Perfectly Able (24 page)

“I’m not quitting,” she quickly replied, her tone brooking no argument. To prove her point, she began to run faster, her braid oscillating across her back in rhythm with her footfalls. When I met Ava, I admired her immediately, but the longer I knew her, the more she amazed me. A man would be damn lucky to have her.

My thoughts ratt
led in my head as if I was trying to grasp that concept. Damn lucky. I didn’t want just any man to have her. I wanted her.
I
would be damn lucky to have her. The thought warmed me and terrified me at the same time.

The air chilled as the sun went down, and I noticed that Ava’s
gait seemed to be getting worse.

“You okay?” I asked, worried that she was in pain.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.”

“Let’s walk for a bit,” I suggested.

“I don’t want to slow down,” she said, glancing at me.

“Ava, let’s walk.” I said firmly, afraid that if she overdid it, the pain would be too great to bear.

She finally slowed. “Ridge, I don’t want to miss the deadline again…and I don’t want you to miss it. You should run ahead. Don’t wait on me.”

“
Ava, I cross the finish line with you, or I don’t cross it at all.”

“But….”

“No buts. Concentrate on catching your breath and giving your leg a rest.”

We walked several minutes in silence. “Is your leg okay?”

“It’s feeling a little better.”

“Good.”
I glanced at her residual leg and the running blade that extended from it, pleased that some of her discomfort seemed to have dissipated.

She broke into a jog, and I kept pace with her.

I was glad to be running again to regain some of the warmth I had lost once the temperatures cooled and our activity decreased.

“Are you cold?” I asked her.

“A little, but I don’t know, I kinda like it. In a strange way, it seems like it helps numb the pain.”

Even though I hadn’t pushed myself nearly as hard as I had trained for, my muscles were fatigued, and I knew hers were, too.

We pushed on, though, and Ava seemed to do pretty well for a while.

The moon was almost nonexistent, but our path was well-lit by streetlights.
Volunteers were stationed along the course with water. I glanced at my watch as someone called out that there was a half mile to go. It was after eleven.

Ava stumbled and cried out as she hit the ground. I stooped beside her while
volunteers ran towards her.

“Can you make it, Ava?” I asked softly. “We’re only a half mile to the finish line.”

She whimpered, and I knew her leg ached. “I can. I can do this.”

Waving off the volunteers that were reaching for her, she st
ood back up without assistance and began to walk.

She bit her lower lip in response to the pain, and while part of me wished I could scoop her up and carry her across the finish line, I knew that not only would it disqualify us but this was also something that she had to do on her own. Hell, I knew th
at feeling all too well.

She stopped and bent over, her palms on her knees.

“Ava?”

“Just give me a minute.”

I was terrified that she didn’t have a minute to spare, but I waited patiently.

She straightened up, took a deep breath, and began walking again. She said nothing to convey how much pain she was in, but I saw her tears glisten in the dim light as they rolled down her cheek.

As we approached the finish, crowds lined the streets. Their cheers rang out into the still night air, and I could now see the finish line.

Ava stumbled again but regained her balance. She stopped and propped herself up on her knees. “Go on, Ridge,” she whispered. “I’m afraid I’m not going to make it.”

“Yes, you are, Ava. The finish line is right there.” I pointed at it, waiting for her to look up. As she stopped, the crowd began cheering, encouraging her to keep going. Volunteers hovered nearby to see if she would need assistance.

I yelled, “You can do it, Ava.”

And the crowd started repeating me, “You can do it, Ava. You can do it, Ava.”

Slowly, she stood back up and took steps toward the finish line.

The crowd didn’t let up. “You can do it, Ava.”

She looked at me with tears streaming down her face. “I can do it,” she said, almost like it were a question, like she wanted me to confirm that I thought she could.

I nodded. “You can do it.”

I glanced up and saw London calling to
Ava from behind the barrier. Another girl stood with her with the same long, blond hair as Ava and London, and I immediately knew that it had to be Daisy.

“Look,” I said, pointing them out.

As she turned to look, they began waving wildly. Ava returned their wave, wiped away her tears, and began running again. “I can do this,” she said, although this time it was a declaration filled with confidence.

It was a slow go. I could tell that she was in pain, and we were both exhausted. It’d been a hell of a long day.

Ava stumbled again, scaring the hell out of me. I was afraid that she’d pass out, but she straightened herself and continued to jog.

Cheering loudly,
people in the crowd began holding their hands out as Ava ran by. She lifted her hand, reaching with her fingertips until she touched them. Something in that simple action seemed to transform her, as if the onlookers were passing along their strength and energy to her.

With every hand she touched, her pace quickened.

I saw her tears, heard her suck in gulps of air as that magical line became closer and closer.

London’s voice traveled across the pavement as she urged her sister on.

A strangled cry of triumph erupted from her throat as she threw her hands in the air, and we crossed the finish line together. As our names were announced, I took her hand and squeezed it, and the crowd roared to life.

Crossing that line had been nothing like I’d expected. My happiness wasn’t because I had completed the triathlon. It was because
she
had, because Ava Nottingham, a genuinely caring person who’d been dealt some tough blows, had done it. She’d pushed and battled and fought…and she’d come out a victor.

“You did it, Ava.” Wrapping my arms around her waist, I scooped her up as a squeal erupted from her lips
. Her body pressed against mine. We were tired and sweaty and breathless, and she’d never looked more beautiful to me. Perhaps in one of the greatest moments of spontaneity of my life, I kissed her, her lips soft and warm beneath mine.

