Page 103 of Tame Our Wild

I already knew Colson could cook, but now I know where he gets his skills from.

“This is incredible,” I nearly groan. “You guys put my burnt bacon to shame.”

Sheri chuckles, waving a dismissive hand. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I remember this one time, when Colson was fourteen or so, that he and Rich decided to make Paisley and me a nice Valentine’s Day dinner. Colson accidentally set one of my oven mitts on fire because he left it on a hot burner. The fire alarms went off, and Rich had to get the fire extinguisher and everything. Paisley and I watched the whole thing happen with wide eyes.”

Colson laughs, chewing on a strawberry. “You never let me live that story down. Paisley teased me for it constantly whenever I would cook with Dad.”

“We kind of deserved it.” Rich shakes his head. “We nearly burned the kitchen down.”

I listen to them, warmth flooding my veins at the story flowing from them. There may be melancholy smiles on their faces, but that’s to be expected. Getting back to this type of conversation is still foreign to them.

“Harlow can’t cook, but she can bake like a pro though.” Colson smirks. “Best damn muffins I’ve ever had. If I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be those lemon-blueberry crumble muffins.”

“I know how much you try to avoid a lot of sugar during the season.” I laugh, placing my fork on my plate. “You’d have to risk that six-pack.”

He braces his arms on the table, leaning over them. “Worth it. I’m addicted. On second thought, because of those, I might not be able to let you leave in a few weeks.”

That comment has my stomach swooping violently. Our gazes hold.

“Too bad, you’ll have to,” I try to say it as a joke, but we both know it’s not.

He arches a dark brow. “What if I don’t want to?”

The longer we stare at each other, the thinner the air gets until the tightness pulling at my chest is impossible to ignore.

Rich’s eyes bounce between us. “You know, I think I want to take a walk around the property. Join me, Sheri?”

“Yes, some fresh air sounds nice.” Sheri moves to stand, reaching to grab her plate.

“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “You guys go take your walk, and I’ll get brunch put away and the dishes cleaned up.”

“Thank you, Harlow,” Colson’s dad says, and he and Sheri move to the entryway to get their shoes on.

I stack up all our plates and move into the kitchen to place them in the sink. Colson’s eyes are attached to my back the entire time, the tension that wasn’t there earlier stretching between us.

Turning on the faucet, I grab more dishes and place them into the sink as I hear the front door close. Like he was waiting for his parents to leave, Colson walks into the kitchen and moves to stand beside me. He reaches for the sponge and pumps some soap onto it, the sound of the rushing water filling the uncomfortable silence.

He starts scrubbing a plate with more force than necessary. “I need to thank you.”

I swallow. “For what?”

“For Cosmos. My parents and I saw you out there with her, and I can’t thank you enough. Paisley was the last person to ride her.” He shakes his head. “It felt right seeing you on her.”

My chest rises and falls heavily as I try to shove some distance between us and how I’m feeling. “I’m just repaying you for coaching me. That’s it. I’m happy I could help.”

His voice is stern. “Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?” I ask nonchalantly, though my heart is racing a mile a minute.

Today is one of those days where it feels like the last few weeks of summer before you go back to school. But instead, it’s me leaving Tennessee. Leaving this place that has started to feel like a home away from home.

“Don’t turn this into something it’s not.” The rasp and edge to his tone have my full attention. “Don’t fucking send us back to that place we were before this arrangement because you’re too scared to address what comes next once we’re done with this season. We need to talk about what happens after the finals, Harlow. What will happen with us—”

“Once the World Finals are over, I’ll collect my things and head back home to Arizona, and we’ll go back to how things always were between us. It’s the only option, Colson … You can’t be suggesting I stay here.” He doesn’t speak, just stares at me. “Once finals are over, we’re done. We have to be done.” I don’t know why I’m so out of breath.

He drops the sponge and plate in the sink in frustration, turning fully toward me. “Fuck that. Fuck whatever we were before this. I’m not done with you. I want to keep coaching you. But more than that, I want to give this a shot—us a real shot after this is over. We’ll have time to explore it before the next season starts.”

Tears gather in the corner of my eyes. “Colson, we can’t. If we end this now, it will be easier than dragging it out. We still don’t even know if it’s allowed for you to coach me while you are still riding. As long as we are both competing, there will never be an us. I don’t know what else you want …”