Page 112 of Something Tangled Something True
“I bet this isn’t how you expected your birthday to go, huh?” I whisper when the song ends, my voice hoarse.
“It’s everything and more,” she whispers back as the room erupts in cheers and shouts once more, the class coming to an end.
“I’m so proud of you, Lola,” I whisper, reluctantly pulling away so she can address her adoring fans.
“I just want to thank you all for showing up,” she starts, and several people laugh. She waves a hand in front of her face, rolling her eyes jokingly. “No, no. I don’t mean tonight.” Her tone shifts from playful to serious, swiping tears from her cheeks with the backs of her hands. The room quiets down, all eyesand ears on Lola. “Thank you for making me feel safe and loved, free to be completely myself, even as a child. For allowing me to make mistakes and learn from them without the fear that my entire life would be riding on one mess up. You’ve all shown up for me since the very first day I arrived in Hidden Valley, and you’ve all continued to do so, even after I’d lost myself for a while. You’ve helped me rebuild my life, sometimes twice,” she says, chuckling lightly at the insinuation. “I recognize that for the gift it is because most people don’t have the kind of community we do. And I just—” she peers up at the ceiling, blinking away tears, “I love you all so much.Los amo, mi familia.”
Clapping, whistling, and a chorus of “We love you too!” envelop us, and as I tug her close for another hug, I whisper against the shell of her ear, “What’s it gonna be, darlin’? Have you finally picked a name for this place?”
“Lola’s,” she breathes out. “I want it to be completely, utterlymine.Just like you, Ryder Lockhart.”
If there’s one thing for certain in this ever-changing world, it’s thatI am irrevocably, undeniably, and eternally Lola Lima’s.
The end.
Epilogue Part One
BREEDING & FEEDING
THREE MONTHS LATER
“I knowyou said you’ve never ridden a horse, but look at you now! You’re a natural,” Ryder tells Keeva, helping her dismount Penny.
She lands on her feet, dust kicking up around her boots. She unclips her helmet, and long tendrils of deep red frame her face. “Thanks, Ryder,” she says with a smile. Her eyes grow wide when she sees me, hurrying to my side and throwing her arms out for a hug. I pull her close to me, rocking side to side a bit as we laugh into the embrace. “When did you get back?” she asks, breaking away from me.
“You act as if I’ve been gone for a month.” I chuckle. “It’s been three days, and you saw me last week!” Keeva and I met at one of my dance lessons, and after watching her flail her body unnaturally across the dance floor, I knew I had to help. She was a bit embarrassed at first, having grown up with a Latina stepmom, but she’s just an all-around uncoordinated person, and living with dysautonomia doesn’t help.
Once Ryder got his equine therapy lessons set up with a licensed animal therapist, he was ready for anyone willing to give it a shot. Keeva was one of many, utilizing riding lessonsto strengthen her muscles and lessen the pooling of fluid in her legs that leads to her losing consciousness. She swears it’s been life-changing for her already, and she has improved tremendously in our weekly dance classes.
“I know, but I missed you! Mayte invited me over to play Uno and Domino with her, keep her company. I got freaking annihilated, Lola! You should’ve warned me she plays so dirty!”
My shoulders shake with laughter, and my heart feels full knowing Mayte has more than just me to spend time with, though she might be in desperate need of some alone time come next week, when her cousin moves in. “She is the absolute worst,” I agree.
Ryder sidles up to us after he’s said his goodbyes to everyone. He winds an arm around my waist, tugging me into his side and pressing a soft kiss to my temple. “You about ready to get out of here?” he asks. “I have a little surprise planned for you.” He winks, and my insides melt, cheeks flushing.
Keeva glances between us, rolling her lips into her mouth to hide her grin. “Well, thank you for a wonderful lesson, Ryder. I’ll just be going now,” she says, hurrying away and leaving my husband and me alone.
I twist in his arms, planting my hands on his chest. Glittering blue eyes meet mine, and those soft, kissable lips call to me.
I press onto my tiptoes, hovering my lips just over his. “Does this surprise involve your dick in my mouth?”
A growl rips from his throat, and in an instant, his lips meet mine, taking over all my senses. His mouth takes my breath away as he nips at my bottom lip. I open for him, our tongues tangling and heat pooling low in my belly. Sweet mint floods my mouth, his hands skimming over my waist down to my ass. He clutches me tightly against him, his thick length already ready for me, pressing against my belly.
I have to tear my mouth away from his before I climb himlike a tree, right here in the open, with all the squirrels watching. He gives my ass a firm squeeze before turning me around and swatting my bottom. “Come on, Lols. Let’s go see that surprise.”
I pull my keys out, climbing into the driver’s side of the massive, hot-pink GMC Sierra I bought myself two weeks ago. Being able to afford it on my own from the money I’ve made from the studio feels so freeing—I’ll never have to rely on anyone else ever again. Ryder teaching me how to drive has been the icing on the cake, and the sprinkles are the hot-and-heavy make-out sessions after a job well done on my part. Which is apparently pretty easy to do, seeing as a “good job” to Ryder means not running us into a tree.
He slams the door behind him, buckling himself in and checking that I am too before I pull out onto the dirt road, kicking up plumes of dust. “Where should I be driving?”
“To the watering hole,” he murmurs, placing his hand on my thigh and trailing his pinky indecently high. The tip of his finger smooths over the seam of my denim shorts, and he can probably feel my wetness through the thick fabric.
“If you want to make it there, you should keep your hands to yourself,” I grit out as heat threatens to swallow me whole.
He releases a low rumbling chuckle, but his palm only climbs higher. My thighs part for him, and I accidentally press down on the brake, rocking us forward. “Ry! I’m seriou—” The word breaks off on a moan, and my eyes are rolling. “Is this how men feel about road head?”
More laughter fills the suffocatingly tight space between us, his entire hand cupping me through my shorts.
I tentatively press on the gas, focusing on the road ahead, and the trees starting to turn to beautiful burnt shades of red and orange.
