34. Leah
Leah
Who the hell let me do this? What the heck is happening to me? One night apart has made me a pathetic, almost blubbering mess.
I love every second of it.
It’s new and, while I’m lonely and wish my men were here, I’m excited to be this gone for them. As desperately as I want to ignore everything and text them like an obsessed teenager, I have to get unpacked.
This place is large, extravagant in a classy way that Hartbrook could never dream of achieving. Some day, we’ll have facilities like this. Warm, inviting, homey. All I have to do is push these doubts down and let my girl shine.
Sighing, I scratch Tally behind the ear. “No pressure, but we’ve got a name to build for ourselves. There’s so much more at stake than I signed up for.” A dry laugh breaks free. “It’ll all be worth it, though.” I press a soft kiss against her nose, reaching into my pocket for a peppermint.
Through the bustle of our competitors unpacking around us, I manage to find a sense of peace.
Whether the Olympics happen or not, we’ve come this far.
I’m confident in our abilities at this point.
There’s a ton of stiff competition waiting to take us out, but we’ve got this.
I have to believe that all of the hardship—every sneaky training session, the stolen moments we used to practice this routine—they were all enough. We are enough.
“Do you believe, T?” I ask, braiding her mane.
A soft nicker rumbles out of her. For the sake of my sanity, I’m calling that a resounding “yes”.
Braid neatly in place, I toss her blanket on.
It’s new, something I had specially made for this event.
Indigo with her name in a gorgeous blush-pink.
She’s regal, a true beauty among beasts.
Not that there aren’t a plethora of stunning horses here, but gosh, she’s something else.
At this point, the guys have been radio-silent—no calls, no texts, nothing since last night. I can only assume they’re still asleep. I drove through the night to get here and took a quick power nap. Not everyone can function on three hours of sleep, I know it’s unrealistic.
I won’t text first, desperation isn’t cute. I probably won’t see them until tomorrow, which is fine.
Totally, definitely fine.
Patience is my arch nemesis. But it’s better than paranoia, that bitch trying to convince me they’re never going to show. Surely they won’t run away with the five hundred dollars I wired to Parker. That would be silly.
There is about a week until the World Cup. They won’t miss it. I know they won’t.
I haven’t been entirely unproductive since I got here. The first thing I did when I made it—after getting Tally settled—was call my lawyer. The guys are going to lose their minds if my revenge plot works out. I can’t wait.
I’m completely spaced out, filing Tally’s things away neatly in the cubby of her stall when the sound of footsteps draws near.
A lot of footsteps.
They grow faster, heavier, more frantic. Before I know it, I’m hoisted into the air, squealing as the world spins. I don’t know which one has me. They’re all a blur.
“Put me down!” I sputter through my giggles.
People are staring, but none of us care. This time apart has obviously sucked for all of us.
As my feet hit the ground, I whirl to meet Quincy’s playful grin. Powerless to stop myself, I lean up and kiss him. Not for long, I don’t have time to waste. There are three more sets of equally delicious lips, eagerly waiting.
Grady pulls me from his cousin’s arms and lifts me, claiming a kiss with a hum of satisfaction. I kick my legs, chuckling against him like we’re in a movie scene. He sets me down reluctantly, almost possessively, only letting go at the last second. But he does.
When I approach Warren, he slides his fingers through my hair, gripping the back of my head as he pulls me in to a deep, demanding kiss—almost too steamy for such a public setting. My knees turn to jelly, stomach filling with flutters. I don’t want it to end, but it must.
Pulling away, I beam at Parker. His smile is on full blast, arms open and waiting for me. “Told you I’d get us here in no time,” he says, lips a breath away from mine.
“Shut up and kiss me, smart ass.”
And he does, like a man savoring the last cupcake at a birthday party. His hands find my ass, lifting me to wrap my legs around him. I bite his lip, tugging gently as he pins me against the wall.
Doubts squashed, all my questions are answered. This is it for me.
They are it for me.
Still, what fun is it if I don’t mess with them a little?
When my feet are back on the ground, I place my hands on my hips and put on my best “serious” face. “You’re all in big trouble.”
Not a single one of them believes me. But that doesn’t stop Quincy from playing along. “I’ll take any punishment you want to give me, so long as we’re both naked.” He waggles his brows.
“How about you all help me get the rest of this stuff put away, and we can go find some food? I’m starving.” With an exaggerated pout, I rub my stomach.
“C-can we g-g-get steak?” Grady chews his lip.
“That’s the most stereotypical thing you could have asked,” Parker jokes. “It’s a great idea, though. When was the last time any of us had a good steak?”
Grady’s eyes fall as he fidgets with the hem of his shirt.
Warren rests a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. “I don’t know that Grady has ever had steak. Not a real one, anyway.”
Fire runs through my veins as I take him in.
“Hey,” I say softly. “Don’t you ever feel ashamed for the things she robbed you of.
We’ll find a fancy steakhouse, the kind you’ve gotta get dressed up for, and I’ll buy you as much steak as you can eat.
Ribs, brisket, you name it.” I lay my palm against his cheek.
He leans into it with a faint nod. “I l-love you.”
Stepping onto my toes, I press a gentle kiss to his cheek. “I love you so much, don’t ever worry about a thing.”
“Well, seems like we need to buy some dress shirts then.” Parker beams, leaning over to kiss his free cheek.
“A good meal sounds phenomenal. The dinners provided by Hartbrook were all bland excuses for sustenance,” Warren grumbles.
“Hey! At least I made stuff,” I retort, hands returning to my hips.
“Yes, however, a giant steak and some creamy potatoes, ugh. I’m salivating just imagining it.” He tosses his head back with a dreamy, desperate groan.
“Jesus, he might legitimately fall over if we don’t get a move on.” Quincy pushes him and laughs.
He bumps into Parker, who swiftly wraps him up and lays a sloppy kiss on his lips. I expect Warren to shove him off, say something in warning. But that’s not at all how it goes.
What happens instead is beautiful. Warren leans into him, face flushing, features softening. They’re all at ease with our situation now. The transition happened so quickly that I hadn’t even noticed until this moment.
A different type of warmth fills my body as I admire their love.
We’re going to make it.
Olympics or not.
The details are negotiable. As long as they’re in my life, we’ll all win.
I’m still going to work my ass off to see my goals come to fruition. But in the instance that they don’t, I’ll be just fine. Having such a strong support system, bursting at the seams with unconditional love, behind me is more comforting than I could have ever anticipated.
Nobody else would ever drive halfway across the country in one day in order to reunite with me. None of my exes, not my parents, nor my brothers. Nobody has ever had my back like this.
Their devotion is the most precious thing. The sweetest part of it all is that I didn’t even ask them to do it.
Their love has crept into the cracks of my soul and patched the fractures I tried so hard to keep hidden. The damaged and imperfect parts I convinced myself made me unlovable didn’t scare them off like so many others.
This is the best day ever, and many more are ahead of us.