Page 88
Story: Hello Heartbreaker
Cam glared at him. “I come with a lot of baggage, okay?”
Maggie only had an echo of a smile as she stepped down the front stairs. “Good thing we have some strong men to carry them for us.”
Cam walked behind Mags, carrying her phone. She slid a pair of big dark sunglasses over her eyes. “Chop, chop, boys.”
Cooper and I exchanged a glance. He was still grinning like a puppy in love.
We carried the bags back to the trailer and put them inside before joining Cam and Mags in the truck. Maggie sat up in the front passenger seat, leaving Cooper room to sit in the back with Cam. The instant he got in, he pulled Cam into a long, heated kiss.
I stared across the cab at Mags. “You know that was a mistake, right?”
She held up her off-brand AirPod case. “I thought ahead.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do?” I asked.
She held up another pair still in the store wrapping.
“Have I mentioned you’re amazing?” I asked.
She grinned, leaning across the cab to give me a quick kiss. Then she set up the headphones for me, connecting them to my phone and playing a station for me from my music streaming account.
We drove the next few hours in mostly silence, sharing a few smiles when her arm snuck across the cab to hold my hand.
She was mine, at least for the moment.
* * *
Traffic got thickerthe closer we got to Dallas, and I had to let go of her hand to keep both of mine on the wheel. She took out her headphones too, using her phone to navigate for us since my truck wasn’t new enough to have a Bluetooth screen.
Eventually, we reached the campground, and I found a place with hookups to park for the night. Coop and I set up the camper with water and electricity while the girls checked out the trailer and got their things situated. When we were all done, we stood outside the trailer, and Mags said, “What happens now? Do we go to the rodeo grounds to check in?”
“Actually,” I glanced at my phone where I’d gotten a text. “Gage, Farrah, and my nieces and nephews are coming to the rodeo. They weren’t going to be able to, but Levi’s ballgame got cancelled. Do you mind sitting with them?”
Her eyebrows rose. “You want me to spend time with your family twice in one week? Without your supervision? I saw how you were sweating on Wednesday.”
“I promise they love you a hell of a lot more than your dad loves me.”
She laughed, and Cam hugged Cooper a little closer.
Grinning, Maggie said, “You know, it’s not every day you get to sit at a rodeo with a celebrity. Gage will probably have paparazzi all over.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’ll try to be incognito with his damn Ropers hat, like no one can tell it’s him.”
“It’s sweet he wants to support you,” she said, walking with us toward the pickup. I held her door open for her while Cooper and Cam got in on the other side.
“The windmill on my arm means something,” I said.
She looked up at me from where she sat. “I wish my mom...” She blinked quickly, shaking her head.
From the back seat, Cam said, “Are you okay?”
We both remembered how hard it had been for Maggie when her mom left town. Maggie blocked her mom’s number she was so angry and hurt. As far as I knew, they never got back in touch.
I cupped Maggie’s face and kissed her forehead. “I’m here for you.”
“Me too,” Cam said from the back seat.
She smiled, looking ahead. “Let’s go see Gage and Farrah. I have years of information for them to fill me in on that we didn’t get to cover at your family dinner.”
Maggie only had an echo of a smile as she stepped down the front stairs. “Good thing we have some strong men to carry them for us.”
Cam walked behind Mags, carrying her phone. She slid a pair of big dark sunglasses over her eyes. “Chop, chop, boys.”
Cooper and I exchanged a glance. He was still grinning like a puppy in love.
We carried the bags back to the trailer and put them inside before joining Cam and Mags in the truck. Maggie sat up in the front passenger seat, leaving Cooper room to sit in the back with Cam. The instant he got in, he pulled Cam into a long, heated kiss.
I stared across the cab at Mags. “You know that was a mistake, right?”
She held up her off-brand AirPod case. “I thought ahead.”
“What the hell am I supposed to do?” I asked.
She held up another pair still in the store wrapping.
“Have I mentioned you’re amazing?” I asked.
She grinned, leaning across the cab to give me a quick kiss. Then she set up the headphones for me, connecting them to my phone and playing a station for me from my music streaming account.
We drove the next few hours in mostly silence, sharing a few smiles when her arm snuck across the cab to hold my hand.
She was mine, at least for the moment.
* * *
Traffic got thickerthe closer we got to Dallas, and I had to let go of her hand to keep both of mine on the wheel. She took out her headphones too, using her phone to navigate for us since my truck wasn’t new enough to have a Bluetooth screen.
Eventually, we reached the campground, and I found a place with hookups to park for the night. Coop and I set up the camper with water and electricity while the girls checked out the trailer and got their things situated. When we were all done, we stood outside the trailer, and Mags said, “What happens now? Do we go to the rodeo grounds to check in?”
“Actually,” I glanced at my phone where I’d gotten a text. “Gage, Farrah, and my nieces and nephews are coming to the rodeo. They weren’t going to be able to, but Levi’s ballgame got cancelled. Do you mind sitting with them?”
Her eyebrows rose. “You want me to spend time with your family twice in one week? Without your supervision? I saw how you were sweating on Wednesday.”
“I promise they love you a hell of a lot more than your dad loves me.”
She laughed, and Cam hugged Cooper a little closer.
Grinning, Maggie said, “You know, it’s not every day you get to sit at a rodeo with a celebrity. Gage will probably have paparazzi all over.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’ll try to be incognito with his damn Ropers hat, like no one can tell it’s him.”
“It’s sweet he wants to support you,” she said, walking with us toward the pickup. I held her door open for her while Cooper and Cam got in on the other side.
“The windmill on my arm means something,” I said.
She looked up at me from where she sat. “I wish my mom...” She blinked quickly, shaking her head.
From the back seat, Cam said, “Are you okay?”
We both remembered how hard it had been for Maggie when her mom left town. Maggie blocked her mom’s number she was so angry and hurt. As far as I knew, they never got back in touch.
I cupped Maggie’s face and kissed her forehead. “I’m here for you.”
“Me too,” Cam said from the back seat.
She smiled, looking ahead. “Let’s go see Gage and Farrah. I have years of information for them to fill me in on that we didn’t get to cover at your family dinner.”
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