It would seem that my day would be full of revelations because the moment our lips touched, I knew that not only had she conquered the triathlon, she’d also
conquered my heart. I realized in that moment that I was in love with Ava Nottingham.

Letting her body slide down mine, I whispered, “
My sweet Ava. You did it, babe.”

She wrapped her arms tightly aro
und my neck and hugged me.

A
s I reluctantly released her, her sisters swooped in, taking my place. London and Daisy flanked her, and her parents rushed forward to kiss her on the cheek. Both of her sisters placed one of Ava’s arms around their necks and whisked her away.

“Ridge!” I heard Kelsey’s voice. I walked
toward the crowd and was met by my sister, my mom, and my stepfather. They each hugged me and congratulated me on my achievement, but even though
complete a triathlon
had been at the top of my Do-It-Or-Die list for months, any elation that I’d felt after crossing the finish line had disappeared the moment that Ava left my sight.

Chapter 17

Ava

As soon as I fini
shed the closing I had scheduled, I threw my suitcase in the trunk, grabbed a few groceries, and headed to the cabin. I was leery when London assured me that she and Kelsey and Brandy felt bad that things hadn’t worked out between Ridge and me and that Brandy had wanted to offer to let me use the cabin for the weekend to relax. After being assured that they hadn’t set me up with some new guy in another attempt at matchmaking, I decided to take Brandy up on the offer.

Part of me wanted to go back to the place where I had so man
y wonderful memories with Ridge.

It’d been six days since the triathlon, and Ridge had texted me once, a short, sweet note inviting me to dinner. I’d wanted to go, but I knew I’d only be torturing myself. After our argument at the Halloween party, it’d become clear to me that
even though I knew Ridge wanted me on some level, he would never allow himself the freedom to pursue a long-term relationship. Not now. Maybe someday, but not now. And as sad as that made me, I needed to move on. I was lonely, and I wanted to find someone who was ready to love me. So I had declined his offer.

After settling in, I walked out on the deck, overlooking the lake. The scenery had changed since I was here last. Like chameleons, the
leaves on the trees had shifted colors from luscious green to vibrant oranges, yellows, and reds. Many leaves had fallen, carpeting the ground and drifting along the top of the lake like tiny sailboats.

A chilly wind blew errant strands of hair across my face, and I gathered them with my fingertip and tucked them behind my ear.
Everywhere I looked triggered a memory of Ridge, and I wondered whether I’d made a mistake coming here. I did have my car with me this time, at least, so I could always go home if I chose to.

I hugged my arms around me for warmth and opted to go back inside. Wondering how difficult it would be to make a
fire, I collapsed on the couch and stared at the fireplace, imagining roaring warmth coming from within its stone walls.

A knock at the door startled me, and I turned and stared at it, images of all the scary movies I’d ever watched flitting through my mind.

Crossing the room, I placed my hand on the lock. “Who is it?” I called, surprised by how nervous I was. I glanced at my phone to see if I had a signal, but just as expected, I had nothing.

“You’re not gonna shoot me, are you?
” a muffled voice asked.

My fingers quickly unlocked the door and swung it open.

“Ridge, what are you doing here?” I took in his appearance, his hair was neatly styled, and stubble shadowed his face, the edges of it neatly trimmed like he had perhaps decided to sport a close-cropped beard for the winter months. He wore stylish jeans with dark boots and a black, leather jacket, and he smelled incredible.

He
pulled my tricorn hat from behind his back and presented it to me. “I’m looking for the girl who wore this to my Hallow Eve’s Ball. Do you know where she is?” he asked, speaking properly as if he were a member of the nobility. “While I realize it’s not as romantic as a glass slipper, I hope that you’ll help me. I must find her.”

“You must?”
I repeated, wondering where he had found my hat.

“I must.”

I tapped my finger against my chin as if I were deep in thought. “I don’t think there are any princesses here, but I might be able to find you a pirate wench.”

“Aye,” he said, his voice gruff as he slipped into his pirate accent. “A pirate wench she be.
A beauty, she is, and I must find her.”

“Well, what
ye be offerin’ as a reward for this missin’ wench?”

His face grew serious as he watched me
, and I swallowed hard as the moment between us grew intense. I wanted to reach out and touch his face, feel his rough whiskers against the soft skin of my fingers. I wanted him to take me in his arms and crush me against the hard muscles of his chest and never let me go.

My heart thundered in my
ribcage as the anticipation of his next words built. If he looked at me much longer, I was going to kiss him, not giving a damn how much of my heart I gave him every time my lips touched his.

“Ava.” I watched his beautifully sculp
ted mouth as he said my name. He looked away and tucked his fingers in the front pockets of his jeans. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since the triathlon.”

“You wanted to finish it in less than twelve hours,
” I said, knowing what he had sacrificed. “Because of me, you didn’t meet your goal.”

“Ava, the day of the triathlon
…what I felt when I saw you cross the finish line, it far surpassed any feeling that I could’ve ever gotten from completing a goal.”

I watched his face, an expression of utmost sincerity crossing his features.
Reaching out to skim his fingertips along my jawline, he continued, “I’ve been so hung up on proving to the world that I’m a success, but the truth is that Mom and Kelsey are doing just fine. And I know that I’ll be there for them if they ever need me. You’ve made me realize that my greatest accomplishments in life won’t be money or empty achievements, they’ll be what I’ve made other people feel, what they’ve made me feel. And the feeling that I had that day, that I have right now…I don’t even know how to put it into words.”