The week is passing in a blur of riding Moonshine, sex, riding Carla, and lots of takeout food.

I may’ve always thought I’d end up with a wife who cooks and wears an apron in the kitchen, but Carla’s skills … elsewhere more than make up for that. I don’t mind eating at a restaurant every night; it’s what I would’ve done without her anyway. It’s just that now, I get fucking amazing sex to go along with it.

Have I mentioned how amazing our sex is? Because it is. Morning, noon, and night. Fuck-until-you-drop territory here. I've never met anyone with as voracious an appetite for sex as Carla has. It takes a lot to keep up with me, and yet somehow, she is.

I’ve never been so happy.

After one of our marathon sessions, I cuddle Carla up next to me, loving the feel of her warm body next to mine. I run my hands over her hair, smoothing it back in an endless loop. My mind drifts back to the advertisement for a cowboy at the Barclay’s Arena in Brooklyn. I haven’t said anything to Carla yet.

I should. I know that.

I just…I’m not ready to pop the cocoon around us. A job at the rodeo – a permanent job at a specific rodeo – would mean staying here. Settling down permanently. I’m just not there yet. I’m happy with what we have right at this very moment. Why move forward with something else?

Plus, I have a lot of business interests in Texas. I’d either need to hire someone to manage it all for me, or I’d have to sell it off. That isn’t something I can just do tomorrow. Right now, I’m just happy right where I’m at – in the Hotel Pennsylvania, Carla by my side.

Except, if I’m being honest, the job is never far from my mind. I need to make a decision at some point. Maybe after the MSG rodeo is done. Just another two weeks. I can live in this fantasy world until then, right?

“We aren’t the only ones who are happy,” Carla says with a smile in her voice, interrupting my thoughts.

“Oh really? Who else is happy?”

“Becca and Jason. Did you know that they’re already talking about marriage? That’s just way too fast for me, but I guess if it works for them. Just yesterday, Becca was looking at houses…”

She continues on, but I’ll admit, I didn’t hear anything else that she said. Goddammit, Jason! Leaving me to always clean up his messes. I really ought to punch him more often, just to keep him in check. I feel myself tensing up. Carla is going to take this about as well as a hole in the head, but if Jason is really telling Becca that...

“Carla, baby,” I break in gently, and she stops, shimmying her head on my shoulder so she can look up into my face.

“What?”

I pause, trying to find the right words, and now she’s tensing up too. She knows there’s something wrong. I only wish I could tell her something else. Anything else.

“Jason is married already. He has a wife and two kids in Oklahoma City. Another on the way. He’s not marrying Becca.”

I held my breath, waiting for the explosion.

Carla didn’t disappoint.

“WHHHAAATTTTT?” she yells, jackknifing up in bed. “What do you mean, he’s already married?”

She swings around and glares at me, mental bullets whizzing at my head.

Have I mentioned yet that Carla is scary when she’s mad? ‘Cause she is.

“Well, he got married about eight years ago,” I say, trying to answer her question. “I was a best man at their wedding, you know. Real nice gal – pretty as can be on their wedding day—”

“I KNOW WHAT A WEDDING IS!” she hollers, grabbing her pillow and whacking me about the head with it. “BUT HOW THE FUCK IS JASON ALREADY MARRIED?”

I instinctively raise my arms to shield my face and torso from her blows.

“Annnddddd…” more hits with the pillow – damn, she’s strong – “why is Jason talking about marrying someone when he’s already married? Did he think no one would notice he’s a goddamn bigamist?”

“I—”

Whack

“don’t think—”

Whack

“that he thinks—”

Whack

“that they’ll get married.”

Whack

Finally, she stops hitting me long enough to spit out, “So he’s just playing with her, like a cat with a mouse?”

“It’s just what he does,” I say with a helpless shrug. “Although, he doesn’t normally talk about marriage with the girl. Usually, he just fucks ‘em and leaves ‘em. It’s what he does at every rodeo. I think he’s broken more hearts than Tim McGraw.”

Unfortunately, Carla isn’t hitting me anymore, because she’s busy getting dressed. Regretfully, I watch her shove her feet into her shoes and wiggle her way into her skirt. At least I get to see the jiggling, right?

“You motherfucking goddamn assholes,” she grinds out, “both of you. You didn’t think to say anything? You didn’t think to try to save Becca’s heart from heartbreak?”

Honestly, I hadn’t realized that Jason had taken it this far with her, but I keep my trap shut. Carla doesn’t seem like she’s in a listening mood.

“Enjoy Texas,” she says sarcastically. “Maybe in those parts, cheating on your wife is perfectly normal. The next time I hear someone from a fucking flyover state start talking about ‘family values,’ I’m going to tell them to piss off. Oh, and Chase? You can piss off, too.”

She slams the hotel door behind her, the sound reverberating through my heart.

Fuuuuccckkkk