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“What can I do?” I murmur, taking a step closer to her. “What can I do to prove to you that I want you?” Taking a chance, I reach out, playing with a few strands of her golden hair before tucking them behind her ear. Pia gives me a heartbreaking look, full of such sorrow and loneliness.
“I don’t know,” she admits quietly. “I just—”
“Hey, Pia!” someone calls from further down the tent. I glare in that direction as my girl turns away from me.
“I have to go,” she tells me, spinning out of reach. I try to grab her hand, but it’s too late, and she slips away once again.
If Pia thinks this is the last she’ll see of me, she’s up for a rude awakening. I’m not giving up on my dream girl, on us, and our perfect future that easily. Anything in life worth having is worth fighting for. And Pia? Fuck, I’d bring the whole damn world to its knees for another chance to show her we belong together.
I head out of the tent before anyone can yell at me to leave and make my way toward the big tent. I’m going to talk to Pia again. I’m going to convince her that we’re forever.
I can’t live without her.
EIGHT
Pia
This isour last full day in Salem, Massachusetts, and I’m not sure if I’m relieved to be leaving tomorrow or dreading it. My tender heart is still confused about everything that happened this morning, from sneaking out to running into Gavin again.
He seemed genuinely upset, maybe even a little hurt that he woke up without me. But that’s what people do after one-night stands. Or so I’ve heard.
Gavin wasn’t so convinced that it was a one-and-done situation, and while everything in me wanted to jump in his arms when he said that, the lingering doubt in the back of my mind kept me from believing him.
I’ve had my life uprooted in the blink of an eye before, and I barely recovered. What would I do if I quit the circus and followed Gavin back to LA? I wouldn’t have a job, and no way of paying for Penny’s expenses, so I’d be completely at his mercy. And when he inevitably gets tired of me, because why wouldn’t he, I’ll be homeless, jobless, and broke.
Penny neighs, the sound almost disapproving, like she doesn’t want to be my excuse for bailing on Gavin. I give her a look, then take out her brush and begin the calming, familiar routine of getting her ready for the first show of the day.
I talk to Penny about my jumbled thoughts as I continue brushing her shiny coat. She stands patiently, nodding every once in a while as I chatter on.
“I want to believe him, Penny, but how can I? We barely know each other.”
Penny snorts, then shifts on her hooves, letting me pick up her right front one to clean.
“Fine, we do know each other,” I concede.
Truthfully, I feel like I know him better than anyone in my life. It’s crazy though, right? The memory of meeting his eyes in the crowd that very first night rises to the surface, reminding me how Gavin has made me feel safe and seen from the moment he saw me. He pretty much told me as much before I ran away earlier today.
“He seemed sincere in his declaration,” I say, testing the waters with Penny.
I don’t get an answer to that, and I sigh as I move on to the next hoof.
“Do you think I made a mistake by pushing him away?”
She nods her head, making me roll my eyes.
“Seriously, Penny. Can I trust him?”
Another nod, this one accompanied by a tail swat and snort.
“Gavin did say horses are good judges of character,” I muse, chewing on the inside of my cheek.
Penny nuzzles against my outstretched hand, comforting me with the sweet gesture. I pause, wondering if I should really take her advice. Am I that far gone that I not only talk to my horse but go to her for life’s big questions? Apparently so.
“Are you ready, Pia?” my boss, H.T. Knight, asks.
I turn to nod at him. “We’re ready,” I tell him.
He grunts in approval before ducking out of the tent.
