"So you want her to flirt?" he guessed.
"Yep," I said. "I wanna make sure our girl gets a real big taste of life. I wanna make sure she comes home to tell us about it. And fuck yeah, I'm gonna be jealous as shit. I'll also shove that shit down into my boots, ignore it until I'm on a bull, and then deal with it where she can't see."
"And?" he pressed.
"And what?" I asked.
Tanner chuckled at me. "J.D., what comes after that? Because so far, you're making a lot of sense. I mean, I want to think Cody's madly in love with me above all else, but she's also got you - which proves it's not just me. I'm ok with us, but the thought of her falling into bed with Ty?"
"Won't happen," I grumbled. "Well, not tonight, I mean. She hasn't forgiven him that much. Naw, it'll be Jackson."
"She says he's too young."
Oh-ho! Well, evidently Tanner had been testing the waters too. "And?" I asked.
He shrugged. "We were just talking about cowboys and what we like. Mostly because I felt weird asking her to help me get ready for a date."
"And she's gonna be the same way when someone catches her eye," I pointed out. "But here's the thing, Tanner. Me and you? Yeah, I'm good with that. Hell, I'm fucking good with justyou two. You're both all I wanted, but I wanna make sure our girl gets there on her own, not because some man tells her she's already there."
"Which is a good point," he agreed.
"And I can love you when she's out finding herself," I said. "Shit, you make this whole thing real easy."
He glanced away, but his cheeks were brightening just a bit. Not enough to call a blush, but I knew him well enough to see the hint of it there.
"You know," he said softly, looking back at me with those pretty hazel eyes of his, "she said you used to scare her."
"Cody?"
He nodded. "Yeah. She knows she's smaller than us guys. She knows she's weaker. She saw you lashing out behind the chutes on the stream, and she knew all about your reputation, but she still judged you on the man who stepped up. She judged me on being the one who saw her. And I dunno, but that just feels…"
"Real," I supplied. "Naw, I get ya."
"But it's not the same for girls as us," he went on. "I thought you were hot. I figured you'd be a real asshole, but it was worth it for a fuck. I mean, you're not one, but I had to figure that out bit by bit."
"Same as her," I said.
Which made him pause like my words had slapped him upside the head. "Oh."
"And how many people you thrown in your bed, Tan?" I asked. "How many you date?"
"More than four," he admitted.
"Same," I agreed. "But see, here's the thing. Me and you? We're gonna take care of her. If someone tries to break her heart like Ty did? We'll fuck him up - like you did with Ty." Then I speared another chunk of venison on my plate. "And if youdecide you wanna test the waters once this thing is out there, then Cody will help me fuck up anyone who breaks your heart."
"And she'll help me do the same for you," he quickly assured me.
But I made a face and shook my head. "Nope. I'm done, Tanner. I'm all good. I got every single thing I want. My girl's figuring out who she is, and my boy is getting ready to scream it to the world. I hurt more days than I don't, and I've broken all the fucking records the PBR keeps. I ain't got nothing left but one single thing."
"What's that?"
I dipped my fork into the side dish, tasting the new food. It was good, but when I took another sip of beer to wash it down, Tanner was still watching me. Still waiting.
"Babe, I've been real wild and real crazy. I've been bad for so long it's all anyone knows about me. For once, I wanna try out being good. I wanna find myself too, but my way's gonna be a whole lot different. I wanna be loyal. I wanna be understanding. I wanna be the man you and she can turn to, and I wanna spoil the fuck outta you both."
"Mm..." he said, mulling that over. "Yeah, when you put it that way, it makes a lot of sense. And J.D., I'm done with casual. I'm tired of picking someone up with no intention of getting to know them. I don't want that awkward dance of bullshit we do to get laid. I want to be with someone who doesn't think I'm a fucking pussy because my ankle hurts, or my back."
"Never will," I assured him.
