Page 105 of One Last Rodeo

And his wife, Regan Marshall—hell, you can tell she’s helped him with all that and made him into a better man.

They say that the happiness of a man relies heavily on the relationship he has with his woman. I remember the stories about Hayes being a menace back in the day. A legend with the ladies who swore he'd never settle down and marriage wasn’t in the cards. People change, and that’s the thing that’s been eating at me. I've changed too. I’ve wanted this. This family energy. People who know your history and want to talk about it. I’m ready.

I didn’t grow up with any of that. It was always just me and my grandma and a whole lot of silence where parents and siblingsshould’ve been. Being around it now makes me realize I missed out on something crucial that I'll never get a shot at unless I have my own family.

This is what I want with Catalina so badly it damn near hurts.

“So…” Regan plops down beside me the second her husband leaves the table. And just like that, I’m boxed in. Dani on my left, Regan on my right. Two women who clearly love Catalina and look like they might skin me alive if I say the wrong thing about her.

They don't need to worry about that. I don't have a single bad word to say about my Pulse.

“This feels like a setup by your husbands,” I say with a chuckle.

Dani smiles sweetly. “Lawson would never.”

“Neither would Hayes,” Regan adds. "But they would do anything we asked, so..."

I shake my head. “What’s up?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Regan says evenly.

I scrub a hand over my jaw. “I’m guessing you both already know how badly I fucked things up with Catalina?”

They nod in unison.

Regan leans back slightly. “You had to know that would hurt her, right? Being a woman doctor in a male-dominated field can't be easy.”

"You're constantly second guessed," Dani adds.

Regan nods. “I grew up with all brothers and they never treated me like I was weaker, but the world did. ‘The Marshall men are capable of doing anything they try.’” She deepens her voice mockingly. “And then… their sister. The sweet one who never caused any trouble. My brother's notoriety overshadowedeverything I attempted. I had to go to school on the other side of the country to figure out who I was.”

“Seems like you turned out okay,” I say.

She nods. “But I had to prove myself and work ten times harder than them. It took me a while to find my own success.”

Dani nods in agreement. "It was the same thing for me in tech sales. My boss was a male who got more attention than me from buyers despite me outselling him. I was constantly forced to explain myself, even when I had already made it. It was stressful and took a toll on me physically. My sister’s accomplished so much and has awards to her name. So yeah... I can imagine how it felt for her to think you doubted her professional, clinical judgment. Even if it was your trainer who called the guy up for the consult, she hadn’t realized that at first and by the time you said that the damage was already done.”

Regan nods. "Totally."

“And for it to be her ex...,” Dani murmurs softly, shaking her head. “It’s bullshit.”

Every muscle in my body freezes. “What?”

Her eyes widen. She blinks fast then slaps a hand over her mouth. “Oh. Oh shit. I forgot you didn't know that part.”

The air in the room shifts. I hold my breath, my gaze bouncing between her and Regan. Neither of them answers quickly enough to explain.

“Didn’t know what?” I ask slowly.

Her gaze flicks to Regan. Regan’s blue eyes go wide in surprise.

“Wait,” Regan says carefully. “Jensen doesn't know that Doctor Davis is Catalina’s ex-fiancé?”

Everything inside me detonates. My chair scrapes violently backward, clattering to the floor. I yank my hat off and rake a hand through my hair, my pulse roaring in my ears.

If I’d thought I'd lost it when Catalina hopped on a plane to the West Coast without us having a certain future, well, I've just found it. I tug hard at the back of my neck like I can physically pull the anger that she kept this oneverymajor detailfrom me.

“Tell me you’re joking. Tell me that’s not true.”