Wilder (The Renegades) (33 page)

“Paxton. Always your Paxton.”

“Yeah, it’s a good thing that I love the other guy, too, even if he is king of all the wild things.” Then she flashed me a smile and went back to the wall, Brandon helping her over.

The show went off without a hitch. The junior Renegade crew hit every stunt, nailed their timing, and made the fans drop their jaws. Landon hit spectacular whips and air, pulling all sorts of freestyle shit that had the crowd screaming his name. We pulled off our tandem tricks, moving together with one heartbeat as we always had—brothers in all but blood.

When it was time, Penna kissed my cheek backstage, Nick gave me the thumbs-up, and I gunned it, soaring toward the ramp, hitting the kicker at the exact right moment, and turning once…twice…three times…before landing, my entire body tingling from the adrenaline and the roar of the crowd.

“Paxton Wilder is officially the first to ever complete a triple front!” the announcer called out, his excitement as palpable as mine.

“You did it!” Leah called out as she raced to me, and I lifted her up, spinning us to her laughter. “You flew!”

I stopped as the other Renegades rushed us, the cameras not far behind. “How could I not, when you gave me wings? Besides, I actually kind of like you,” I said, remembering the first time she’d told me that she wasn’t overly fond of me.

Her smile lit my world. “Good, because I’m head over heels in love with you.”

“Now that’s a stunt I’d like to see.”

“Later,” she promised.

And at the end of it, with Leah in my arms, the taste of her in my mouth, I found home, peace, and a victory so sweet that the rush would last me a lifetime…or until I could talk her into making that forever official.

I kissed her again, thankful for the miracle in my arms and the knowledge that we had a forever full of “laters.”

Starting today.

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Acknowledgments

First and foremost, thank you to my Heavenly Father for blessing me beyond all measure.

Thank you to my husband, Jason. Babe, a year ago we were in New York, praying for an answer, a way to keep our family together. Now Audrey-Grace is adopted, we’re together in Colorado, and all is right with our world. Thank you for being my rock, not just during this last, insane year, but always. Thank you for hopping red-eye flights when I needed you, and for kissing me the same way today as you did when we first started dating. You are my constant. Thank you to our children, who had their lives uprooted, have seen three houses and three schools in one year, and still radiate joy…when you’re not plotting against one another. Thank you for cleaning up the Silly-String War of 2016 before I had to use my ugly voice, and giving me a reason to work so hard. The love I have for all six of you knows no bounds. Thank you to our social worker, Kristy Trimper—I think out of everyone in this world, you have seen me at my worst and my best, and we cannot thank you enough for fighting on behalf of our daughter. You’re the reason we’re home, complete, and thriving.

Thank you to my parents, who adapted to five little kids in their house while we moved from NY. Thank you to my sister, Kate, for giving me a reason to put down our roots here, and not rolling your eyes too hard as we struggled to find where we belong. Thank you to my brothers…you guys rock. You should come home more often…seriously. Thank you to Em and Christina for knowing that I always mean to call you back.

Thank you to my editor, Karen Grove. Karen…I love you, and I don’t say that lightly. Thank you for digging through a book I wrote in the month we unpacked our house and using your magic to make it shine. Thank you for taking a chance on the Renegades, the Flyboys…and me. I’ll do my best to never let you down. Thank you to the insanely talented staff at Entangled: Liz, Melanie, Debbie, Brittany, Candy, and Curtis, you guys make my dream come true on a daily basis. Also…I’m never going on the Ferris wheel of death again, so don’t ask. Thank you to my PR team, Melissa—you hold my sanity in your hands on just about a daily basis. Thank you for always giving me a safe place. Linda—squirrel-chaser extraordinaire, thank you for being my bestie, my cheerleader, and always remembering extra bobby pins when I inevitably forget mine at any of our various signings. Allison—thank you for being not just a fantastic PA, but an amazing friend. Thank you to my phenomenal agent, Louise Fury, for believing in me, cheering me, grounding me, and pushing me to be better. I’m grateful for you every single day.

Thank you to the incredible authors who keep me sane. Rachel, Cindy, Mindy, Molly, I’ll zip-line with you anytime. Gina-freaking-Maxwell, thank you for being my spirit-sister and keeping vampire hours with me. Kristy, Lauren, Laurelin, Alessandra, Christine, Corinne, Claire, and Rose, thank you for answering every insane question I could ever ask and giving me a place where anything goes. FYW ladies…thank you for giving me a reason to wear pink on Wednesdays. You ladies are such a class act. Mandi, Heidi, Isabelle, and the rest of the TBR group, thank you for amazing chat sessions that constantly allow me to procrastinate. Katrina, Lizzy, Michelle, Jenn, Kennedy, thank you for being awesome—no seriously—there’s nothing like being surrounded by brilliant, empowering women. The bloggers who work so hard to promote, review, and support authors. You guys are my rock stars: Aestas, Natasha T., Natasha M., Jenn, Kimberly, my love—Jillian Stein, Jen, Reanell, Lisa and Milasy, Angie, Beth and Ashley, and the countless others I can’t fit here. I could fill up an entire book with how much I adore you and how grateful I am for the work you do! Liz Berry, thank you for taking a chance on me, and always making me feel extraordinary.

My Flygirls…you guys…you’re everything.

Lastly, thank you again to my husband. Because you close out every day of my life with so much love that I can’t help but write swoon-worthy book boyfriends…after all, I’m married to the original Flyboy. God, I love you.

About the Author

Rebecca Yarros
is a hopeless romantic and a lover of all things coffee, chocolate, and Paleo. She is the author of the Flight & Glory series, which includes
Full Measures
, the award-winning
Eyes Turned Skyward
,
Beyond What is Given
, and
Hallowed Ground
. She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for fourteen years.

When she’s not writing, she’s tying hockey skates for her four sons, sneaking in some guitar time, or watching brat-pack movies with her two daughters. She lives in Colorado with the hottest Apache pilot ever, their rambunctious gaggle of kids, an English bulldog who is more stubborn than sweet, and a bunny named General Fluffy Pants who torments the aforementioned bulldog. They recently adopted their youngest daughter from the foster system, and Rebecca is passionate about helping others do the same.

Want to know about Rebecca’s next release? Join her
mailing list
! Or check her out online at
www.rebeccayarros.com
.

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