Page 56 of Spurred On

“Eyes up here, cowboy.” My eyes leave the sight of her perfect tits and snap up to her face, to see her smirking at me with an eyebrow quirked. “It was really nice of you to warm up my towel. And is that pizza I smell?”

“It sure is, get your PJs on, we’re having a junk food and a movie night.”

“Sounds perfect.” The smile on her face makes me beam with pride. I’m not the most romantic guy in town; I have a tendency to think with the wrong head, but with Ava, I want to get it right. And that smile on her face says I did.

Backing out of the bathroom, I mentally catalogue the image of my smoking hot wife with water droplets running down her for a rainy day and head to get her dinner plated up.

A few minutes later, she walks out of the bathroom, looking refreshed. The smile on her face puts one on mine.

“Feeling better?” I turn my head and ask before pressing start on the microwave for the popcorn.

“Much.” Her arms come around my waist and the warmth of her presses into me. I rest my hands over hers. “You’ve got quite the spread here. Lots of choices.”

Turning around, I slip my hands around her, and she moves her hands to my chest. “Well, when I was at the store, I realized there was a lot I don’t know about you. Your favorite ice cream, your favorite candy, what’s your bad day pick me up, so I uh, got it all and hoped for the best.”

“Well, for ice cream, I don’t discriminate, but a good cherry chip can turn any bad day around. Candy, sour patch kids, or a salted nut roll. Pineapples do not belong on pizza, so you can do pretty much anything but that and I’ll eat it. What about you?”

My gaze stays locked on her baby blues; if I were having a bad day, this girl is all I’d need to turn it around. “A heavy dose of you will turn a day around for me. Food-wise, cookie dough ice cream, Reese’s for candy, I love chocolate, and pizza we're on the same page, so you’re in no danger of having pineapple on your pizza.” Leaning down, I kiss the tip of her nose. “Alright, let’s get you fed.”

She grabs the pizza I had plated for her and grabs a small bowl out of the cabinet, piling candy in it before hopping on the bed and tucking her legs under her. “So what movie are we watching?”

“Anything you want?” I grab the remote off the side table on my side of the bed and pass it to her. I lean against the headboard and cross my legs in front of me before passing the remote.

“You’re going to regret that,” she sing-songs, turning on the TV and picking outMiss Congeniality. Lord help me. Watching the tension ease from her shoulders as she laughs at the terrible jokes makes it all worth it.

She scarfs down her snacks and pulls the popcorn down from the counter, before she scoots between my legs and leans her back against my front, using me as her own personal pillow and I love it. This is the most relaxed I've ever felt in my life, and I can’t help but wonder if maybe it is time to quit the road life. I could have nights like this every night if I did. Plus, it would take a load off Ava’s shoulders. That last accident left her more shaken up than I realized. Hopefully, this will be the year I win it all, and then I can start my next chapter with Ava.

My hands run up and down her arms, her head starts nodding off to the side, and before long, it stays there as she dozes off. I reach for the bowl in her lap and move it to the side. I should change the movie, but I just can’t. If she likes it, then it’ll stay on.

My lips press into the top of her head, causing her to stir and hum in contentment. The mumbled words, “I love you,” come out of her, and my heart swells. Fuck, am I in deep with this woman.

“I love you, too, sweetheart.”

Chapter 32

Ava

My worlds have collided, and I don’t know if I should be incredibly excited or scared shitless. Because introducing Erin and Aspen may have been a mistake. They would be the exact same person if their upbringings weren’t so different.

The stands at today’s rodeo begin to fill. The chatter fills the arena, and Maverick’s name can be heard out of every other person’s mouth as we walk around. Pride fills me because he’s the best, but best of all, he’s mine.

Normally, I stay with the team behind the pen, but with Erin here, I wanted to sit in the stands. I haven’t watched him from the stands since the night we met, which feels like a lifetime ago. We did things a little backward. Apparently, you’re supposed to fall in love before you get married, but I kind of like the way things worked out for us.

“So how do things work?” Erin asks as we sit watching the action start to unfold in the arena.

“They have a few events, and then it will be time for the bull riders,” Aspen says. She knows more about bull riding than I do, but at this point, I’ve given up on trying to completely understand a sport where the goal is to hold on and not die—emphasis on the not die part. Hopefully, having Erin here will calm my nerves. Ever since seeing Mav get hurt a month ago, I’ve been avoiding watching him ride.

“And do we have to sit through all of them?” Erin's face immediately drops, and my worry melts away as my laughter fills our space.

“No, we can go shop and grab some food. Mav should be on around three if all stays on time.”

We walk around the displays, and my fingers run through the racks of shirts. My eye catches on a sweatshirt. It has a bull rider on it. I bet Mav would like this.

“It’s good to see you like this,” Erin says, a small smile on her face as she shuffles through the clothing rack.

“Like what?” I grab the sweater and drape it over my arm to take to the check-out stand.

“Living.” She says it so matter-of-factly, I can’t help the smart-ass response that bubbles up.

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