Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 121

CHAPTER 75-2

The spectators groaned collectively as Ty realized his mistake.

“Nobody saw that.” Ty yelled.

“Everybody saw that.” I informed him.

“I reject this reality.” Ty yelled.

“Reality rejects you.” I said.

Even Jace laughed at that one and the competition continued throughout the afternoon.

There were strength challenges, balance challenges and teamwork challenges.

One event involved transporting water buckets across the yard without spilling them.

That particular challenge ended with both prospects soaked.

The children considered it the greatest thing they had ever witnessed and Diesel spent most of the day wandering between groups collecting attention and stealing snacks.

At one point he somehow acquired an entire hotdog and nobody knew where it came from and nobody successfully recovered it.

As the day progressed, the atmosphere became increasingly chaotic. And increasingly fun.

For a few precious hours nobody talked about fires. Nobody talked about Victor. Nobody talked

about threats and the clubhouse simply felt like a family gathering.

I found myself laughing more than I had in weeks.

During a break between events, Jace sat beside me and his arm settled across the back of my

chair.

“Having fun?” He asked.

“More than I expected.” I said.

“You enjoy bullying prospects.” He said.

“Judging prospects.” I said.

“Bullying.” He said.

“Semantics.” I said.

He smiled and brushed a quick kiss against my temple. The simple affection warmed me

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CHAPTER 75 2

“You’re impossible.” He said.

“And yet you’re still here.” I said.

“Funny how that works.” He said.

The final event arrived late in the afternoon..

Clain

A combination challenge. Physical obstacles, mechanical work and problem solving, Everything

together.

The scores remained incredibly close and Wyatt held a narrow lead. Ty still had a chance and the

crowd gathered around the course. Excitement buzzed through the air.

When the whistle blew, both prospects launched into motion. The competition remained tight

from start to finish and every completed task earned cheers. Every mistake earned laughter.

By the final station both men were exhausted. Sweat covered their shirts and their hands were

filthy. Their pride had suffered repeated attacks. Yet neither quit.

When Wyatt crossed the finish line first, the crowd erupted and he bent over trying to catch his

breath as Ty collapsed dramatically onto the grass.

“I regret everything.” Ty said.

“Noted.” Mason said.

The judges reviewed the scores and the process took approximately three minutes. Most of that

time involved me drawing a smiley face beside Ty’s lowest score and eventually Mason stood.

“Winner of this year’s prospect competition is Wyatt.” Mason announced and cheers exploded.

Wyatt looked genuinely shocked and Ty pointed accusingly at me.

“She sabotaged me.” Ty said.

“You sabotaged yourself.” I said and the crowd laughed again.

Wyatt accepted his trophy, which turned out to be a spray painted wrench attached to a wooden plaque.

The craftsmanship was questionable but the pride on his face wasn’t.

As celebrations continued, I stepped away from the crowd for a moment.

The afternoon sunlight painted long shadows across the parking lot.

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CHAPTER 75-2

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