Page 32

Getting my riding gear on, I strap into my chaps and get my riding vest ready; it’s all decked out with sponsoring logos.

I remember just how fucking lucky I am to have the freedom to do this.

To have people bankrolling the whole damn thing.

I hope I make them all proud and live up to the legacy.

Every ride, that’s what it’s about. Outdoing who I was yesterday.

If I do that, there’s not a man on earth who will be able to compete with me. Cocky? Maybe. But it's true .

Today, I’m smack dab in the middle of the lineup.

I lean against the rails, watching the others ride.

The bulls today are doing their part. The air of the arena is coated with a thin veil of dust from the bucking of hooves.

So far, there have only been two riders to stay on.

Of course, one of them is Gonzales. Stupid prick.

Bet he won’t make the mistake of hitting on my wife again.

Every rodeo you see familiar faces sprinkled in with a few new ones trying to drop-kick the door open and make their way onto the scene.

I think that’s why the majority of them hate me; I didn’t have that.

But they fail to remember that being on the scene alone doesn't make you a winner. Taking home the buckle does. No matter my last name, if I can’t ride worth a shit, it’s over.

Ava makes her way over a few minutes before it’s my turn to ride. I see her searching through the crowd, eyes scanning the groups of people until she finds me. The smile she gives me could knock me straight to my knees. She hurries over, bags in hand.

“Did a little shopping, did we?”

“Hey, I finally have more than four dollars to my name. And I need outfits for when I hang out with Aspen so she finally leaves me the hell alone.”

“I don’t think Aspen has ever left anyone alone.

I’m pretty sure being a pain in the ass is part of her personality.

” The buzzer sounds, and the rider is done, leaving only one more before it’s my turn.

“Alright, sweetheart, it’s my time to shine.

” I kiss her on the forehead and head over to the tent.

Her voice comes from behind me. “Go kick some ass, cowboy. Be safe.” I turn to see her hands full with bags and a bright white smile. God, I love her, and I love that she’s here. I don’t think I can go much longer without telling her. It’s on the tip of my tongue all too often .

Once I get to the chute, the team gets me ready to ride. The chatter from the stand and the announcers slowly start to fade as I get in the zone. I close my eyes, grounding myself before the gates bust open.

“Alright, Mav. It’s just eight seconds,” Sully says as he double-taps my helmet before stepping down from the chute rails.

When the buzzer sounds and the gates fly open, that’s when it all goes wrong.

My bull doesn’t go forward, but he sure does buck.

His snarling huffs become the only thing I can hear.

I have nowhere to go and nowhere to bail to.

He bucks up again, his strong back legs planted into the dirt, and turns enough that my back slams against the rails.

Pain radiates through my ribs as I struggle to catch my breath.

“Get him the fuck out of there,” Sully's deep voice booms, somehow louder than the beast underneath me when he realizes I’m now stuck. The bull crushes me to the rails. Fuck, this hurts.

Arms reach for me as I struggle to get my hand loose. Tying myself up extra tight is nice when I’m getting tossed around like a ragdoll, but not so much when I need to get free.

Fuck, keep your head, Maverick. You have to get home to her. Ava. Ava, Ava.

With one final pull, my hand comes loose, and I’m drug against the rails until I’m sitting at the top of them. My breathing comes out in heavy pants. It takes a few seconds to realize I’m no longer in danger of being crushed to death, and a chuckle leaves me.

“You’re the only fucker I know that would laugh after a near death experience,” Sully says, his voice back to normal volume.

I look down past him and see Ava. Her blue eyes are wild and filled with tears.

Her breathing is ragged as her chest rises and falls rapidly.

Fuck. She’s too far away to even hear me say I’m okay.

And I am, my back will be bruised to shit, but I don’t think anything is broken, and for me, that’s a win with this type of event.

The only thing I can do is wave and smile at her. She mouths, “Are you okay?” And I smile and nod, hoping that will give her enough reassurance until I’m done.

“Mav, focus,” Doug says, his bushy eyebrows furrowed. I am beginning to hate this asshole more by the day.

