Over the next half hour, Jake and I start to execute the craziest plan I've ever been a part of.

He calls ahead to cancel Travis' cab, pretending to be him on the phone, then he lets his brother know he'll pick him up at the airport. I go out to the pasture and bring Gloria in, getting her loaded up in the trailer with a blanket and tack. Jake backs up his truck, and we have to fight off Otto as he tries to find some way to go along. A nice, big carrot does the trick, buying us enough time to get on the road.

Just two guys and a horse, heading to the airport.

"You know people are going to film this, right? It's going to show up everywhere by tomorrow morning."

"Go big or go home," I say with a shrug, my arm draped over the door of Jake's truck, the wind a little cold against my skin.

Jake just laughs and turns on the radio, leaving me to my thoughts as we merge onto the highway and head for Lexington.

All I can think about is Travis' face at that signing, the moment he realized he wasn't going to go through with the contract. Could Jake be right? Did he really refuse because of me? Is he coming here specifically to see me?

I don't know the answer to that, and I guess I won't know until I see Travis, but I have to make the most of my moment. I have to let go of my tightly-held control and throw it all out there in front of the whole world. Whatever it takes to make Travis realize I want him in my life forever.

Traffic in Lexington is awful, and we spend half the trip just trying to maneuver around the city. The bypass is backed up, and by the time we make it to the turn off for Blue Grass Airport, Travis' flight has already landed. I start to worry we won't be able to unload Gloria, but Jake calls his brother and confirms the plane's still taxiing to a stop. The trip through the airport and the baggage claim will give me more than enough time, and Jake can stall if I need him to.

We park, and Jake hikes up to the airport proper, leaving me to figure out how I'm going to slip a horse past the cop that's stationed outside. I wait, biding my time, hoping he'll wander off to take care of a call. No such luck.

Unwilling to give up just yet, I climb up into the trailer and mount Gloria, texting Jake from the saddle.

Security's still hanging around outside. Can you distract?

On it, he replies. I'll tell Trav to meet me out front.

I draw in a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Gloria whickers softly, shifting her weight in agitation, and I stroke her neck to soothe us both.

Then I walk her out of the trailer and into the grassy overflow parking lot, making a wide berth toward the airport. People already stop to watch me. Phones are raised, voices shout in excitement, but the only person I'm really concerned about right now is the cop who's sitting in his squad car at the pick-up point.

I see Jake come out of the airport, his gaze searching for me before he heads over to the car. Urging Gloria into a canter, I make the most of my friend's distraction, reminding myself to buy him a lifetime supply of beer later.

We draw more notice to ourselves, but thankfully the cop still seems preoccupied talking to Jake. I guide Gloria between parked taxi cabs as even more people are getting out their phones and pull her up to the curb like it's a perfectly normal thing to do.

My heart threatens to beat out of my chest as I pull out a little cardboard sign with TRAVIS written in thick black Sharpie, and when I see him just past the glass doors, I can't help but hold my breath.

He stops and looks around, obviously scanning for Jake's truck. I can see his gaze move quickly over Gloria, and for a second I wonder if I'm going to have to call to him. But he does a double take, his eyes wide, mouth open as he looks right at me, sitting atop a surprisingly calm chestnut mare.

"…Shane?"

I can barely hear him, the din of a gathering crowd almost drowning him out. But I see his lips move, and as he comes closer, I carefully slide off Gloria, making sure to keep her reins tight in hand in case she gets spooked.

"Need a ride?" I ask, a little smile tugging at my lips.

He laughs, and his eyes are full of wonder. There are people all around us, but it doesn't matter. All I can see is him as he crosses the distance of the sidewalk and takes my face in his hands, his lips crashing down on mine.

"I love you," he says as he pulls back, punctuating the confession with another kiss. "I love you so much. I never should've left."

My free hand rests against the back of his neck, my fingers playing with the lightly curled hair at the nape. He's real and solid and here, and that seems to be all my heart cares to know right now.

But I still need to tell him what I've been keeping inside for so long. "I love you, too," I say, my eyes clouding with unshed tears. "I have from the start."

Travis' lips quirk upward. "Maybe not the very start?"

A joyful laugh bubbles up from me as I remember our first meeting, and even our second. "Okay. Maybe not the very start."

We kiss again, and it's to another chorus of whoops and whistles and claps. Gloria remains calm through all of this, not giving the slightest tug on the lead, but all the commotion has finally gotten the cop's attention, too.

"Sir!" he calls, striding up to us with a baffled look on his face. "You can't…" He just stares at the horse and blinks for a moment before turning back to us. "You can't park your—you can't have a horse here. I'm going to have to ask you to remove it from the premises."

He doesn't really need to tell me twice. I turn back to Gloria and put my boot in the stirrup, hauling myself up into the saddle before I offer a hand down to Travis.

"Seriously?" he asks, his eyes alight with happiness, little creases etched at the corners.

"I offered you a ride, didn't I?"

Jake comes up just in time to take Travis' suitcase, giving him a wink and a brotherly shove. He laughs, shakes his head, and looks around us at a crowd that is now chanting for him to, "Do it, do it, do it."

"Fuck it," he says, grabbing my hand and using the stirrup to pull himself up behind me, his arms around my waist.

"Meet you at the car," I tell Jake, having to yell to be heard over the cheers of the crowd.

People follow us, their phones still out as they record our ride. If they haven't recognized who we are by now, someone online definitely will. Like Jake said, it'll be all over the internet by tomorrow morning, if not sooner.

But I can't find it in me to care.

"This is insane," Travis says into my ear, his tone conveying his complete lack of a problem with it.

"Jake just offered to drive me here, but I wanted to do something a little crazy. Something that would push me out of my comfort zone."

"You didn't have to, you know," Travis says, dropping a kiss on my shoulder. "I would've been happy just seeing you here."

I inhale his scent, the smell of the soap he uses so familiar and so comforting. "I know. But I owed you an apology for the way I acted with Apollo. This seemed like the best way to do it."

"On horseback?" he asks with a laugh, the sheer joy of it tapering off slowly. "Is he… okay?"

I nod, turning the reins and nudging Gloria toward the parking lot. "He's fine. Deacon should be out to check on him in another week."

"But he won't race," Travis says sadly.

"He doesn't need to. He can be happy just being spoiled by you and me and Jake's students."

A peace comes over me as I admit that. Apollo can live a fulfilling life as an adored pet, because he absolutely will be adored. The kids will be fighting over who gets to ride him first.

"I know the feeling," Travis admits, his arms tightening around me. I smile to myself, then tilt my head back to kiss him. "But what about you?"

"I wouldn't mind being spoiled either," I say, reining Gloria to a stop at the back of the trailer.

Travis laughs, climbing down. To my surprise, our admirers are keeping a respectful distance. It feels like we're in some crazy old western, but it's perfect, and made even more so when Travis offers me his hand.

I take it, and my feet just barely touch the ground before he pulls me to him for another kiss. "I'm happy to spoil you," he murmurs, "starting the moment we get home. But what about racing?"

It's a question I've asked myself too many times to count, and I honestly don't have a conclusive answer yet. Racing means a lot to me, but it's tied up in so much negativity that I'm hesitant to launch back into it.

"I'll support you either way," Travis says, his thumb stroking my cheek. "I just want you to be happy, Shane."

"I already am." I beam at him, stealing one last kiss.

As we lead Gloria into the trailer and climb into Jake's truck to head home, I know my decision. I don't need to race. Not the way I did before. But I finally believe I can again, and with Travis by my side, I know it'll be an unforgettable experience, no matter what happens.