“What about your career?”
“We’ll figure it out. Let’s face it, the half-life of an extreme sport athlete isn’t that long anyway. I’m almost thirty-one years old. A ten-year run is not bad. It’s time for me to do the stunts I want to do. And right now, for however long it takes, the stunts I want to do are here in Oak Creek.”
“I might need hospital stays. In-home care.”
He leaned his forehead against hers. “Then I’ll get to be your nurse for once. How many days have you nursed me through sprains and dislocations? Hell, remember that time you had to babysit me when I broke my ankle? How cranky I was after being stuck in bed for three weeks? You threatened to sit on my face if I didn’t shut up.”
He loved the little smile that floated onto her lips. “I remember the sitting-on-your-face part.”
“Give us a chance to work this out. Together. I know it means so many changes for both of us, but we’re worth it. We are worth finding a way to make it work.”
She pulled back a little. “I’m probably going to end up in a wheelchair at some point. It might be twenty years away, but it might be twenty months.”
That didn’t scare him a bit. “Either way, it doesn’t matter. You’re still going to be my Riley. My Wildfire. You’ll just come with a set of wheels.”
Chapter 25
“So if I hadn’t had recurring diarrhea that required me to be sitting in the Wyoming wilderness, wiping my rear end with a leaf and cursing my brother and his friends for creating such a sadistic race, I’d be dead at the bottom of the ditch now.”
Baby raised his beer as everyone around him in the locals’ favorite bar, The Eagle’s Nest, chuckled.
“You may be wondering what diarrhea has to do with a wedding toast. But then again, it is the wedding of Cade Connor, notoriously known for having his head stuck very far up his—”
“Uncle Baby!” little Jess’s voice rang out. No one was surprised the five-year-old had figured out what Baby was going to say before he said it. Riley had known Jess since before she was born. The kid had an IQ higher than most of the adults in the room.
Combined.
Baby winked at the little girl. “Head stuck so far up his turtleneck is what I was going to say, sweet Jess.”
Jess just raised an eyebrow and shot him a “don’t give me that four-year-old stuff, I’m five” look. She had her glass of juice in her hand, standing next to Finn’s son Ethan, as usual, ready to toast her mom and dad.
“Anyway.” Baby held his beer bottle up once more. “To the bride and groom. You tried to sneak a wedding past us, but you should have known better. We’re glad to celebrate you. I know of no one who deserves happiness more than you two. Love favors those who never give up believing in its power.”
Cries of agreement rang out as everyone sipped their drinks.
As far as wedding receptions went, this one was a little unusual. But the entire wedding had been a little unusual—a private ceremony with a judge turned full celebration.
Riley was just glad Peyton and Jess were both alive and safe. She looked over at Boy Riley, who was now harassing Baby about his speech.
He was safe too.
Between what had almost happened to Boy Riley because of Amber and what had nearly happened to Peyton and Jess in the last ten days since the race…they were all due for a little downtime here in Oak Creek.
If this town was the setting for a romantic suspense movie, the suspense part would be over, and it would be time for the romance.
That suited Riley just fine.
She took a sip of her Electric Smurf, the blue concoction that had started more than one relationship here in town. She watched her best friend, Peyton, kiss her new husband.
Baby was right, love did smile on those who believed in its power.
She smiled when Phoenix winked at her from across the room as he took little Thomas from Finn’s arms.
Something melted in her heart to see him nuzzle and sniff the top of the infant’s head as he cradled him so safely against his shoulder.
This was what she wanted. She’d always been afraid of marriage and family since it had ended so badly for so many of her immediate relatives. But her Linear family had taught her there was a different way, that forever love did exist.
Her MS diagnosis had changed her perception on everything too. She didn’t have time to be afraid of marriage anymore. She had real things to be afraid of.
Boy Riley had been right by her side since the moment they’d rescued him from Amber.
Once it’d been determined that Amber had in fact deliberately manipulated different sets of equipment in the race, Zac had deemed the race canceled for this year with no winner. Bo, in a giant surprise to nobody, had thrown a fit.
Until, upon questioning, it became evident that Amber hadn’t had any connection to Riley’s missing puzzle box in the navigation section of the course. Nobody could prove Bo was the one who had moved it, but neither had Bo continued demanding someone declare a winner once it became evident he was the prime suspect.
Riley had no doubt Bo would be back next year.
And maybe Phoenix would too. By then, they might know more about how her MS was going to present itself. They were learning together. Riley had already rescheduled some of his events, putting the Adventure Channel show plans on hold temporarily.
They were taking it day by day, figuring it out.
After his words to her that last day of the race about giving them a chance together, she knew she couldn’t keep him out anymore. Had no desire to keep him out at all.
His words had changed everything.
He was right. If something had happened to him, some sort of accident limiting his physical abilities, she would still love him and want to be with him. To suggest he didn’t feel the same about her curtailed their love.
My Wildfire. You’ll just come with a set of wheels.
There hadn’t been a hint of trepidation in his words when she’d mentioned a wheelchair. Not a flinch or even a brave face.
He was ready. Whatever this condition threw at her—at them—Riley would be by her side helping in all the ways he could.
She’d been such a fool not to include him from the beginning. He knew her so well, knew what she needed, sometimes even before she did.
Like the dawn a few days ago when he’d taken her back out into the wilderness, far away from everything and everyone… and just let her scream.
Let her scream and rail and sob.
Let her take a branch and beat trees and boulders and the ground.
Because it was just all so goddamned unfair. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to lose her abilities and independence. She was so terrified of what she might become.
He’d caught her when her energy had finally run out, lowering them both to the forest floor.
“You’re not alone,” he’d whispered into her ear, hand grasping the hair at the back of her neck and pulling her forehead until it rested against his. “Never again do you try to face this alone.”
Finally—finally—in that moment, she’d begun to heal. Now that all the fear and bitterness and rage and pain had been screamed out for the wilderness to help hear and carry.
For Boy Riley to help hear and carry.