Page 159 of Reckless Hearts

“But you two… you made me fall in love with you in a thousand small ways. You respooled the thread that unraveled when I left and used it to sew the broken pieces of me back together.”

My breath shudders.

“I’ve lived believing that even the men who love you will never choose you over the sport. That even asking them to is selfish. I’ve treated that like an unshakable truth. A rule written in blood. Even my owndaddidn’t choose me.”

A pause, then a softer admission. “Then I spent this summer with you… I started to wonder… what if it’s different with you? What if it’s okay to be just a little bit selfish?”

My hands tremble, but I keep my eyes on theirs.

“You’ve done so many things to make my heart believe. Even when I’ve been too scared to admit it.”

A single breath. One last beat, and I slice myself open, leaving me bare.

“And just as much as I’m sure I love you, I’m equally sure… I can’t stay if you’re going to keep competing.”

I brace myself for the silence. For the pity. For the heartbreak.

“So this is me choosing you. Asking you to choose me.”

“There has never been another option,” Maverick says, his voice low and steady. “You’ve always been the only choice. No ride, no win, certainly no damn buckle will ever compare to how I feel about you. I will always choose you. I will always choose us.”

“Honestly, I’m a little insulted you didn’t know that,” Colt says with a shaky laugh, his eyes damp as he opens his arms and catches me when I crash into them. Maverick’s breath is warm on my neck, grounding me, while Colt supports my weight like he’s never letting go.

“You don’t think I’m being selfish?”

“So what if you are?” Colt strokes a crescent over my cheek. “Be selfish.”

“Circling back,” he murmurs, voice lighter now, “did you just say you love us?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“Say it again.”

“I love you.”

Colt kisses me. “Again.”

“I love you.”

“Again.”

I laugh, my chest finally loosening. “I love you. Both of you. I think I always have. Maybe not in the same way, but just as deeply.”

It feels a little awkward, the air thick with everything we’ve said and haven’t said. “Are you… do you have anything to say to me in response?”

Maverick arches a brow. “You mean besides saying ‘fuck bull riding’?”

“Let’s be together forever,” Colt adds.

“Please don’t leave us. You mean besides all that?” Maverick grins.

“Ah… when you put it like that…”

Colt laughs and dips me backward, whispering, “I love you,” against my lips before kissing me senseless.

By the time he lets me go, my vision is blurry again, but this time, it’s not from crying. “I love you, Callie Harper,” Maverick says, pulling me into his arms, voice rough with emotion. “Thank you for choosing us.”

“Hey, what about me, asshole?” Colt cuts in.

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