30. Warren
Warren
Leah curls into me, humming softly as she dreams. It’s not very often that she sleeps in, but I’m in no rush to wake her. Little moments like this are so rare for us. She’s been training so hard, close to perfecting her routine on a level that shouldn’t be humanly possible.
Parker presses himself closer against my back, and a smile splits my face.
He grows on me by the day, the sneaky little shit.
I’m not sure how he’s managed it. I’m absolutely not into men, but he’s my exception.
His touch does something to me—freeing, unexpectedly pleasant.
Nestled between the two of them, I could almost cry.
No.
I am crying.
What the hell? Warren Hart does not cry, especially over feelings.
I’m not allowed to get close to people. It’s not convenient for Henrietta. I can’t rightfully explain to a girlfriend why I need to seduce another woman because my aunt tells me to... Not that I would dream of doing that anymore.
Fuck Henrietta, fuck the Hart name.
“Your thoughts are deafening,” Parker rumbles, scrubbing his chin against my shoulder. “Did I hear you sniffle? Are you okay?”
“Shh, don’t worry about me. You’ll wake everyone.”
“T-too l-l-late,” Grady yawns, lifting his head to look at me over Quincy.
“What’s wrong?” my brother asks, eyes still closed as he presses his lips to Leah’s shoulder.
“Nothing,” I lie, as if they can’t all read me like a book.
Leah tips her head to look me in the eye, hand moving to wipe away a stray tear. “War, talk to us.”
Damn it, they’re not supposed to notice.
“I guess this is happening,” I grumble, letting out a heavy sigh. “I’m just… happy.” My voice cracks around the word, realizing that this is the first time in a long time I’ve felt at peace with my life.
“I think we all are.” Parker places his lips against my bare skin, and my heart jumps.
“I think—” I inhale through my nose, chin shaking while I fight the terrifying confession on the tip of my tongue.
“No. I know that I love you.” I may be looking at Leah, but I press myself further into Parker’s hold.
“All of you. Sure, Grady and Quincy are family, so it’s different.
And Parker—” I turn, admiring the adoration in his gaze.
“—it’s obviously not exactly the same as Leah, but I-I do love you.
Somehow, some way, you’ve broken through and carved your name into my soul. ”
“That’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.
” He swallows hard, eyes falling to my lips.
“You’ve put in so much effort to accommodate me, and I just want you to know that I love you, too.
I honestly have since you shocked me with that first kiss.
I decided then and there that whether anything else ever happened, I’m in this with you. ”
“Kiss him already, so I can have my turn,” Leah demands with a whine.
I bark out a laugh and catch the flicker of doubt in Parker’s eyes.
“I guess I haven’t made myself clear. Kiss the shit out of me right now, and whenever you want, going forward. I love you, affection included.”
Noses brushing, he slots his lips over mine. We usually exchange quick pecks on the cheek. But this? The intensity he’s meeting me with—tongues dancing together, stealing each other’s breath in short gasps—kisses like this are a rarity. I can count all of the ones we’ve shared on a single hand.
Hopefully, after today, he understands how desperately I want to lose count.
It’s a confusing thing; being in love with someone, while not being sexually attracted to them, but our whole situation makes it easier by the day. A situation I’m immediately reminded of as Parker pulls away.
My following pout is short-lived. Leah’s mouth meets mine with as much love and passion as Parker’s, showing me exactly how much I mean to her—to all of them. Her lips feel so right on mine that I don’t want to separate, nearly whining as she leans back.
“I love you, too, War, and I love you, Q.” She crashes into him and they get lost in one another in an instant.
The passion in this room is palpable. How dare Henrietta expect us to turn our backs on this.
Parker pulls me against him, resting his head on my shoulder—his favorite place. Grady’s glimmering eyes drift over to meet his.
I swallow, gaze soft. “You’re okay with your boyfriend and girlfriend loving both of us, too?”
Parker stills behind me. “How—”
I titter. “The bathroom door at the stables is not soundproof, just so you know.”
“Fuck,” he hisses, “I hope nobody else heard.”
“You mean the whole zero people that ever come around?” Quincy jokes as he catches his breath.
“C-cameras,” Grady speaks up.
Quincy’s face goes stark white. “Shit, do you think they have audio recording capabilities?” Eyes bulging, he springs upward, running his fingers through his bedhead.
