Taking one more deep breath, knowing it’s now or never, I exit the car and make my way up the sidewalk to Carter’s door and knock.
“Coming!” is shouted from inside and I’m pretty sure it’s Carter, but the door muffles the noise a little, so it’s hard to be positive.
The door flies open as I stand there, swaying nervously on my feet. Carter’s beaming smile shines back at me. He doesn’t hesitate, reaching out, taking hold of my hips and pulling me into his arms, our bodies flush against each other.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispers into my ear.
“I missed you, too. But for the record, you just saw me yesterday,” I remind him, laughing.
“Oh, I remember.” His breath skirts along my ear. “I can still taste you, and I want more. You’re like a drug I never want to stop.”
He lets go of me and I playfully swat him on the chest. “Are they here?”
He nods as he slips his arm around my waist, pulling me inside the house, and shutting the door behind us. He keeps me nestled against his body as he leads me into the house.
The air feels thick the moment I step inside their place. It’s not just the warmth from the heater running, but the weight of the moment pressing against my chest. My heart hammers in anticipation for what’s to come. His hand remains firm on my waist, his fingers digging in just slightly, a silent reassurance that this is going to work.
"Chase! Blake!" he shouts. "I have a surprise for you," he says eagerly.
As we step into the living room, I see Blake and Chase sitting side by side on the couch, so close their legs are touching. It’s almost surreal to see them like this after all the anger and tension that I’ve seen between them. My breath catches when I realize—and I have to do a double take—are their pinkies interlocked? It’s such a small thing, but it screams volumes.
Their eyes snap to Carter’s hand on my hip, then to me. There’s a beat of silence before they both say my name at the same time.
“Ginny.”
I swallow hard. There’s no turning back now.
“Hey, guys,” I say, forcing a smile. My voice feels foreign, too light for the weight in my chest.
Their gazes flicker between Carter and me, their expressions unreadable. I see the realization settle in Blake first, his lips parting slightly, then pressing into a firm line as he puts two and two together. Chase, on the other hand, leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, eyes locked onto mine as he tries to work through what’s happening.
I don’t want to drag this out. I’d much rather just rip off the Band-Aid, especially since it seems like Carter isn’t going to say anything.
“Carter and I reconnected.” The words spill from my lips in a rush.
“You what?” Chase’s voice is sharp, his head jerking back slightly.
Carter, ever the steady one, steps in. “Let’s explain everything first,” he says, his voice calm but firm. “Then we’ll tell you what we’re thinking.”
Chase drags a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “Yeah. Okay. Explain.”
I take a breath, trying to steady the tremble in my hands. “Carter and I… we’ve been talking. We worked together to plan this past weekend with the two of you. I know both of you love each other. You just needed to be able to talk. And well, that led to more talking between me and him. More than that, actually.” I glance at Carter, who nods encouragingly. “We didn’t say anything because… well, I wasn’t ready. And I knew it would be complicated.”
“Complicated?” Blake raises an eyebrow. “Why would it be complicated?”
“Let me sit.” I move over to the loveseat and sit down, while Carter sits down on the armrest, his hand resting on my shoulder. “I didn’t want to leave you the way I did. But I thought it would be easier for everyone. I fell in love with you over those two weeks, but I knew I couldn’t stay with you. My father and Antony were pressuring me to be here. To practice, to work to earn a spot on the Olympic team.”
“You could have just talked to us, Ginny. We were planning to tell you we wanted to date you,” Chase adds, his voice soft but intense. “Then other stuff happened.” He shifts his gaze to Blake, who takes hold of his hand and squeezes it.
My heart melts at that action.
“I know,” I say, my voice nearly a whisper. “But you know my father. You see how intense he is with you. Well, raise that byten million for his only daughter. Seeing you on that day was a shock. But those feelings were still there. And as much as I try to fight them, they aren't going away. Carter and I spent a lot of time together this weekend, reconnecting and talking and I want there to be an us. I want us back.”
They both look at me in shock, mouths slightly agape and eyes wide.
“But we need to keep it a secret for a bit. We need to find a way to talk to Coach about it that won't make him blow a gasket,” Carter adds.
“And I need to get rid of Antony. That will be a feat in itself,” I tell them.
