Flawless

As seasoned bull rider with a rebellious streak, Rhett is one of the two protagonists of the novel and is initially portrayed as a man driven by adrenaline, ambition, and a refusal to conform. When he describes himself, he says, “My hair is long, just how I like it. Wild and unruly. Just like me” (18). However, beneath his rugged exterior lies a deeply protective, self-reflective family man who struggles to come to grips with the end of his career. Faced with this inevitability, he does not know how to redefine himself outside the limited arena of professional bull riding. Rhett’s high-stakes career mirrors his reckless, daring personality and his constant need to push boundaries. His determination to remain at the top of his game despite his age, his persistent injuries, and his family’s dissent reveals his stubbornness but also hints at his fear of losing the identity that he has built for himself. This fear fuels his internal conflict as he struggles to reconcile his need for the thrill of competition with the reality of his career’s impact on his body and his future.

While Rhett initially resists Summer’s role in managing his image, he quickly becomes attuned to her personality, particularly her need to please others and put her needs aside. Despite the superficial tension of their opposites-attract dynamic, their interactions soon evolve into more meaningful exchanges as Summer challenges Rhett’s impulsive tendencies and holds him accountable for his public and private behavior. At the same time, he teaches her to embrace fun and adventure through the professional bull-riding tour. Having once judged his ego as being overly inflated, Summer changes her view when she sees Rhett ride a bull and gains a newfound respect for his confidence and abilities. As she remarks, “There’s something about a man who is damn good at what he does that holds an appeal for me. Every step is sure” (111). Rhett realizes that he is falling in love with Summer when he prioritizes their emotional connection over his own personal glory and chooses to step aside from bull riding in favor of starting a life with her. Despite his bravado, Rhett’s regrets, fear of failure, and decision to change display the true depths of his character. Through their forced proximity, he proves himself to Summer and demonstrates that he is bold yet tender, flawed yet redeemable. Their romance is strengthened by their combined efforts to overcome internal and external obstacles and create an earnest form of connection.

As Summer’s father and the head of Hamilton Elite public relations firm, Kip embodies the archetype of a driven, ambitious patriarch. Rhett describes him as “a master, even if a bit of a weasel. But [he] think[s] that comes with the territory of wheeling and dealing the contracts he does as a top-tier talent agent” (5). Kip is a man of high expectations, and his professional success has created a legacy that he expects Summer to uphold. His decision to assign her to manage Rhett’s public image demonstrates his trust in her capabilities and his willingness to test her limits. However, Kip’s demanding nature and focus on business impose a transactional nature on his relationship with Summer, hindering his ability to connect emotionally with her. This problematic dynamic adds to Summer’s internal conflict as she struggles with the pressure to meet his standards while seeking to gain respect in her career.

Kip is a shrewd, pragmatic businessman, but his texts to Summer reveal his fierce protectiveness over her. In his eyes, Rhett is a valuable asset to his firm’s reputation, and for this reason, Kip is careful not to leverage Summer’s involvement to achieve his own goals. Though Kip is initially portrayed as a calculating businessman, Summer reveals that he is also a caring father to her despite her awkward position in the family hierarchy. Because of the circumstances surrounding Summer’s birth, she is forced to remain an outsider in her own family. Born of Kip’s extramarital affair, she must endure hostile relationships with her half-sister and stepmother. Kip has also maintained his emotional distance from her due to the complications that her birth caused in his marriage. Kip now realizes that Summer’s past complicates her identity and informs many of her struggles, particularly her feelings of belonging and self-worth. When Kip has a heart attack, this medical emergency creates a shift in his relationship with Summer, and his support finally allows her to confront the familial structures that have confined her over the years. She says, “I don’t need to feel guilty about loving my dad—no matter how complicated he might be” (165). Kip’s symbolic gesture of firing his daughter is actually designed to set her free from her obligations to the company and her family, allowing her to pursue a more authentic path toward personal fulfillment.