Page 137 of Worth the Fall
I put my hands on his shoulders, smiling as hard as he was. “You did it!”
It was all I had wanted, to jump up and down and celebrate his wins with him. In that moment, I could truly say I was beyond happy for him; I had never felt such pride for another person in my life. I wanted to scream from the rooftopsthat this was my cowboy.
He looked relieved on top of his ecstatic happiness.
He was number one.
He was going to the finals.
And I was beyond excited to be there, standing by his side, when he won the whole thing.
Chapter Forty-Three
You’re gonnacrush it today, Ally. Can’t wait to celebrate tonight.
I let out a lovestruck sigh as the elevator shot skyward. Colton’s text sent butterflies cascading through my stomach, even though I had spent the night pressed against his warm body and he had given me sleepy kisses before I left that morning.
It was surreal to have Colton Nash in my Chicago apartment.
We had caught a plane together the morning after his perfect ride and celebratory dinners.
Sponsors were lining up left and right to partner with him. He had three magazines, and two news stations already contacted him about photo shoots and what to wear to his interviews.
Now that he was rodeo-free until December, minus the practices to keep his muscle memory flowing, he decided to visit my arena.
Chicago.
We got into the city late, grabbed some pizza on the way to my apartment, and passed out promptly.
I truly don’t know how the Nashes travelled so much without getting burnt out. I wassotired.
I’m going to crush it thanks to you! You’d better be resting and don’t forget to take your meds!
He responded promptly.
You run a tight ship! Get to work, slacker.
I put my phone in my bag as I stepped off the elevator.
“You’re back!” Martha screamed, making all of our colleagues, who were still trying to wake up, jump. “Finally!” She threw her arms around me, and I dropped my packed lunch and bag to catch her. “You have no idea how boring this place is without you!”
“I think my first week here, you said it was your duty to loosen me up because I was too boring,” I said into her shoulder.
She threw her head back and laughed, her gray curls bouncing. “You guys!” She said as she turned to face the office. “Allegra is home!”
The few people who had made it here already looked up and waved, but there was no fanfare, no celebration, just the usual Tuesday morning vibes.
Martha frowned at them. “Well, I am very glad you’re back. How are you feeling about the presentation?”
I glanced at the clock. It was 7:45, my presentation was at ten, and I only had two hours until my professional life would change forever.
“Ready or not,” I said with a soft smile.
“How’s the cowboy?” She asked with a sly smile, watching me tuck my lunch into the minifridge.
I could feel my cheeks go hot. “He’s crazy sore. That ride was insane, but he’s on cloud nine.”
“He’s rolling in the cash now,” Martha said with raisedeyebrows as she slid into her desk chair. “I mean, I don’t know anything about the rodeo, and I saw a story about him on the news.”
