The funny thing was, though Candy had been having small contractions here and there that the doctor had said were ‘Braxton Hicks’ and hadn’t been worried about, Lyle hadn’t made his impending presence known.
All of a sudden, Candy had gone from not dilated at all to her water breaking, and Lyle arriving within three hours.
Of course, Candy and I had been in the middle of the Valentine ranch thinking that everything would be okay. That we had time.
Well, we didn’t.
And I’d nearly delivered Lyle at home, on the floor, in the middle of my three brothers.
Thank God for the paramedics that had arrived in time to catch my son.
Because as much as I loved Lyle and my wife, I did not want that on my shoulders.
And, after birthing Lyle, we’d gone to the hospital for all of only eight hours before they’d sent us home.
After visiting with his pediatrician the next day, he’d given us the go-ahead to take him to the rodeo as long as he wasn’t around anybody.
Which was why Lyle and Candy were surrounded by only my brothers’ wives and my brothers in their own special little area.
“You better go give her that hug,” Ace said. “I think she lost about half her body weight in tears.”
I watched as Darby, still sweaty and dirty from helping pull a rampaging bull away from my carotid, threw his arm around Candy’s shoulder, dropped a kiss on her head, and then took the baby from her arms.
Lyle didn’t so much as twitch in his sleep as Darby expertly cradled my kid to his chest like he was meant to be the best uncle ever.
“Uh-oh.” Callum laughed as he once again rubbed his stomach. “You’re never getting that kid back now.”
I grunted out a laugh.
It was surprising, really.
Seeing Darby do so well with our kids.
But I had a feeling we had the woman on his other side to thank for that.
“I’m going,” I said as I made my way to the fence.
“Actually.” Someone stopped me. “If you don’t mind, since you’re already down here, we’ll go ahead and award you.”
I grinned.
I hadn’t won in three years. So, for me to win this season, my final season, was a blessing.
And honestly made me feel on top of the world, going out with the big prize.
I looked at my wife, who was staring at me expectantly.
Holding up one finger, I gestured to the commissioner beside me.
She understood, her smile going wide.
Then leaned into Darby, betraying her worry.
Five minutes later, I was standing in the middle of the rodeo arena, bright lights blinding me, and accepting the biggest belt buckle I’d ever been given to date.
“Tell us how you feel,” Jett, the media sponsor for the rodeo, ordered.
She had a grin on her face.
And I loved it.
She’d been not only my proposal photographer, but Candy’s and my wedding videographer/photographer as well. Our birth photographer now, too.
She’d turned into a great friend who seemed to be documenting all of the huge life events between Candy and me.
So, it seemed fitting that she’d be there as I went out a winner, too.
“I feel like I’m Superman,” I said as my eyes once again went to my wife. “But I don’t think that has anything to do with bull riding today. It has everything to do with my kid being born. My wife watching me ride. My brothers and their wives being in the stands. My friends being here to watch me on my final ride. My fans. Oh, and Taco Tuesday having shitty aim.”
I practically heard Candy’s angry growl from half a stadium away.
I grinned wickedly at her.
She flipped me off, and not even discreetly.
“So that’s what you’re smiling so widely about?” she asked. “Not this shiny belt buckle?”
She tapped it where it was held in my hand, and I couldn’t help but shake my head with a small laugh.
“The shiny belt buckle is nice and all,” I said solemnly. “But having a hot wife and a cute as hell kid tops that. Sorry not sorry.”
Jett laughed as I offered her a wink, then jumped off the podium.
After receiving hundreds of congratulations from sponsors, fellow bull riders, bullfighters and more, I finally arrived at my wife.
The first thing she did when I got close was drag her fingers along my throat.
I swallowed hard at the look in her eyes.
“Never again,” she ordered me.
I was already shaking my head.
“Never again,” I promised. “I gotta be here for you and Lyle now. Bull riding lost its excitement when you stepped into my life.”
She threw her arms around me, squeezed me tight, then said, “I’m going to fucking kill you when we get home.”
I squeezed her back just as tight, if not tighter.
“And I’m probably going to let you.”
Lyle, whom my dirty brother still held, started to whine.
And, like the sucker I was, I let my beautiful wife go to grab him from Darby’s arms.