Page 87 of Secret Heart
“Of course,” I murmur, keeping my smile firmly in place as I take an offered hand.
Sean’s not known for giving details in a timely fashion, and it’s clear this moment is no exception. It seems like Sean suddenly realizes I don’t actually know the situation, and he clears his throat.
“This is Matthew,” he says. “His son is named Teagan. He’s been riding bulls for about three years, started just before high school.”
That doesn’t surprise me. Not that I can’t encourage any of the kids here competing over the weekend. Any time you sit atop an animal, working with it to achieve a time or a score, is a feat and something I’m happy to chat about. But introducing me to other bull riders is that one level of specification.
“How’s he been doing?” I ask.
Sean grins. “A downright natural, man. A natural. Like you when you were on the amateur circuit.”
“Fantastic.” I adjust my hat and then my hold on Penny. She tucks her head deeper into the crook of my shoulder.
Matthew sighs. “Yeah. Except about three months ago, he presented. And now there are a whole lotta people telling him he’s wasting his time trying to bull ride. That he’s better off switching to team roping or being a hazer.”
I frown. “He presented as an Omega?”
Matthew nods once, his mouth tight. “And now he’s terrified to ride again. Most of the people… they mean good, y’know? But now all that they’re sayin’ is mucking up his head. And I don’t know how to get him out of it. He loves rodeo, loves being on the bulls. I hate that he’s struggling.”
Empathy wells in me. I nod and then pass Penny to Beau.
“Let me sit with him for a bit.” I turn to Emily. “Will you stay here for a minute? Before you take Penny over to the petting zoo?”
Emily nods, and her agreement is a balm under my sternum.
Matthew knocks on the threshold.
“Teagan?” His voice is cautious.
A kid on the verge of adulthood sits in a metal chair. His hair is a bright red, the curls smashed from where he’s clearly been wearing a hat. He leans forward, his knees resting on his elbows, his shoulders rolled in. Between his knees he holds a riding helmet in a careless grip. When he finally glances up at his dad, his gaze goes to me. The color drains from his face, and he sits back in the chair.
“Um, hi,” he stammers. He holds out a shaking hand. “It’s, um, it’s an honor.”
I give a soft smile back, then grab one of the chairs folded up and leaning against the wall. I drop into it, spreading my knees and resting my elbows on my knees. I steeple my hands and let my chin sit on my fingers. Matthew stays in the doorway, and when I glance over my shoulder, I can see Emily just behind him, though I don’t think Teagan can see her.
“So the last couple months haven’t been great,” I say, trying to figure out where to start.
His straight spine deflates, and his eyes grow sad. “No, they haven’t.”
“You want to tell me about it?”
His gaze flicks to his dad and then settles back on me. “I, um, had a boyfriend. Before I presented. He broke up with me after the Council confirmed everything. He said…” His throat ripples. There’s a flash of pear scent that surrounds me before fading again. He must be wearing a lotion. Lotions are a lot more economical than the much more expensive scent blockers that most adult Omegas opt for, especially for teens that are still growing. “He said he didn’t want to watch all the Alphas trample all over me when I lose my spine.”
Anger roars up in me, hot enough to burn white, and Emily’s own reaction blends with it. By force of will alone, I swallow it down.
“Well, that’s a weird way for them to say they’re intimidated by you,” I offer.
His eyes widen.
“Last I checked, I still have my spine. And I have more buckles than him, too.”
His lips flip up in a small smile, but his shoulders are still rolled in, his confidence gone. I sigh and then tell him a bit about my own experience of presenting.
“I was raised by a single dad,” I start. “He was an Alpha. My mom had been an Omega. Things… things weren’t good between them. She left when I was just starting elementary school. I never learned the specifics. But from that day, my dad hated Omegas. All of them. He let that hatred grow and and grow until it blinded him to anything good in life. When I presented at sixteen, that hatred transferred to me.”
Teagan frowns. “I’m sorry.”
I wave away his sympathy.
