Page 23 of Here With Me

“Unfortunately, yes. But after I’ve had coffee and you no longer smell like a dirty hoof.”

Lifting my arm, I smell underneath it. “I do not. Leather maybe. That’s what he smelled like. And something else manly.”

She scoffs, turning to face me. “I can’t believe you finally got laid. The two-year dry spell is over! How do ya feel?”

“A little sore, actually.” My cheeky tone has her playfully smacking my shoulder.

“Besides that. Emotionally, mentally...how’d it compare to Jase?”

My eyes widen at the nausea rising up from my stomach, and I swear I’m going to vomit all over her right this minute.

“Mags, I need you to never repeat that sentence again.” I roll to the edge of the bed and sit, then rub my temples.

“Oh shit. What happened?” She gets to her feet and then kneels in front of me. “Did ya scream Jase’s name by accident?”

“God, no. Though it wouldn’t have been as much of a shock after finding out something this mornin’...”

“Spit it out, woman. What’d ya find out? His age? Is he like forty-five or somethin’?”

I wince because Iwishthat were the issue. “Pretty damn close, but that’s not the problem...”

She stands as I keep my gaze on the floor. “You’re freakin’ me out. Just say it.”

Blowing out a breath, I blurt out as my shoulders sag, “He’s Jase’s dad.”

Silence lingers between us, and when I finally look up, her mouth is agape, and her eyes glassed over.

“Mags?”

“I’m gonna need you to repeat that.” She swallows hard. “Because there is no freakin’ way...”

“I saw his license. FisherUnderwood.”

“That could be an uncle. Or a long-lost relative. Maybe a second cousin. How do you know it’s his dad?”

“After everything he told me, I put the pieces together. He was married, like ten years ago, talked about how he had kids, and was a former bull rider. Plus, the age difference makes sense. Jase is twenty-four, and his dad is forty-four. Jase said his parents had him young. That would’ve made Fisher twenty.”

“Jase never told you his dad’s name?”

“No, he rarely spoke about him. All he’d ever say is that they had a strained relationship ever since his sister passed and he moved away for work.”

It dawns on me that Fisher’s lost a child.

Jase and I broke up a couple of years ago, but we’ve remained friends. We don’t talk as much because he’s busy working in real estate, and I spend every free minute training.

“If Fisher’s back in Jase’s life, he hasn’t mentioned it to me,” I say. “Then again, we only text a few times a month.”

“Wow...I mean...holy shit.” She sits next to me.

“Ditto.” I rub my temples again. “I didn’t even ask what he did for a livin’. He talked about his early bull ridin’ days, and then well, we got distracted.”

She nudges me. “I bet y’all did.”

Groaning, I fall back on the bed and cover my face. I don’t usually get hangovers, but I feel a headache coming.

“I take it you left while he was still asleep?”

“Yes, but to be fair, I’m not even a hundred percent sure he was alive. Either he’s dead or he sleeps like it.”