I was surprised at the disappointment that settled in my chest, but I nodded and made sure my features gave nothing away. “All right. I’d be fine if you were.”
“I know you would.”
“So why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“Well, I just took the test two days ago, and even though it was negative, it gave me a lot of clarity, and that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What kind of clarity?” I asked, moving closer to her.
“I thought I would feel relieved that it was negative, but I didn’t. I felt disappointed, sad even. And I realized in that moment that I’m not where I want to be.”
“Where do you want to be, baby?”
“I’m glad I came back. I’m glad I’m leaving on a positive note. Wrax and I were never afraid of competing. We were just done with this chapter of our lives. I knew it when I went out there today. I love riding. I love this sport. But I also want to have a life. I want to wake up with you every day.”
“Wren, if this is about me, I will sell the business and move to North Carolina, if that’s what you need.”
“It’s not, though. I’m tired of competing and the pressure and the travel and even the training. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. But I want to just ride my boy with you and Honey. I want Sunday dinners and date nights. I want to go to book club with my friends and attend weddings and birthday parties.I want a life.One that isn’t affected by a bad day of competition. I’m happy with where I am. I’ve lived this chapter and I’ve enjoyed it, but it’s time to walk away.”
I placed a hand on the side of her neck. “I get that. You’ve been doing this for years. You’ve accomplished so much.”
“Yeah. I know some people won’t understand, and that’s okay. I can’t keep living my life for other people. I want to start living it for me.”
I tipped her head back and kissed her.
When she pulled back, she smiled up at me. “I’m so glad you were here to see this. Because it felt very final, and I wanted you to be with me when I walked away.”
“I’ll always be with you.” I stroked her cheek. “And when you said you wanted to attend weddings, did you mean other people’s or ours?”
“Both.” She chuckled. “You can put a ring on it whenever you want, Cowboy. I already know that you’re my forever.”
“Good answer, baby.” I gave her a chaste kiss. “How did Coach Sharky and your dad take it?”
“As expected. Because they forgot that this was about me and not about them. But they’ll be fine eventually. They need time to let it sink in.” She shrugged.
“Proud of you,” I said.
“Yeah? I’m actually proud of me, too. Now how about you take me back to the room and we take a shower, put on warm clothes, and order room service?”
“I’m on board with all of it, aside from the clothing. How about shower. No clothes. Room service.”
“Done.” Her head fell back with a laugh as she walked toward Wrax and gave him one more hug, right before his caregivers whisked him away for a nice rubdown. “We’re going home, boy. And we can ride as far as we want to every day. You and me.”
“I swear it looked like you were both smiling when you came across that final jump.”
“Yeah? I think we were.”
Her fingers interlaced with mine, and we closed the door to the stall and made our way back through the hotel.
We were stopped by dozens of people as fans and athletes congratulated Wren.
I just stood back, allowing all that light to shine on her.
My Horse Girl.
thirty-seven
. . .
