Chapter 27
twenty-seven
. . .
Wren
“You spoil us, Wren,” Jonah said when I set the salad and sandwiches down in the center of the table.
“You work hard, and I like cooking,” I said.
My schedule had changed drastically over the last few weeks.
The books were all in order, so now it was just down to paying the bills once a month, which took very little time, and I was able to order supplies and set appointments in between my workouts.
Axel wanted me to interview someone for my position, but I just wasn’t ready to do that.
I was leaving in two weeks, and I was still fighting it.
I could pay his bills from wherever I was, and I didn’t want to hire someone else.
It made things feel final in some weird way.
I loved working with the guys, even just for a few hours a day when I’d pop in. I was training hard now, but it was nice that I was doing it all right here.
Axel and his father and his uncle Keaton had set up a full show jumping course in the arena for me and Wrax to practice. They’d built jumps that rivaled professional jumps.
And the cross-country training here was the best, because I had acres for Wrax and me to run through while also building skills for my other events.
This morning we’d done a bunch of dressage training with lateral hill exercises before returning to the ring to work on pirouettes, piaffes, and half passes.
Wrax and I would never be outworked.
You couldn’t control everything during a competition, but I could control the work that I put in. So I always put in the work. Wrax and I had both healed from our injuries, and I felt stronger than ever.
“Axel was telling me that you’re a world champion.
That’s impressive,” Carl said. He and Donny were the two new guys Axel had brought on.
I knew he was hiring help so that he’d have a little more freedom to travel, but it would still be a challenge.
His business was successful because of him.
He did all the designing, and he was the artist behind every trailer that he built.
He could delegate some of the work, but he still needed to be here.
“Were you bragging again, Cowboy?” I asked, glancing over at him as he leaned back in the chair, his legs crossed at his ankles.
“I’m always bragging about you.” He winked.
There was something about the way that Axel looked at me that always did something to me.
It was this look of pure adoration. Like he just got me.
It would happen in the middle of the day when I was doing nothing.
Sometimes it would be when I was pausing for some water in the middle of a workout.
Other times it was when I was getting ready for my day in the morning, and I’d catch him watching me in the mirror.
He looked at me like he was looking at his reason for existing.
I felt it in every inch of my body.
Everyone deserved to be loved by a man like Axel Chadwick. To experience this kind of love at least once in their lifetime.
“Damn!” Coby whistled. “Someone call the fire department, because these two are on fire.”
Axel balled up his napkin and chucked it at him while everyone else was hooting and hollering about it.
I just smirked as I watched my boyfriend shake his head and act annoyed.
But he knew it was true.
“Is today the interview, Wren?” Benji asked.
“Yep. They’re coming out this afternoon. So don’t come out there talking about anyone being on fire, please.” I laughed.
“What interview?” Jonah asked.
“Wren’s got an interview with a big-time equestrian magazine,” Axel said. “They wanted to come out to the ranch to see how she’s been training while she’s been in Rosewood River on her own.” He reached for his soda and took a sip.
There was this elephant in the room. Or maybe it was more of a dark cloud.
This impending expiration date when everything would change.
We were trying to put on happy faces and enjoy these last few weeks, but it was just hanging over our heads like a heavy weight.
And doing this interview was a reminder that I was heading back into the thick of it. That was why they were coming.
The horse world was waiting for me to return.
“That’s cool,” Coby said. “Something popped up on my feed today about you going back. They were talking about how you’d come back home to recover from your accident, and they even mentioned you buying your horse back.”
“She’s a big deal,” Benji added. “And my boy has gotten to take some lessons from her, so he’ll get to brag about that for the rest of his life.” He winked at me.
I was going to miss this so much.
“I’m the lucky one.” I cleared my throat because the lump forming there made it difficult to swallow.
Axel studied me for a few beats, just like he always did. As if he could read my mind. “All right. Eat your lunch and get back to work.”
And that’s exactly what they did.
Well, at least until the team showed up to interview me. Two black vans with cameras and a video guy made their way out to the barn, where Axel and I met them.
I couldn’t help but laugh every time I saw Coby, Jonah, and Benji peeping around the corner and giving me thumbs-ups.
They took photos of me riding Wrax, and some video doing a few of the jumps in the arena. And then we went inside Axel’s home for the actual interview.
We were sitting at his large wood kitchen table, and I was surprised how many questions the interviewer, Laney Mitchell, had for me. I thought it would be much quicker than it actually was.
“I’m sorry for all the questions,” she said. “I promise I’ve got just a few more.”
“No problem. Ask away.”
Axel was sitting beside me, because I’d asked him to be here with me for the interview.
“A lot of people thought the accident had scared you off,” she said. “Did it get in your head?”
I chuckled. “No. Me leaving had very little to do with the accident, aside from needing some time to recover. I’ve had much worse falls over the years.
I left because my father had made the decision to sell Wrax, and I wasn’t okay with that.
I am not looking to ride a new horse. My family was going through some personal issues as well, so once I got home, I knew this was where I needed to be for a while. ” I shrugged, because it was the truth.
Laney’s gaze softened, and I got the feeling she appreciated the honesty. “The horse community was pretty outraged when they heard Wrax had been sold without you agreeing to do so. I’m sure having him taken from you was not easy.”
“Correct.”
“Do you think Wrax is up to the challenge of coming back and jumping back into competition?”
“I do. I think he’s more than capable. I have all the faith in him.”
