"Rose? Are you okay? What's wrong?"
I blurted out the questions, unable to ignore her state even though I was still absolutely furious at her for taking Mia's side over mine when she had lied for no apparent reason. I stepped back and she walked in. I shut the door as she sat down in the living room.
"I was so stupid," Rose cried, her head in her hands. "I can't believe I trusted her."
"Who?" I asked, even though I knew who she was talking about already. I wanted to be angry at her, to shout and yell because I was hurt, but I just couldn't. She was too upset. We had been friends for too long to let what happened mean I wasn't there for when she needed me.
"Mia."
"What happened?"
After the fight at your house, Mia and I went out. I met a guy there, and we've been talking a lot since. I was really into him. We went on a couple of dates and I thought it was going really well. I really liked him, Kennedy."
She sniffled, wiping a tear.
"Well I went into Mia's house earlier to grab something I'd forgotten. We have keys to each other's place, and I thought she was at work since she wasn't answering her phone. We've always walked into each other's house like family before..."
She sniffled again.
"Well, I went into her bedroom and he was there. I walked in on them."
"She hooked up with him behind your back?" I said, appalled.
Rose and I might be in a fight, but I would never do that to her. I would never go after a guy she liked no matter how angry we were at each other.
"I know it's just a guy. I'm not crying over him. I'm crying because I thought she was my friend. I trusted her. I thought I could trust her with anything."
And she couldn't even trust her with a guy she liked. I could spot that Mia was fake from a mile away, but sometimes it was hard to see someone's true colors until they did something like this. As much as I hated it, it was a lesson Rose had to learn on her own. I scooted close to her, and she rested her head on my shoulder.
"I was so awful to you, Kennedy. I was an awful friend to you because of her. I am so sorry. I can't apologize enough."
"People make mistakes, Rose," I said simply.
"It's not okay what I did to you. The things I said. How could you forgive me for taking her side when she's like that?"
"I knew that you would see the real side of her eventually. I'm sorry that you had to learn it this way. You shouldn't have taken her side, but she manipulated you."
"Do you forgive me?"
I couldn't not. Rose was one of my closest friends. When we were younger, we were like family and had quickly reconnected that bond when I got to Hudson. I wasn't going to lose that bond over this.
"Of course I do. I'm gonna make some tea and we can watch some chick flicks."
We spent the rest of the evening hanging out and catching up. She would apologize again every few hours for taking Mia's side, and I eventually joked that I really would never forgive her if she didn't stop apologizing.
I had wiped the slate clean for her, and that was that.
She decided to go to Nashville with me for the semi-finals of the Tennessee State Rodeo. Brantley's parents and Callie were going, too, so it would be a nice group to have. I was still nervous for him, but I knew that was to be expected when it came to something like bull riding.
***
It was the morning of the semi-finals, and Brantley's parents, Callie, Rose and I were meeting up at Brantley's house to ride to Nashville together. Charlotte had a large enough SUV to fit all of us and Brantley's gear.
I had spent the night at his house, and when I woke up and rolled over, he pulled me into his arms.
"Good morning," He said, kissing my forehead. I felt my heart flutter rather hard, and my heart melted a little bit.
"How did you sleep?" I asked.
"Very well, actually. I usually am nervous the night before a rodeo, but I slept hard last night. I have you to thank for that," He replied, winking. I blushed.
"Oh, hush. How about I cook you some breakfast?" I asked.
"You don't have to do that. You're a guest."
I smiled at him, shaking my head.
"I don't mind."
I got out of bed, pulling on a pair of underwear and one of his t-shirts. I went downstairs and started the coffee pot, suspecting he'd want some as it would probably be a long day.
After pulling up my hair into a ponytail, I started cooking. Brantley could eat a lot, so I knew I had to make a big breakfast. Just a few minutes later, he came into the kitchen while I was at the stove. He wrapped his arms around me, kissing the back of my head.
"I could get used to this."
Me too. I thought through another stomach full of butterflies. Everybody was meeting up at about 8:30, which gave us plenty of time to eat and get ready. Brantley had to be at the fairgrounds at 3 p.m., but the rodeo didn't start until 7. We planned to do some shopping in between. At least the girls did. I think Brantley's dad was going to stay with him at the fair grounds.
After breakfast, we went upstairs to shower.
