Which made Kaleb thrust his own hand into the air. Immediately, the crowd began to cheer and clap, but Jorge wasn't rushing him. Knowing he had this, I made my way after the bull, seeing a black rope laying in the sand. Before I could carry it back, Kaleb sat up, dusted himself off, then climbed to his feet.
"You hit hard," I said as I passed over his rope.
The guy didn't just take it. Instead, he stepped in to give me a big, back thumping hug. "Fuck, we missed you guys," he said before turning to do the same to Isaac. "Damn, I thought I was about to get trampled for a second." Finally, he offered Jorge his hand. "Appreciate the help."
"That's what we're here for," Jorge assured him.
"Yeah," Kaleb said. "And you're making damned sure we know it. Wow, the difference between this weekend and last is impressive." But he caught my eye and tilted his head. "Walk with me?"
"Ok?" But I did, curious what this was about.
We made it three steps before Kaleb lowered his voice and spoke while looking at the ground. "Austin came at J.D. Shoving, so nothing to worry about. Cody and J.D. shoved back, and most of us broke it up."
"Shit," I breathed.
Kaleb just nodded. "Yeah. But it was about that little make-out session you two had."
"I see."
"And some," Kaleb went on, "aren't ok with it. The F-slur keeps being used."
"But not by you?" I asked.
The kid stopped and turned to bow up before me. "Tanner, I am J.D.'s fucking minion. That means I'm on his side no matter fucking what. Now, you fuck with my friend and I'll break your kneecaps."
"You don't know how," I huffed, not sure if I was amused or impressed.
"I'll figure it out," he promised, and then the bravado vanished as quickly as it had appeared, making me realize it was all an act. "Am I shocked? A bit. But Jackson's been asking everyone why it would matter, and I realized somewhere in there that it didn't."
"Nope," I assured him. "It's also none of your damned business."
"But that's where you're wrong," he replied. "My friends are my business. Sadly, not all my friends agree, and there might be some side picking."
"Who?" I asked.
"Jaxon," Kaleb said. "He keeps saying it has to be bullshit. That you two are doing this to get back at the PBR for suspending you." And he lifted his brow, making it clear he was hoping for an answer, but not going to demand one.
So I nodded, thinking for a moment about how much of my personal shit I wanted out there. Then again, Kaleb had gone out of his way to keep me informed. I wasn't trying to hide this. So basically, I had nothing left to lose.
"It's real," I said. "Me, J.D., and Cody are a thing. I don't care if anyone likes it. I do care what they do about it, and you can let every bull rider back there know that homophobia is a two-second delay on the dirt."
Kaleb's face split into a grin. "Two? Fuck yeah. You go, Tanner." Then he called to the guys behind me. "The wolf pack is back, baby!"
"Deviant Rescue Squad!" Isaac corrected. "Because the three of us? We'reproudto be deviants."
"Amen," Kaleb said as he slipped through the gate. "We all are. Kinda why we do this."
Chapter 58
The riders were moving through quickly. Evenbetter, quite a few of them were riding for a full eight. Oh, sure, there were a few buck-offs, but compared to the last few events, this was amazing - and the crowd was eating it up.
Since I was the twenty-second person to ride - counting from the bottom - J.D. and I had taken our time in the warm-up area. I'd sent a text to my dad, making sure he was watching tonight. He'd assured me he was. Even better, it seemed J.D.'s and Tanner's kiss had made it onto the stream. Cut off once the cameramen realized what was happening, but still.
And my daddy was proud of the boys.
That put me in a better mood. It was just enough to counteract Austin's bullshit earlier, but J.D. was a little too quiet. When we made it up to the pathway behind the chutes, it was in time to see Kaleb go. J.D. locked onto that, pausing me where we were.
Then Kaleb hit the dirt. Tanner moved in. Jorge moved to Kaleb. For a moment, I was holding my breath, and then everything worked out. But when Kaleb gave Tanner a back-thumping hug, J.D. let out the sort of sigh that made me realize he wasn't doing as well as he wanted me to think.
