Page 115 of How to Date a Prince

He can’t hide the relief, tension leaving his shoulders. “How about I watch you do a lap?”

“Not a chance.” I adjust my stirrups again.

Thomas mounts his horse too. And then a moment later, he’s beside me, also on his horse from the show. “Here I am, my liege.”

I roll my eyes and laugh. “We’ll walk this round, alright?”

The middle of the arena is set up with fences at laughably low heights. But I’m good to my word, and we do the slow walk around the arena. Overhead, the early spring sun shines down through the pale apple blossoms in the neighboring orchard. Even the grass smells new.

And I’m grinning till my face hurts, my hands light on the reins.

After I obligingly do a circuit at a walk, we move on to a trot. Old muscles are reawakened as we post. Beside me, Thomas keeps pace till we pull up together at the end of the paddock.

“Right,” I say, looking over at the fences.

“Are you really sure about this?”

“I really, really am. You know the old saying, back in the saddle again?” I say cheerfully.

“Terrible,” Thomas groans, but he smiles, his expression softening in that way he has only for me. “Alright. Come here, then.”

I ride closer to him, our legs pressing, and we lean forward for a kiss on horseback.

“I’ll be back to collect more in a minute,” I drawl, blowing another kiss.

And with that, I turn my attention to the simple course that we walked earlier. It’s literally child’s play. It’s meant for the estate owner’s family. But for Thomas’ sake, I don’t push about raising the jumps.

With a touch of my heels and a shift of my hands on the reins, we’re off. And it’s like no time has passed. With Midnight, we sail easily over the low fences. I keep it simple at an easy pace, nothing fancy.

For all of my banter and bravado, there’s a small part of me that has nerves, even so. There’s a split moment where the accident comes in a flashback. I shake my head slightly to clear it. Midnight is steadfast, and when I reach the end, Thomas waits, sitting on the fence. I slide off Midnight, and Thomas hops down. I let myself get drawn into his arms for an epic kiss, leaving me weak-kneed.

“Do you think that was alright?” I ask belatedly when we straighten.

“As far as your kisses go, at least adequate,” Thomas teases me. I lightly slap his arse in response. “What, you’re going for subpar now?”

“Sublime, actually.” I hold his gaze.

He brushes his lips against mine and pulls away as I try to kiss him, grinning. “I want to make you so wild that you can’t wait till we get to the cottage.”

“Cleverly, I know where a SUV’s parked. Tinted windows, the whole works. Why wait?”

“That’s not the equestrian event I imagined,” Thomas laughs.

“Oh, but it’s the one you deserve.”

“I love you,” he says impulsively, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. “And especially when you’re ridiculous.”

I laugh. It’s freedom to be with Thomas like this. It’s wild to imagine being with him for more than a handful of weeks. I dare imagine a future we might have together. “I love you too, gorgeous. Even if you worry too much.”

“I worry the right amount.” Thomas shakes his head, sobering for a moment. “Trust me on this one.”

“I’m well enough. And I’m right here. With you.” I catch Thomas’ face, kiss him thoroughly, his stubble delightfully rough against my skin.

“I’m so lucky,” he murmurs. “One day, if you really want to go Olympic track again like you’ve said, I’ll do my best to keep my worrying in check.”

“I’m even luckier.” I draw him into a deep kiss then, our mouths hot, my fingers running over his chest. I can barely believe what he’s said. My heart pounds. And maybe, one day, I’ll actually compete again.

I still have symptoms that linger after the better part of a year since the accident. Maybe they’ll go away eventually, and maybe they won’t. When I’m tired, everything becomes more difficult—foggy-headed, mood shifts, clumsiness. Generally, I’m more prone to headaches, and I have dizzy spells once in a while. I still go to rehab, usually down to once a week, and I frequently work with my therapist and my trainer.

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