UNDER MY SKIN

eighteen. keepin' secrets

Sam giggled, watching as Tyler traced nonsense lines across her bare torso. His head was on her chest, keeping her close as he listened to her heartbeat. He'd always been a cuddle bug, but this was different, it wasn't him trying to keep her in bed just a few minutes longer. Or him savoring the last moments he had to hold her in arms until the next time they saw each other.

It was just them existing together, and neither were in a rush to move.

The lines he traced became less nonsense as he absently traced the scars that decorated her skin. He leaned down, bushing a soft kiss against what seemed to be the harshest scar. That particular one was from Bullet’s hoof tearing into her side.

He hated that she had gone through that, that she had been in pain, and he hated even more that he hadn't been there. He knew he couldn't have stopped it, but he damn sure would've tried.

He tightened his arms around her, like she'd disappear if he so much as loosened his hold even a little. She leaned forward, kissing the top of his head.

“What's going on in that head of yours?” She asked, and he turned his head, tucking his nose against her soft skin. He took a breath, his eyes closed.

“I love you.”

She was nearly stunned, her hands halted in his hair, her eyes went wide, and her jaw fell open. He pushed himself up onto his elbows so they were face to face.

“I'm pretty sure I've been in love with you since I was fourteen, but I was too stupid to realize it.” He continued. “You were – are – the best part of my life. I lived for the months we'd spend on the circuit, for just a moment of your time. For a smile, or just for you to look my way.

“And it killed me to watch you date other guys, even more when you'd come to me crying because they didn't know how to treat you right. Because you deserve the world, the stars and the moon.

“And I know you've been hurt before, but I ain't like those other idiots, baby, let me prove it to you.”

It was quiet for a moment as Sam processed his confession. It was a bit of a shock, honestly. They'd been friends for so long – a little more than that the last couple of years, but love?

Was it really love?

She did love him, she knew that. And with the way her heart thumped against her rib cage, she knew it wasn't just that best friend kind of love that she had been trying  to convince herself that it was.

No, it was more.

It was everything.

“You talk an awful lot,” she mumbled, pulling him towards her. She pressed her lips against his, smiling against him, their teeth bumped but neither seemed to care. “I love you, too.” She whispered, pulling back just a little. “Just took a little while to get there.”

He smiled, brushing his nose against hers, “you're here now. That's what matters.” He ghosted his lips over hers, pulling back when she leaned forward, making her groan, but he chuckled. “Come with me.”

“What?”

“Come with me.” He repeated. “I have to get back on the road eventually, and when I do, I want you in my shotgun seat. I want you next to me. I want you holdin’ my hand. And sharin’ my bed. I want – I need you with me.”

She nodded, and for what felt like the tenth time that night, tears welled in her eyes, but they were so far from sad tears. “Yes.”

He grinned like a kid in a candy store, and it was then that Sam knew that neither of them were gonna be getting much sleep.

But she didn't care.

>>>>> • <<<<<

The next morning, Sam and Tyler were woken up by a symphony of chaos.

The cowboy’s phone seemed to ring non-stop, Cathy had opened the door, letting the two dogs in to bombard the sleeping couple. Kate was complaining about the state they were in – though both were mostly covered as they fought off the dogs who were more than excited to see them – both of their tails were wagging non-stop.

It looked almost innocent. If not for the fact that their clothes were haphazardly thrown around the room, Sam's underwear hanging from one of the hooks she used to hang her hats. And the purple marks both Cathy and Kate could see on Sam's neck even from the doorway.

“Answer the damn phone,” Sam muttered,  rolling over to bury her face in her pillow to hide from the slobbery kisses Buck and Grizzly tried to place against her cheeks and Cathy chuckled as she left, pulling her door closed.

Tyler grumbled, but he leaned over Sam, pushing Grizzly and Buck back as he grabbed the phone. He settled back into bed, sitting up against the headboard as he opened the messages from Dani.

Sam smiled a little when Buck and Grizzly wedged themselves between her and Tyler and laid down. She rolled onto her back and brushed her fingers through Grizzly’s fur before scratching Buck's ear.

But her smile faded when she looked over at Tyler.

His eyes were wide with panic, his lips slightly parted and his thumbs continuously scrolling on his phone. Then he pushed his fingers through his hair, further messing up his bedhead.

