Page 145 of For Cowgirls and Kings
“Well,your man,got these little letters on my fingers eight years ago, when my father passed as a reminder of the strongest, bravest, kindest person I know. The kind of person I wanted to base my future self on—the light for me to follow.”
She chews her lip, and then nods, her face softening.
“I never knew your father well, but I’m sure he appreciates the tribute.”
I shake my head, that dorky grin still pulling at my lips. We pull into the hospital parking lot, and I grind the truck to a stop in the nearest spot, the tires squealing. I face her then, and she blinks rapidly, evidently confused.
“No Dale. Noble One isn’t a tribute to my father. Although he was brave and strong, he isn’t the man I wanted to be. Iwanted to be worthy of someone like you. Adalene means Noble One, look it up.”
Her lips quiver, popping open and closed for several seconds.
It’s never been a secret I meant to keep—I didn’t do it thinking I’d even someday be with Dale. I did it as a way to keep from falling into the darkness of a world I wanted no part of, one that would have swallowed me whole eventually if it hadn’t been for Dale.
But now that I’m sitting here, having admitted the small truth, my remaining denial lifts, taking with it the remnants of an existence where I haven’t been in love with my best friend for over ten years. I maybe never realized, or wanted to admit it more likely, but it’s always been there—always been her.
“You got those for me?” she squeaks, tears sitting like clear marbles on her lash line. I reach forward, running my knuckles beneath her lashes, collecting the drops before they can fall.
“No, I did them for me. Everything else has been for you.”
Before the words fully leave my lips, Dale scrambles over the console, pressing into my lap, her hands framing either side of my face as she presses desperate kisses to my lips. I meet her, kissing her with equal fervor, my hands roaming her backside, pulling her closer to me than should be humanly possible.
I want to crawl inside her skin.
She groans against my mouth, the smell of her lavender perfume, and the saltiness of her tears engulfing me.
And then there’s a fucking knock on the window, and I fight of the urge to flip off whoever it is. There’s a second knock, and I reluctantly pull away. Dale, bless her, looks only slightly embarrassed, as she slowly turns to face whoever caught us dry humping and swallowing each other’s faces in the middle of a hospital parking lot, in the middle of the day.
“Fuck,” I groan, and Dale awkwardlycrawls off me, the truck seeming smaller somehow than it was seconds ago. I roll down the window, “McCrae? What’re you doing here?”
His brows pinch together as he looks up at me. “My brother’s having a kid right now.” I blink, and he blinks back.
Is that supposed to be enough explanation?
“Uh, yes. We’re headed in,” I state, still not sure what else I can say.
“Sure you were.”
“Dale, Stetson’s asking for us!” All heads whip to Faith, who I didn’t see come around the front of the truck. She moves close to McCrae—a little too fucking close for random people who’ve only talked once that I know of—and shoots a grin at Dale. “Glad you guys are back together, by the way.”
I turn to look at Dale, the question written in my eyes. Her’s draws a line between McCrae, Faith, and up to mine, when she shrugs.
“Yeah, thanks Faith, it’s still new.”
“I know, I’m sorry. Stetson told me that you guys would probably be hot and bothered, but she really wanted us here.”
Dale opens her door, jumping out. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Faith claps, and then races around the truck, linking arms with Dale. She faces me once more.“See you inside?”
“I’ll be right there,” I confirm. Once they’re out of ear shot, I face McCrae once more. “Gus know you’re here?”
He exhales exasperatedly, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. “No, but I’m not leaving. Not until I know the baby’s okay.”
“How did you know it was happening?”
His eyes flick to where the girls had been—where Faith had been—and then back at his cigarettes. He doesn’t offer an answer, a fact that only makes me more nervous.
He can’t be interested in Faith, and vice versa. They just can’t be hooking up or something. What would V think?
Oh god, Valentina will kill Faith.
