Epilogue Leah - 4 years later
Heart thumping wildly in my chest, I wait for the final team to finish their performance. My people are watching at home, which is fortunately not all that far away since the Olympics are in LA this year. Sure, it’s taken a bit longer to get here, but we made it.
I would have loved to make the team at the last summer games, but things got in the way. Namely, our fire-haired little girl, Sierra—who just turned three, with green eyes identical to mine. And our blue-eyed, brown-haired little boy, Devon—only a year younger.
As long as the team in the arena doesn’t beat our score, Tally and I are taking home the gold for the United States. I close my eyes and breathe deep as they come to a halt. Eighty-nine point seven three percent, nowhere near our ninety-one point nine two.
Holy shit.
I can picture my men cheering back home. Surely, our staff is going ballistic right now. I wish I could have brought them. All of them, my husbands, our children, every single one of our trainers and stable hands. They’ve all become family over the past few years.
Someone has to train the next gold medalist, after all, and our trainers are the best in the world, thanks to Parker’s guidance.
Several of them migrated from Hartbrook when it shut down.
When my lawyer gave me the life-altering call that the private investigators found proof of Henrietta’s involvement in her husband’s death, well, it didn’t take long to bring down an empire built on corruption.
Apparently, Grady’s father didn’t want to cut him out of the will.
Henrietta couldn’t have that, so she took matters into her own hands.
A year of digging through files and offshore accounts, and they were eventually able to trace it all back to her.
It turns out that I’m more petty than she bargained for.
As for Bridget? Well. She’s fallen off the face of the Earth. Once Henrietta went away, she skipped out of town. None of us has attempted to find her, and she’s not welcome anywhere near Magnolia Hollow. We’ve worked too hard to build ourselves up from the trenches.
This win is for us. Each person who showed up for me when I needed them, and those who continue to have my back, regardless of the long hours and exhausting amounts of practice.
As the medal ceremony commences, I make my way to the podium, wiping the tears from my face.
Most people would be in disbelief, shocked that they’ve come this far, but not me. Especially with the team I have on my side.
As I accept my medal, the only thing I can think about is getting back home to my family—the family I chose, since my own blood wrote me off.
Tally will be excited to mingle with her friends in the pasture, soaking in the glory of retirement.
My only goal going forward is to enjoy my life beyond this achievement.
Bittersweet? Maybe.
But what can I say? Plans change. Now I’m more focused on helping other people live out their dreams.