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Chapter sixteen

Axel

M y surprise visit didn’t give Lennon any time to plan ahead, so he’s been working the past several days while I hang out, exploring the town, the trails, and getting a sense of what it would be like to stay here. Indefinitely.

Aside from just having a cool vibe—with all the buildings on Main Street painted funky colors and more bikes on the street than cars—it seems like the entire place has a passion for all things outdoors.

You can tell by the way everyone dresses.

Yeah, there are people who buy outdoor brands because they look nice or feel comfortable, but there’s a difference between those who just wear it and those that use it.

The fact that everyone here uses their gear makes me feel instantly connected to them, like I’ve found my tribe without having to go on the road.

Not only that, it’s easy to recognize the expressions on their faces, because my crew and I wear the same ones daily. The one that says you’re still flying high from the adrenalin that comes from pushing your body to the limit as you sit with a beer on a patio and reminisce about how epic it was .

There are tourists of course, people rubbernecking as they walk down the street checking out the scenery.

Some are loaded up with shopping bags or licking ice cream cones, but whether tourist or local, everyone seems pretty chill.

They're content to live in the moment instead of rushing around because their mind is somewhere else. I freakin’ love it.

Each day, after exploring the trails, I’ve started a tradition of sitting on a bench outside Murphy’s with a smoothie from the juice bar while I watch the world go by, like I’m doing right now.

I’m starting to recognize some faces; the old lady from the corner market—who I assume is the namesake, Nona.

Blake, Deacon and Ryder—although Ryder seems too distraught by the loss of his brother to recognize me yet.

Even Ally, who has a clothes shop across the street and who seems to stop by almost once daily.

Several have asked how long I’m in town for, and while that could be interpreted as nosy, I think the intent was to be friendly.

Well, Ally seemed to be hinting at my intentions toward Lennon, but since I’ve learned they’re friends, I understand her curiosity.

Everyone else I’ve met seemed nice. I like it.

But my favorite part about being here is my man.

I help with the morning food delivery each day, roam around in the afternoon, and pop in at Murphy’s for dinner each night.

Then we leave together to go to his house.

Most nights we go a couple rounds in bed, although once we were too tired to do anything more than hold each other as we fell asleep, and I enjoyed that just as much as the orgasms. Being with him is infinitely better than being alone in my trailer no matter what we do, and truth be told, I don’t want to give it up.

Maybe I could convince him to take a much-needed break and join me on the road?

Not permanently—he’d never go for that— although I wonder about getting him to meet me at some competitions throughout the season.

This weekend is the opening event in Arizona, leaving me nearly a full week to convince him to go with me and watch me compete.

He’ll flip when I spring the idea on him, that much I know.

Aside from being such short notice, it’s a weekend, and those are always busy times at the restaurant.

I have a few cards up my sleeve to convince him it’s a good idea, though.

I think I can sway him, but regardless of whether he comes or not, I plan to head back here before the following event. Maybe before all my events.

I don’t know how it happened so fast, but Lennon’s become like air, something I need to survive.

There’s something about seeing him at the end of each day that calms me.

Makes all my thoughts about work and my dad fade away.

And not because of the sex, either. Of course, that helps.

But just being with him makes me feel lighter.

And if our jobs are going to keep us apart on a daily basis, I’ll just have to make do with little detours like this all season.

It’s not ideal, but I can handle missing him if I know I’ll see him again.

The not knowing is what screwed me up in Utah.

I got there and realized I wasn’t ready to move on, and if he felt the same, I’d never know since I left him no way to reach me.

I couldn’t stop asking myself what might've happened if I stayed longer or made plans to stay in touch.

And with my head messed up, my riding suffered.

That scared me, though the thought of him being just a memory scared me more.

I don’t know what that means for my future, I just know I can’t pretend not to care if he’s in it. So here I am, hoping the longer I’m here the easier it will be for him to come to the same conclusion.

“Hey, man. Beck said you were still in town.” Blake gives me a fist bump before joining me on the bench. “I didn’t believe him, though. ”

“Don’t tell me you doubted the gossip.” I can’t stop myself from making a little dig at the town’s expense.

“You did tell me you had no plans to stop moving around.” He watches me closely, I assume to hear what I don’t say. But I’m not going to hide anything. There’s no point since I’m pretty sure he can guess why I’m here, and where I’m crashing.

“Plans change.” I wipe an imaginary speck of dirt off my bike shorts. I’ve got no problem admitting to what he likely already knows, but that doesn’t mean I want to bro down with him. Not when I barely know the guy.

“Where’s your crew?” He glances up and down the street, searching.

“We all scattered once we finished filming so we could take a break before the first event. I scattered here… Not sure where they all went.” Blake seems to deflate a little with that information. That was a pretty heavy exhale.

Blake tips his chin to a guy walking past and turns back to me.

“No wonder you’ve been loitering at Murphy’s every day.

You do know there’s no shortage of people here who would ride with you, right?

" He inclines his head toward the rented mountain bike parked on the rack in front of us.

I've been reduced to manual power without my motorcycle here. "Lennon could tell you how to find us.”

While having people know your every move is still a little weird, I can’t stop the amused grin from spreading across my face. “If you know my schedule so well then you know I’ve been out every day. Anyone can join me anytime.”

“Now you’re catching on.” He nods approvingly. “Don’t expect any privacy and you won’t be disappointed. So, does this little return trip mean you’ve convinced Lennon to take another day off?”

“Would I be sitting on this bench every afternoon if I had? ”

“You giving up?” He shakes his head like I’m a disappointment. Given that the last person to look at me like that was my dad I’m surprised to find myself amused instead of pissed.

“Hell, no. I’m just not gonna make a big deal over a day when I’m hoping I can get a weekend.”

