What Love Is

Chapter 22

Two years later…

“Go, Rowan, GO!” Seth screamed.

Drew slid his gaze over to Rowan’s brother, checking that he hadn’t managed to disrupt the toddler on his hip. The eighteen-year-old was halfway up the fence separating the crowd from the arena, hanging over and shouting with all the power in his lungs. Raine sat on his other side, twelve now, long brown hair blowing everywhere as she perched on the fence. The baby in his arm stretched, yawning as he rubbed his cheek against Drew’s chest.

“You woke him up,” Drew muttered, moving closer to the fence. He looked up to where his beautiful girlfriend perched on Storm, her show shirt glittering gold in the sun. The summer heat crawled down his neck and sweat dripped from his forehead uncomfortably.

Collin squirmed in his arms.

“Look,” Drew pointed to where Rowan and Storm were standing in front of a line of poles, a hundred people crammed in the stands behind her. “Your mommy’s in a rodeo. She’s going to take Storm through those poles.”

“Piece of cake for Rowan!” Seth crowed.

“Do you ever shut up?” Raine snapped.

Collin looked up, large brown eyes watery with sleep. He yawned again, stretching his little arms out and clinging to Drew’s shirt. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned, Collin moving with him.

Jamie passed him a closed cup of lemonade, smiling as she caught sight of Collin waking up. “Hey, little man,” she greeted him, squeezing his small nose. Drew’s son wrinkled his face up, grabbing on to Jamie’s wrist with his fingers.

“No nose,” Collin told her, and Drew smiled as he took a sip of the drink his ex-wife had passed him. He set the cup on the fence, pulling Collin away and sitting him next to the lemonade so he could see Rowan ride.

“Tough crowd,” Jamie said as she scooted in next to them, glancing over at Seth as she settled her arms on the fence. “Hey, Seth, any further over that fence and you’re gonna fall over.”

“She’s about to start!” he shouted. “Where’s Hannah?”

“In the bathroom,” Raine glared at him. “Geez, chill out.”

Collin kicked his feet as the announcer came over the intercom, gurgling as he tossed his legs. “Up next in pole bending in the amateur adult’s category, Sarah’s Storm ridden by Rowan Calloway!” the speakers blared.

Drew gathered up Collin’s hands and clapped them together, catching Rowan looking over at them. She waved, grinning as she saw Collin on the fence. She rubbed Storm on the neck, returning to looking at the poles. Drew kissed the top of his son’s head, fuzzy black hair tickling his face. Pride seared through him as he watched Rowan gather herself up, and before he could blink, she was off.

Seth was screaming as Storm flew up the side of the poles at full speed, Rowan’s hair streaming from under her cowgirl hat. Storm rounded the first pole at the far right end, and then they were weaving between them, Rowan clutching the horn as she leaned forward, urging Storm to move faster. Storm’s hind legs dug the ground as he cornered the far left pole and went weaving again, hopping as he skirted the poles. Raine was covering her ears, watching Rowan intently while simultaneously trying to block out Seth.

“Hell yeah!” Seth hollered, fist pumping as Rowan cleared the far right pole again and went galloping on the home stretch. Collin let out a shrill cry as the crowd went up in shouts and cheers and Drew picked him up again, bouncing him against his body. He joined Seth’s celebrating and started cheering, laughing as Rowan and Storm skidded to a halt and she waved her hat to the crowd. The sound in the stands was immense.