Wilder

“I like forever.”

She smiled. “I said ever.”

“Yeah, well, you know me—I have to push everything one step further.”

“Forever,” she agreed, and kissed me softly, which sent up another raucous cheer. “Now you’d better go jump before the crowd turns on me.” Then she ass-smacked me in full view of our audience, and I laughed. “Go get ’em, Wilder.”

“Paxton. Always your Paxton.”

“Yeah, it’s a good thing that I love the other guy, too, even if he is king of all the wild things.” Then she flashed me a smile and went back to the wall, Brandon helping her over.

The show went off without a hitch. The junior Renegade crew hit every stunt, nailed their timing, and made the fans drop their jaws. Landon hit spectacular whips and air, pulling all sorts of freestyle shit that had the crowd screaming his name. We pulled off our tandem tricks, moving together with one heartbeat as we always had—brothers in all but blood.

When it was time, Penna kissed my cheek backstage, Nick gave me the thumbs-up, and I gunned it, soaring toward the ramp, hitting the kicker at the exact right moment, and turning once…twice…three times…before landing, my entire body tingling from the adrenaline and the roar of the crowd.

“Paxton Wilder is officially the first to ever complete a triple front!” the announcer called out, his excitement as palpable as mine.

“You did it!” Leah called out as she raced to me, and I lifted her up, spinning us to her laughter. “You flew!”

I stopped as the other Renegades rushed us, the cameras not far behind. “How could I not, when you gave me wings? Besides, I actually kind of like you,” I said, remembering the first time she’d told me that she wasn’t overly fond of me.

Her smile lit my world. “Good, because I’m head over heels in love with you.”

“Now that’s a stunt I’d like to see.”

“Later,” she promised.

And at the end of it, with Leah in my arms, the taste of her in my mouth, I found home, peace, and a victory so sweet that the rush would last me a lifetime…or until I could talk her into making that forever official.

I kissed her again, thankful for the miracle in my arms and the knowledge that we had a forever full of “laters.”

Starting today.