Page 14 of Take the Bait
Her gaze lifts to mine, softer now. "You really believe that."
"Obviously." She still doesn't seem to fully understand how impressive she is—how naturally strong and determined and steady.
Her mouth quirks at the corners. “Even better than you?”
I grin. “Well, you still haven’t beaten me in a race.”
She punches me playfully. “You’re lucky we’re on the same team, Show Off.”
The announcer starts calling teams to their stations, and our group splits up. The course stretches across the entire lake, each racer stationed at a different exchange point miles apart. Once the starting horn sounds, you're on your own. No way to see how your teammates are doing. No way to know where you stand. You just paddle your stretch as hard as you can and pray your time is faster than the other teams’.
Joel handles the first leg out of the marina. Trent takes the handoff at Abner's Point. Forrest picks it up near the old fishing dock. And Chrissy launches into the longest and hardest section of the course—the wide-open stretch past the swimming cove,where the water gets choppy and the wind fights you the whole way.
I'm stationed at the final exchange marker, spinning my kayak in circles like a caged animal. The anchor gets the glory or the blame, but mostly he gets thewaiting. I have no idea if we're in first or fifth. All I can do is scan the open water and wait for a kayak to appear.
Minutes crawl by. My arms are already buzzing with adrenaline, and I've got nowhere to put it. I shadowbox in place, trying to keep myself from going crazy.
Then I see her.
Chrissy's kayak rounds the point at full speed, her paddle flashing in the sunlight, every stroke powerful and precise. She's moving fast—really fast—and even from a distance I can tell she left everything on the water.
She reaches the exchange marker and coasts to a stop, chest heaving, face flushed. And the expression on her face nearly knocks me sideways.
She's glowing. Not just from exertion. Fromjoy. Pure, unguarded, electric joy that lights up her dark eyes and stretches her smile so wide it transforms her whole face.
I am so in love with her.
She looks up at me, breathless and grinning. "What are you waiting for? Go!”
My heart slams against my ribs.
I launch hard, digging into the water with everything I have. The last stretch flies by beneath me, water spraying against my arms, muscles burning, the finish line growing larger with every stroke. I can hear cheering from the marina now, growing louder, but I don't look up. I just keep my head down and paddle like my life depends on it.
I can’t let Chrissy down.She wants to win, so I have to give it my all, just as she did.
The crowd erupts. I coast in, gasping, and barely have time to pull my kayak onto the shore before Joel, Trent, and Forrest are there, yelling and pounding my back. Liam’s there, too, his arm still in a sling but a grin on his face.
But I'm scanning the dock for Chrissy.
She's already running toward me. “We’re the first to finish, Ace!”
I catch her around the waist and lift her off her feet. She's laughing—bright and open and happy—and she wraps her arms around my neck and holds on tight.
"We won," she says against my ear, like she can't quite believe it.
"You won," I tell her. "There’s no way we could have done it without you.”
She pulls back enough to look at me, and her eyes are shining. Unguarded. Proud of herself.
Yeah. I'm completely in love with this woman.
"I love you," I say. "In case I wasn't clear enough yesterday morning."
Several emotions flicker across her face, and for a moment, I think I’ve said too much, too soon. Then she kisses me right there in front of half of Mercury Ridge.
The crowd starts cheering again. My friends whistle and hoot the loudest.
Chrissy pulls back, still grinning. "What happens when Liam’s shoulder heals? Am I off the team?”