“It seems like Rosewood River has been good for you, not only for your training, but maybe for your personal life, too?” she teased.
Then she leaned closer and whispered, “If you don’t want to talk about your personal life, we don’t have to.
But I think your fans will be happy to hear about the journey you’ve been on. ”
“It’s totally fine.” I peeked up at Axel, who was smiling at me, so I knew he was fine with it. “Yes. There’s someone here who’s very important to me, and I’m glad I came back, because I’ve never been happier.”
“That’s great, Wren. Happiness looks good on you,” she said.
“I know this sport is considered one of the toughest out there. It takes a lot of grit and determination, and you’ve always had it in spades.
But I’m curious, as a few competitors before you have talked about the time commitment and the physical and mental challenges that come with being an elite rider.
I interviewed Helen Thomas eight years ago, when she was at the top of her game. Do you remember her?”
“Of course I do. I’m a huge fan, and she’s actually mentored me along the way since she retired.”
“Well, when I interviewed her, she talked about how it was tough as a woman because she felt pressure to choose between the dreams that she had for herself personally and the dreams that she had for herself professionally. Do you ever struggle with that?”
I nodded. I understood her question, and I remembered reading that interview and not fully getting it at the time. Because eight years ago, all I cared about was competing. But today, I would read those words very differently.
“I do understand it, for sure. I think you hit different points in your life and in your career where you might change perspectives about what you want and what’s important.
I’ve achieved a lot in the years I’ve been competing, and I think it’s always okay to pivot.
Right now, I hope to go back and give it my best shot, and I’ll just take it one day at a time from there. ”
“Everyone’s talking about you chasing the Olympics and doing whatever it takes to make the team. I read somewhere that you said you wouldn’t retire until you were a member of the team. Is that something that will define your career? Is it the make-or-break piece of the pie, so to speak?”
I blew out a breath. “I’ve actually never said those words, but I believe my father said them in an interview on my behalf a few years back.
If I’m being honest, I’ve always just loved being out there with Wrax, and competing against athletes I have so much respect for.
Winning the world championship was a highlight of my career, and I’m honored to have achieved it.
But there isn’t anything out there that defines me in that way.
I don’t need to win a certain competition or make the Olympic team to feel fulfilled.
I’m fulfilled when Wrax and I are flying through the air together.
I’m fulfilled when I leave it all out there and I know I’ve done my best. I admire any athlete who’s disciplined in their sport and driven enough to do what it takes to make the Olympic team.
But it’s not something that drives me personally.
I don’t need to reach that pinnacle to feel like I’ve made it in this sport.
Some athletes I train with feel that way, and maybe I had that same attitude when I was very young—but that’s not how I feel today.
I feel content and happy with where I am.
I’m looking forward to heading back and giving it my all. ”
“What else makes you happy, Wren? Your fans want to know about your real life. I know you’ve been very private about that before now, and I wondered if there’s anything you’re willing to share?”
I chuckled. “It’s not that I’ve been necessarily private; it’s that I didn’t have a ton to share.
For the last several years, my life has been all about riding.
About my career. My passion. But after the accident, I was feeling very burned out and exhausted.
And coming home has opened my eyes up to so many things. ”
“Such as?” she pressed.
I looked over at Axel, who had this sexy-as-sin smirk on his face, and it wasn’t lost on me that Laney blushed every time she looked at him.
“Love. Life. Finding joy in the little moments.” I took a sip of my water before continuing. “I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time, and it feels really good.”
“What do you think the reason is for that?”
“Honestly?” I shook my head with a laugh.
“I think it’s because I’m in love and I have a partner who supports me and believes in me.
He’s the reason that I have Wrax back. He’s the reason that I feel ready to go back and compete again.
He’s the reason that I didn’t let the personal issues that I came home to deal with derail me.
He’s my person, and that was something that was missing before now. ”
“Can I say that I’m sitting here at this table with him sitting beside you—and I feel it. The way you two look at one another is something.”
Axel found my hand beneath the table and winked at me. “It’s easy—just look at her. She lights up every room she walks into.”
“Swoon,” Laney said as she fanned her face. “And you two have a long history?”
“We do,” I said. “We’ve been best friends our entire lives, and it turned into something deeper these last few months.”
“Will he be moving to the training center in North Carolina with you?” she asked.
“He’s got a thriving business here making custom horse trailers, and he’s very talented.
So I don’t think his clients or employees would be too happy if he upped and moved.
But we’ll visit when we can and talk daily.
We’ll make it work.” I cleared my throat, because she looked unimpressed with my answer.
She gave me what I could only describe as a sympathetic smile, as if my words were a bit too hopeful.
“Long-distance is tricky, especially when you’re in a high-stress sport, Wren. How do you think you two will make it work?” I heard the doubt there, and it rubbed me wrong.
As if Axel could read my mind, he spoke first. “The distance will be challenging, but it won’t break us. We won’t allow it to. We’re both willing to wait for however long we need to, so that’s the plan.”
“Wow. No doubts, huh?”
“None,” Axel said, his voice unwavering.
“I like a man who’s sure of himself. But I’m curious, how are you so confident?”
“Because the alternative isn’t an option. We’re all in. End of story.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer.
“Ditto,” I said with a laugh as my head leaned on his shoulder. “I’ll be back in a heartbeat, Cowboy.”
“All right, well, I’m sure your fans will be rooting for you two. And hopefully we’ll see you at some of the competitions, Axel.”
“Count on it.”
I smiled up at him. Because I was definitely counting on it.