Taming His Stallion [BWWM]

25_Wrecked

Paege

When I looked behind him, noticing his entire family, his net, his tribe, his gang all huddled together behind him, it reminded me of the one I'd lost.

Tears pricked my eyes, at the realization that I had come back to zero again. And not even that.

I had been basking in the beauty, the vibrancy and the overwhelming love of his family, masking the turmoil of my everpresent wounds in a lull of serenity.

I don't know, I'd just been on my own for so long and the magnetism of their unit was so strong, not unlike an event horizon, that it sucked me in.

Bell became my best friend.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrews welcomed me unto the ranch and doted on me as if I were their own.

It was nice to think they were my family, but they were his. And at the moment, I couldn't see past that.

Effectively, it felt like he had loaned them out to me, out of pity and there would come a time when the loan would be voided, then I'd have to give them back.

I had grown fond of The Andrews family, and it pained me to know that they weren't mine. Not completely. Not really.

When Mrs. Andrews called me baby earlier, I could feel my heart breaking in two, so I did the only thing I could to mend the damage, I distanced myself from the situation and his family.

The move may not have been healthy in the least, but it had essentially halted further wear and tear on my heart. Albeit, for the moment.

The world seemed to be spinning as I dialled A.J.'s phone number. He may not have liked me much, but at least I knew that he was cordial and I needed that right now.

"Hello?" His voice resounded at the other end of the line.

"Hello, A.J? It's Paege." I started. "I know this is sudden but I was hoping that maybe you could give me a lift back to the ranch. I know with all the festivities going on you may not want to get away but I have no one else to call."

"Yes, sure." He replied before adding. "Is everything ok?" 

I nodded, fully aware that he couldn't see me, swallowing the lump in my throat as I tried to steady my breath and keep the reins on my emotions. "Yes. Everything is fine."

"Ok," He replied, though he didn't sound the least bit convinced. "I'll meet you by the pick-up. It's parked near Tony's Bistro."

"Ok," I acknowledged, grateful he didn't push the subject. "Thank you. I'll meet you there."

"No problem," He dismissed, ending the call.

Shortly after, about ten minutes, give or take, was spent locating and waiting near the vehicle.

A cold breeze blew by. Funny how I hadn't thought much about it all night, though my outfit was exactly the same as a few hours ago.

A.J. finally emerged with his keys in hand, disengaging the locking mechanism a few yards before he reached the vehicle. Apparently, he'd noticed my dilemma.

"Hop in," He called, and I did as he instructed, finally discarding my insecurities about taking advantage of his kindness.

I closed the door beside me moments before he pulled on the driver's side door, getting in.

"Thank you," I glanced at him briefly as he turned on the heat, appreciating the gesture while rubbing my hands together to alleviate the chill.

"You're welcome," He replied, starting up the engine and checking both ways before pulling away from the curb.