Page 42 of The Hearts We've Broken
“Better that it gets broken now rather than later, right?” she teased.
I hummed. “I’d rather no hearts get broken.”
She tapped my arm. “That’s why we have rules in place. No feelings and no one gets hurt.”
Even though I was the one who’d initially brought up that statement, I was having a hard time believing there’d never be any feelings involved. At least not for me. Notwith how the trip was already going. But I’d humor her for now. “Right. No feelings, no heartbreak.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
juniper
Over the last few days, Mikey, the rest of the group, and I explored Houston. During the day, we perused shops downtown, and in the evening, we watched the rodeos. Surprisingly enough, the fans left us alone, and the press was too focused on the other athletes actually competing to go after Mikey, although the buzz on social media hadn’t stopped.
Today marked the beginning of the fourth SuperSeries, so Colter and Reid were busy practicing and doing appearances, leaving me, Mikey, Hayden, Jake, Ellison, and Isa to find things to do without them.
“Tonight after the rodeo, I say let’s hit the bars.” Mikey, sitting in a lawn chair next to mine, threw an arm around me, squeezing my shoulder.
“Ugh, we just went out.” Ellison groaned. “Haven’t you had enough? You have a girlfriend, how is that shit still fun for you?”
I eyed Mikey, curious to see what his response would be. It was obvious that he mostly met girls at the barsbefore we made our arrangement, but now I was in the picture. Or at least that’s what everyone thought.
“Not everyone’s a grandma like you,” Isa piped up before Mikey could defend himself. “You never thought the bars were funbeforeyou started dating Colter, so I don’t think you’re the most representative of the group.I,for one, think going out would be fun!”
“What do you think about all this, Juniper?” Jake asked.
I shrugged. “As long as he’s not hitting on other girls, I don’t see the issue in it. I mean, I work at a bar, so I don’t think I have any right to tell him what he can or can’t do.”
The silence around our circle was deafening, as though they’d never heard someone say that about Mikey before.
“Erin texted me.” Isa broke through the awkwardness. “She’s on her way into town.”
“Who’s Erin?” I asked, wanting to be caught up in the friend group.
“She’s one of our friends that lives here,” Ellison explained. “She was one of my bridesmaids.”
Jake laughed. “Erin’s a fun girl. Thought for sure Mikey would have tried to go after her.”
Mikey just shook his head. “Nah, man, she’s so tall.”
I twisted my facial features, turning my head to look at him. “She can’t help it. Maybe you shouldn’t be so short,” I teased. “Then again, all you bull riders are so short. I don’t get it.”
He shrugged. “We can’t all be J.B. Mauney.”
“Erin’s got a boyfriend now, anyway.” Isa rolled her eyes, sass lacing her tone. “Not to sound like Mikey, but maybe you should focus on finding yourself a girlfriend, Jakey.”
“Fair enough, Izzy Bee,” Jake teased.
I’d never heard that nickname for Isa—granted I’d only known her for a short time—but judging by the expression that flashed across her face, she hadn’t either.
“Yeah, I don’t think that one’s gonna stick.” She cringed, her smile looking more out of pity than amusement. “Anyway.” She drew out the word. “She’s probably going to stick around for a bit until the rodeo.”
“Is there anything you guys want to do until then?” Ellison asked.
Jake kicked his legs out, leaning back in his chair. “Honestly, I just want to chill. We’ve been go, go, go all week.”
Mikey nodded next to me. “I agree. Guys, I just want a day to not have to deal with the media and fans. Why don’t you girls go meet Erin? Have fun, and we’ll meet you at the rodeo tonight.”
“Are you sure?” The question slipped out. Not because I didn’t want to spend more time with the girls, but I didn’t want Mikey to feel alone or left out.
