Page 84 of Ace of Spades
She rests her head on my chest, my heart thrumming wildly at the close contact. I had fucked this girl’s brains out, and yet, this felt more intimate than any moment we’d shared in the bedroom.
“So,” she says. “Kelly Weaver, huh?”
I follow her line of sight to where the girl in question stands with Kinley, the latter bent down to give the dogs some love while Kelly glares straight at us.
“You jealous, Sorrels?” I tease, spinning her before bringing her back into me, making sure to give Kelly a show.
“No,” Hailey says. “I know you have a past. Can I just ask—was it serious?”
I pull her in, bringing my lips to her ear.
“Not even a little bit.”
“And you… Don’t still like her, do you?”
When are you going to realize that I only have eyes for you?
“No,” I tell her truthfully.
“Good,” she states, and I bite down a smile.
The song ends and Hailey moves to walk away, but before I even realize what I’m doing, I’m grabbing her arm and spinning her back around, pulling the hat off of my head and placing it on hers.
“Wes, what are you doing?” she asks, though not even she can hide the smile in her eyes.
“Showing everyone here who you belong to,” I tell her.
“I don’t belong to anybody,” she argues, a mischievous grin tugging at her lips.
Don’t I know it.
“Humor me,” I tell her. “It’s my birthday, after all.”
I’d deal with the awful hat hair if it meant staking my claim, like some caveman fighting for the prettiest girl here.
“Happy birthday to you,” I hear somebody start, the singing picking up around us as I turn to find my mom and Debbie walking through the lodge door, cake in hand. The sparkling candles set a golden glow on their faces as they set it down on the picnic table, the crowd gathering in as my friends’ loud and obnoxious singing cracks a smile on my face.
I pull Hailey along with me, thanking everyone for the birthday wishes as I blow out my candles.
“Make a wish!” Kota calls, and I close my eyes for a brief moment to do just that.
“Alright, now time for presents,” Rhonda announces. “I’ll take the cake inside and cut it for everyone.”
Chance pushes me down onto the bench as Debbie places a large box in front of me.
“This is from all of us at the ranch,” she tells me. “And your mom, too, of course.”
I look around, finding smiling faces all around as I turn my attention back to the box, lifting the lid. I pull out the set of chaps, holding them up to admire the beautiful custom work. The leather is embroidered with a beautiful tooled pattern, my last name printed down one side with a hand of cards on the other, an Ace of Spades in the center.
“They’re…” I can’t even find the words to describe them, blown away by every intricate little detail. “They’re stunning. This is way too much, guys, really.”
“You sold your championship ones in high school to buy Kota a prom dress,” my mom says, a tear in her eye as her voice cracks. “You didn’t know it, but I cried myself to sleep that night. You’ve always put everyone first before thinking of yourself.”
“This isn’t much in comparison,” Debbie tells me. “But we all pitched in. You deserve something nice every once in a while, too.”
A ball forms in my throat, the backs of my eyes burning.
“Thank you,” I manage to croak out as my sister throws her arms around my shoulders, Rafe giving me a pat on the back as he goes to help Rhonda distribute the cake.