“Ty? What is it?” She asked, her voice soft. Her head went worst case, thinking someone had gotten hurt.

“Well, baby, we ain't much for keepin’ secrets.” He handed her his phone and squinted at the screen a little before her eyes adjusted. And in bold letters at the top of the screen read:

TORNADO WRANGLER, TYLER OWENS HAS WRANGLED HIMSELF A GIRLFRIEND

And below it:

Tyler Owens and Sam Carter, a female bronc rider out of Oklahoma, have been seen getting cozy in the midst of a once-in-a-generation tornado outbreak.

It seems more than just tornadoes are in the air for these two…

It went on for a while, recounting Tyler's career and the crews rise to fame. Then it went into Sam's career, all the up to accident and how she had disappeared completely only to resurface with Tyler Owens on her arm. All the information led down to a picture of the two standing in the field behind the motel. They stood with their arms wrapped around each other, and their faces couldn't be seen but it was definitely them – besides, Buck could be seen.

The next picture was of them and Kate in the parking lot, the cowboy had his arm around her and in this one, their faces could be clearly seen.

The next one was of them at a table in the pizza place, with the low lighting, the smiles they wore, and the way their fingers were laced on the table, it looked like a date.

“At least we won't have to tell people,” she mumbled, because she wasn't really sure what else to say. She didn't really care that people knew about them, but that wasn't exactly the way she wanted people to find out.

“I'm sorry, baby.” He sighed, dragging his hand down his face, his other other absently petting Buck.

She smiled over at him, “for what? You didn't leak the pictures, did you?”

“Well, no. But this ain't really how I wanted to tell people. I wanted us to decide, I wanted you to be okay with it. ‘Cause if you ain't rea-”

She silenced him with a kiss, her hands on his cheeks – the phone forgotten in her lap.

“I don't care who knows,” she told him.

“People on the internet can be real mean, you ready for that?”

It was his biggest fear. That people online, people that claimed to be his fans, would trash her. He knew that people were mean, sometimes even cruel, on the internet. And the last thing he wanted was for Sam to be on the receiving end of that.

And he knew he wasn't world famous, but he had a fanbase that seemed to be ever growing. But he was in the public eye, and the reducible could be heartbreaking.

“I'm a girl that rode broncs, which is a predominantly male sport and I grew up on the rodeo circuit, I got thick skin.”

He smiled, leaning in to brush his lips against hers, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She hummed, pecking his lips before she pulled back and grabbed his phone. “And since the cat’s outta the bag, might as well make it official.”

He chuckled as she situated herself against him, making sure the sheet was pulled up. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling Buck and Grizzly into the frame as Sam held the phone out. And when they were all situated, she snapped a picture.

And in the next, she has turned, pressing a kiss to his cheek which made his smile grow.

And with a simple red heart, he posted them to his Instagram. Then he turned his phone off, not caring as the notifications rolled in almost instantly. He tossed his phone to the side, pressing his lips against hers and she giggled against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Breakfast!” Cathy shouted, and the two parted, chuckling a little.

Then after getting dressed, having breakfast, and a quick shower, Sam made her way up to Kate’s room, where she had been since breakfast – she was avoiding Tyler. Or trying to, Cathy had insisted that she come down for breakfast.

Sam knocked on the door, doing the secret knock she and Kate had come up with years ago, Kate chuckled before calling out for her sister to come in.

Sam stepped into the room, smiling at her younger sister, who sat at her desk, her eyes on the pictures that were tacked to the wall. Sam let her eyes roam over them, in all them everyone was smiling.

There was even a picture of Sam and Javi, he had his arms around the girl as they laughed, both had their eyes closed as the held onto each other.

Sam shook her head, hating the small pang in her chest as she closed the door, “hey, I wanna talk to you about something.”

Kate just smiled, “you're goin’ with him, aren't you?”

“Yeah,” Sam nodded, sitting on the edge of Kate's bed. “You know, you could come, too.”

Kate shook her head, offering a small smile, “I think I'm done.”

Sam just nodded, a small smile on her face. She knew that Kate wasn't done, but she had to come to that realization on her own.

“It was good to see ya, Katie. I missed you.”

