Page 20 of See You at the Finish Line

“So that I could get the credit.” His smile widens and we burst out laughing together, hysterical sounds spewing from my mouth as the whole situation dawns on me.

Holy shit, I could have died out there. This man saved my life. Lucy’s eyes ping-pong between us and she sighs a little before walking away.

We collect ourselves as the endorphins cool off, only the occasional spurt of laughter bubbling up. Adam keeps his arm around me, steering us towards the water station. We sit side by side under the tent canopy as the heat from the day swells with the moisture from the rain. At least with the humidity, the trail won’t be as dusty.

“If you need to get going, I totally understand,” I tell him. Leah would be proud of my impulse control. Or pissed I wasted a golden opportunity to invite him to race with me.

“Are you kidding? I need this rest as much as you do.”

“Okay, just know I don’t expect you to wait for me or slow down because of me.”

Adam stares at me, his expression unreadable. Not that I know him well enough yet to read his expressions.

“Do you want me to go?” he asks quietly, breaking our eye contact to look down at his hands.

“What? No! I don’t want to ruin the race for you.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to think I’m actually stalking you.” When he looks at me, the mask falls, apology written all over his face. Bless this man.

“Adam, I fully welcome your stalking. Stalk me all you want. Stalk all over me.” I feel my eyes widen when my brain catches up to my mouth. So much for impulse control. “I didn’t mean for that to come out dirty.” That’s a lie. I’m definitely having dirty thoughts.

He laughs, but still looks unsure.

“Paige . . .”

“I’m serious, Adam. If you want to stick with me, I have no problem with that. I wanted to make sure you knew that I don’t expect you to, and I won’t hold it against you if you want to go on without me.”

“I don’t,” he answers quickly. “Want to go on without you,” he clarifies.

“Okay then.” I beam at him. “Just know that if you do—”

“You won’t hold it against me, chase me down, and murder me. Got it.”

I laugh again, the tightness in my chest easing as he relaxes back in his chair. He closes his eyes, and I take the time to really look at him. How is this man single? Even covered in a day’s worth of sweat and mud, he’s gorgeous. His long legs crossed in front of him showcase strong thighs and defined calves. His folded arms stretch over a wide chest, and I remember the feel of being nestled against it. God, he felt good. I close my eyes and smile.

“What’s that smile for?” he asks. He must have opened his eyes.

“It’s for you.”

Lockhart H2033.52 mi/ 54.95 km

It’s my turn to keep subtly pinching myself. I wait for the other shoe to drop. I wait to wake up, to stop dreaming. But here I am, running beside the most perfect woman to ever exist on this planet. Well, perfect for me, anyway.

I’ve learned that she’s clumsy, so I’m not surprised she slipped. She’s also not aware of how clumsy she really is. She’s constantly stubbing her toes and hands on things as we navigate the uneven trail, having to climb more than either of us thought. She may need glasses.

Paige is an open book when it comes to the shenanigans she gets into as a result of her impulsive personality. However, I haven’t been able to get her to talk about anything beneath the surface yet.

Runners could be the most closed-off people in the real world, but if you get them on a trail or a road, all bets are off. We become oversharers and in an ultra-race like this, you may find out someone’s deepest darkest secrets. Paige is giving me lots of great stories, butI’m itching to know her better. I’m not worried, though—there’s still lots of time left in this race, and maybe after.

I’m really hoping there will be an after.

I’ve learned that she’s a terrible gift giver, not that she’s aware of that either. She told me multiple stories of times she thought she found the perfect gift for someone only for it to be a huge flop. Like the penis-shaped mug she got for her future brother-in-law, or theFifty Shades of Greybook series for her very conservative high school best friend.

After hearing that she gave her mother a puppy as a way to keep her company when Paige moved out, I knew there was no hope for her. A sweet gesture? Yes. But presenting a live animal to an unsuspecting recipient is never a good idea. Paige’s mom agreed the sentiment was nice but expressed vehemently that she had never wanted a pet a day in her life.

That’s how I learned the story of Paige coming to own a 110-pound Newfoundlander. That’s right. She thought it was a great idea to give her mom a puppy that would turn into a giant-ass dog. Paige had named her Q because Moneypenny was too long. A James Bond lover? The perfect woman.

It could be the intense adrenaline of the race talking, but I’m pretty sure I’m in love with this woman, and it will be an honour to put up with her horrible gift giving for the rest of my life.

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