“Would she settle for less?” Leah asks. “Better yet, how do you not know? Doesn’t she show you the footage?”
I roll my eyes. “That’s rich. She barely trusts us to know they exist. Which, to her credit, is valid. Still, we’ve never been privy to the ‘intel’ she’s gathered.”
“It’s fine, I’m not freaking out, there’s nothing to worry about,” Parker says in a tone that completely contradicts his words. “Well, gotta go train the mini-bitch. See you all at the stables.” He pops up out of the bed like a jack-in-the-box.
“Parker,” Grady says, wrapping him in a hug.
“I—I can’t handle being caught.” Parker’s voice breaks, shoulders slumping.
“Hey,” Quincy says, stepping next to them. “We all love each other way too much to let anything happen.”
“You act like we can just stop her from kicking us out if she learns the truth,” I add, immediately wishing I could take the words back.
Parker’s brows crinkle closer together and Grady pins me with a frustrated scowl.
“Sorry, I just can’t help but be the realist. I know it makes me an ass.”
“It’s okay, we’re gonna focus on one day at a time, alright?” Leah stretches, grabs a pair of shorts and one of her cute little tank tops—mint-green and strappy.
I’ve never been so thankful that spring in Florida is so warm.
Right, focus.
“We’re going to be okay. Let’s go kick today’s ass.” She kisses each of us on the cheek and saunters out of the room.
“Damn, we’re some lucky bastards.” Quincy sighs, troubles forgotten.
“We really are,” Parker agrees, looking at each of us. “I love you all so much, on a soul-deep level. No matter what.”
Grady frames Parker’s face with his hands. “N-no matter wh-what.” He kisses him tenderly, sealing the promise.
Parker’s lashes flutter, expression softening. “Thank you, all of you. I’ll be back in an hour or two, depending on how this goes.”
Leah feeds Tally another peppermint, giggling as she whinnies. Her love for this horse is precious beyond words. We’re fortunate to share the space inside her heart.
“Once Grady gets Champ sorted, what do you say we all go get lunch?” She flashes an adorable grin at Quincy and me.
As if we’ll ever deny her quality time.
Bridget’s cackles fill the building, souring the sweet moment. I don’t know how much longer Leah will be able to keep up the charade. If one of us doesn’t get caught with our tongues down her throat, she’s likely to go off on Bridget eventually.
I almost fuck up and reach for her, but remember the camera that can definitely see us.
As they grow closer, Grady steps out of the supply closet. He takes Champ’s reins from Parker and leads him into the stall. Bridget is in rare form today, expression extra bitchy as she sneers his way.
I can practically hear Leah’s blood boiling, ready to tear into her for whatever shit she spews this time. I like to lie to myself and pretend that she’s gotten better at ignoring Bridget’s antics, but the truth is that we’ve just done a better job of keeping her away.
That’s not an option today. Their training session ended sooner than expected.
This is bad.
“Whatever the hell you keep doing to my horse, you’d better stop before I tell Mother. Useless idiot,” Bridget snips.
My stomach twists, filling with heavy disdain. Parker’s hands are clenched tightly at his sides, twitching like he might be the first to break.
Leah bristles next to me, and I’m powerless to comfort her, to do anything.
Quincy, ever the peacekeeper, does his best to diffuse without making anything too obvious. “I’m sure he hasn’t done anything to Champ. He’s not cruel and surely isn’t dumb enough to compromise your training.”
“I’m already on Mother’s bad side because I have to wait for the next Olympics, I don’t need the village moron interfering.
Parkie is going to have to train me harder.
” She chews her lip in a way that is supposed to be seductive.
Running her hand down Parker’s chest, she presses herself against him.
I’m pretty sure he holds back a gag as she purrs, “I think we should spend some real one-on-one time together so you can learn all of my riding techniques.”
“If you ride a dick as poorly as you ride a horse, he’d probably rather rut into a jar of rusty nails,” Leah spits, lip curled.
Quincy coughs to cover the snort that sneaks out. It takes every ounce of my willpower to keep my expression even. God, I love a feisty woman and she’s one hell of a loose cannon.
“At least I’m not trying to whore myself out to the whole facility,” Bridget quips with a victorious head wiggle.
