Page 104 of Forever Enough
He nodded. “I did. We both did. I think she fought it just as hard as I did. Most people say they don’t believe in love at first sight, but if you ask someone who’s in love, plenty will tell you they fell the moment they saw the person.”
“I knew. The moment I saw her dancing in the barn in those Christmas pajamas, singing to a cat, a goat, and the horses…I knew I had to have Mackenzie in my life. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with her right then and there.” Glancing to my father, then Uncle Ty, I chuckled. “If I didn’t think it was crazy, I’d ask her to marry me tomorrow.”
“Talk about warp speed, son.” He held up his hands. “We just had one love story spin our heads with Lily and Maverick. Can we get a respite, please?”
“I know, Dad, but I’m listening to my heart, and it tells me she’s the woman I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. I can’t even seem to remember what my life was like before Christmas night. Everything seems to be more in focus. I see a future—my whole future—and Kenzie’s in it.”
My father turned, but I was positive I saw him wipe a tear away.
Uncle Ty smiled. “I’m happy for you, Bradly. You deserve all the happiness in the world. And Mackenzie seems like a very sweet person.”
“She is,” Dad and I said in unison.
“Merit adores her, and Stella loves her to pieces,” Dad added.
Uncle Ty nodded. “Well, the rest of the family seems to like her as well. And her sister Emily.”
I glanced over my shoulder and couldn’t help but smile.
“Has she shared with you why it’s only her sister in her life?” Dad asked.
“She has, but I don’t feel right telling her story.”
“No, of course not,” Dad stated. “But it’s nothing…bad or…” His words trailed off.
“It’s nothing illegal or anything like that. Let’s just say she left Georgia for her own mental and physical safety.”
“What the fuck?” Uncle Ty said. “Who do we need to have a chat with?”
I smiled. “No one. If I’ve learned anything about Mackenzie, it’s that she’s very capable of taking care of herself. And she protected her sister for years. But I have no doubt in my mind that if she needed help, she’d ask me for it.” My father was about to say something, so I added, “And if I needed help, I’d ask for it.”
“So, what are the plans?” Uncle Ty asked.
My father smiled and winked at me. “I’ll be helping Dad with the ranch. And if you need me at any time for the bulls, I’m more than happy to help you as well. I’m sure I’ll be missing that feeling of climbing onto the back of a bull. But my focus will be with Dad and the ranch.”
Uncle Ty pointed to me. “I’ll hold you to that. Even if I do retire earlier this year than planned, they’ll still want to tango a few times, I’m sure.”
We all laughed.
“Okay, let’s get down to business. If you get a draw, let’s look at the bulls,” Uncle Ty said as he turned his computer around. The next hour or so, we came up with a game plan for the entire weekend that resulted in me winning so that I’d go out on top.
I rolled my neck as I tried to ignore everything around me. It was hard not to hear Lindsey Landon reporting on my last ride, though, since she was standing right near me.
“Littlewood has logged the second-best score of the second round here in New York City. After taking a bit of a break at the beginning of the season, he seems to be coming back strong. He registered 87.5 on Big Boy, a bull who happens to be owned by Shaw Bucking Bulls. That ride has catapulted Littlewood into second place on the event leaderboard. It looks like he’s moved past missing out on the championship last year and is focused on making this his year.”
I couldn’t help but smile as I let my gaze wander through the crowd. It didn’t take me long to find her. Mackenzie was sitting next to my mother, with Avery on the other side of her. I could see the look of worry on her face.
“Just a little bit longer, baby,” I whispered, as I willed her to look my way. When she did, I saw her smile.
“Bradly! Stop daydreaming and get your ass up here!” my father shouted. It was round three and I was about to climb onto the back of Mac’s Monster. The name suited the bull, since no one had ever been able to stay on him for the full eight. My heart pounded as I made my way up to the pen. I’d seen this bull buck off rider after rider. He’d even sent a few of them to the hospital.
“This bull is fierce, Bradly,” Dad said. “He’s going to do everything he can to get you off. His lateral moves are unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
I nodded, then climbed over the gate and onto the bull’s back and started to get my bull rope in place. I gave Uncle Ty a single tap on the rope, and he lifted to tighten it. Dad had his hand out in front of me, and I could hear him giving me last-minute advice. All of it sounded muffled. Everything and everyone slowly started to fade away into the background. The only thing I could hear was the breathing of me and the bull.
With a few deep breaths, I got myself in the final position. I could hear my song start and feel my body settle onto the bull. I swore I felt the bastard shiver with anticipation. My heart competed with the beat of the song as I tightened my grip, gave a single head nod, and held on like my life fucking depended on it.
The moment the gate opened, Mac’s Monster took off like a bat out of hell. I’d never ridden a bull that was so damn big, but could move like he’d done fucking bull yoga his entire life. He did everything he could to toss me off his back.