"And I have mine up in my room," Isabella explained. "Come!"
The girl grabbed my hand and hauled me that way, although we only made it a step before J.D. stopped her.
"Don't pull! Cody's got a busted elbow!"
"And J.D. has broken ribs," I shot back.
Tanner just flapped his arms at his sides. "For once, I'm not broken at all."
Isabella giggled, but didn't slow down. She also didn't pull on me, so I followed. Behind us, I heard Maria talking to Tanner, but in front of me?
Holy shit. This place wasnice.
Vaulted ceilings, fancy furniture, and a massive TV were visible as Isabella hurried me through the living room and up a long hall. That led to the stairs. Together, we jogged up those, only for her to turn into the first room on the right.
"Here," she said, finding a marker on her desk. Then she pointed.
There, just beside her bed, was my poster. That was me on Without Ado for the few seconds I'd managed to cling to him back in St. Louis, and surprisingly, I lookedgood.
"Where do you want me to sign?" I asked as I headed to it.
"Anywhere you want," Isabella assured me. "I told my friends you were coming, and this will let me prove it. I mean, we all love you, Cody. Seeing a girl in the PBR? And one who can keep up with my brother?"
"Trying," I admitted as I took up a lot of space with my signature. "Not quite succeeding."
Isabella just chuckled. "Pretty sure you have the infamous J.D. Adkins whipped. In my whole life, I've never seen him work this hard to impress anyone, not even his sponsors. To me, that looks a lot like winning."
"Yeah, but that's a different sport," I pointed out. "Dating and bull riding are not connected at all."
"Yeah, but which one is more important?" she asked.
I paused, my mouth hanging open because her question hit me harder than it should've. Riding bulls was supposed to earn me a future, but what sort of future did I want? What was I willing to give up to get that? I didn't want one where I'd be alone. Dating J.D.? That was my future in another way. He was my partner in more ways than one. A man I could count on to be there when I needed him most - usually with Tanner at his side.
"Do I have to pick?" I asked after a pause that had lasted too long.
"Nope," Isabella said. "See, your reaction told me everything I need to know. You're serious about my brother. You're serious about bull riding. He is too. In my opinion, that means you just passed." Then she winked. "Let me show you the rest of the house."
Chapter 30
Mama went all outfor dinner that night. While she cooked the biggest meal I could ever remember having - including three different main dishes, just in case someone didn't like something - Isabella helped haul everyone's gear up to "my" room, saying Cody needed to rest her arm. The cute part was that Tanner agreed, jumping up to help her carry things.
And over dinner, we talked. Cody was a little nervous. I could see it from the way she'd turned sweet and quiet. Tanner was on his best behavior, acting like the sort of gentleman Mama had always told me to go for. I snuck some food to Blue under the table, laughing each time Mama called me out for it. When the meal was done, Isabella passed out dessert, and we all sat talking for far longer than I expected.
That evening, Cody dipped out first, saying she needed a shower. I gave her directions through the house, making it clear she could snoop all she wanted. In truth, I had every intention of following her, but Tanner jumped up to help Mama clean up the kitchen. Now, there weren't no way I was gonna let my boyfriend make me look bad, so I jumped in to do the dishes.
Somewhere in there, my sister vanished to the domain of the teenage girl. I was pretty sure she'd gone to her room, so whenMama said she was headed to bed, I made sure Tanner knew his way around this massive house, and walked partway with my mama.
"I like them," she told me when we were out of earshot.
Yeah, those words? They made something swell up in my chest. "I like 'em too," I admitted. "Mama, you need to know that, because I like 'em enough I might not be riding in Nashville."
Her eyes narrowed. "José, you don't go throwing a ride for anyone, you hear me?"
"Naw, this is different," I promised. "This is more like a strike because they think Tanner's gay and Cody's a girl. They haven't yet realized Cody's got more balls than most of the men in the PBR, and Tanner's man enough to take care of us both. Thing is, there's a chance no one's riding, Mama. It'll be a good thing, because they're doing it for him."
My mother simply turned, gently rubbing both of my upper arms. "Then you make me proud of not riding. The best way to do that is to not hide from this, José. If they come after either of your lovers, then you go after them. That's what we do for family, right?"
I nodded. "Yep. Just make sure Isabella knows Cody might not ride either? I don't want her upset because we're standing up for what's right."
