That was all it took. He sprang up from the tub, taking me along with him, as water slushed over the sides, and my head fell back in laughter.
He wrapped me in a towel before quickly drying himself off and tying a towel at his waist. He scooped me up and carried me to the bed before dropping me with a whoosh. “I love how you look in my bed.”
“I love being in your bed.”
“That’s because you belong there,” he said before leaning down and kissing me hard.
And I knew he was right.
I did belong here.
This was home.
This house. This bed.
This man.
thirty
. . .
Axel
We arrivedat the training center just before dinner, and Wren’s disposition immediately changed. She was tense, and definitely more on edge. Maybe it was the training facility, or the fact that she was back and things were about to change.
Everyone we passed gave her a hug, and I quickly noticed the comradery here, just like she’d told me. She’d talked about all her friends here, and she’d mentioned a few who were not super friendly and kept to themselves. They were all elite athletes striving to be the best in their field, and not everyone was looking for friendship.
Wren introduced me to everyone, and most were very excited to meet me. Several said they’d heard all about me over the last two years, which surprised me since we hadn’t been speaking. A few of them eyed me up and down, but I didn’t give a shit.
My only concern was her.
She’d arrived here after our falling out two years ago. This was the big move in her career, where she’d made the choice to go all in and train with the best coach, surrounded by the most elite equestrian athletes in the country. Some who were here from other countries just to have the opportunity to train here.
And she’d done it.
She’d come out a world champion.
But when she talked about this move back then, she showed this uncontainable excitement. She had zero apprehension about her decision to take the next step.
But that was not the case now.
And I didn’t believe it had much to do with me. That wasn’t Wren’s style. She was driven and confident, and if she truly wanted this, she would be all in. She would be the one telling me that we were going to be fine.
I didn’t believe her apprehension was based around our relationship. Sure, she was dreading the distance. I was, too. But this was different.
Wren wasn’t all in on this decision, but she also wasn’t certain she wanted to call it done.
I knew her well enough to notice the signs.
She’d trained hard back in Rosewood River. So it wasn’t a training thing, either.
I wondered if it was because of the accident, but she wasn’t normally someone who was driven by fear. She’d always embraced that type of emotion.
“So this is my home when I’m here,” she said as she motioned toward a little cabin that sat in the middle of a row of maybe twelve small log cabins.
The training center was on an incredible property, with several arenas spread across the acres of land. The cabins were surrounded by lush tall trees.
“Wow. Beautiful property.” I followed her inside, and we dropped our bags at the entrance. It was a one-bedroom cabin with a small kitchen and a cozy living room. It even had a fireplace surrounded by gray stone.
