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“That explains it,” I groan, sitting up. “I’m in the same boat as you. Just been lying down between bouts of vomiting.”
“I think mine is finally passing. I’ve been able to keep food down for several hours. Just wanted to check in and see if it got you too. I’ll let you get back to resting. See you Wednesday at the rodeo.”
I hang up and flop back against my pillows, relief washing over me when I realize the pregnancy test was, in fact, accurate.
14
RANGER
Idouble-check my reflection in the bathroom mirror, running my hands through my hair again before spraying on some cologne.
“Who the fuck am I?” I laugh at myself, the nervous butterflies already dancing at the thought of not only seeing Dolly tonight, but also spending the evening around our friends and my family pretending like I haven’t spent the last few weeks exploring every inch of her delicious body.
Tonight we’re going to the rodeo, something we’ve all done a dozen times together over the years. It’s a blast, but the constant tension between Dolly and me will be a test. We haven’t discussed telling anyone in our lives that we’ve been seeing each other.
Is that what we’re doing? Or is it just fucking around?
We haven’t even discussed whatweeven are . . . if thereisa we. I promised myself I wouldn’t let things progress again until we talked about the very real possibility of me moving to Texas. Whenever I tell myself that this has to stop—that I can’t even think about asking her to move her life for me, I push it aside, convincing myself that since a decision hasn’t been made yet, there’s a chance I won’t be the one moving. It’s fucked, but I don’t know how to walk away from this now. I don’t know how to tell her I’m in love with her—that she’s the only woman who has ever made me happy—while at the same time telling her I can’t be the man in her life because I’m so wrapped up in my own guilt about Dean . . . not to mention, I might also be moving away.
I push the thoughts from my head for tonight, promising myself that after my meeting with Decker and Milly tomorrow, I’ll tell Dolly everything. Odds are, she’ll realize a life with me means uprooting hers and moving away from everything she knows and loves . . . in other words, it’s not worth it.
“Hey, handsome.” I pause as I walk across the parking lot, turning around at the sound of a familiar voice.
“Hey, Paige.” I smile at her as she walks over to me. “You here alone?”
“I am,” she says, shoving her hands into the pocket of her painted-on jeans. She pouts a little. “Had I known you were coming, I would’ve asked you.” She reaches her hand out, playfully tugging on my shirt, and I realize she got the wrong idea by my question.
“Oh, yeah, I, uh, I’m actually here with my friends and family.” I step back just as headlights scan across us. I look over to see Dolly’s Jeep pulling into a parking spot.
Shit.
The last time she and I saw Paige was when she was our waitress at the diner, and Dolly made sure to tease me about the fact that she was flirting with me. I didn’t confess to Dolly that night that Paige and I have had a few hookups, but I didn’t have to. She clearly put two and two together.
“You sure you don’t want to blow this whole thing off and go someplace else?” She flips her hair back, her teeth pulling at her bottom lip seductively. If there’s one thing Paige isn’t good at, it’s subtlety. Then again, she and I never had an actual relationship that required seduction or even flirting; it was a pretty much a straight-to-the-pointwe doing this or not?type of arrangement.
“Like I said, I’m kind of here with people.” I nod toward Dolly’s Jeep, hoping she gets the hint, but if she does, she doesn’t show it . . . or maybe she does, and she doesn’t care. I have no interest in Paige—no interest in anyone but Dolly, for that matter—but I also know I have no right to say I’m with her when I’m the one who hasn’t been honest about things.
“Hey, Paige.” Dolly smiles as she walks up beside us, linking her arm through mine and stepping up onto her tippy toes to plant a kiss on my cheek. Tonight she has a cowboy hat on, her ample cleavage spilling out of her button-down flannel that’s tucked into her skintight jeans.
“I like your boots,” I half-murmur as I look down her body, my eyes obviously lingering on her tits before they look at her shoes.
“Hey, guess I’ll see you guys inside.” Paige coughs, finally getting it before turning and walking away.
“Hey.” I smile down at her, neither of us taking our eyes off each other as my hands settle against her waist.
“What was that about? You need me to run along so you two can finish having your moment?” I know she’s teasing, but there’s a questioning look in her eye. I reach my hand back, bringing it down against her firm ass and grabbing a handful of one cheek.
“Shut up and get inside before I remind you who’s been riding my cock.”
She giggles, squirming away from me as we make our way across the parking lot and inside the arena.
“Hey, I’ll grab us some drinks. Meet you up there?” I nod toward where I see Milly and Decker sitting.
“Yeah, thanks.” She heads up the bleachers and I let my eyes linger on her ass a lot longer than afriendshould.
“If you stare too long, your eyes will get stuck, son.”
I spin around to see my dad next to me, a smirk on his face.
