Page 63 of The Hearts We've Broken
It was subtle, but Reid cringed. “Isa may be good at baking, but she’s an awful cook. We can host, but it won’t be her doing the cooking, it’ll be me. Probably throw something on the grill.”
“She makes thebestcookies, but I had to learn the hard way when we were in college that the girl cannot make a meal to save her life. If I didn’t learn how to make more dishes, we’d have been living off buttered noodles, microwave meals, and sourdough bread.” She laughed, and the rest of us let out a chuckle, too, knowing Isa well enough to know Ellison’s recollection was probably accurate.
“Did you guys see that stupid article they had about me in that one gossip magazine?” I asked once the chatter had quieted down.
Jake snorted. “Yeah,Bull Riding Bad Boy has a Baddie? That shit’s gold.”
I rolled my eyes. “Man, they can’t just leave me in peace.”
“Maybe when you’re dead, Michael.” Ellison patted me on the back in mock reassurance. “Just imagine how much buzz they’ll make at your wedding one day.” She raised a brow then looked at each of the guys’ expressions then flicked her gaze back to me. “You do want to get married one day, right? Settle down?”
I thought about what old Leroy said to me.
“Maybe. Probably.”Yes. Not right now, but someday, yes.
“Well, shit, I mean, you and Juniper looked good together in Houston,” Colter noted. “She’s a nice girl.”
“She’s cool, Mike,” Hayden added in agreement before he disappeared into the kitchen to help Ellison and Colter bring out plates, silverware, and food.
I grinned, and all the emotions swirling through my head—relief…longing—were completely genuine. “I think she’s pretty cool, too.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
juniper
We’d been back in Silver Creek for about a week after our small stint on the road. The minute I stepped back into Rudy’s, I was able to pick my position up right where I left off. The way Liv and Nico looked at me, however, was the biggest indication that things had changed. As were the questions I got from them.
“Do you realize that you’re literally rodeo royalty?” Liv squealed the second she saw me. She pulled me in for a hug, despite my protests, and Nico bounced right into the conversation, sidling up close—shoulder-to-shoulder close—to Liv when we broke apart from our hug.
I’d only been gone a month and a half, but the dynamic between them seemed different. Flirtatious almost.
“You were on the local news like five times, and you’re all over social media. They can’t get enough of you.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure they’re not interested inme. They just want the inside scoop on Mikey’s life.”
“Which you are now a part of,” Liv pointed out.
I sighed. Our agreement was supposed to be over, savefor the day or two we’d spend together next month, but there was no way we could end it now with all the media attention we were getting. Mikey’s status was higher than ever, and it was looking to be just the publicity boost he needed to get people off his back.
I hadn’t seen him in person, or even really talked to him other than the odd text every now and then, since we’d gotten back to Silver Creek. I wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t have time or didn’t want to see me. Surprisingly, no questions from Natalie, Ellison, or his other friends had come up, although Ellison did forward me the link to an article that media sources and social media influencers were calling “juicy.” It was all the same thing Mikey’d been dealing with since before I came into the picture, except this time I was also involved.
Is it just another one of Tucker’s flings that will fizzle out before it has the chance to burn?the article had asked.
I rolled my eyes, clenching my jaw just thinking about the salacious article. I wondered who the “anonymous source” was that gave them my full name. Not that it was really a secret to the droves of people who had followed me before I made my account private and changed my username. The source could beanyone, but I was afraid they were closer to me than I thought.
I finally replied, “I suppose I am.”
“I want to know all the details. Where did you sleep? What did you do when Mikey wasn’t competing? Was the rodeo ah-may-zing?” Liv fired off all her questions all at once, and I recoiled a bit.
“Livvy, give the girl some space.” Nico chuckled, nudging her playfully with his elbow.
She rolled her eyes at him, but her cheeks flushed, too.
Before I could make a comment about the two ofthem, he continued. “Just kidding. I also want to know things. Did you meet any other famous bull riders?”
“I slept in his trailer?” My response to Liv’s question came out more like a question, because how was I supposed to answer that? It wasn’t like I could say I slept on the pullout couch because the relationship—like the tabloids suspected—was never real. “We went to the bars a lot, and then Mikey and I went mini golfing one day, which sounds a lot worse than it actually was. The rodeo was actually really fun. I didn’t meet any other famous bull riders. To be completely honest, I couldn’t tell you the name of a single bull rider other than Mikey.”
“Aw, that’s sweet! It’s like you’re only focused on him.” Liv swooned so hard I thought she might fall over into Nico’s arms. “What else happened? Anything scary?”
