Page 89 of Stick Around,
The rest of my division took their turns, with some sticking their landings, others knocking rails or skipping jumps altogether. I stood off to the side with the others, trying to guess how my round stacked up.
After the final rider finished, we then had to wait for the other jumping divisions to compete before the awards were announced.
Sudden emotion swelled in my throat as the top three for the novice division were called. I hadn’t expected to feel this invested, yet here I was, blinking back tears.
I wiped my sweaty palms against my leggings and drew in a steadying breath as the announcer moved on to my division. The rational part of my brain reminded me this was just a hobby horse competition, but something deeper understood what it represented: me stepping out and trying something new, something that made me happy regardless of how others viewed it.
No matter what the results were, I knew I’d given it my all.
When my name was called for third place, I excitedly mounted Thunderbolt and trotted back in, grinning as they pinned a ribbon to his reins.
Once the awards ceremony wrapped, I turned toward the stands only to be intercepted halfway across the floor. One second I was walking, the next I was surrounded by three smiling cowboys who apparently didn’t care we were still technically in public.
Kellan reached me first, lifting me off the ground with a whoop that echoed through the arena. I barely had time to protest before he spun me around.
Reid stood behind him, his usual calm replaced with an excited smile, and Enzo appeared at my side, hand steady on my back.
“Okay, okay,” I gasped. “Put me down before someone calls security.”
Kellan set me down reluctantly, but not before I caught a glimpse of April in the stands, phone out, clearly recording every second. My parents stood next to her, looking on with expressions mixed with pride and confusion.
Dinner with them tonight would be fun since I hadn’t exactly explained my new relationship to them.
Kellan threw his arm around my shoulder. “Better get used to it, hobby horse champion. This is just the beginning.”
And looking at their beaming faces, I knew he was right about far more than stick horses.
I peeled off my boots and dropped onto the edge of the bed, exhausted in the best possible way. My muscles ached, my stomach was still full from dinner, and the laughter from the restaurant echoed in my ears.
“I think my parents liked you guys.” I yanked off my socks and tossed them on top of my boots.
Across the room, Kellan shrugged out of his shirt with a cocky smirk. “It was my charm, wasn’t it?”
Enzo uncorked a bottle of champagne. “Your mom hugged me. Twice. I wasn’t prepared.”
Reid sprawled across the bed next to me, his long legs dangling off the edge. “Your dad kept calling me son.”
“I thought at first they didn’t get what was going on when Quinn said we were her boyfriends, but then he asked if we weretreating his daughter right.” Kellan flopped next to Reid, their shoulders touching. “I wasn’t sure if he meant financially or... you know.”
I covered my face with my hands. “Please tell me he didn’t give you guys the talk about his little girl.”
“Not directly.” Enzo handed me a glass of champagne, then distributed the others. “But there were some pointed questions about our intentions when you went to the bathroom with April.”
I sat on the edge of the mattress, suddenly aware of how normal the four of us together felt. “April wanted to make sure I was okay.”
Reid sat up. “And were you? Okay?”
I took a moment to really look at them. Kellan with his easy smile that hid depths I was still discovering. Enzo with his quiet strength and unexpected tenderness. Reid with his intuitive understanding that made me feel seen in ways I never had before.
“I was more than okay.” I took a sip of champagne. “For the first time, I wasn’t embarrassed or making excuses for my choices. I’m… happy.”
Reid’s eyes met mine over the rim of his glass. “We’re proud of you.”
My chest filled with something heavy and beautiful all at once. “Sometimes I still expect to wake up back in my apartment, with a broken heart and wondering where my life went wrong.”
“Seems like you ended up exactly where you were supposed to.” Kellan’s expression softened.
Enzo took my glass and set it on the nightstand. “When you landed that final jump today, the look on your face...” He shook his head, words failing him for once.
