Page 35 of Riding the Storm
I love what I do. The adrenaline, the eight-second fights, the crowd roaring when I stick the ride. But nights like this … they remind me that when the lights go out and the crowds go home, it’s just me.
No laughter.
No family table.
Just silence and the faint hum of a mini fridge.
Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of buckle bunnies around to warm my bed for a night. There’s always a crowd of them waiting at the bar after an event—easy to find and easy to forget. But I haven’t had any meaningful relationships or friendships in over a decade, apart from my team—and they get paid to like me.
I shake off the thought, pick up my fork, and let myself get pulled back into the noise.
Halfway through dinner, Evelyn disappears into the kitchen and comes back, carrying a chocolate cake, candles flickering. Everyone starts singing before Matty can protest.
“Happy birthday to you…”
She groans and hides her face, cheeks going red, but she’s smiling too big to mean it.
When they finish, Caison leans close, voice low and teasing. “Make a wish.”
She glances at him, eyes shining in the candlelight. “All my wishes already came true.”
Then she kisses him, soft and slow, right there in front of everyone.
Shelby immediately makes a loud gagging noise. “Ugh, gross. Someone get me a bucket.”
Charli joins in, fake coughing. “Ew, Matty giving public displays of affection.”
Harleigh covers her face, snickering.
Evelyn just shakes her head. “Oh, hush up, all of you. Let the girl have her moment.”
Matty sticks her tongue out at her sisters and blows out the candles, still smiling like her heart’s about to burst.
I can’t help but smile too. The taunting, the devotion—it’s all so natural. So … unforced.
It hits me then how rich they are, not in money, but in love. How full their lives are.
Mine’s always been the opposite—fast, loud. Always chasing the next high. The money. The glory. Another gold buckle to add to the collection. And it’s all empty when the dust settles.
But this—what’s happening around me—is something money can’t buy.
After we’ve all had a slice of cake, the sisters announce their plot.
“All right,” Shelby says, “since Harleigh came home early, that means one thing—girls’ night out.”
“Correction,” Harleigh says, “family night. The boys are invited this time.”
“Oh, right,” Shelby says. “I meant family”—she looks at me and winks—“and Ry night out.”
Matty raises an eyebrow. “All of us?”
Charli smirks. “Yep. You too, boss lady. We’re going out dancing for your birthday.”
To everyone’s surprise, Matty doesn’t argue. “You know what? Why not? I want to celebrate having all my people here. Take me out and get me drunk, troublemakers.”
A symphony of hoots and hollers follows.
Charli’s eyes flick toward Caison and soften as she whispers, “You’ve changed her, you know.”
