Page 158 of Reckless Hearts

Colt’s blue eyes follow the motion, worry etched across his face.

“I… we need to talk.”

“You’re still leaving? Aftereverything?” Colt says it like the words rip straight out of him.

Maverick grips his shoulder, steadying him, but there’s no less hurt in his eyes.

“That’s… that’s not what I’m saying. Although you might wish it was by the time I’m done.”

“Not possible,” Maverick replies without hesitation.

My mouth twists into an ironic smile. “I can only hope you’re right.”

Colt reaches for me but flinches when I take a step back.

“Just let me say this. I won’t be able to take it… if you have to let me go.”

Both boys still.

“What is it, Wildflower?” Maverick asks, voice low. “What’s so bad that we can’t even touch you?”

A bitter laugh coils in my chest because that’s exactly what I’m trying to find out.

“After this summer, I owe you some explanations.” My fingers knot together, restless, before I shove them into my back pockets. “That’s not quite right. I’ve always owed you this.”

“It’s okay, Callie. You don’t have to explain,” Colt says, nodding toward the arena. “It’s fine. You’re here. With us.”

“It’s not okay. It’s never beenokay. I need you to really listen. Can you do that for me?”

“Say what you need to say. We’re not going anywhere.” Maverick says softly.

His reassurance helps prop me up, and even though my voice shakes, I don’t look away. “You know a lot about me, probably more than anyone. But the things you don’t know? They’re just as big.”

Silent, they wait for me to continue.

“Once I explain, I hope you understand why I can’t compromise on this.”

“Whatever it is… it’s okay.” Colt’s words hit like a balm and a blade, hurting and healing all at once.

“Losing my dad was devastating. Watching it break my mom was worse.” My voice is low, rough as I push through. “I never told you, but my mom hated the fact that my dad competed. She begged him. Begged him to stop. Every season, every event, every ride… she was frozen in fear. She didn’t want him to get hurt. She didn’t want me to grow up without a father.”

They move to speak, but I hold up a hand.

“He never told her no. Never called her selfish. He just… promised over and over that he’d stop. That he understood why she was afraid. Why she was asking something like this of him. He said he’d always put us first. But he didn’t mean it. Not really.” I clear my throat. “I didn’t understand why it mattered so much to her until the day he died. Then I understood all too well. Way too late.”

My gaze drops, voice growing quieter. “A week after his funeral, Maverick got hurt. It wasn’t even bad, less than half the injuries you’d had before. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

I look at them both, eyes brimming.

“But for me? It was like getting electrocuted. Like being thrown back into the moment I watched my dad bleed. That same fear. That same helplessness.” A tear slips free, but I don’t wipe it away.

“I knew deep in my bones that I couldn’t do it again. You loved it so much I knew I could never ask you to stop, but I couldn’t watch you ride either. So, I ran.”

My tears fall freely now, my voice cracking all over the place, but I keep going. If I stop now, I might never find the courage again.

“Eight years. Thousands of dollars in therapy, and I still couldn’t let go of this place. I came back to tie up all the pieces I’d left behind. I thought a few months would be enough. A few smiles, a few laughs, and I’d be okay.”

I press a shaking arm across my chest like I can physically hold myself together.

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