Page 88 of Rope Me In

I think I turn the color of a firetruck. I knew someone seeing us was possible, but I thought if anyone did, it would be Art or another one of the hands. Gavin is usually with Blake doing office work or watching over the new builds and repairs.

Seeing him, the man who’s technically my boss, after making out with his brother is awkward. This also means that if Gavin thought Kade and I were just a rumor before, we aren’t anymore. Now he’s seen us together, and he knows it’s real. We’re real.

Gavin stares at Kade, his brow pinched and lips pressed together. “Can I talk to you for a minute, Kade?” he asks.

Kade puts his shoulders back, the ease and playfulness he had with me gone now.

“Presley and I have somewhere to be,” Kade says.

Gavin looks away from his brother’s steely gaze and turns to me. “You can have the rest of the afternoon off, Presley.”

I take a step forward from where I’d been frozen on the wall. My mind is still reeling with the realization that Kade and I are real. I think I knew it before, but this has just solidified it for me. Our relationship is not just something Jake knows anymore, not just a rumor going around. And while being together, or whatever it is we are, complicates everything—including what our futures may hold—I can’t help but feel excited, even in this awkward situation.

I make eye contact with Gavin, my mouth opening to argue that I can stay and help, but the stern look on his face makes me think twice.

I turn my focus to Kade, and he shakes his head at me. “You can stay,” he says.

“That’s not necessary,” Gavin retorts.

“Presley is helping me today.”

“I think she’s helped enough.” As soon as the words leave Gavin’s mouth, I feel insulted and embarrassed by them. The urge to run out of the stall and never come back takes over me, but I don’t. Presley from her first shift at Night Hawk would have, but after everything that’s happened, I don’t want to leave Kade alone.

I open my mouth to say something, but Kade beats me to it. “Fuck you, Gavin.”

Both Gavin and I stiffen at the intensity of his words, but they seem to snap Gavin out of whatever made him say that. The cowboy’s face relaxes, and his eyes soften. “I’m sorry, Presley. That was extremely rude and uncalled for. Please, I would just like to talk to my brother in private.”

I don’t move from my spot, instead glancing at Kade to see what he wants me to do. He tries to give me a weak smile, but that pain I’ve seen lessen in his eyes since I’ve met him starts to come back, as if speaking to his brother transforms his entire personality. That makes my decision for me. Maybe Gavin will fire me, but I don’t want to leave. Not right now, not when Kade has been doing so well.

I square my shoulders and make sure I’m maintaining eye contact with Gavin. “I think I’ll stay.”

Gavin’s nostrils flare in surprise. I know I haven’t given him the impression that I would ever stand up for myself, and even if he heard about me punching Derek through the grapevine, he doesn’t truly know me. And he doesn’t know anything real about my relationship with his brother.

Putting the pieces together in my mind now, I think it’s probably easy for Gavin to assume that I’m just another one of Kade’s conquests and nothing more than that. It makes my heart hurt for Kade a little more, seeing how misunderstood he is by his brother.

“Presley—”

“Whatever you have to say, Gav, you can say it in front of her.” He pulls my hand into his, and I squeeze it, trying to give him some strength.

Gavin’s Adam’s apple moves tightly in his throat as he swallows. His eyes dart to our hands, causing more surprise to permeate his expression. It confirms what I just thought about his opinion of us. “This is family business, Kade. It will just take a minute.”

“She’s staying,” he says more firmly.

Shock zaps through my body as if I’ve been struck by lightning, and my heart beats faster in my chest as I tilt my head to meet Kade’s gaze.

He smiles at me softly even though his eyes are stern. “You’re staying,” he reiterates.

I try to swallow the emotion in my throat as he squeezes my hand. The implication of his words truly settle into my bones, so heavy with meaning that I want to cry. Does Kade consider me family? The thought alone causes the bridge of my nose to sting and my palms to sweat. He knows I’ve never felt like I belonged. That I’ve never felt like I’ve had a family.

I press my lips together and try to keep my composure as Gavin looks between us. He takes a moment to collect himself then rubs the back of his neck. “Alright.” He exhales. “Kade, I want you to come up to the house tonight for dinner. We need to discuss more ways to sublease our land. I thought you’d want to be a part of it and give your input, especially since it was your idea.”

Despite the tense emotion of the moment, my shoulders relax, and I feel relieved. I half expected Gavin to yell at Kade for kissing me in public or say something about us being together in general.

I look back at Kade, who’s still holding my hand. His jaw is clenched, and I can tell he’s fighting with himself because he thought the same thing. What Gavin implied about me was rude, but I can understand it was said in frustration. It’s not likethese brothers are good at communicating; that much is clear. But this could be the moment I think Kade’s been waiting for: his brother reaching his hand out again. I just hate it started off the way it did.

There’s silence for a moment before Kade says, “I’m working tonight. But most importantly, Presley is playing her fiddle with the band. I’m not missing it.”

Gavin is quiet at his words, his brow raised in silent question. My heart aches more for Kade. I almost can’t believe that his brother is having such a hard time believing Kade would say no because he wanted to support me instead.

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