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“Yeah, I can see that,” she caves, “but it’s great when you want to just fade into the background.”
“Sweetheart, there is no way you can fade into anything,” I tell her and she smiles at me. “You walk into the room, and it’s like all eyes are on you.”
“Thank you; you aren’t so bad yourself.”
I laugh. “What’s your favorite holiday?”
“Christmas,” she states as if she’s a little girl gushing over it. “I love, love, love Christmas. From the decorations to the cookies that I wish I knew how to bake to buying gifts for my family.” She just gushes over it and doesn’t notice that Fireball is trotting. “I just love the smell of a fresh tree and then drinking a nice cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows.” She stops talking when she realizes I’m not beside her, and she is ahead of me as Fireball moves gently with her. “Oh my God, I’m doing it. We are doing it, Fireball.” The excitement on her face is everything. I stand to the side as she goes turn after turn after turn, her eyes brighter than the stars on a dark night. “You are such a good girl.”
“When you want her to stop, all you have to do is pull her reins back,” I instruct her as I watch her go around and around with her. I sit on the top of the fence, just watching her.
“This is the most fun I think I’ve had in my whole life,” she announces from the other side of the arena as she pulls back a touch. “We should slow down, girl, so we can get you some water,” she tells Fireball, who slows to a walk.
Jumping off the top of the fence, I wait for her to walk by me before reaching out for her. “Did you see me?” She looks down at me. “I was riding a horse.”
“I did, Sweetheart. All you needed was to trust yourself.”
“I don’t know if I trust myself at all,” she admits softly. “I mean, look at my life.”
“Look at it,” I urge her. “You have a great business. You have a great family. You are alive and living.”
“Yeah, but?—”
“Yeah, but what?” I ask her. “So it didn’t work out with him. It’s not the end of the world. At least you found out now and not when you had two kids with him.” I don’t stop talking.
She turns her head to me. “Go with your gut.”
“Yeah, look at where my gut got me.”
I smirk up at her. “Exactly, look at where it got you”—I wink at her—“here with me.”
15
ZARA
“Exactly, look at where it got you”—he winks at me—“here with me.” I look down at him with his cocky grin and sexy-ass fucking face, and I’m torn between kissing the shit out of him or sitting on it.
“That might not be a good thing,” I admit to him. He just glares at me and doesn’t say anything else because the sound of car doors has us looking over.
“Come on, get down,” he tells me, holding out his hand for me. “Time to meet the girls.”
“Meet the girls?” I repeat his words, but he grabs my hand and helps me down.
“Whatever they say about me,” he mumbles, “it’s half true. There are always three sides to the story.” I can’t help but laugh at how nervous he is.
“Hey.” I see three girls coming into the fenced arena. Two blondes and one with black hair, just like Gabriel. “Finally, she is out of the house.” She smiles at me, and I see she has green eyes. “I’m Aubrey,” she says, “this lunkhead’s sister.” She motions with her head toward Gabriel.
“Hi,” I reply, reaching in to hug her, “I take it Sofia called you.”
“She did,” she confirms, letting me go. “She called the three of us.”
“I’m Talia,” one of the blondes says to me. “My mother is Amelia.”
“Oh, I can see the resemblance now,” I say.
“I’m Kasey Leigh,” the other blonde says. “Chelsea is my mother. We’ve come to save you from the beast.” She points at Gabriel.
“Oh, here we go,” he huffs, and I try not to laugh at him as he rolls his eyes and looks away.