Showering together proved to be a mistake, because we nearly got...distracted. We walked out of the door just after Callie and Rose pulled into the driveway, and Brantley's parents shortly thereafter.
We piled into the SUV, with Brantley and I sitting in the second row and Callie and Rose in the third row. Brantley slung his arm around me, and I leaned into him. Though the ride was long, it wasn't very boring. We had a lot of fun talking and telling stories.
Charlotte even told a couple of stories about Brantley in childhood, much to his displeasure. Those ones were the funniest. We got to Nashville with about an hour to spare before we had to drop Brantley off, so we had time to get some lunch.
After pulling up to the fairgrounds, we all got out to with walk Brantley to the registration area. Callie and Rose wished him luck, as well as Charlotte. She kissed him on the cheek and went back to the vehicle, I guessed to give him and I a moment. Brantley's dad was looking at one of the nearby horses. He pulled me into his arms.
"Good luck."
"Thank you, sweetheart."
"Be safe, okay?" I said, looking up at him as he held me.
"I will."
"You promise?"
"Promise."
I leaned up onto my tip toes and kissed him. There was a lot of feeling in that kiss, and I didn't want it to end. I broke apart, hugged him again and said goodbye. I joined the girls in the vehicle, hopping in the passenger seat. We had offered to stay, feeling bad for leaving them but Brantley had insisted that we go have some fun. He said we'd be bored, sitting around for those four hours.
We found a nearby mall, and it was easy for us to fill that time. We all got manicures and pedicures, then did some shopping. We were browsing at a store when Charlotte came up to me.
"He really likes you, you know," She said, a bright smile on her face. I couldn't help but beam back at her.
"Do you think so?" I asked.
"Absolutely. He really likes you. I've never seen him like this."
"I feel the same way. I've never had a guy treat me as good as Brantley does."
"Emmett was the same way towards me. I was so nervous when I showed up in Paris and realized he lived there too, already knowing I was pregnant. I was sure he'd hate me. Or want nothing to do with our child. We were so young. It didn't take long for me to fall head over heels. That's why I knew I wanted to raise Brantley to treat women the same way Emmett treated me."
"You guys did an amazing job."
Callie and Rose came up to us then, and she ceased talking with a wink. At around six thirty, we headed back to the fair grounds with our shopping bags in row. Rider's families had first row seats reserved for them, and we had one right in the middle.
In the opening ceremony, the bull riders rode fancily dressed horses around the ring. I wasn't sure why, but it was a rather appealing show. When Brantley came around, he leaned over the ring. I stood up, and he placed his cowboy hat on my head.
On impulse, having forgotten about everybody else in that moment, I climbed on the second bar of the metal fence. He saw what I was doing, and leaned down to kiss me. The crowd let out a loud awh, and I found myself blushing at the attention.
People were doing well when the bull riders began to ride. It was always a nerve wracking eight seconds, even if I didn't know who was riding.
And then it was Brantley's turn.
They announced his name, and as I saw him riding that already agitated bull my heart began to pound out of my chest. I couldn't calm my nerves. The gate was open, and the voice of the announcer began to blur as I focused on Brantley.
The bull bounded out of the gate.
One second.
He began to buck wildly, desperate to get Brantley off his chest.
Two.
I reached over and grabbed Roses hand, wishing that this wasn't going in slow motion.
Three.
He was holding on tight, and it was clear the bull wouldn't be able to buck him off anytime soon.
Four, five, six.
He was almost there.
Seven, eight.
The buzzer sounded off.
Nine.
A full second after his time was over, Brantley was bucked, rather violently, off the bull.
The moment he hit the ground, my heart stopped. No. I was pretty sure I screamed, but it was lost in the panic of the moment.
He wasn't getting back up.
My vision blurred. I was holding onto Rose for support, having stood up sometime with out noticing it. The way I felt...The absolute terror I felt in the moments after his fall, as the nearby medics rushed towards him and sirens sounded off in the distance...
I realized something in that moment, but it was absentmindedly...Clouded by the fear.
I was falling in love with Brantley Nash.
Author's Note: I am so so so so sorry for the long wait. I hope you guys aren't too mad at me. :( I've been going through some things recently and I've moved. (Into my first, very own apartment.) I hope you guys like this chapter! I'm going to try to make this next one really long. Like 5,000 words long. That's my goal.