Page 135 of The Wildest Ride

Gran nodded, approval in her gaze. She reached out a hand to Henry, who reached his hand to her. Lil watched it happen, pinned between a thousand feelings she didn’t have names for.

When their hands connected, she felt it as a physical thing.

“Thank you,” Gran said to Henry, “for one of the greatest gifts of my life.”

Sierra, who had joined them, stood beside Diablo, faintly leaning toward him even as she seemed apart, and let out a long, sweet sigh and said, “That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

Even Lil allowed herself to be moved, giving herself over to the flood of warmth that brought tears to her eyes and finally answered the question she’d carried her whole life: she was wanted, and cherished, and, above all, loved.

All around them, the Closed Circuit cameras rolled. The rodeo might be over, the buckles all handed out, but for the producers, the drama was the real prize, and it was solid gold.

And as if the moment needed more excitement, the old-timer from earlier, the producer with a slick suit and a missing tooth, let out a loud “Yeehaw!” and slapped his thigh, hollering out to the room, “The ratings are in, folks, and we blew them out of the water! The Closed Circuit is coming back for a second season, and it’s going to be better than ever!” Another round of cheers followed the news.

Ever the professional, Sierra recaptured control of the room with her bright and well-timed announcement. “All this celebration has got me hungry! What do y’all say we close this out the right way, on the producer’s dime?”

Her question was met by a resounding roar of approval, the friends and family gathered in the room and Lil and AJ—Hank was nowhere to be seen—and even the producers caught in the wave of excitement, though the idea hadn’t been on the scheduled plan of events and likely wasn’t in the budget.

None of that mattered. Pennies would be pinched and more cowboys would come along to take the top prize. AJ would come home with her, and together, they would figure out how to save both the ranch and CityBoyz. But more than that, they’d spend their days together, living, loving, and sometimes, riding off into the sunset.

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