Page 61 of Owned By The Cowboy

“It’s a really good movie.”

“It’s his favorite,” Jaylen throws me under the bus without taking his eyes off the screen. “He told me when we were talking the other day.”

When did I tell him this was my favorite movie? Oh, right. Tuesday afternoon, when I stopped by to check on Nia and ended up throwing a ball around in the backyard with him for an hour. And somehow the conversation wandered from football, to movies, to books, to life in general.

“You two have been talking?” Reggie asks.

“Yeah,” Jaylen replies with a shrug. “Blayne knows a lot about sports.”

“Really?” We exchange a look and warm smiles.

“Yeah, Ma.”

I feel Reggie still looking up at me, but this time I keep my eyes on the screen. It’s easier than explaining how I’ve somehow become the person Jaylen comes to with questions about everything from football strategy to whether the girl in his math class actually likes him or is just being nice.

“You going to tryouts tomorrow?” I ask him.

“Yes.” He lights up. “Coach says I’ve got a good shot at starting varsity.”

“Nervous?” I ask with a reassuring grin.

“A little.” He shrugs.

“That’s normal. You got this.”

“But what if I screw up?”

“Then you learn from it and do better next time.”

“That’s what you said about the dance,” Annalise chimes in, turning her attention from the screen for a few seconds. “You said if we messed up, we’d just try again.”

“Same principle applies to everything, princess.”

On the TV, Westley is climbing the Cliffs of Insanity, and I feel Reggie’s fingers trace patterns on my chest. It’s absent-minded, the kind of touch that happens when you’recomfortable with someone, when touching them is as natural as breathing. Life is good. Fucking perfect.

“This is nice,” she says quietly, so only I can hear.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Feels like…” She trails off.

“Like what?”

“Like home.”

The simple word hits me square in the chest. Home. Not her home or mine, but just… home. The place where you belong, where you’re wanted, where people save you a spot on the couch and argue with you about movies and ask your opinion on things that matter. Ours.

I’ve never had that before. Never had a place where I fit so completely that it felt natural, inevitable. Not since I left the Silver Creek Ranch. And I always knew that was temporary. As amazing and welcoming as Andy and everyone else were after I left the army and found my way there, I always knew I’d come back West. Even if all I knew here before was foster care and group homes.

But sitting here with Reggie’s head on my shoulder and her kids scattered around the room, watching a movie I’ve seen too many times to count, and enjoying every minute of it… this truly does feel like home.

“My name is Inigo Montoya,” comes from the screen. “You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

“This is the best part,” I whisper.

“Better than the sword fighting?” Jaylen asks.

“Different. This is justice. The other was just showing off.”