The women's gymnastics regional championships took place in Seattle. After two months of frantic preparation, it was finally here, and I stood on the sides with Haley, her father, and her coach as we waited for her score.
Her team wasn't advancing to nationals, so she needed the best score to qualify for nationals as a top individual event specialist.
My stomach was a mess of knots, both for her and for me. The results were so important for so many reasons, and every second felt like an eternity as the judges deliberated.
If it were up to me, Haley would clear the competition. She'd executed her routine flawlessly, but—
The scoreboard finally flashed to life with her score.
15.2. It was best vault score of the competition, and Haley was the last to perform, which meant…
"Oh my God." She clapped a hand over her mouth as the audience exploded into claps and cheers. "I'm going to nationals." She looked a little stunned as her dad and coach hugged her and joined the jubilation. "I'm going to nationals!"
We looked at each other and squealed before grabbing each other's hands and jumping up and down, our girlish excitement drowned out by her father's whoops and the audience's elation.
"Congratulations! I knew you could do it!" I cried, my chest bursting with pride.
"I couldn't have done it without you," she said, her eyes shimmering.
Haley and I had developed a tight friendship over the past two months. Out of everyone on her team, I was the closest to her in age, and our personalities just meshed.
I'd done my best to prepare her for the competition, poring over her nutrition plans and recovery strategies, tweaking and refining and tweaking again until they were optimized to perfection. But I was only one spoke in the wheel of her success. She was the one who'd trained so hard for this, day in and day out, making sacrifices that most people would never have to make.
"This was all you," I said. "I just told you what to eat. You're the talent."
Haley shook her head. "Don't downplay your role in this. This was the result of a million different things, including food and nutrition." She gestured around us. "You of all people should know those things play as big a role in an athlete's performance as anything else."
Damn. I'd just been gently read to filth by a teenager.
But she was right. My knee-jerk instinct was to downplay my accomplishments even though I'd worked as hard as she had in my own way. It was a bad habit I'd yet to shake.
"You're way too wise for someone your age," I said. "Are you sure you're sixteen and not sixty?"noveldrama
Haley laughed. "If I can even get on a vault when I'm sixty, then I deserve more than a spot in nationals. I deserve a Guinness World Record." She hesitated before asking, "Have you talked to my dad yet?"
My heart beat a little faster. That was the other reason I was so happy she'd advanced to nationals, though no one knew about my request besides myself and the Moores. I hadn't even told my friends in case it didn't work out. "Not yet, but I will."
"Good." She grinned. "Go get your man. Your actual man, not my dad," she added quickly. "That's gross."
I laughed. "Noted. Now, go celebrate. Everyone else is dying to talk to you."
While Haley left to talk to her teammates, I walked over to Derek. He finished his conversation with her coach and smiled wryly at my approach. "So," he said. "I imagine you're here to talk about London."
I nodded.
When I'd accepted this job, I'd done so on two conditions. The first was that they would let me take time off for any Blackcastle matches if Haley advanced to nationals. The timing was tricky because we needed to buckle down for her competition in June, but that had been non-negotiable for me. As for my second condition…well, I didn't even want to think about it in case I jinxed it.
"Well, a deal is a deal." Derek sighed, though the twinkle in his eyes suggested he wasn't as upset as he pretended to be. "It's unlucky for me that Blackcastle is such a good team."
"They're the best." I smiled. "Thank you. I'll make sure Haley is ready for nationals when I get back. I promise."
"I don't doubt it." He gave me an assessing stare. "This Vincent must be very special to you."
My smile softened. "He really is."
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Heathrow Airport." The disembodied voice over the PA system was drowned out by the clatter of luggage and the chatter of a dozen different languages as I walked toward the exit two days after Haley's regional championships.
I didn't mind the chaos or the crowds of people walking at an insufferably slow pace because I was back.
My feet practically floated off the ground as I stepped out onto the curb and breathed in the damp London air. The pavement was wet from recent rain, and despite the fact that it was early spring, a chill stole through my sweater and jeans.
The crisp accents, the gray skies, the ever-present drizzle…I'd never been happier.
I couldn't stop grinning even as I climbed into the back of a cab and we got stuck in traffic. Judging by my driver's side-eye, he clearly thought something was wrong with me, but I ignored his silent disapproval and soaked in the cityscape outside.
I was home for the week, and I couldn't wait to walk around and revel in the sights. Although I'd been gone for only two months, it felt like two years. I wanted to get a pint at the Angry Boar, walk along the Thames, and dress up in my Blackcastle gear and cheer them on in person.
Most of all, I wanted to see my friends and family. I hadn't told anyone I was coming except for Scarlett, Carina, and Spike. Since I didn't have my flat anymore, Carina offered her place for luggage storage until I saw Vincent. They'd wanted to pick me up at the airport, but I insisted I'd see them after work instead. I didn't want them to take a day off for me, and I was actually looking forward to some alone time first.
