“You won gold. I don’t care.”
She pulled out her phone and waved me closer. Dad stepped in beside me without argument. Keaton stayed where he was, hands in his pockets.
“I want one of you too, Keaton,” Mom said after she got the one of me and my father.
Keaton’s brows lifted. “What?”
“You came all the way out here. You’re in the picture too.”
A laugh escaped before I could stop it.
Keaton gave me a look.
Dad glanced at him. “She’s not asking.”
Keaton exhaled and moved over next to me.
Mom held up the phone. “All right. Smile.”
She snapped the photo, then looked down at the screen and nodded. “Perfect.”
I took one with my mom, and then Keaton took one of me with both of my parents.
“I’m gonna ride back with Keaton,” I announced.
Mom raised a brow. “You are?”
“Yeah.”
“You heading straight home?” Dad asked Keaton.
“Yes, sir.”
“All right. We’ll see you there,” Mom said.
They headed for the exit, and I watched them go, then turned to Keaton.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I tossed my bag into the backseat of his car, got in, and waited until he pulled out of the lot before I started to grill him. “So?”
“So what?”
“You came all the way to Stockton, sat with my parents, watched me win gold, and now you’re pretending you don’t have thoughts?”
“I have thoughts.”
I sank back against the seat. “Good. Let’s hear them.”
He blew out a breath. “I didn’t realize jiu-jitsu involved so much rolling around.”
I laughed. “That’s your big takeaway?”
“It was a lot.”
“It’s grappling.”
“I know that now.”
