Page 91 of From the Ashes
“Finish dinner,” he says playfully before taking a seat on the barstool, continuing his conversation with Cassie.
By the time they get off the phone, we’ve deduced that things with Miguel are going great, Cassie’s dad, Charlie, is flying down to meet him next month, they’ve even talked about moving back to North Carolina together, and the medical practice that Hudson’s wife, Shannon, works at may offer Cassie a job as an interpreter.
The good news, added to our own happiness, keeps our spirits high and before we know it, we’re packing our bags for the rodeo in Cheyenne.
“Walker!That you? What are you doing up here?” Jonas’s voice catches me off guard. I’m not sure why though, since I know Jackson is competing here this weekend. Jonas pulls me in for a hug as if there isn’t bad blood between us, and Phoenix bristles at my side. People have been watching me since I arrived, and Jonas is clearly taking advantage of the situation to make it look like we’re still on good terms.
I fight the urge to grab Phoenix’s hand. In our cocoon of the house, the farm, and our accepting friends, I stupidly hadn’t realized how hard it would be to hide my love for Phoenix around this crowd.
I don’twantto hide my love for Phoenix inanycrowd. But he’s right, we need to tell my sponsors first, and we need to do it before Jonas does.
As soon as I have the thought, Jonas finally realizes Phoenix is next to me.
“Harding,” Jonas says in greeting. “Still trying to distract Walker, I see.”
I step slightly in front of Phoenix so he doesn’t punch Jonas’s lights out. Jonas may be huge, but Phoenix wouldn’t stop until the man was unconscious, of that, I’m certain.
“Jonas, considering you’re out here on my dad’s dime, I’d be careful how you talk to my friends.”
Jonas leans in close to me. “You fuck all your friends or just the washed-up ones?”
At this, Phoenix can’t stay quiet any longer, nor should he. That was crossing a line. “You shut your goddamn mouth and stay the fuck away from him,” he snaps, grabbing my armroughly. Pushing me through the crowd, he talks in my ear, “We need to at least tell LXR since they’re your biggest sponsor, and we need to tell themnow.”
“I’m ready,” I say immediately, knowing it’s the truth.
Phoenix pulls up short and cuts down behind the practice ring. People can see us, but they can’t hear what we’re saying.
“There is no going back after this, Walker. When you come out, you’re out for good,” he says.
“That’s fine, Phoe. I’m gay. It’s not like that’s gonna change.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Iknowthat, but…fuck.I want to protect you and I don’t know how. Jonas won’t be the only one with that disgusting reaction. Your competitors will use it as ammunition against you. They’ll mess with you, try to get in your head, and we both know how dangerous that can be.”
I honestly hadn’t expected him to be the one freaking out. It’s kind of adorable. Gripping his shoulders, I make him look at me. “Do you love me?”
“You fucking know I do,” he growls.
“Do you see that changing in the near future?” I ask, hating that we’re having this conversation in public, at the side of a horse ring, but also recognizing that it’s pretty apropos for us.
“That’sneverchanging inanyfuture,” Phoenix answers vehemently, making my heart swell.
“Then hear me when I say that I’m ready to tell the whole fucking world that I’m gay, you’re my boyfriend,andyou’re my coach.” He still looks like he wants to argue, so I say words that have needed to be said for a while now. “Phoenix, I know you loved riding. I know you miss it every day. I know it’s my fault you can’t do it anymore. And I know you think I’ll resent you if us going public causes the professional rodeo to turn its back on me. But waking up every day, winning some new title orchampionship, doing a sport I love, would mean nothing…nothingif it means losing you again.”
Phoenix stares at me for a solid twenty seconds before he finally nods. “Then let’s tell the world we’re together and come what may.”
I smile and grab his hand, lacing our fingers, as we walk through the throng of cowboys and cowgirls to the LXR tent.
Chapter 38
Phoenix
“Well, I’ll be damned! If it isn’t Phoenix-fuckin’-Harding! How are ya, son?” Mack Cooper, the CEO of LXR stands from his folding camp chair in the shade of the LXR tent to shake the hand Walker dropped before we got here. The Cheyenne rodeo is held outdoors because even in June, the high is only between seventy and seventy-four degrees. There are tack vendors, food trucks, media, carnival games, etc…all over the place on these fairgrounds, and it really is an exciting atmosphere.
“I’m doing well, sir. Thank you,” I reply respectfully. I’ve always thought Mack was a solid guy. He doesn’t just throw his money at his athletes, he shows up. He’s ringside for any rodeo he can attend, and although tough love tends to be his style, he seems to truly care about his athletes. It devastated him when I had to walk away.
With the news Walker and I have come to share, I guess we’re about to find out just how solid he is.
I can tell the minute he spots my boyfriendover my shoulder because he holds out his arms in a fatherly greeting and pats Walker on the back before enveloping him in a hug.
