Shaking his head, he pushes his plate away from him. “I don’t care about the girl, son. But I do care about you. You’ve been putting a lot of work into this career. I’m counting on you.”
“Yeah,” I interrupt. “I know. You’re counting on me to win. To make you proud. I get it, Dad. You’ve been telling me that forever.”
“You have to get your stats up, son. Take your licks, get your rides in, and qualify for the big competitions. You don’t get to the real prize purses without that work. And you’ve been slacking off.” Dad says this quietly, but with firm resolve, so I know he’s not messing around. “Not to mention that if you’re not on the top of your game, you’re way more likely to get hurt.”
I swallow the lump in my throat that feels like a stone wrapped in barbed wire. “I could get hurt no matter how much I train. And I might never qualify for the World Finals.”
My dad shakes his head, stabbing his finger at me. “Hush that talk. You’ll qualify. You’re strong. You’re good, you’ve got good genes. You have what it takes, Jamie, if you’d only just buckle down and give it your all. It’s a lot of money, son.”
I know he’s right. The circuit pays enough to live on if you’re lucky, but it’s the competitions where you can really make bank. Prize purses can range into the millions. That kind of money would go a long way to the future I’m planning for me and Oakley. I’m not a hundred percent sure what that all might be, but I know I want to provide for her.
“It’s her birthday. I didn’t want to ruin it by talking about this with her. She has a big party later tonight. I’ll talk with her about all of this tomorrow.”
“You should do yourself, and her, a favor and just break it off with her. Make it a clean break. She’s going away, you’re starting your career. It’s what people do when they graduate from high school anyway, son. She probably won’t even really be too surprised.” He sounds so convinced of this that, for a second or two, all I can do is stare at him.
“I love Oakley Montgomery, Dad,” I reply, shaking my head, “and she loves me.”
“What do either one of you know about love?” My dad shoots back in a rough-edged voice full of disdain. “Not a damned thing, that’s what. You think you know what love is? It’s commitment. It’s family. It’s?—”
“That’s what I have with Oakley! What we do have, and what we will have! I love her, and she loves me, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”
Sitting back in his chair again, he eyes me steadily. “Yeah? And will she keep on loving you when you don’t have a pot to piss in?”
I grit my teeth but don’t say a word.
“You’re too sentimental, son. Just like your mother was.” My dad shakes his head like he’s ashamed.
I’m angry, sad, and embarrassed, but mostly angry. At him. But also at myself because, deep down, I can’t stop myself from believing that my dad is right. Oakley says she loves me, but the truth is, if I can’t find a way to make a success out of myself, how long would she possibly stay with a loser?
She’s a Montgomery. Dad might hate them, but to everyone else, they’re the golden family in Skyview Falls. The ones we all look up to and envy. When I was younger, I thought they were like something out of a movie, rich and powerful. My opinion hasn’t changed much.
I can’t keep this a secret from her forever. I’m going to have to leave for the circuit before she heads off to school…and she has to go to school. I can’t be the one to hold her back from her opportunities just because my only path ahead is a bull rider with Walker Rodeo.
Oakley deserves so much better than that.
She deserves a man who can protect and provide for her, to keep her in the lifestyle she’s used to. Professional bull riding is my shot at real success, and some real good money, too.
A heavy breath leaves me as I let my dad’s words sink in. No matter how I might feel about everything, I can’t deny the truth in front of me.
I’m going to have to move forward with everything, even if it means Oakley won’t be happy about it. I can only hope I won’t lose her in the process.
Chapter Three
OAKLEY
“I don’t look any different…do I?” I ask, turning away from the mirror to face my best friend, Phoebe. Heat creeps up my chest and onto my cheeks as she studies me. We’ve been in my bedroom trying on different outfits for the last hour. The room looks like a cyclone came through it, every item from my closet tossed over the bed and floor and I still can’t settle on what I want to wear.
It’s like what happened early this morning with Jamie has flustered me into being a different person.
A really sore-between-the-legs kind of person… that’s for sure.
“Still too gorgeous to stand,” she finally replies, after a shake of her head. “I should hate you for looking so good. Do you feel different?”
Do I feel different?
Thinking about that for a second, I nod. “Yeah… I guess. I mean, it’s not like we haven’t done stuff before, but last night was like…magic. Or is that corny to say?”
Having sex with Jamie felt like the last piece of a puzzle finally fitting into place. Like the three years we have been together were only the beginning of our future life. No matter how silly it may sound. I let a heavy breath escape me as a frown settles upon my face before I turn to the mirror again with a groan of irritation. My fingers fight with the stubborn curls that won’t stay put in the updo Phoebe says shows off my cheekbones. I can’t really explain to her how the sex changed things. I can’t even explain it to myself. It’s like my body finally proved what my heart has known for three years.
