It’s a plain black elastic band, though, so there’s no way Gaby knows whose it is.
But when she looks up to meet my eyes, I’m hoping she isn’t able to see through me.
Gaby thinks I’m not good enough for Alara. But she hasn’t seen the way Alara lights up when I walk in a room. Hasn’t heard the way she laughs so loudly and heartily when I joke around. Hasn’t witnessed her genuine smile, which only I can inspire.
Gaby doesn’t know anything. She doesn’t know that the rest of the world fades away when I’m with Alara – that it’s just us two, and nothing else exists or matters to me. She doesn’t understand that I’ll never find this with someone else, even if I tried. The friendship, the support, the love – it’s all different with Alara.
But has Gaby been right all along? Am I actually turning into the exact type of man she said I’d be? Am I the guy who’s going to break Alara’s heart because I don’t know what I want? I’m aware that Alara deserves the world and beyond, and yet all I’ve given her is half-commitment. Pieces and bits of my heart.
Shit. I’m so confused.
I don’t know what to do with myself. Perhaps the best thing to do is put some distance between Alara and me, but it’s waytoo late now. And I’m not capable of walking away from the only woman who knows therealme.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, looking back at Val and again at Gaby. “I’m so sorry, guys. I never wanted to abandon you like this.”
“D, never apologize for living your dream,” Gaby says. “You seized the opportunity when it dropped in your lap, and we will never be mad at you for that. Never. We’re just happy to have you back, even if it’s just for a few months.”
I smile and ruffle Gaby’s hair, which earns me a slap on the arm before she diverts her attention to the television. I throw myself on Valentina and hug her through the blanket as she tries to push me off.
“You’re heavy,” she whines, though she’s trying to stifle her laugh.
“You calling me fat?”
“Yes.”
“Get lost.” Still, I kiss the top of her head before moving back to sit in my place again.
We continue to watch the show in silence, but my head is anything but quiet. It’s buzzing with a thought that first made its appearance a while ago, but I’ve been doing my best to ignore it, despite how loud it is. Only now, I’m fully accepting it.
Despite the turmoil hazing my mind, there’s a certainty clinging at my chest – I want to make Blue Ridge Springs my home base again.
I can find an apartment for myself so that I’ll be close to my family. I can train here too – as soon as Coach and Dr Ellis give me the green light – and I’ll rent a smaller place in Utah for when I have to spend weeks over there to train with my team.
Because I might have fallen in love with the town and the resort again. And in the midst of it all, I think I have fallen for a certain brunette with the most beautiful eyes and inspiringintelligence, and leaving everything and everyone behind is no longer part of my plan.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
DIEGO
Pretty girl:I’m picking you up in 15. Dress warm.
Me:Is this a booty call?
Pretty girl:No, but things can definitely escalate quickly
Me:Yes to that. Where are you taking me?
Pretty girl:It’s a surprise.
When I exit the house exactly fifteen minutes later, Alara is parked a few houses down, just in case Gaby’s in the mood to snoop around and is looking out the window.
The night is chilly, so I tuck my chin in the collar of my coat and jog toward the black car I know so well. I’m curious about what she has in mind. We just left each other – not even two hours ago – but I’ve quickly realized that nothing matters when I’m with her, which is why I love spending so much time in her company. After our skiing lesson, we went back to her place to shower, then fucked, then showered again before eating some leftovers she had kept from the night before.
Her smile knocks the breath out of my lungs when I open thepassenger-side door and hop into the seat. “Can’t stop thinking about me, can you?”
“Trust me, if I could get you out of my head, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
“I share the exact same sentiment about you,” I drawl out in amusement.
