The line becomes nothing but heavy breaths petering out as we both take our time to come back around. I couldlisten to this all night—the symphony of her pleasure-induced breaths, slowly lulling me to sleep, as if she’s here. It bolsters me with a little hope that maybe we can make this work once I’m inevitably on the road again.
28
Sawyer
Noah’s hands pull at my hair as he sits on my shoulders, vibrating with excitement while we walk through the stalls lining the arena the next day. Crowds mill about between vendors, people buzzing around and sporting felt hats, striped shirts, good-quality denim, and plenty of moustaches. Every now and again Noah plucks up the courage to wave to someone passing by—a bashful smile filling his face when they wave back, and if Honey’s eyes don’t light up seeing the confidence her boy is developing.
She stops at a boot stall as we stroll, attention snagging on a pair of white boots with silver and blue stitching and tiny rhinestones dotted sparingly over them. Her fingers trail over the design, following the swirls and making the silver shine in the light as she admires the boots. Instantly, I can envision them on her, wearing a denim number, playing her guitar. Yeah, she’d look killer in those.
‘You should get them,’ I suggest, another thought ofgetting her in bed with nothingbutthose boots flashing into my mind next.
Damn. Gotta make that happen now.
Honey’s fingers instantly retract, her admiration of them disappearing. She shrugs. ‘Eh, they’re a bit too glitzy for me, and—’ she stops to check the price tag, eyes blaring wide ‘—wayout of my budget.’
‘Get them,’ I insist. She should know better than anyone that once my mind is set on something, I ain’t quitting.
Her brows draw in. ‘Didn’t you just hear me?’
‘Yeah, but I disagree. Nothing is too glitzy for you, Blue. Not when you’re so beautiful even the prettiest sunset would be jealous.’ Her expression melts then, and man if it doesn’t spur me on. ‘Anyway, I’ll pay for them. You can put them on my card. Although, you’ll have to get it yourself, because my hands are occupied.’
I thrust my hips forward slightly to emphasise with a smirk, while Honey just sucks her teeth, even though a ghost of a smile dances on her lips.
‘You’re terrible, you know that?’
‘Guilty,’ I admit, flashing her a wicked grin.
Eventually she concedes after a few seconds of a silent stand-off, and says, with a roll of her eyes, ‘Thank you.’
She rummages around my jeans pocket, purposefully making sure to touch more than just my wallet with an innocent smile painted on. Eventually she pulls out my wallet, then locates my card, heading into the stall and returning with a bag and a bright-as-sunshine smile.
She deserves beautiful things, and I rather like being the one to give her them.
‘Okay, buddy.’ I give Noah a little shake to grab hisattention. ‘How do you fancy meeting some of the riders today?’
‘Yeah!’ he yells, yanking at my hair and kicking his legs as if he thinks I’m an actual horse. I make a whinny noise and scuff my boot across the floor, pretending to get ready to race, which rewards me with a chorus of giggles from both Noah and Honey. Exactly what I wanted.
I did get us seats in the arena to watch the show but thought it would be fun to introduce Honey and Noah to some of the guys on the circuit beforehand. Give them a little insight into what it would be like once I’m back on the road if they wanted to come visit …
We find Boone and a couple of other riders around the back of the arena where they usually congregate. Honey and Noah are received with plenty of smiles, and Noah even climbs down from my shoulders to ask Boone and the other riders some of the questions I’d rehearsed with him before we came. Boone’s sister brought his daughter to visit too, and they manage to encourage Noah to look at some of the horses with them, his big blue eyes looking to Honey and me first for confirmation before he gladly joined them. I’d be lying if my heart didn’t skip a little seeing how much Noah has come out of his shell since I first met him. How he always says good morning to every rancher we pass when he joins me around Lucky Star on weekends now, no longer just giving them a timid wave. How something both me and him share a love for has had such a positive effect on him.
‘Gosh, I really don’t belong here,’ Honey chuckles beside me as I watch Noah with Boone and his daughter by the pens.
It takes me a second to realise what she means when Inotice her gaze has wandered over to where there’s a few women dressed up in sparkly denim outfits, all laughing with and doting on some of the riders. Still, there’s a wobble to her words, undermining what she was attempting to pass off as a light comment. I hate it when she fluffs up her hair a little and pulls at the sweater dress she’s wearing, as if she thinks she needs to change herself when she’s goddamn perfect to me.
Instantly, I slot myself into her eyeline, cutting off her view. ‘No, you don’t belong withthem, Blue, because you belong right here, next to me, by my side.’ I cradle her face, eyes boring down into her baby blues. My thumbs caress her cheeks with slow, meaningful strokes. ‘And believe me, if you were over there, waiting for me, I’d be making a beeline straight to you.’
‘You’re too good to me,’ she whispers, lashes fluttering shyly.
‘Not possible. You deserve the world.’ I run my thumb over her bottom lip once, desperate to kiss her, but I can’t let my hands linger too long. I’m aware she’s not ready to let Noah in on what’s been blooming between us. I’ve not earned that yet.
So, I release her, and keep my voice hushed as I bring my lips to her ear, admitting, ‘I hope you know how badly I wanna kiss you right now. Show everyone that you’re mine.’
I pull back, devilish grin on full display as I turn to find Noah before my features draw into something tighter when he’s no longer standing with Boone and his daughter. ‘Where is that little devil anyway?’
Honey’s scouring of our surroundings is more frantic, her hair whipping around the longer it takes her to locate him.
Maybe he’s found a new bull rider to idolise—it was how he found me after all, running away from his mom and grandma. Still, rodeos can be busy and packed and hectic, not really the ideal environment for a six year old to be wandering about alone in because something piqued his curiosity. And just because his confidence has been growing over the last couple of months doesn’t mean getting lost isn’t going to scare him—it would worry anyone. Especially Honey. A weight leans down on me, reminding me that they’re here for me, that if anything happens to Noah, it’ll be on me, and ruin the chance of them coming again.