Sully cuts in, “Alright, they’re giving you a new bull. You feel okay to ride?”

“Of course he does.” Doug rolls his eyes.

“Well, you heard from my mind reader directly, Sully.” I hold my hand out, gesturing to Doug. “I’m good to ride.” The look I give Sully tells him to get this next ride going before I punch Doug in the dick.

My ride goes as well as it could have, the buzzer sounds, and I rip my hand free from the rope and the tape before making out like a bat out of hell to the corral fence.

Ava stands beside my team on the second level of the fence to get a better view.

She still looks a little rattled with her smile not quite reaching her eyes.

She cups her hands around her mouth and hollers anyway.

I nod my head at her, patting my heart twice before I point to her.

Ignoring everyone else, I make my way over to her.

She hops off the side of the fence when I get closer and throws her arms around me. “Are you okay?”

My arms wrap around her as I pull her close against my chest. “Yes, I’m totally fine. It looked worse than it was.” I keep my eyes on hers, not wanting her to get a chance to let her mind run.

Her hands anxiously pat over me to confirm my words, part of me worrying she might find something because that ride did hurt like a bitch. But she comes up empty and I feel her let out a sigh of relief. I lean in and kiss her forehead, reminding myself yet again how lucky I am to have her.

“At least you got back up there and kicked everyone else’s ass. But don’t ever scare me like that again.” A smile comes to her face, and I let out my own sigh of relief at seeing her relax.

Sarah Andrews comes up beside us, microphone and camera in hand. “Maverick, it’s great to see you out here tonight. That was a spectacular performance. Can you tell us what was going through your head preparing you for the ride, or should I say rides, after that rough start?”

“Thank you, Sarah. It has been a great season so far. Even with my little mishap today, the bulls have been fantastic, so I need to give them a little credit. I’m more focused than ever.

It’s no secret that I’m gunning to be world champ this year, and I’ve been trying to keep that at the front of my mind before every ride. ”

“That is great. Unless there is a huge upset with later rides, you are on track to win the pot today. How does that feel?”

“It feels great,” looking right at Ava, I respond, “I have special guests here today, and it feels even better to get the W with those I love so close.”

“That’s great. Thanks for chatting with us today.

” Sarah thanks me again off camera and walks away, and I have a brief moment of second thoughts.

Maybe I shouldn’t have said that on live TV.

And even worse, what if she doesn’t feel the same way yet?

This has moved from nothing to something in a mere matter of months. But when you know, you know.

And I know that I love this girl more than anything. My whole life, the only thing I’ve been willing to lay my life down for is bull riding, but then she came around and made everything better .

“I wasn’t aware you were so fond of Doug,” Ava says, mischief shining in those eyes.

My hands wrap around her waist as her arms link behind my neck. “Oh, big fan. Never loved anyone more.”

“Mhmm.” She squints her eyes at me and grins.

“Well, maybe one person. You might know her. She’s blonde. An occasional pain in my ass. Acts about forty years older than she is.” The last barb will be a dead giveaway, as if the others weren’t.

“She sounds great. You should probably make sure you don’t let that one slip away.” She winks at me, and I feel the lost piece of me snap into place.

“Never.” Leaning in, pecking her lips and savoring the taste of her strawberry chapstick.

She takes a step back but keeps her hands firmly planted on my chest. Her beautiful blue eyes hold my gaze.

And I can feel all of the unspoken words.

All of the emotion is easy to see right there in those eyes I love so much.

The chaos of the arena fades around us, and all I care about is being with her.

“Hey, cowboy?” she whispers.

“Yeah?” My voice has an extra grate to it with all of the emotion spilling out into my voice.

“I love you, too,” she declares, smile lines around her eyes are filled with unshed tears. Relief hits me and I take a deep breath of her in. To be loved by this woman is the greatest honor of my life.

“That's good because I just told the whole world I love you.” My lips crash back into hers, kissing her with everything I have because she is finally mine .

She has claimed every bit of me, body and soul, and there's no part of me that regrets it. Everything I am is hers to have as long as she will have me. And if I have it my way, that’ll be my dying day.