Page 19 of Ace of Spades
“You’re delusional,” I tell her, looking around at the people setting up a speaker and a keg at one end of the arena. My heart hitched as I spotted the navy blue truck pulling down the driveway, sitting up straighter in anticipation.
“Right, I’m the delusional one,” Ava says, rolling her eyes.
I ignore her, hopping down from the railing and making my way over to one of the coolers to grab myself a drink. I hadn’t spoken with Weston since Utah, having only briefly seen him around at some of the rodeos, and the thought of seeing him again had me feeling some type of way. He was irritating, yes—but he was also definitely not unpleasant to look at. I feigned nonchalance as the three of them got out of Chance’s truck before spotting me and heading my way.
“Happy Birthday, Hails!” Chance greets me, wrapping his arms around me and lifting me off of the ground.
“Thank you,” I laugh, hugging him in return before embracing Rafe.
“Sorrels,” Weston greets, offering me a forced smile. Oh, so it was going to be like that, then?
I offer him a saccharine smile in return, crossing my arms as I assess him.
“Langford.”
“Nice place,” he drawls, making a show of looking around at the estate.
“Thanks,” I say in my sweetest voice. “Don’t get used to it though, I’ll be moving soon.Daddybought me a house for my birthday, isn’t that so sweet of him?”
I notice the tick in his jaw, his features hardening for the briefest of moments, and I knew I had him. His perfectly cool facade cracked for a fleeting second before he recovered, and I could feel the satisfaction coursing through me.
“Dang, that’s awesome! Here in Cedar Creek?” Chance asks.
“Yep,” I smile. “It’s just under five acres, and it’s got a stable and everything. I’m going to take a look at it tomorrow. Guess you aren’t getting rid of me that easily.”
I knew that I was being childish. I realized that it was petty, and that I was proving to be exactly who he thought I was, but something about what happened with my dad earlier just made me want to lash out—and Weston was the perfect person to aim that frustration towards.
“Can’t wait to see it,” Rafe tells me, clapping me on the shoulder before going to find himself a drink.
“What’s wrong, Weston?” I ask, batting my eyelashes at the man in question who remains silent. “Did I say something wrong?”
He takes a step towards me, leaning down as his deep voice grazes the shell of my ear, sending shivers skating down my spine.
“Nah, you see—I know exactly what you’re doing, and I’m not interested. You can goad me on all you want, but I’ve got better things to do than indulge in your bratty behavior.”
I swallow back the lump forming in my throat.
“Happy Birthday, Sorrels,” he offers, giving me a devilish smile before following after Rafe.
My eyes burned, and I felt like I had just had a bucket of ice water poured over my head, whatever fire he had lit inside me now completely extinguished. I wasn’t going to let myself cry over his words, I refused to let them get to me.
I look back at Chance, who awkwardly stands there, pretending not to have heard anything.
“So…” he rubs his nape, nervously looking around. “Have you taken any birthday shots yet?”
“Nope,” I tell him, pulling myself together. “Take me to the liquor.”
“Go, Chance, go!” I yell, cheering him on as he slips and loses his footing rounding the second barrel. I break into laughter, still cheering as he drunkenly runs to the third, giving it everything he has.
The barrels had been pushed closer together to make up for the fact that we were racing through the sand on foot, and with everyone easily buzzed by now, the slips and falls proved to be quite entertaining.
According to Ava, who had been timing each competitor, the rules were simple—chug a full beer, run the barrel pattern on foot without touching any of the barrels, and the fastest time wins.
I watch Chance stumble around each turn, the crowd cheering him on and then breaking into laughter as he baseball-style slides through the finish line marked in the sand.
“Hell yeah!” he cheers, pumping his fist in the air before making his way back to where his friends lean back against the arena railing. I made it a point not to look over at Weston, refusing to give him the satisfaction.
“How about the birthday girl now!” Ava hollers from where she stands on the railing, grabbing onto the arched arena entryway for support as she makes the announcement.