“Missed you, too.”

They smiled at each other for a moment, neither really wanting to say goodbye just yet, but that had to.

“Ty told me about what y'all talked about in the barn last night, said he overstepped. He's smart, but he can be a real dummy sometimes." Both girls chuckled. "He means well, really, his mouth just works faster than his brain.”

Kate chuckled weakly, a barely there smile on her lips.

“But he was right,” Sam continued, “that day. Losing them, it wasn't your fault. You have to know that.”

“But it was-”

“No. And I’d bet anything that they'd all agree. They loved you, Katie. And they all loved storms nearly as much. None of them would blame you.”

“Javi does.”

Sam sighed, reaching forward to pat her sister's knee, “Javi's a prick, but if I know anything, what he said was only because he got defensive. And when people get defensive they say things they don't mean.”

Kate sniffled, nodding her head as she wiped her nose, “what he said to you, did he mean that?”

Sam's eyes went wide, she hadn't realized that Kate had heard him. She took a breath, brushing her fingers through her hair, “no, he meant that. He just said it in a mean way.”

“What did he mean?”

Sam took a breath. She didn't know if she should be the one to tell Kate. She wasn't sure it was her place, but it also seemed that Javi was never gonna do it.

“Javi never actually liked me, Katie.”

“What? That's crazy, you two were always together.” Her brows creased and she turned to look at the picture of the two, how could he know have liked Sam?

“He only asked me out because… well, because you had Jeb.”

“What?” Kate asked, her voice quiet as she looked at her sister once again.

“I was his second option, always was. And when he couldn't have you, he settled for the closest he could get. And the worst part, I actually loved him.”

“Sam,” Kate sighed, moving forward to wrap her arms around her older sister as tears filled her eyes. “I-I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothin' to be sorry for, it wasn't your fault he never loved me.” She wrapped her arms around her sister. “But it's okay, ‘cause I'm happy now. Like, really happy. I have a crazy tornado cowboy. And Buck and Grizzly. And the crew. And I just want you to be happy, too, so if you like-”

“I'd never do that to you.” Kate cut her off, “not even if I felt something for him.” Sam chuckled, the sound coated with thick tears. “Now, wipe your tears, you got a tornado cowboy waitin’ on you.”

Sam laughed again, wiping her cheeks as she met Kate’s eyes, “I love you, Katie.”

“I love you, too.” Kate wrapped her in her arms and squeezed, her eyes closed as she held onto her older sister. “Just be careful out there.”

“Always,” Sam hummed as she pulled back. “Take care of yourself. And don't be a stranger.”

“Weekly phone calls?”

“Better than monthly phone calls,” Sam hummed as they pulled away from each other. “And Ty said he was serious, only if you want, he can get you a real nice model goin’.”

Kate shook her head a little, “I think I'm done, maybe for good.”

“I don't think you are,” Sam ruffled her hair before she left the room. She pulled the door closed behind her and made her way downstairs, smiling as she stopped in the doorway of the living room.

Tyler and Cathy were talking and laughing as the dogs played on the floor, she had asked about his years on the circuit and he was more than happy to recount how he had risen through the ranks, becoming one of the best bull riders.

And anytime Sam would come up in the story, the tips of his ears would go pink as his smile grew. And Cathy just smiled as she sipped on her coffee.

Now, it seemed all he could talk about was Sam.

Cathy glanced up when she saw her daughter, but Tyler was too distracted to notice as he talked about the girl, “can't imagine my life without her.”

Sam smiled, quietly making her way towards the couch, then she leaned over the back and kissed his cheek as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The cowboy smiled, turning his head to meet her lips in a quick kiss.

“You talking about me?”

“Always, baby.” He hummed, his eyes searching hers and his brows creased a little. Her eyes were a little red. “You been cryin’?”

“Just saying goodbye to Katie,” she hummed and he nodded, his fingers gliding up and down her arm.

“Okay,” he lightly brushed a kiss against her forearm. And Cathy smiled as she watched them, she was happy for them. And she was sure she had never seen Sam smile so wide, at least not recently and that fact made the question Tyler had asked before that much easier to answer.

“Sam, can Tyler and I have a moment, please?”

