Page 45 of The Hearts We've Broken
@therodeoroundup.official:@thetipsycowgirlLet’s just say we CAN confirm that there’s SOMETHING going on with Mikey Tucker and the girl he brought to Houston. If you know what we mean.
@texaswrangler2943:@therodeoroundup.official
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
mikey
Everywhere we tried to go, people were holding up their phones, trying to take pictures of us in secret. None of them were particularly discreet about it, though. A few times, I was able to catch them in the act and shoot them a glare. I didn’t know if it scared them off taking the photos or if it would bite me in the ass later, but that would be another bridge I’d cross when I got there.
After the night we faked having sex, a social media post went up “confirming” our relationship. Their only proof was overhearing us—not an actual statement—because neither of us had said anything, but the Internet was still going feral over it.
Travis hadn’t said anything about it yet, probably wanting to wait to see how it played out. I’d recently started working with him in the hopes to secure some sponsorships. I’d made it to some of the biggest rodeos in the world, and I was also making six figures a year. It was time to expand my brand.
But my reputation wasn’t a secret in the industry, andsometimes it made it harder to secure deals. Nobody wanted the face of their company to be a man in his thirties who “couldn’t settle down.” It was possible my agent—like me—thought this relationship was the publicity stunt my career needed.
As long as the media didn’t start twisting it and ruin Juniper’s reputation in the process, I was willing to give anything a shot. I figured I’d keep doing what I was doing and ask for forgiveness later. If I was truly doing something wrong, Travis would have told me to knock it off. Since the main issue everyone had with me was that I couldn’t settle down and was allegedly distracted by one-night stands, having Juniper on my arm on multiple occasions was working in my favor.
Colter and Reid won their SuperSeries, which wasn’t a shock to anyone. They were the favorites this year for a World Championship. Things could change rapidly in this sport, but they were determined, just like I was. The difference was, no one had any doubts that they’d pull it off.
Jake and Hayden were set to compete in the final SuperSeries starting tonight, and then the competition would progress into the semifinals.
Colter, Reid, Ellison, Isa, Juniper, and I sat around a table at a little, family-owned diner here in town. They were famous for their burgers and milkshakes, but had other options as well.
“Welcome to The Legless Cow!” our server, a lively girl named Lauren, greeted us. “Nice to see you two again.” She smiled at Colter and Ellison like she knew them.
“It’s good to be back.” Colter nodded as he put his arm around Ellison’s shoulders.
“What can I get for y’all?”
Ellison ordered first, then Isa, and we went around the table listing off what we wanted.
“I’ll take your Cowboy Burger.” The half-pound burger with barbeque sauce and grilled onions sounded just right for me.
Juniper ordered a simple bacon cheeseburger, and everyone ordered milkshakes.
“You know the waitress?” I asked Ellison and Colter after she’d left.
A flush creeped into Ellison’s cheeks.
“This was where our second date was. Ellison knows the owners,” Colter explained.
I chuckled. “Ah, so this is where you went the day Reid cockblocked you, huh?”
Ellison reached over Colter to smack me on the arm, but Reid just grinned as he nodded.
“Do you have a favorite restaurant back at home?” I asked Juniper.
“My hometown in Michigan has this place where you can get the best deep-dish pizza. But my favorite place in Goldfinch is called Marco’s. They’re not better than the pizza back home, but they’re a close second.”
“Yeah, we know Marco’s! That place is still open?” Reid jumped into the conversation.
“Well, now you just make us sound old.” Colter elbowed him in the ribs.
He just shrugged. “You know how much that town changes.”
Juniper smiled. “Yeah, it’s still open. One of the few places that didn’t change in the four years I was there. I’m sure if you went in today, they’d still have the black-and-white checkered floors, green countertops, and all the photos framed on the wall.”
“Did you know we’re up on that wall?” Colter asked me.
