Chapter 9
nine
. . .
Axel
Sunday dinners at my aunt and uncle’s house were always entertaining. But the minute we walked in the door, my mother pulled Wren into the kitchen for a catch-up.
They’d always been close.
Wren had been part of the family since we were kids, and after the fallout with Emerson and Collin, and then Wren and me not speaking—there’d been this divide.
It didn’t help that Wren had left immediately after and hadn’t been back.
Until now.
And clearly no one held her brother’s offense against her.
They were welcoming her in just like they always had.
“Only Axel and Wren would arrive on horseback to Sunday dinner,” Archer said with a laugh.
“Daddy said I used to know you when I was little,” Melody said as she climbed up onto the banquette where Wren was sitting beside my mom. “I do think I remember you.”
Wren chuckled, showing zero hesitation as she pulled my niece onto her lap. “Well, I definitely remember you, sweet Melody. Me and your uncle babysat you several times, and you used to love to come see the horses with us.”
“I love horses. And my uncle A said that you’re the best rider in the whole wide world.” Melody ran her fingers over Wren’s cheek and smiled up at her.
“Well, I think a few people might argue with that statement, but I’ll happily take it,” Wren said, and everyone chuckled as they gathered in the kitchen.
Lulu, Henley, and Emilia pulled up some videos of Wren winning Worlds on YouTube.
“Look at you,” Lulu whistled as she held up the video for Henley and Emilia to see. “Talented and gorgeous.”
“I’m loving the equestrian chic fashion, too,” Henley said.
“Such a rock star.” Emilia stared down at the phone with her mouth gaping open.
Wren shook her head, her cheeks slightly pink as she smiled down at Melody.
“My uncle showed me a movie of you at the race. He gots real close to you, and I gots to watch you on his phone,” Melody said, making it known that I’d been there.
The room fell silent for a moment as the realization that my secret was no longer a secret set in.
I hadn’t thought about Melody speaking to Wren, because not that long ago, Wren wasn’t even speaking to me.
Wren’s head shot up, and her dark eyes found mine. “You were at the world championship?”
“And this is why you don’t tell a five-year-old your secrets,” Bridger said under his breath, but we all heard him, and everyone laughed.
Everyone but me and Wren.
My aunt Ellie broke the tension by clapping her hands together. “Okay, ribs are on the table. Everyone grab a platter and head to the dining room.”
She winked at me as she moved toward the table. Everyone followed, aside from Wren, who stopped right in front of me.
“Answer the question, Axel.”
“Yeah. I was at Worlds. Do you really think I’d miss that?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She sighed, eyes wet with emotion.
“There’s lots I haven’t told you, Wren. We hadn’t spoken in two years. And you’d blocked me, remember?” I blew out a breath.
“I can’t believe you were there.” Her voice was just above a whisper.
“And I can’t believe you would be surprised that I was there. Of course I’d fucking be there. I’ve been with you from the very beginning. I wasn’t going to miss it. Even if we weren’t speaking at the time.” I shrugged, because it was the truth.
“I’m glad we’re speaking now,” she said, her lips turning up in the corners.
“Yeah, me too.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Bridger said as he stormed over to us. “Mom won’t let us eat until you’re sitting down, and I’m hungry. Can we continue this conversation at the table?”
Wren’s head tipped back in a full-bodied laugh, which made me laugh, too.
“You are such a hangry motherfucker,” I said, keeping my voice low so no one would hear me in the dining room as I shoved him toward the table.
The next hour was spent with platters of food being devoured and my family grilling Wren about her career plans.
“I know you’re on a break, but when will you head back to compete again?” my mother asked.
“I’ll move back to North Carolina, where I train, at the end of July for the Valley International competition.” There was an odd hesitation in her voice. “And then I’ll attend the Hampton Classic on Labor Day weekend in New York. I’m registered to compete in both events.”
“You’ll be gone before the wedding,” Henley sighed, since she and Easton were getting married that weekend.
“You’ll need to send me lots of pictures.” Wren reached for her water.
“Could you teach me to be a horse girl, too?” Melody asked over a mouthful of food. Archer gave her a pointed look, which was code for her to finish chewing, because she dramatically did exactly that. “Please, Wren?”
“Sure. I’d love to get you up there and show you the ropes. I’ve actually thought about teaching and coaching. You could be my first student.”
I expected Archer to get all panicked like he always did, but instead he smiled. “I think you’d be lucky to have Wren teach you to ride. She’s one of the best riders of our time.”
“Wow. Remind me to come to dinner here more often. My ego needed a good pick-me-up after the last few months,” she said.
That had always been one of my favorite qualities about her. No matter how much money her family had, or how much success she’d achieved—she’d always been humble and down to earth.
Completely unaffected.
And that wasn’t the norm when people reached her level of success.
“Will we ride at Uncle A’s ranch?” Melody asked. “’Cause I loves to come there and see my uncle.”
Wren glanced up from where she sat beside me, almost like she was asking me for permission.
“Of course. You can work together anytime you want.”
“Yes!” Melody did a fist-pump. “I want to be a horse girl just like you, Wrenny.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Wren said.
Melody left to use the restroom, and the moment she was gone, Bridger didn’t hold back.
