Much of her success can be attributed to her coach Igor Bortnik at Elite Gymnastics in Austin, Texas. He saw “an indomitable spirit” in young Watson and pushed her to consider making gymnastics a full-time aspect of her life—
I was in the middle of reading the article about Brie when my phone vibrated on the table beside my laptop. I reached to silence it, then paused when I saw my mother’s number flash across the screen.
I inhaled a deep breath and answered it, bracing myself for the worst.
“Hi Mom.”
“No. It’s me.”
My father.
Bastard.
“Thought you were in the hospital?” I asked, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms. Even half a country away, his voice geared me up for a fight.
“I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks. We have to discuss the girls’ training—”
“Not interested.”
The man was not only on the brink of a heart attack, he was fucking delusional.
“Erik, please,” he said with a gruff tone. “Put our differences aside for a moment and realize you need me. Let me help you. I’ve been in your position for the last thirty years.”
I smirked and shook my head. “Yeah, so I’ve heard. What was it—seven Olympic teams? And not a single one of them earned all-around gold. Maybe it’s time to change things up a bit.”
Silence.
“Put Mom on,” I ordered, done with our conversation. It wasn’t going anywhere anyway.
I heard the phone exchange hands and then my mother’s voice cut in. “Erik? Sweetheart?”
“Don’t do that again.”
She sighed. “I’m just trying to help. I know you won’t answer his calls.”
“I haven’t answered his calls for ten years and that’s not going to change now.”
A door shut on the other end of the line and her voice dropped low. “He’s sick, Erik. I suspect you’ve read about it in the news, but it’s worse than they’ve made it out to be.”
My gut clenched despite my anger.
“They’re going to try surgery in a few days, but the doctor isn’t sure it’ll help. He already has two stents in his heart.”
“I don’t care.”
“Erik,” she hissed, hurt.
“Do you honestly think I’m going to send the man a get well card?”
“I’m not saying your feelings aren’t valid!” she argued, sounding defeated. “I know he’s not been kind to you. I just don’t want you to—”
“Regret it,” I cut in. “Yeah, I get it. You don’t have to worry though. I lost my dad twelve years ago. The man lying in that hospital room means nothing to me.”
I hung up and pushed away from the table. I was already in my running gear, prepared to head out after breakfast, but the article about Brie had distracted me.
It was still early, hardly 6:00 AM, the best time to run. I didn’t bother stretching. My calves would have to deal with it later because I needed to run, needed to work off my excess anger from that phone call. I set off, turning right out of the driveway and heading out on the deserted road.
I was a mile in when something up ahead caught my eye.
Brie.
She was running alone with her iPod in an armband and her earbuds in place. Stupid. Out on these deserted roads, anyone could have grabbed her. I shook my head and kept my distance, just far enough away that with her earbuds in, she couldn’t hear my shoes on the pavement behind her. She was heading away from town, through winding roads with no ends. Did she think about that before setting out by herself? I didn’t live in a neighborhood. The roads were confusing, the trees all the same. I’d gotten lost myself a few times when I’d first moved here, but Brie seemed to run without a care in the world.
Until her shoe came untied.
I came up short, at a loss for what to do. If I stopped running and she looked back and saw me, it’d be weirder than if I just kept running. Right? Fuck. Why did I care? I shouldn’t have given two shits about Brie Watson’s opinion, but as I rounded the top of the hill and she came within a few yards, I knew I was lying to myself.
Her head tilted up as she finished tying her laces. Her brows scrunched in confusion and she reached up to pull out her earbuds.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked with a scowl.
I ran past her without answering and I heard her audible groan from behind me as she pushed to her feet and ran to catch up to me.
“You were following me weren’t you? Jesus.”
My fists tightened at the accusation. Is she kidding? “Don’t flatter yourself. I run every morning.”
“Right.”
She still didn’t believe me.
I picked up my pace, leaving her in the dust. Unlike her, I was smart enough not to run with headphones in. If someone pulled over to kidnap her, I’d hear it. There was no sense in slowing down to protect her. She obviously thought she could protect herself.
“Hey wait!” she called, speeding up to catch me. “Now I’m the weirdo following you. Let’s just run together.”
I shook my head. “I run by myself. Ask the Lumineers to keep you company.”
I ran faster.
She caught up, but her breathing was heavy, strained. I glanced over to see her chest rising and falling in her tight tank top. A trickle of sweat slid down her neck and disappeared between her breasts. I whipped my gaze back to the road as my dick stirred in my athletic shorts, not letting me ignore the sight of Brie’s body in tight running clothes.