American Pyramid

77

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Zak

I felt like a proud husband watching my girl achieve yet another milestone in her busy life, and I was so grateful to be by her side the entire time. The back number ceremony was being held at the South Point Hotel and Casino, my girl walking a gold carpet while every contestant got their photo taken. I was beyond proud of her and how she handled herself with the busy schedule I burdened her with. 

This night was all about her, and I made it a point to avoid any interactions with different people who pointed their fingers at me, asking me about the show and what-not because I didn't want to take away her spotlight that she certainly deserved. She clung to my arm like I was her trophy as we mingled with different contestants, and I couldn't help but stare at her in awe at how much of a social butterfly she was with people. 

Ironically enough, her back number for the rodeo was 77, which was the year I was born, and I was so giddy for her that I couldn't wait to be on the arena floor with her, walking alongside her and Arson as they walked down the alleyway, ready to congratulate her on every run for the ten consecutive days in December that every cowboy and cowgirl looked forward to. 

That, and I heard of what's called Cowboy Christmas - a complex full of booths of people that sell horse tack, clothes, boots, the whole nine yards. 

I was about to have a field day with finding a Christmas gift for her. Well, gifts... 

The ceremony lasted for about three hours, and I was eager to get her home and ruin that lipstick like I promised, but I held that thought back as it wasn't the only thing I was thinking about. In fact, I was thinking about a lot of things that consisted of our future. 

Would she move into the house with me? 

Would she say yes if I asked her to marry me? 

Would she be the mother of my child someday? 

Those three main questions ran through my mind, but only one was the most important right now: hoping she would live with me.

Once we arrived back to the house, Tori and I made our rounds by checking on the horses before we returned inside the house, and I promised to cook dinner tonight in celebration of her accomplishment. Tonight, I would be making us steak, sweet mashed potatoes (her favorite), Caesar salad, and wine, but Tori always wanted to have a hand in cooking dinner, so I told her that her homemade dinner rolls would be icing on the cake for tonight. 

"I love this kitchen, babe. There's so much room for both of us in here that I don't feel like we're on each other's toes." I listened to her sigh, and I couldn't help but smirk that unbeknownst to her, this would be our new home. 

"I'm glad you like it, sweetie. Though I don't want you to be in a kitchen all the time." 

"And why not? Isn't that my job?" She snickered, my back still turned to her as I kept an eye on the steaks. I could tell by her tone that she was teasing me and being stereotypical like we always were, so I figured I'd shoot back. 

"Nah, your job is being on your back or knees, then making me a sandwich after." I chuckled, loving how she playfully turned around to slap my arm. 

"You keep that up and you'll get a knuckle sandwich!" She laughed. 

I shook my head with a chuckle as I put the steaks in the oven to finish broiling after I had basted them, acting surprised when Tori wiped her hands on my black shirt, leaving behind handprints of flour behind on both my back and torso. "Oh, you've done it now." 

"Come on, it's not your fancy black shirt," She giggled. "It's just your sleep shirt, and you have plenty of those." 

"Mhm, but it would be a shame to get flour all over this shirt here that you have on..." I sighed, pinching the hem of her shirt with my index finger and thumb. 

"I won't get mad like you would," She teased, tilting her head at me that she didn't know drove me crazy. "Are we going to kick off dinner with a flour fight?" 

I shook my head, "No, more like dessert before dinner. These counters are the perfect height." 

"Mhm. Easy now, cowboy. We're celebrating a big thing here." 

"Yeah, having dessert before dinner is celebrating," I teased, loving how her nose crinkled when she'd playfully get aggravated with me. "What do you think about this place?" 

"What place? Vegas or the house?" 

"This house." 

"I love it, why?" 

"Could you see yourself...living in it?"

She furrowed her brows while she studied my face, "Yes." 

"What about with me?" 

I tried to think of different moments to spring this question up on her, but I was in the heat of the moment as well as being too excited to keep it a secret anymore. I was impatient now that I had her in front of me, my gut telling me that I made a good choice but my mind telling me that I put her on the spot too quickly. 

She was thinking hard about her answer, and I knew why. I knew she loved me, but her concern was always about herself. Not in a selfish way, but she had grown so used to being independent and she felt like that would be taken away from her. In fact, I knew exactly why she was hesitating: she was afraid that if she moved in with me, we would eventually break up and that she'd have to start all over in finding a place for herself and the horses. She was afraid of depending on someone else but herself, and that was fine, because I'm the same way, too. 

"You don't have to answer me right away, Tori. I don't want you to feel pressured." 

"No, I don't feel pressured," She sighed. "It's a big thing to think about. A lot of what ifs..." 

"I know." 

"What about Sam? He lives with me..." 

"Well, that's his decision in the end, but the offer is always open for him or I could help him find a place in town if he'd rather be on his own." 

"Okay, what about if something happens between me and you?" 

Nothing is going to happen between me and you...

"I highly doubt it, but if that happens, then you'll keep the house. No problem." 

"But I really like the house I live in now..." 

"You already paid a lot of it off by what you told me, but that's not my decision, sweetie." 

"Like a vacation house?" She giggled. 

"Somewhat," I shrugged. "I know you're thinking of every possible outcome, but I won't be upset if you didn't want to. 

"I'm going to think about it, okay? You know I love you, but this is a big question to be asking me." 

Not as big as when I ask you to marry me...