“What’s going on with that dickhead brother of yours?” he asked, forking a bite of coleslaw and shoveling it into his mouth.
Emilia gaped at him. “You can’t say that. He’s her brother.”
“I can say it. And I just did say it.” He shrugged. “I’m sure she knows he’s a dickhead. That’s not a secret.”
“Bridger!” Ellie shrieked at her son, but she was shaking her head and smiling at the same time. “We need to work on that filter of yours.”
“It’s fine,” Wren said. “What he did to Emerson is inexcusable. Trust me, we’ve had many tough talks about it. And I’m the first to say that she actually dodged a bullet not marrying him after what he did.”
“Well, we didn’t invite you here tonight to make you feel like you have to defend your brother,” Mom said, her gaze soft as she looked at Wren.
“Some things are not defensible. I’m just grateful that you’re all still speaking to me after what he did. And now the scandal is my father and his mistress—I know it’s the talk of the town.” She cleared her throat and blew out a breath. “Thank you for not making me feel like an outsider.”
My hand found hers beneath the table. I couldn’t help myself. Wren was always so strong and stoic, and this was a rare vulnerable side that she didn’t show often.
She didn’t push my hand away as she sat completely still, waiting for a response.
“Hey,” Lulu said, waiting for Wren to look up at her. “Take it from someone whose family is a lot… We would never hold you accountable for someone else’s actions.”
“Agreed,” Emilia said with a laugh. “My parents own the paper that publishes stories about everyone in town. I know what it’s like to be judged for their actions, and it isn’t fair.”
She smirked at Bridger, who sat beside her eating, and he winced. “Nor can one be judged for stupidity, right? I’ve made some mistakes. But I’ve learned.”
Emilia leaned her head against his shoulder. “You have.”
“Don’t you give it a thought,” my mother said, shaking her head. “We love you. We’ve missed you, Wren.”
“We sure have,” my father said, winking at her.
“And I couldn’t be happier that we have a new member in our book club.” Henley reached for a dinner roll and dropped it on her plate.
“I think the book club is an excuse just to get together and drink wine,” Easton said.
“It is,” Lulu said. “And to talk about hot book boyfriends while drinking said wine.”
Everyone laughed once again, and we ate dessert before saying our goodbyes.
Wren and I climbed on Wrax and Honey, then took the path to head back to my ranch.
The sky was dark and lit only by the stars. But we’d been riding out here since we were kids. We trotted side by side as the sound of crickets singing and grass cracking beneath the hooves of our horses filled the air around us.
“I still can’t believe you were at Worlds,” she said, her voice breaking our silence.
“And I still can’t believe that you’re surprised by it.”
“Well, we hadn’t talked in a very long time.” She glanced over at me, and I could make out her long blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders.
“Doesn’t change the fact that I wanted to be there to see you do it.”
“Well, you know what I was doing during the time we weren’t speaking. So tell me, what have you been doing for the last two years, Cowboy? Aside from sneaking to see me compete, of course,” she teased. “Clearly we have a lot to catch up on.”
“I’ve been building my business.”
“That’s vague, but okay.”
“How about you? What have you been doing, outside of dominating the horse world?”
“You know how competing goes, it’s all-consuming. So there isn’t much else to report. I’ve been training and traveling and entering every competition I could. It was my two-year plan, remember?”
I nodded as we slowed our horses to a walk, letting them cool before we approached the barn. We put them in their stalls and made our way outside the barn.
“Of course I remember. It was the plan. And then you were going to see if you wanted to chase a spot on the Olympic team, or be done and start living your life,” I said, shoving my hands in the pockets of my jeans. “And now you’ve got your horse back, so I guess the decision is yours.”
She shook her head and laughed, but it felt forced. “Trying to get rid of me already?”
“No. I’m just curious what your plan is. You haven’t said much, outside of heading back in July.”
“That’s because I don’t fully know what my plan is.
” She shrugged. “Coach Sharky wants me to ride a different horse and continue competing. I haven’t told him or my father that I have Wrax back yet.
Either way, I’ll start training here when I can so I’m prepared to jump back into competing in July. ”
There was something in her voice that I couldn’t quite read. A hesitation.
“Why do you sound so unsure?”
She blew out a breath as she tilted her head back to look up at the sky. “I don’t know, Axel. I just need some time to figure it all out.”
I studied her. This wasn’t like her at all.
She had always been someone who knew what she wanted.
“Take all the time you need.” I watched her before she slowly turned her head so she was looking at me.
“Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yep. See you tomorrow.”
She chuckled, then glanced over her shoulder when she hit the bottom step at the base of the garage. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that you didn’t share anything more with me than the surface stuff.”
I had to laugh. “Maybe there’s nothing more to tell.”
“I don’t buy it. I know you better than that. You don’t have to hide it from me.”
“Hide what?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“If you’ve got a woman, don’t keep her hidden on my account.”
“I’ve got nothing to hide, Horse Girl.”
She narrowed her gaze as if she didn’t believe me, and then she waved before making her way up the stairs.
I’d never lied to Wren. Not once. So seeing all that doubt and hurt in her eyes when she looked at me was fucking with my head.
Why the hell was it so hard for her to trust me now?