“Yeah, of course.” Sam nodded standing up, and Tyler kissed her wrist before she completely pulled her arms away from him. “Is it alright if we take some food with us?”

“Take all you want.”

“Thanks, mama.” Sam gave her a smile before making her way into the kitchen. “Buck, Grizzly.” She whistled and the two dogs rushed after her – well, Buck did and Grizzly seemed glued to him – and Tyler turned to watch her go.

“I've never seen her smile the way she does when she's with you,” Cathy started, her voice low so Sam didn't overhear, and the cowboy turned towards her.

But Sam was too busy singing Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland to hear their conversation as she scooped some of the leftover breakfast into Ziploc bags.

“Sam's been through hell, last year I watched as she lost her spark. That light that she has, it died. And every time you called, I saw a little more of that light come back. I can't thank you enough for being there for her, for loving her and I can't think of any man that I'd rather call my son-in-law.”

Tyler was nearly in tears, he couldn't help it with the sheer amount of joy he felt. It knew it wasn't necessary, but having Cathy’s blessing meant everything to him.

And for what seemed like the first time in his life, he was speechless, no words seemed to be enough to explain just how grateful he was that Cathy trusted him with her daughter.

“Thank you,” he finally managed out, but that still didn't seem like enough.

Cathy chuckled, putting her coffee mug down as she pushed herself up, “get in here.” She held her arms out and he pushed himself up, wrapping his arms around her. “Take care of my girl.”

“Always,” he nodded, squeezing his future mother-in-law. Cathy patted his back before pulling away from him, she smiled up at him.

“I know you will.” She told him and he nodded his head, a silent promise, then he stepped away from her. “And fix my mailbox.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded, making a mental note to call someone to have it fixed. Then he made his way towards the kitchen, “hey, baby, you ready to go?”

Sam turned towards him, a rolled up pancake hanging from her mouth as she put a few bags of food into a canvas tote bag. The cowboy chuckled at her as she reached for the pancake, chewing it up before moving to the side of her mouth.

“Yeah, I'm ready.” She nodded then she grabbed the bag of food as he grabbed their duffle bags. Sam placed her hat on her head, before bending down to pick Grizzly up. Then after bidding Cathy goodbye once more, they two made their way out to the truck with Buck following them into the rain.

Neither seemed to care too much as the rain soaked them or about the muddy puddles they stepped in on the way towards his truck.

Tyler rounded the truck and pulled the door open for her, she hoisted herself up and he closed the door as she put the food in the floorboard at her feet and situated Grizzly in her lap. The back door opened and Tyler tossed the bags in before Buck jumped up.

And Tyler was glad Sam had thought to lay a few towels down beforehand. Then Tyler climbed in behind the wheel, smiling over at the girl in his shotgun seat, who had reached back to put Grizzly in the back seat with Buck.

“You sure about this, baby?”

“You? Yes. Driving into tornadoes? I'll let you know.” He chuckled as he put the key in the ignition, but before he could turn it, Sam leaned over and kissed his cheek, the brim of her hat knocking into his, which made the two laugh. “I want this.” She told him because she needed him to know. “I want you. I just didn't think you'd want me back.”

He smiled softly, reaching towards her and gently caressing her cheek, “I always want you.” He merely whispered and she smiled, leaning in to brush her lips against his again.

“So, can I drive your truck?” She asked, her lips mere inches from his.

“Maybe someday.” He nodded. “But not today.”

She rolled her eyes, settling back into her seat, pulling her hat from her head before tossing it up onto the dashboard. He chuckled at the semi-annoyed look on her face, which only made her smile. And that annoyed her even more.

But before she could even call him an asshole, a knock on his window caught their attention and both turned to see Kate standing there. So he rolled the window down, and Sam leaned over, “everything okay, Katie?”

She smiled a little, “yeah.” Then she looked over at Tyler, “you said you could get a new model running?”

Tyler grinned and looked over at Sam, who's smile lit up her whole face, before looking down at Kate, “yes, ma’am.”

NOVA SPEAKS

i adore this character !!

i'm sick, but i'm still gonna try to update this book daily until we reach the end. sometimes there will be more than one chapter, other days it'll probably just be one and we only have a few chapters left, i wanna say six or seven left...

we're getting closer to the end of this book !!