Page 26 of Finding Chloe

I took a deep breath. My heart felt like it was being ripped open, but I couldn’t lose Chloe. She was the first woman who I wanted to really be with, and now she was pulling away. If shewanted me to keep an open mind, then I would. She just needed some time to see that Hunter and Kyle weren’t right for her. Then we could be together as a couple without them.

Hunter and Kyle were my friends. I hated this tension between us. When I stopped to think about it, I knew Hunter’s feelings were genuine. These past few months, he hadn’t been able to stop talking about the woman he met and how he regretted not getting her number. I couldn’t even fault Kyle. If Hunter liked her, he’d be willing to give Chloe a chance.

I rubbed at my chest to ease the ache still present there. Never in a million years would I have guessed that we were falling for the same person.

I drew in a deep breath and held her hands within my own. “Okay.”

“What?”

I gave her a tentative smile. “I said, okay. I’ll keep an open mind. I’m not crazy about this idea, but it’s better than you leaving me. I can’t let you go. You mean too much to me.”

Chloe lifted on her toes and planted a sweet kiss on my lips. “Thank you, Matt. I know this isn’t easy for you.”

It wasn’t. But I was realizing Chloe was my world, and I couldn’t just let her go.

KYLE

“Ican’t believe Hunter ditched us for poker night,” Chloe said as we sat down for dinner. When Hunter and I met her in front of the dining hall, he’d kissed her and then apologized about needing to miss dinner. He’d forgotten about poker night. I fought to hold in my chuckle. Hunter didn’t give two shits about poker night. He was trying to give us alone time so we could get to know each other better.

Now Chloe and I were sitting together, having a slightly intimate meal in the dining hall with most of the King’s Ranch staff.

“Funny how Hunter conveniently forgot about the game tonight.” Chloe shot me a sly grin. “It’s his loss then and my gain. I get you all to myself,” Chloe said, cutting her meatball, popping a piece in her mouth and chewing slowly. My stomach felt like a swarm of butterflies had been set loose.

“You grew up here, didn’t you?”

Chloe’s eyebrows shot up at my abrupt change of topic. “I did. I’m sure you know that Jessie is my aunt. My mom is her older sister.”

“But you left for college?” I took a sip of water.

“I needed to get out of this place.”

“New York is definitely a change from small-town life. How do you like the city?”

“Honestly?” Chloe tucked a curl behind her ear. “It’s way too big and busy for me. I think I’d like to find a place that’s in the between city and small town.”

“You don’t plan on coming back when you graduate?” My chest tightened. Did Hunter know this?

“I wasn’t planning on it, but I guess I’m still open. I haven’t really thought much further than graduating. I could work anywhere, but I want to have the opportunity to do a wide range of work, not just one aspect. I don’t want to dojustwedding planning. I want to plan events for charities, birthday parties, work Christmas parties. Does that make sense?”

“It does. I get it. I wanted to ride, but I didn’t have a specific place or team in mind when I was working my way up. The opportunity for Team Kingston just landed in my lap. I applied to a few other teams, but I signed on with the Kingstons because I believed in them the most. They really care for their riders, give them opportunities to expand on their skills.”

“You believed in them so much you took on their customs?” Chloe teased.

“Umm…” I rubbed the back of my neck, “Yeah, about that. I’m not sure what Hunter has said.”

“Nothing actually.”

“Fantastic.” I let out a breath. “Well, I assume you’re familiar with how these relationships work.”

“Yes and no. I’ve heard about it from the girls and seen it around the ranch. What does the relationship mean to you?”

“Hunter and I agreed we’d share a woman.” My ears were so hot I was sure they’d catch fire any second.

“That must have been a very big decision to make.”

“It felt pretty obvious and natural for me. He’s my best friend. Once I saw how everything worked around here, it justclicked.” I scooted a meatball from one side of my plate to the other.

“You know, I’m pretty sure it’s almost every girl’s fantasy to be with multiple guys.” Chloe bit her lip. “The thought has crossed my mind more than once.”

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