Leah’s back goes straight as a board, face shifting to a terrifying shade of red. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”
“I’ve seen you trying your hardest to get all of them to look at you. It’s pathetic, honestly. As if any of them would sink to your level. Well, maybe Grady, if he could figure out how to talk to you.”
Time stands still, we’re all frozen in place. Well, everyone except Leah. I don’t even see her move, it’s so unnervingly fast. One swift swing and Bridget’s nose makes a gnarly cracking sound as her fist connects.
But she’s not done.
Before any of us can process what we just witnessed, a screaming Bridget is tackled to the ground.
Leah pins her down. “Joke’s on you, I am fucking all of them. They love me, doesn’t that make you sick with envy?” Her fist slams into Bridget’s jaw, and Parker finally snaps out of it, grabbing her. “Put me down. Let me beat her senseless.” She kicks her feet, arms flailing.
“Star,” Parker begs, holding onto her with every bit of his strength.
We all rush to them an instant later, trying our best to calm her.
“She’s not lying,” Bridget says, voice muffled by her hand, but clear enough to understand the evident shock. “All of you.” Her gaze drifts to each of us, watery and unfocused.
“I love you, and don’t mean this,” Parker whispers to Leah, just as she begins to settle in his hold. “She’s crazy, don’t believe her,” he lies, voice filled with an unsettling amount of conviction. “You know you’re the one for me, we’re going to be great together, Bridget.”
“Yeah, we just had to restrain her, that’s all,” Quincy adds, discreetly rubbing Leah’s back.
Fuck I hate this. No amount of damage control can change the fact that this happened right in front of the camera. We may get off scot-free, but Leah? Her fate is sealed. You can’t assault someone and still be welcome here, no matter who you are, or how much you’re worth.
A somberness swallows the room as realization settles in. She’s going to be kicked out, at the very least. If not arrested, depending on how petty Bridget wants to be. Knowing my family, she may as well start prepping for jail now.
“Well, someone walk her to her cabin to begin packing her bags. She’s not welcome here anymore,” Bridget orders. “Once Mother hears of this, you’re done for, reputation soiled for good. Filthy peasant whore.”
“Who the hell even talks like that anymore?” Leah spits. “I’ll leave, don’t you worry. But count your days, because I’m not going to disappear. Even if you press charges.”
Grady and I take Leah by the arms and make a show of “escorting” her out of the stables. On the short walk to her cabin, my adrenaline fades and dread seeps into the cracks of my armor.
“What the hell were you thinking?” I ask as we walk through the front door. “What are we going to do now?” My blood pumps rapidly, ears roaring.
“I’m sorry, okay? I finally lost my shit, big deal.” She throws her hands up, waving them around like a lunatic.
“S-sassy,” Grady says, voice calm. “You… She’ll k-kick you o-o-o—”
“So what? I know everything I need to kick ass at the World Cup.” Her words practically slap him in the face.
He recoils, brows furrowed. “I don’t mean it like that, okay.
You know I love you guys. Honestly, I don’t even care about the Olympics anymore.
If I make it, cool.” Shrugging, she takes his hand.
“But what we’ve built? It’s beautiful. After the World Cup, we can start over.
It may not be as prestigious as an Olympic medal, but it’s a damn good representation of all of us.
Determination, skill, willingness to put in the work and overcome adversity. Just, trust me.”
“Forgive us for not understanding.” I step next to them, tilting my head. “What difference does a World Cup showing make? You’re about to be escorted off the premises and likely arrested.”
“Just… help me pack. We’ll worry about the details later. The timing sucks, and we need to have an actual conversation about this, as a group. But I’ll give you the outline. I’ve been busy working on something.”
I can’t argue with her, there’s no time. So I have to do the most terrifying thing ever and trust her. If she were anyone else, I wouldn’t dream of it. But over the last several months, watching her every move, getting to love her and witness her tenacity up close. I do.
I trust her wholeheartedly to come through. Regardless of what her secret plan is, she’s going to make this work.
“Let’s get shit together then, and ice that hand.”
Grady’s nostrils flare, breath quickening as he lets her out of his arms. I fully understand his reservations, this could be the last time he gets to hold her. If we can’t convince Henrietta that she was lying, we might very well be sent away for good—phones taken, contact and funding cut off.
This could be the end of our new beginning, dead in the water before it had a real chance. At least we got to know genuine love along the way.