Rodeo doesn't really know if it's possible for him to be happier than this. He's got his baby girl on the back of his bike, arms crossing around him to squeeze just like she used to when she was still too little to reasonably be riding on the back of her big brother's motorcycle. She's been on the back of his bike as long as long as he's had a bike to ride. When he picked up his first rusted-out Black Shadow at sixteen, she was still losing baby teeth-- but as soon as he got it running, he was dragging her out for his first ride. Having her on his bike now, it all still feels the same. And he knows that no matter how much he hurts when he thinks of their time apart, in the end it's not gonna matter. It'll still all be the same.
Of course, that don't really lessen the hurt, but isn't thinking about that now. Shortcake is coming home with him, and Sarge is there beside him, ripping down the ashy sun-scorched roads to the Dog Park's gates. Rodeo holds out a hand to the sentry who opens the gate, and the man returns it with a middle finger. Rodeo's grin flashes, wide and pleased. He slows as they pull in, easing off on the clutch until his bike rolls to a stop. He braces it with his foot for Addie to climb off, turning back to her and showing his smile.
"See?" Rodeo says, arching his brows at Adelaide. "You're still a natural, baby girl."
Rodeo toes out the kickstand and shifts off of his bike, scratching his hand through his wind-whipped hair. The blond locks of it are longer than they usually ever got when they were young, because Adelaide knew better than to let it. All that hair is bound to lead to headsweats. He regards Adelaide, then looks over to Sarge, smirking crookedly. "You ever reckon this morning that we'd be seein' this by noon?" Rodeo asks him. It seems bizarre to think of how ignorant they were only hours before. Neither of them had ever expected this in a single one of the scenarios they had imagined for the day.