19. Boone

Nineteen

Boone

I hadn’t eaten this much funnel cake and fried Oreos since I was a teen. Theo kept the orders coming, one after another, like the world was going to run out of the ingredients and she’d never come face to face with a funnel cake again. When Aspen told me about Theo being pregnant, she made me swear to secrecy I wouldn’t tell a soul. I was shocked by the news, but from how Aspen tells it, Theo was happy, which was all that mattered. It took a strong woman to do what she was about to do.

Thanking fate, I was glad I didn’t wait until after eating to ride that damn mechanical bull, because I’d be puking after the first spin. I don’t know what came over me, hoping up on the bull like that. Seeing Aspen standing on the sideline cheering me on made my heart leap out of my chest. I wanted her as my permanent cheerleader.

Also, having her by my side when Buck made his rodeo appearance dulled the hurt and anger. Watching him live his life carefree made me see red, but when her soft voice whispered that she was “hexing him” in her mind, I released a tense breath and actually laughed. Her powers must’ve worked. Him falling in horse shit was exactly what I needed to curb the pain I felt when the reminder was right in front of me.

Being at the rodeo tonight and watching Aspen’s eyes light up with excitement as she watched the steers and riders battle in the rink, made me realize I’d never seen someone so beautiful and carefree. She had the ability to take anyone’s hard feelings and turn them into pure gold. If it weren’t for her, I’d probably would’ve left the moment the announcer said his name.

We were walking in twos, me with Aspen, Mac with Penny, and Rhodes with Theo in the very back. My hand itched to reach out and hold hers, to claim her and confront whatever feelings I was starting to have for this woman. I glanced down at her, taking in the green dress she wore which laid on every dip and curve. Under the rodeo lights, the beams reflected off of her silky blonde hair, making her look heavenly. I loved stealing glances, especially when she wasn’t looking.

Suddenly, Aspen stopped short and her cheeks reddened under the shadow of her hat. Penny squealed, putting her hands out to stop herself from running into Aspen and took a few steps back to create distance. I followed Aspen’s eyes, and that’s when I realized exactly why she’d froze.

“Of course,” Aspen muttered, fixing her dress and straightening the hat. Miranda Yert was in the distance, walking hand in hand with two other girls I didn’t recognize. I could tell Aspen was in her head, just like she’d been at the bonfire when Miranda was mentioned. I didn’t know the details of what happened with them, but the mention of her name made Aspen retreat.

I placed my hand on her elbow, squeezing slightly.

“Look at me,” I mumbled, low enough only she could hear.

Reluctantly, Aspen removed her eyes from Miranda and met mine. She stared back, wide eyed at me. Right now, I’d have her back like she had mine earlier tonight. I gave her a soft smile, my thumb rubbing at her skin where I grasped her arm. Something changed in her, her face softened, eyes less tense like she felt at ease knowing I was here.

She must’ve sensed us because Miranda looked in our direction. Her eyes landed on Aspen, then my hand, and quickly snapped to me. An evil grin formed on her face and she lifted her hand to finger wave in my direction. Immediately, I looked back to Aspen, because I didn’t care about anything else.

Leaning down, I whispered in her ear, “Don’t let her win.”

Aspen swallowed and nodded, her lips tugging upward on one side.

“Oh hell no,” Penny barked from behind us. “Someone hold me back.” She clawed her way between Aspen and I, breaking the contact before Mac reached out and grabbed her by the biceps.

Instead of entertaining Miranda, I guided the group towards the carnival games. Rows and rows of booths stretched out with lights and color under the dark sky. Each was a burst of neon, drawing crowds in with their promise of winning. I was about to be another sucker, everyone knew the games were rigged, but it didn’t make them any less fun.

At the ring toss, colorful rings clattered into rows of glass bottles. Kids cheered on their parents, who worked hard to try to win them a prize. I had to be strategic about what game I chose, because there was no chance I was winning the ring toss.

A little further down, the balloon darts were calling my name. Brightly colored balloons fixed to a board waited to be popped. This was something I could do: throw a dart at a still object; that would be a breeze.

“What should I aim for?” I asked Aspen. The rest of our friends dispersed, walking to other games, leaving her and me together. She took a moment, her eyes taking in the animals hanging from the booth.

“I think one of those big snakes suits you well,” she replied, bumping me with her shoulder. I wanted to bring her back from wherever she went mentally after seeing Miranda. Maybe I’d ask her about it later. I wasn’t going to poke too hard.

A snake may suit me, but it definitely didn’t match her. I stood touching my chin as I pondered the prizes before me. There were so many stuffed toys to choose from. I knew what I wanted as soon as I saw it.

I took out my wallet and handed the guy enough money to pop every single balloon if need be. The skinny teen running the booth handed me a bucket full of darts and explained the instructions in a muted tone. He didn’t give a single shit and didn’t want to be here.

One after another, I aimed for the highest-valued target. Just like before, Aspen stood by my side and rooted for me to win.

“Aim up top! Get the green!” she shouted.

I did exactly that. Green was the highest value, and to win what I wanted, I was gonna need them all. When I was sure I popped all the green and a few blues along the way, I looked at the kid for my total.

“Do I have enough for that?” I asked him with a grin, pointing to the biggest stuffed bunny I’d ever seen. It was light pink in color with a white chest. Aspen reminded me of a bunny, playful, velvety, and gentle. The kid looked at the tiles and added them up with his calculator on his phone.

“Yeah, sure.” The kid grabbed a step ladder and came to the front of the booth to get down my prize.

“You definitely aren’t the bunny type,” Aspen joked.

“Well,” I started, taking the bunny from the kid before he could come down the ladder. “This isn’t for me. It’s for you.” I handed the bunny to her and she took it hesitantly. The stuffed animal was nearly the size of her, so she had to hold it with both arms to make sure it didn’t drag on the ground.

“Me?” she asked, peering around the body of the animal. “You won this for me ?” I couldn’t help laughing while looking at her trying to handle this huge bunny. It engulfed her; she was completely hidden behind it.

Shrugging my shoulders, I replied, “You remind me of a bunny. I saw it and couldn’t resist.”

Aspen laughed, her head tipped back, and the artificial lights fully illuminated her face. Damn, she was captivating . I held out my hand to take the rabbit from her. There was no way she’d be able to take this all the way back to the truck.

“Let’s go find the rest of the crew,” I said, tucking the bunny under my arm. Stealing more of those glances I loved, I caught her smiling to herself. My plan to bring her back from whatever funk took over seemed to be successful. The only question was, where would she put this damn bunny?