“Hey.” She glanced up. “You’re home early.”
It was true; I never came home right after morning practice. I usually talked to Coach, then to Talon and Ridge, grabbed some food, and headed to the recovery center.
“I—” My voice caught. I cleared my throat. “I got an email.”
Her brows lifted. “Is everything okay?”
I nodded. Then shook my head. Then nodded again.
“I made it,” I said. “The US National Championships. The Worlds Trials.”
Her phone slipped from her fingers and hit the counter with a clatter.
“You … Ledger,” she breathed. “Are you serious?”
I nodded, and that was all it took.
She was across the kitchen in a heartbeat, arms flying around my neck, hugging me hard enough that my feet actually rocked back a step.
“I knew it,” she said fiercely, voice muffled against my chest. “Iknewyou would.”
My arms came around her automatically, instinct overriding thought. I held her tight, chin resting against the top of her head, breathing her in.
For a second, the world narrowed to just this.
Her.
Me.
This moment.
She pulled back, eyes bright, hands now resting on my shoulders. “I’m so proud of you.”
Something in me cracked open at that.
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
Her hands slid down to my chest, reluctant, and for a split second we were standing close. Too close. Her gaze dipped to my mouth. Mine followed.
The air shifted. Thickened.
I leaned in without meaning to.
She did too.
Reality slammed back into place at the last second, and we both jerked away like we’d been burned.
She laughed nervously. “Wow. Okay. Sorry. Just—excited.”
“Yeah,” I said too quickly. “Same.”
Too much the same.
She busied herself by going back into the kitchen and grabbing her coffee, turning away from me. “So, what happens now? Training schedule change? Travel?”
“Yeah,” I said, grateful for the distraction. “More meets. More pressure. More everything.”
“And the marriage is …” she added quietly.
