"You going to let me drive you over with me?"
"Sure," he agreed, "but only if you answer the question."
So I stood a little straighter and met him face to face. "I'm not worried at all about those two. The reason things between me and Cody are never going to happen? It's me."
"Gay?" he asked.
"Dangerous," I told him. "The kind of dangerous that looks completely harmless until shit blows up in your face. And no, I wouldn't be doing the blowing up. It just follows me around, so I'm going to use that mess for her benefit."
Ty's eyes narrowed and his head was jiggling slightly from side to side like he was negating my words. "Jake, that makes no fucking sense."
"I'm saying I'm useful to her right now," I clarified. "If people start thinking she and I have more than a casual acquaintance, that will all change. I'll become her worst fucking nightmare, and I respect that woman too much to do that to her."
"And yet you're still fighting for her."
All I could do was nod. "I am."
"Why?" he pressed.
"Because I wanted to hate her," I admitted. "I thought she was going to be some big distraction, but then J.D. told me to hold her hat. That was when I saw it. The announcer started doing that whole 'sweetheart' thing they used to do when she rode, and I watched her deflate as she left the arena."
"She hates that," he agreed.
"Yeah," I breathed. "But that's when I realized she just wants to ride bulls. Shecanride them, and the people who don't like it are the ones who can't keep up. To my way of thinking, that means the rest of us should have her back. And the more I help her..."
"The more you realize she's an amazing woman. Yeah," Ty said, slapping my shoulder and turning me so I had to walk beside him. "See, you're a good man, Jake. A damned good man. And if you ever have any advice to share about how to become one? Well, I'm all fucking ears."
"So..." I glanced over. "Does this mean we're friends now?"
"Arch fucking neblesis," he said around a laugh. "But friends is easier to say."
Chapter 29
We headed back upto our room after the impromptu meeting down at the hotel bar. Then, while I ordered food for the three of us, J.D. and Tanner got a little personal time together in the shower. Tanner's excuse was that J.D. needed help so he didn't injure himself, but the sounds I heard? Yeah, that wasn't hurting either one of them.
I had a feeling what they intended was to talk over how they'd come out to those guys. Or maybe to make sure saying as much as they had tonight wasn't a bad thing. But it sure didn't end that way. Nope, those boys were clearly getting hot and heavy.
And I liked it. This thing between the three of us was starting to get comfortable. We'd basically been living together for a month now, and none of us had cracked. Not when the worst nor the best had happened. Instead, we just kept growing closer and closer.
But next weekend was a gap-week. I knew the PBR had to schedule events around the locations we used, and sometimes that meant we got a weekend off. From what the guys had said, we usually got more of these breaks the closer we got to finals. I had a feeling it was to make sure everyone could heal up, butso far as I cared, the timing couldn't be better. It gave J.D. just enough time to be able to ride again at his home show.
It also meant we didn't want to lounge around here any longer than we had to, so the next morning, the three of us packed our shit and headed out at an hour I no longer considered decent. No, it wasn't truly early, but ten am was still early for me.
Tanner managed to convince us to have a good breakfast before we got in the truck and started driving. In truth, we all wanted the extra coffee or three. I also wanted the chance to convince them I should drive.
My elbow was basically healed. Sure, if I twisted it hard, I could feel a little twinge. I certainly wouldn't be riding on it anytime soon, but I was perfectly fine to drive. Tanner was too. J.D.? Nope, he was kicked to the backseat. Surprisingly, he didn't have a single problem with it.
That boy had an entire collection of pillows, a whole cooler we filled with drinks, and an assortment of "road food" to pass to us up in the front seat. And as we headed west toward Nashville, there was nothing to do but talk. Mostly, we talked about the strike.
"Ok," J.D. was saying, "I know I keep saying I wanna ride, but if we're striking, then I ain't gonna get on a bull, am I?"
"No, you are not," I told him.
"Cody..." Tanner tried.
"No," I broke in. "Hear me out, ok?" I glanced over to catch him nodding, then looked back to the road. "According to Jake, the PBR thinks the wrecks sell seats. Letting the bulls go without riders doesn't. The one and only thing we have to use against the guys upstairs? It's pissing off the fans, so if J.D. rides, that ruins everything. Never mind that it puts him in the same category as Austin, which would piss off the men who are currently on our side."
"And weneedyou three back," J.D. said. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I ain't happy about my mama not seeing me get to ride, but I also know she'll understand."
