I do something wrong?
He didn’t wait a full minute before sending the last text.
I’m really worried. I’m just leaving the arena. If you get these messages, please call me.
I dropped my phone back on the seat and looked out the window, racing little streaks of rain in my head.
The car turned onto the first paved road.
I rubbed my tired eyes.
A red truck flew past us. I knew who it was before I saw the cliche license plate, and sighed. The truck swung into a reckless U-turn and latched onto the car’s tail, refusing to let a single inch of asphalt come between them, and honked like crazy.
“Geez! This guy is riding me!” The driver complained.
“Speed up,” I instructed. “Maybe he’ll get bored and lose interest.”
Oh, that one hurt.
“Maybe I should just pull over and let him pass,” he whined, uncertain.
“Speed up!”
He listened and sped right into a huge puddle.
The tiny car didn’t stand a chance.
We were engulfed in a wave of rainwater. The driver screamed like a girl as we hydroplaned. I gripped the door handle.
He finally got control of the car and didn’t wait another second before pulling off the road. He was yelling, demanding I get out of the car.
I was barely paying attention.
Colton had pulled over behind us, practically jumping out of his truck.
I popped the door open, dragging my suitcase and myself out of the car. “What are you trying to do?” I yelled over the rain. “Kill me?”
The taxi pulled back on the road and zoomed off.
Colton was running toward me, not caring as the rain drenched his clothes. “Ally! I’ve been lookin’ everywhere for you!”
I stopped inches in front of him. “I’m leaving.”
He tilted his head, his hair clinging to his confused face. “What? Why? Did you get called back into work?”
There was a reason I was with Harrison.
He wasn’t someone who could hurt me with a few words. He wasn’t going to make me feel dizzy with his kisses. He didn’t consume my every thought.
I was with Harrison because he couldn’t break my heart.
Now, standing in the pouring rain, in front of a man I’d only known a few weeks, I knew he could tear me apart if he wanted to.
I thought about his ex’s words.
I was practically part of the family.
“I don’t want to be this season’s whore,” I said sharply.
Colton looked like I had slapped him. “I beg your pardon?” He asked in a tone just as sharp, having to shout over the rain.
“I know how you work,” I shot back. “You get your grips on a lonely girl, take her home to see what she’s missing, and drop her when a better one comes along.”
“Oh, you’ve got me all figured out, do you?” He asked, genuinely offended.
“Yep.”
“And why do you think you’ve got me figured out?” Colton was angry, throwing his hands up wildly. “Where’s your evidence, Chicago? Tell me your proof.”
“Your last rodeo whore told me.”
Colton closed his eyes, clearly annoyed. “Dadgummit, Sav.” He was rubbing his forehead, turning away from me.
I poked his shoulder. “Yeah, she told me how you broke up with her after a year for nothing.” Okay, I was speculating now, but my mother’s anger was fiery in my veins, and I was ready to lose it. “That you pulled all the same antics to ‘woo’ her, until you found someone new.”
Colton creased his eyebrows together, turning back to give me a hard stare.
“So how much research did you do, Colton? How long did it take for you to find out that my mom and I don’t talk?
How did you find out about my dad?” I was crying now, my pathetic lip quivering like I was a toddler.
“Is that why you chose me? Because you knew how much I would love your family? You knew how easy it would be for me to fall-”
He held up his hand, cutting me off. “My turn to talk,” he demanded.
I immediately shut up, surprised by his sudden reaction.
“Let’s start with what Sav told you. She said after a year, I broke up with her for ‘nothin,’ right?”
More or less.
“I broke up with her the day you interviewed me.” His eyes softened, begging me to listen. “I broke up with Sav because the moment you and I started talkin’, I felt more for you than I ever felt for her. It would’ve been cruel to keep datin’ her.”
When I didn’t reply, he went on.
“I felt more for you in one minute than I ever felt for her.”
A part of me wanted to doubt his words, to believe he was saying all of this to get me into bed. But the yearning look in his eyes, his outstretched hand, all he’d done for me, it was all genuine.
