Page 106 of One Last Rodeo

Dani bites down on her lip to stop herself from saying anything more. Regan shakes her head. “It’s true.”

“I always thought he was jealous of her,” Dani says softly. “Of how talented she is. About all the accolades that she won for the lives she saved. She’s always been good at everything she tries. Not only surgery—I meaneverything. It was honestly so intimidating being her younger sister and following her, but the older we got I realized that's her. She's incredible.”

“I know,” I bite out. “Everything she touches, even the first time she tries it, she masters it. She's the most talented,” I draw in a deep breath, "and fucking infuriating, beautiful woman I've ever met."

Dani nods slowly. “Doctor Davis cheated on her. And he got the girl he cheated with pregnant.”

“I know.”

Her eyes widen, clearly surprised that Catalina told me that much. Maybe, in another version of myself from a few weeks ago, I’d feel some twisted sense of pride at knowing these private, ugly details about the woman I love—proof that she trusted me with something no one else had. But not this time. That knowledge doesn’t make me feel closer to her. It makes mystomach turn because I didn’t know who Doctor Davis was to her.

I wish it hadn't happened. I wish more than anything that she’d just told mewhohe was so that the moment that man entered my space at the San Jose arena, I could have knocked his teeth straight out of his stupid, smug mouth.

I see now that I didn’t just come across as doubting her; I let her ex—the man who hurt her—step into a space that was supposed to be hers alone.

No wonder she looked at me like that when she saw me outside in the hallway. No wonder she walked away and pushed me away even after my apology.

No wonder ithurt so deeply.

I drag a hand over my face and then plant both palms on the top of my head, tipping my chin toward the ceiling as I squint against the dim lights of the bar. It’s fully dark out now. Night has settled into North Carolina heavy and thick. Catalina is somewhere in the air, probably touching down in San Jose in the next hour. Already mentally scrubbing in. Already shifting into that razor-sharp focus that she gets when someone’s life is on the line.

In two days, a little girl’s entire future will be beating in her hands. And she’ll be doing it in the same hospital as her piece-of-shit ex-fiancé. Possibly with him watching her every move from some gallery like a bad episode of “Grey's Anatomy”and feeling smug because he undercut her authority by examining mycompletely fineshoulder after she already cleared me.

This is the man who shattered her self-esteem. Who made her doubt herself. Who probably convinced her she was cold and unreachable—when she’s the warmest damn person I’ve ever known. The kind of woman who radiates light without eventrying. The kind of woman men like him don’t know how to love, so they tear down instead.

He never saw her goodness. He never deserved it. And he threw away the best thing that could have ever happened to him. I refuse to let him have a glimpse of what's always felt like mine. I refuse to let him dim her light in any more ways from here on out.

My jaw tightens.

How was I so blind? So fucking naïve? How did I not put it together sooner? It’s almost too clean. Too calculated. Like he orchestrated the whole thing just to undermine her one last time. To take something precious from her again.

Does Kitty see it that way too? Does she think I knew? No, I know the answer. She knows I didn’t know. She knows I didn’t ask for the consult. But that doesn't change the way I feel manipulated and used becauseheused me to hurt her.Again.

And I fucking hate being used. Fucking hate being treated like I'm too stupid to catch on.

“No wonder she was so hurt,” I breathe, the realization sinking deep and heavy as both women nod. “Why didn’t she tell me who he was?”

Dani hesitates. “Maybe because it didn’t matter who it was, it still would have hurt. Or maybe she was embarrassed by her reaction like he could still hurt her. Or maybe she just didn’t want to give him any more space in her life than he already took.”

She trails off. The reason no longer matters. I don't need answers to questions that only Kitty can give. I already know what I’m going to do.

"Everything good?" Hayes asks as he and Lawson return to the table.

No, everything's not good. I was supposed to stay in Whitewood Creek for another day before heading to San Diego. Supposed to get advice from Hayes about easing into retirement, about letting go of this life I’ve lived for close to two decades.

But I don’t need tips on how to walk away anymore. I already know how and I’m going to do it just fine.

I’ve ridden for years. I’ve proven what I needed to prove. I made my grandma proud. I showed my town that a kid like me could make it out and come back with something to show for it. I’ve saved my money. I’ve invested. I’m set enough that I don’t have to chase another eight seconds if I don’t want to.

And maybe it was always bullshit, the story that I told myself about not being smart enough, not being built for a normal life. Because I’m capable. I can start over doing something else that doesn't require me to sit at a desk and crunch numbers. And more than that, if Catalina believes in my ability to have a second chance, then I believe in myself. That’s all that matters.

Retiring isn’t a sacrifice anymore. It’s a choice. And I want to choose her. I want to choose a life where I get to wake up next to my woman, not have her wondering if I'll survive the night to see daylight.

“I gotta go,” I say.

They don’t argue. They just stand, hug me tight, and promise to keep in touch. I grab the bag that I've been living out of for the past three months and sling it over my shoulder. Then I’m gone...

Straight to the airport. Straight to the West Coast.