Chapter 37 #2
“Why didn’t you tell me you made a team, and more importantly, why haven’t you responded? Don’t tell me you have. I know you haven’t because there’s a training schedule in the envelope and you’ve missed all of them so far.”
Crumpling up the letter, I tossed it into the garbage can.
“That was a pipedream. I’m over it.”
Ren grabbed my arm before I could walk away.
“Nash, stop. Talk to me.”
“There is nothing to talk about. I can’t go, end of discussion. You know I don’t do all that mushy share my feelings shit,” I said, turning to leave, but Ren refused to let go.
“What do you mean you can’t go,” she asked, stepping in my way.
I ran my hand down my face.
“Ren, please just let it go. I’m not in the mood to get into this.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t in the mood to spend my night cleaning and sterilizing our room, but here we are. Talk to me, because you know I’m not letting this go,” she said.
“Can I distract you with sex instead?” I teased, grabbing her hips, but she crossed her arms, not taking the bait. “God,” I growled, marching away and suddenly feeling very caged. “You’re killing me, Princess.”
“Nash, I hate to remind you of this, but you chose to marry me. You had to realize what that meant. I am not the type to just let things go. I’m not going to let you hide what you’re thinking and feeling.
And I’m certainly not going to let you keep things from me just because you don’t want to talk about them. ”
She walked over to the garbage and pulled out the letter.
“Talk to me. You keep forgetting that you and me are a unit now, and that means I have to learn to live with things I don’t like. There is a long ass list, but you being a slob is near the top. And you need to do the same. Sharing and being honest is what you must learn to do for us to work.”
She was right, but that didn’t mean I liked it. I crossed my arms, wishing for just once she wouldn’t be so damn observant and insistent, but that was Ren.
“Our lives are just not set up for me to compete full-time. You saw the schedule, how am I supposed to fit all that in? Not to mention traveling to competitions all over the country, and then, internationally, the closer we get to Worlds.”
Filled with frustration, I stomped in a circle as every obstacle danced inside my mind like a wedding train you didn’t want to join.
“First, there is you. You said it yourself. We’re married now.
That means I can’t just disappear for weeks on end, and I don’t want to.
As soon as I graduate, I need to be at Collier Enterprises daily.
Edmundo is doing the heavy lifting right now, but that will end.
I have two other businesses, plus the council to appease.
No matter how much I’ve already done to increase profits, they won’t be happy with an absent leader or stagnant bank accounts,” I said, so worked up I was panting.
“How am I supposed to fit in what Coach Richards is demanding? It’s just not possible, and I’ve dealt with the disappointment and moved on. That’s why I didn’t tell you. I wasn’t hiding the letter. It was just something that I had to work through on my own, and I have. Are you happy now?”
Ren stalked toward me, her eyes fixed on my face, and my heart raced out of control in my chest. Why did it always feel like she could reach into my chest and touch all the parts of me that I’d purposely kept hidden? My body was practically vibrating by the time she reached me and took my hands.
“Does that make you happy?”
“What?”
“Does turning down the opportunity make you happy?”
My eyebrows drew together, and a bubble of anger rose.
“What kind of question is that? Of course it doesn’t. I want to go. I worked hard for that spot.”
“Then don’t give it up.”
She squeezed my hands, her eyes filled with love, but all it did was make me angrier.
“Did you not hear what I just said to you? I—”
“I heard you, Nash. You have spent your whole life trying to stay alive. Planning to take over Collier Enterprises and the council to stop the abuse your father inflicted. Doing everything you could to be a great leader. But in doing so, you forgot about yourself and your needs. And don’t say that doing me does something for you,” she said, rolling her eyes and making me smirk.
Ren linked our fingers and dragged me over to the table, practically shoving me into a seat. She opened the envelope and pulled out the intense workout schedule before sitting on my lap.
“We can make this work because it is important to you. There are six of us in this relationship. You are not alone. You told me to lean on all of you. Well, the same goes for you and the other guys. We are a team, and we back each other up.”
“It’s not that simple. I can’t push my responsibilities onto anyone else. I need to hold myself to a higher standard.”
“No, what you need is to let us help you, and that includes my father.”
“I can’t,” I said, shaking my head. “He’s already done so much for me.”
“Okay…why don’t we make a deal?”
I narrowed my eyes, hoping that my skepticism was evident.
“What kind of deal?”
She picked up the schedule and turned on my lap, so she was straddling me. If she was trying to distract me, she had gotten her wish. Gripping her ass, I pulled her closer.
“You were saying?”
“Do you trust me?”
“You know I do,” I said, and couldn’t stop myself from kissing her neck.
Ren tilted her head, giving me more room.
“Okay, then here is the deal. You’re going to call Coach Richards, apologize for the delay in responding, and accept your place on the team. Then you will start going to training and start thinking about what you want outside of running Collier Enterprises.”
My lips stilled.
“This isn’t sounding like much of a deal, more like an order.”
“I suppose it kind of is. But in the meantime, I will be in charge of your schedule. We will move what needs to be moved and delegate where we can. I need a project like this right now, and I happen to know all the players. On top of that…”
Ren wrapped her arms around me and softly kissed a line up the side of my throat to my ear.
“I’ll stay in here with you, one extra night a month,” she whispered, and that was it.
I would’ve agreed to anything she wanted. But that didn’t mean the negotiation was over.
“Four extra nights,” I said with a smile.
“One.”
“Three, my final offer.”
“Two, and that is my final offer.” She moaned and wiggled on my lap.
“Unfair play, you should get a yellow card or a foul or something.”
With a soft laugh, she did it again. My hand snaked up into the waterfall of white hair and gripped a handful.
“Fine two. You don’t negotiate fairly.”
Ren smiled and shook her head at me.
“Don’t pretend you’re getting a raw deal. I’m going to get your life in order, you get to live out a dream, and you get me for two more nights a month. That seems pretty fair to me.”
God, I loved her. I absolutely didn’t deserve her, but fuck that noise. She was mine, forever.
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“Then no harm, no foul,” she said, seeming pleased with herself. “You tell Coach Richards that it is too much.”
“Do I still get to keep my two extra days, Princess?”
She punched me in the arm, and I laughed as I stood up, bringing her with me to the bed.
“Have I told you today how much I hate you,” I asked, loving how her face lit up.
We were both a little crazy.
“No, but the night is young,” she said, with a devilish smile.
Lying her down, I took a moment to appreciate having her in my life. Then, I kissed her like I hated her.
Ren put a hand on my chest.
“Wait,” she said, breaking the kiss. “Do you know where my notebook and hairbrush are?”
“Uh…no clue.”
“I can’t find them anywhere. Even after I cleaned up.”
“You probably left them in one of your boyfriends’ rooms.” I smiled evilly. “I mean…you do get around.”
“Jerk,” she scolded, but didn’t try to stop me when I kissed her again.
I had zero idea how she was going to arrange things to free up my time, but if she wanted to give it a go, I wasn’t stopping her. I would do anything to have a shot at the Olympics. And I loved her even more for wanting to give that to me.