Colton wasn’t using me; I knew it with every inch of my heart.
His hand was beginning to tremble. He started to close it.
I couldn’t let him go.
I grabbed his hand, begging him to stay.
He gave in to my touch immediately, pulling me close. His hands wrapped around my waist, and mine travelled up to his neck. We stared at each other, neither of us moving. His green eyes were drowning mine, droplets of rain sliding down his nose.
Like an avalanche, his defenses fell. His hand grabbed the back of my head, forcing me up and into his lips. He was kissing me like he was hungry, and I kissed him like I’d been waiting my whole life for his lips.
“Ally,” he whispered between breaths, “promise me you’ll never leave.”
In this moment, I would’ve promised him my every dime, everything I’d ever owned, I would’ve given up my own life for him. I would give anything to stay in his arms forever. “I promise,” I said with surety.
~~~
I was shivering by the time Colton opened the screen door for me. My heart was heavy from the rollercoaster of emotions. A part of me wanted to lock the bedroom door, curl up, and sort all this out in the morning.
But I owed Colton more than that, after I had accused him of those horrible things.
“I’ll grab you some clothes,” he said quietly, sliding his boots off by the door.
I wanted to stop him, say that I had perfectly dry clothes in my suitcase he had just carried in, but I stayed silent. I was sopping, a puddle forming at my feet on the welcome mat.
Colton stopped in the hallway and looked back at me. “You don’t have to wait at the door like a stray dog,” he said with his crooked smile. “Come on.”
I let a hint of a smile cross my face as I followed him, my feet leaving squishy wet marks.
I parked myself in the bathroom, just like my last disaster, and grabbed a towel from under the sink.
The girl in the mirror looked shocked to see me. My eyes were puffy, my face deprived of all makeup after the heavy rain. My hair was soaked, stuck to my neck. I looked five years younger, like a kid again. I swallowed, wiped my eyes, and began wiping my skin with the towel.
Colton returned from his room with a sweatshirt and loose pants. He was still soaked. “Here, just until I get your clothes in the dryer.”
Once again, I had a suitcase full of perfectly dry clothes sitting by the front door. But I wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity to wear Colton’s oversized sweats.
“Thank you.”
He swallowed hard, setting the clothes on the counter.
I stared at him, his sharp jaw, his bright green eyes, his messy wet curls clinging to his skin. He squeezed his hands tight, like I had seen him do right before the chute opened. He was preparing for something. Another speech? A demand for me to leave? A confession?
Finally, he sighed, stood up straight, and began unbuttoning his wet gray shirt. Once the buttons were undone, he peeled it off his skin.
He was now shirtless in front of me, still staring straight ahead. His Wranglers were clinging to his legs, his bright green socks forming puddles on the tile. His arms were covered in tiny chill bumps.
I took a step toward him, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my fingertips.
The silence was palpable.
He glanced down at me, still serious.
I put my hand on his forearm, feeling his cold skin under my fingertips. “Colton…”
“Ally…”
I couldn’t resist, and he didn’t either.
His hand swooped behind my soaked dress, snatching my waist like his life depended on it. My hands found his cheeks, bringing his face as close to mine as I could. His lips parted, kissing me even deeper.
I couldn’t get enough.
His cold chest was pressed against mine. He tilted his head, inviting my tongue inside his warm mouth.
“I mean, I saw his truck parked outside, he must be here.”
“It’s just not like him to leave an event like that so early.”
The voices hit my ear a second before Colton pulled away.
“Oh, hi, Mamma,” he said quickly, taking a step away from me.
Heat rushed to my cheeks as I turned to see Jo, Dennis, and Dean.
“Colton! Allegra!” Jo said loudly, trying to find her footing in this awkward conversation. “I-uh, let me…I need to grab some stuff in the..uh…in the kitchen!” She hurried back down the hall, dragging the boys behind her.
Colton and I faced each other again and burst out laughing.