Chapter 16
CECILY
My lungs were burning as I hauled myself out of the pool after the last run of the day. Water streamed down my body while I tried to catch my breath. My local coach stood at the edge with her clipboard, but she was smiling.
“Hayes.” She waited for me to meet her gaze before she continued, “That was the best I’ve seen you look in months. Clean lines, strong core, and zero hesitation. Whatever fire’s been lit under you lately, keep it burning.” She pointed at me with her pen. “You’ve got this. Don’t you dare doubt it.”
I managed a tired grin and a nod, even as my chest tightened.
If only she knew the fire had a name, Ares Costa.
I still had no clue how we were going to handle a long-distance relationship when I slept like crap the one night I’d spent apart from him, and I was a better swimmer with him in my life.
Our passion had bled into my artistry, making me perform better than I ever had before.
I was toweling off when my phone started ringing. The number on the screen made my heart stop for a second. It was Coach Reynolds, the woman who had worked with me as part of the Olympic Training Squad in California. She would also be leading our team in the next Olympic cycle.
I answered with shaking hands. “Coach?”
“Cecily,” she greeted warmly. “You’re in. You’ve been officially invited to be a part of the National Team Training Group and Residency Program.”
I froze, water still dripping from my hair onto the concrete.
She kept talking. “From everything I’ve seen in the past couple of years, you really took my advice to heart.”
“I did,” I whispered.
“And between you and me, you’re already high on the list for the Olympic team. Train like you always have, keep competing with everything you’ve got and racking up the wins, and you’ll make the cut this time. We all believe it.”
Tears stung my eyes at her confidence in me. My voice cracked as I murmured, “Thank you so much.”
I hung up and stood there in a daze, my heart soaring so high I felt dizzy. This was everything I’d fought for. What my parents had sacrificed for.
But the joy only lasted a few heartbeats before reality crashed back in.
Ares had promised we’d figure it out when the call came, but I didn’t see how it was possible. His entire life was here—the club, Redline Holdings, and the empire he helped run. I couldn’t ask him to leave all of that.
And I knew I’d be training six days a week all the way up to the Olympics, not to mention traveling to competitions all over the world. I’d barely have time to breathe, let alone be a good girlfriend. Especially from so far away.
Even if we didn’t cut things off now, they’d eventually come to an end because we’d lose touch with each other as each day passed.
Ares had club business today and hadn’t dropped me off at the training facility. Which gave me time to spiral over the discussion we needed to have.
I drove to the house that felt more like my home every day with the radio off, my fingers gripping the wheel so tight they ached, already rehearsing the words I never wanted to say.
A couple of hours later, I was pacing the living room when I heard the rumble of Ares’s bike pull into the driveway. I’d rehearsed this conversation a hundred times, but the second I saw him walk through the door, every practiced word evaporated.
He took one look at me and froze.
“Cecily.” His blue eyes scanned my face, quickly reading me. “What’s wrong?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. He crossed the room in three strides, cupped my face with both hands, and kissed me. The press of his lips was soft at first, then deeper, like he was trying to pull whatever was hurting me right out of my chest.
When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine. “Talk to me, baby. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
The gentleness in his voice broke me, and I blurted it all out in a messy rush.
“I got the call today. I’m officially invited back onto the National Team in California.
She said I’m already high on the list to make the cut.
If I go and train the way I used to, and keep winning at competitions, I’ll make it this time.
” My voice cracked. “I don’t have much more time with you because the next training block starts in six weeks. ”
Tears spilled over before I could stop them. I kept going, the words tumbling faster and faster.
“I know you said we’d figure it out, but I don’t see how.
The club is here, and I can’t ask you to leave them.
” I wiped the wetness from my cheeks with a sniffle.
“I’ll be training six days a week and competing.
I’ll barely sleep, let alone be able to text or call like a normal girlfriend.
I’ll be terrible at a long-distance relationship.
You deserve better than that. You should have someone in your life who can actually be there for you. ”
I was full-on crying now, ugly sobs shaking my shoulders.
“So maybe we should just end it now before I have to leave and break both our hearts worse than I already will.”
I braced myself for him to agree. Instead, Ares stayed completely still for one terrifying second. Then he sat down on the couch and pulled me onto his lap, his arms wrapping around me like steel bands.
I buried my face in his neck and cried harder, waiting for the end I was sure was coming. But he didn’t let me spiral any further.
His big hands framed my face, his thumbs brushing away my tears even as more fell.
“You’re right. I won’t do long distance with you.”
My heart shattered, and I started crying harder. I’d known this was coming, but it was still devastating.
“But I told you I wasn’t letting you go, baby.”
I blinked through the tears, utterly confused now.
There was a determined gleam in Ares’s eyes. “Where you go, I go.”
I stared at him, my breath catching. “What?”
“I’ve already been working on it,” he continued, like uprooting his entire life was the simplest thing in the world.
“Racing is big in California. Hell, Los Angeles is considered a major hotspot for professional and illegal racing. And Kane and I have been working on plans to expand Redline Holdings. As well as the Redline Kings.”
I shook my head, barely able to process what he was telling me. “You’d really uproot your whole life for me?”
Ares’s expression softened as he leaned in and kissed me. “You’re mine. That means where you go, I go. End of story.”
A sob tore out of me as I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder.
Happy tears soaked his shirt as overwhelming emotion crashed through me, leaving me barely able to breathe.
I didn’t know how he’d manage it all, but I was stunned that he was willing to rebuild his entire empire on the other side of the country so he wouldn’t have to let me go.
I clung to him, crying and laughing at the same time, my heart so full it felt like it might burst. For the first time since that phone call, the future didn’t feel terrifying.
I opened my mouth to tell him how much this meant to me when his phone buzzed. Ares pulled it from his pocket, glanced at the screen, and cursed under his breath. His jaw tightened as he fired off a quick reply, his thumbs moving fast.
He looked back at me, regret flashing across his face. “We’re not done with this conversation, baby. Not even close. But I’ve got club business that can’t wait.”
I nodded, still trying to wrap my head around everything he’d just told me.
He cupped my face with both hands, holding me in place while his gaze burned into mine.
“There will be nights like this. You’re the most important person in my life, but I won’t always be able to tell you where I’m going or why.
California or Florida, when the club needs me, I go.
No questions. That’s part of who I am, and as my old lady, you’ll need to understand that. ”
Before I could fully process what he’d just said, Ares kissed me again. Like he was sealing every promise he’d just made. When he pulled back, he murmured, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He lifted me off his lap, set me gently on the couch, and stood. Then he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him with a finality that left the house suddenly too quiet.
I sat there alone, my heart racing and tears still drying on my cheeks. He was making plans to come to California with me because he wanted me to be his old lady someday.
The future I thought I’d have to face alone suddenly had Ares in every part of it.