A slow smile spreads across his face. “Playing hardball. I like it. Although, I can’t imagine how you’ll pull it off. Summer weekends are some of the busiest we get around here.”

I tip my chin up briefly in acknowledgment. “I’ve got some ideas.”

Namely those involving the second location Lennon mentioned in passing, before things started to morph beyond a casual hookup. Chances are Blake already knows about those plans since he’s a local and I’m not, yet. Just in case he doesn’t though, he won’t hear it from me.

“Alright, keep your secrets,” he says when I don’t answer.

I flash him a coy wink.

“You’re gonna need that cockiness if you want to steal Lennon away for a whole weekend.” Blake chuckles, standing and stretching like he just woke up. I know the feeling – riding every day is tough on the body. “Going to the Solstice party?” he asks.

“The Solstice Party?” I squint up at him.

“Have Lennon tell you what it is. Maybe he’ll go with you. See you around.” He holds out his fist.

I bump mine against his and lean back against the bench as he strolls off, his words playing over in my mind. “See you around.” They feel sort of prophetic.

It might be premature, but there’s one way to guarantee I get that detour back here in between each of my events.

One way that might even offer a long-term solution for life after I’m done with the competitions.

I pull out my phone and dial the number I pulled off the For Sale sign when I drove into town.

***

The realtor, a cheery brunette, navigates the bumpy soil with ease in her fancy-looking flip flops and skirt, despite having to take two steps for each one of mine. I don’t have to increase my pace to keep up, but just barely. The commissions on this place must be a pretty penny.

“How many horses do you have?” she calls over her shoulder as we make our way to the barn, which is really more of an arena. It's massive .

“I don’t.”

Her stride falters and she turns to face me about thirty yards from the oversized structure.

“You don’t?” She shifts her bottom lip sideways to blow a strand of hair off her face. “Why are you looking at horse property, then?”

“I don’t have to keep horses on it, right?”

“Uh, no.” Her brows draw together, and I see her lips working to form another question, though she never asks it.

“Good to know.”

She cocks her head to the side and studies me a moment before resuming her trek to the barn.

“The interior is 20,000 square feet, which is the standard size to accommodate a full jumping course.” She unlocks the door yet pauses in the threshold, casting me a sheepish look. “That’s what the previous owner used this place for. I forgot you don’t have horses.”

“You can still give me all the dimensions and details.” I give her a reassuring smile, hoping that will settle her nerves since my comment about not wanting horses clearly confused her .

“Okay.” She nods and steps inside, gesturing for me to follow.

As we walk the perimeter, she gives me all the specs, pointing out a few bonus features like the bathroom and kitchenette at the far end, which will come in handy when you don’t want to trek all the way back to the house for a break, or if I add bunks so kids can stay here if they don’t live nearby.

Best of all, two large garage doors line the far wall, which can be opened to truck in dirt and equipment.

“I can do whatever I want in here, right?” I look around the space, envisioning a different kind of jump track, and maybe even a foam pit like gymnasts use to practice tricks over a soft landing before trying to do them on the bike.

“I suppose so. As long as it doesn’t violate the zoning requirements for the land.”

“And this is currently zoned commercial and residential, right?” That’s not a deal breaker, but if it’s already zoned for commercial business that’d make it a heck of a lot easier to convert this place into a training facility where I could teach riders how to do what I do.

“Right. The previous owners ran a business housing and training horses here.”

“Perfect” I bite the inside of my cheek, so I don’t burst into a full-on grin. “Let’s go check out the house.”

She locks up and we make our way to the residence, which sits about fifty yards to the side and slightly in front of the barn area.

It’s positioned to capture the views around it without putting the barn structure in a direct line of sight, which means you can see the mountains from virtually every direction through the floor to ceiling windows in the great room and dining room.

The kitchen is dated but livable, although I’d probably want to do things differently if given the chance.

I’ve never had a real kitchen before—not since I was a kid, anyway—and it seems to me there’s a lot more that could be done in this space.

Like a pizza oven. And a freezer that’s just as big as the fridge.

I make a mental note to ask Lennon what else to include since he’s the restaurateur.

Down a hall to one side are three bedrooms, each with their own bath, and in its own separate wing is the master, which has a bathroom as big as my entire camper.

There’s also a giant mud room, an office, and a game room in the basement.

It’s a little much, but when you’ve lived the past several years in a five hundred square-foot box, there’s no reason not to spread out where you can.

Though, spreading out brings its own challenges.

I don’t have the first idea how to fill a place like this.

Everything in my trailer came with it, so I didn’t have to pick out a damn thing.

I wonder if Lennon knows how to do that.

His furniture doesn’t look new or even like it came from the same place, although it doesn’t look like a bunch of random stuff pieced together either.

Murphy’s, on the other hand… that place has a vibe that’s both trendy and homey, so it’s comfortable to hang out in for long periods of time. I’d like a similar vibe in my house.

Would he help me pick what I need to fill this place if I bought it?

The part of me that thinks he would is ready to make an offer right now, but the part of me that vowed never to become my father is pumping the brakes.

I need to review my finances first, because transforming this place into the vision I have in my head won’t come cheap, and I don’t want to throw away my cash like he does.

Then there’s Lennon himself to consider.

I can’t live in the same town and not be with him, so if he isn’t thinking of us the same way I am then there’s no reason to put down roots.

The last thing I need is to get locked into a property I can’t use.

No, the smart play is to get him on my page, and that starts with taking a weekend trip to one of my competitions.

I don’t want to pull him out of the life he’s built, but I can’t just ditch mine either.

I have to find out if he’s willing to meet me halfway.

If he comes to a competition, I’ll take that as a sign that we both want the same thing.

Until then, well, I’ll just have to keep giving him reasons why he should want me to stick around.