I needed to figure out what I was going to say to Vincent once I saw him. Should I prepare something heartfelt, or should I jump his bones and do the romantic stuff later? Maybe I'd just play it by ear and see what felt right in the moment.
Either way, we were going to be reunited in a few hours, after he finished training.
Euphoria bubbled inside me. I was so excited, I could barely sit still.
The driver glanced at me again and shook his head.
Forty-five minutes later, he pulled up in front of Carina's place. She'd given me the building's security code and left a spare key for me under her welcome mat. I used it to let myself in, drop off my luggage, and freshen up before I headed out again.
I didn't want to waste a second of my time here rattling around an empty flat, so I took the Tube to Notting Hill.
God, I even missed the Tube. That was how bad it was.
I had plenty of time before Vincent finished training, so I wandered through the neighborhood and popped into some of my favorite boutiques. It was a perfect, leisurely afternoon, but I couldn't concentrate on any of the shops' items, so I left Notting Hill for the Blackcastle area.
There were plenty of cafés around the stadium. I went into a quiet one, my mind consumed with thoughts of my impending reunion with Vincent.
The taste of his kiss. The feel of his touch. The sound of his voice next to my ear and the comfort of his scent in my lungs.
My chest tightened. How could I have gone so long without those things when the next hour felt like an eternity?
I wrapped my hands around my mug. I'd stopped for a drink and a bite, but it was so cozy here that I considered staying until it was time to head to Vincent's house.
I'd been coordinating with Spike to pull off this surprise visit. The taciturn bodyguard had been surprisingly helpful, though he'd made me send him five different videos holding that day's newspaper before he agreed to help me. He said it was to prove I was really me and that I wasn't being held hostage by some obsessed fan with nefarious intentions.
He was supposed to text me when Vincent was about to leave training, and he'd given me instructions on how to get into the house without tripping any of the alarms.
"Brooklyn!"
I looked up from my tea. My eyes widened when a familiar face stopped next to my table. "Mason?"
"Hey! Long time no see." His hair had grown out since our last run in, and his posture seemed looser, more at ease. "What are the odds? We keep running into each other. How've you been?"
"Pretty good." I smiled even as a prickle of suspicion crept down my spine. First Covent Garden, now a random café. Twice wasn't a lot, but it was weird that we kept bumping into each other in the oddest of places. "How about you?" Then, because he kept hovering like he was waiting for an invitation, I added, "Do you want to sit?"
"Sure." Mason slid into the seat opposite me. "I won't stay long. I'm on my lunch break, so I gotta head back to the office soon, but I saw you and had to say hi. Anyway, I've been good too. You know, I started dating someone. Her name's Lindsey…" He rambled on.
The more he talked, the more I could understand why Vincent didn't like him. He was nice enough, but he was a little too chatty even for me. It was a good thing we'd never gone on a date, or I might've stabbed myself with a fork just to get out of the conversation.
Halfway through his detailed explanation of Lindsey's allergies, I caught a flash of movement in the corner of my eye. I turned my head on instinct, but I didn't see anyone outside the window of the café. It was tucked in a side street, which was empty save for a stray cat and passing cab.
Huh. I must've imagined it.
"That's wonderful." I interrupted Mason when he segued into telling me about his new pet hamster. "I'm so sorry to cut this short, but I actually have to run. It was great seeing you though."
"Yeah, of course. I need to leave too, or I'll be late. Maybe we'll run into each other again in another neighborhood," he joked.
I hoped not. Once was cute, twice was weird, and three times was just plain creepy.
"Maybe." I said goodbye and quickly left before he could draw me into conversation again.
My phone buzzed on my way out.
Spike: Leaving in five
My heart skipped. Finally.
I hailed another cab and took it to Vincent's house, my good mood returning. Once I arrived, I followed Spike's instructions and punched in the security code.
I'd been tempted to go straight to Blackcastle and greet him when he left training, but I'd wanted our first reunion to be a private one. It was selfish, but I'd waited too long to share him with anyone else.
I stepped inside, butterflies taking wing in my stomach. Because of the intruder situation, Vincent and I hadn't spent much time at his house after we started dating, but I'd been here plenty of times before with Scarlett.
I took it all in, picking out the little pieces of him reflected in the decor—the display case with his medals and trophies, the well-worn leather sofa where he watched TV, the framed group photo he'd taken after last summer's Sport For Hope charity match.
I wandered past the living room and into the kitchen, too restless to stay in one spot. It was always my favorite room in a house, and his was as beautiful as I remembered. It was all gleaming tile and copper cookware, with big windows that overlooked the back garden.
I dropped my bag on a kitchen stool and texted Spike to let him know I'd arrived.
He didn't respond, but not long after, I heard footsteps coming from the front of the house.
I straightened, the butterflies taking flight again. This is it.
I double checked my reflection in the stainless steel fridge door. Hair, good. Makeup, intact. Outfit, casual but cute.
Perfect.
I turned right as the footsteps stopped.
My face broke out into an anticipatory smile, but it quickly died when I saw who was standing in the doorway. I blinked, certain I was seeing things. "What are you doing here?"