Nate

The day of the big race came and I realized I was just as nervous about it as I had been about everything else in my life. Maybe more so because so much hinged on me winning. I really wanted to get that prize money so I could contribute to our new life together. But I also had something to prove to myself.

Brian was true to his word. He had been right there with me every step of the way. Even though it meant having to do his web design work at night after dinner and sometimes after I fell asleep, he spent every day up until the race helping me train.

I had to make sure I was at the top of my game in three different areas because I wanted the grand prize. It was possible to enter into only one of the three competitions, but I was also going for all three—the long distance race, the speed laps race, and the mountain bike segment. Winning all three would mean winning the grand prize in each division, which was the twenty-five thousand dollars we’d talked about. The money we needed to buy the house.

“You know I don’t care about the money, Nate. We’ll get by no matter what happens.”

I’d heard this same thing from Brian so many times over the last month I wanted to scream. It was the money, yeah, but it was more than that. I wanted to know that I could do it, that I could set out to do something and succeed. That I could be as good as I had been with both of my legs, maybe even better.

“You know you don’t have to prove anything to anyone,” was another one of Brian’s favorite things to say to me, and I knew he was right. But there was a part of me that wanted to know that I had at least a shred of control over my life. I knew that was kind of crazy, but it was true.

I believed that if I could win these races I could do anything. I could live the rest of my life without my leg, knowing that it didn’t matter one bit, that I was just as good as anyone else because I could compete against guys with both legs.

The first day of the three day even was the distance race. It was a trail that took the contestants on a fifty-mile course over a mountain range and to the sandy beaches of the pacific ocean, then back to Portville. It was the most grueling of the three days, and I was glad it was going to be overwith early. I knew once I got to the finish line the next two races would be in the bag.

The second day was the speed lapse, which took place at the Portville Raceway. There were a varying number of laps around the two-mile track, with the winner being the one to come in first for the most short races.

I was beyond thrilled that I had completely kicked ass and won both races on the first two days of the competition. The championship was full of incredibly strong and talented alphas, betas, and omegas from all over the world that had been biking and winning tournaments for a lot longer than I had, and none of them were two months pregnant.

But somehow, on both days, I managed to pull ahead by a pretty significant margin and maintained my lead. Brian wanted me to stop after I’d won the speed laps on the second day. He said we had enough for the down payment and that he didn’t want me to hurt myself. But I had to keep going. I had to win the whole thing.

It was amazing. So many people were there to cheer me on. Hank, Jason, and their little guy Javier. Daniel and Cameron showed up with their kids. Dr. Livingston and his husband and their two daughters showed up too. I had totally not expected them all to come every day of the races, but they did. I had a big cheering section on the sidelines just for me. And now they were lined up at the mountain bike competition starting point.

“I’m so proud of you,” Brian said as we headed to where everyone was gathered for the start of the race. “I know you can win this race, I’m just worried about the two of you.”

“I know. I’ll be careful, I promise.”

“No, you won’t,” he said as he put his arms around me and held me for a moment, then kissed me. “But I know you’ll be okay. Go kick some ass.”

I kissed Brian one more time, then headed off to the starting line. There were a number of mountainous, forested parks around the city, and for this segment we would be traveling in a big circle around Portville hitting four different parks with different levels of trails.

We didn’t get to see them ahead of time, but we heard that some were incredibly steep with a very high grade going up and down, and some had obstacles that had to be navigated. The only way to get ahead of the other bikers was to peddle like crazy in between the parks while we traveled along the city streets and across the bridges, because the trails in the parks were narrow and it was impossible to pass.

When I started out I was in the middle of the pack. There were probably about fifty bikers ahead of me and I was worried that there was no way I’d be able to get up to the front. But as soon as we made it through the first park, I pulled way ahead. From what I could see, there were ten bikers ahead of me on the next set of trails.

By the time we got out of the last park and headed back toward the finish line, I was in third place. I was completely exhausted after three days of competition. My partial leg was sore where it met the prostatic, and the muscles in my full leg were aching like crazy. But I forced myself to push through with one final burst of energy.

I could see the finish line about a mile up ahead, and I just went for it. I put my head down and laid into the pedals and felt myself pull ahead. And not just a little bit either. When I crossed the finish line, they told me I was two full bike lengths ahead of the guy who came in second place.

When I came to a stop and got off my bike Brian was right there. He and everyone that was there to cheer me on came running up to congratulate me. They were all waving their arms around and yelling, and Brian and Hank and Jason wound up picking me up in the air.

I was embarrassed at first, but I was so thrilled by the fact that I’d beat everyone in all three races that the embarrassment quickly faded. As more and more people came up to congratulate me and tell me how much of an inspiration I was to them, I felt tears stream down my cheeks. I wasn’t sure if it was the pregnancy hormones or the fact that I had accomplished something that I had wanted so badly, something that was so monumental. But either way, I wasn’t embarrassed anymore because I had lived one of my biggest dreams. I had won.

“Are you really gonna frame that and hang it on the wall?” I asked Brian.

“Of course! I love this picture.”

It had been taken by the official National Bike Organization photographer when I won the mountain bike race, and it was of me sitting on Brian and Jason’s shoulders. “But I look ridiculous. I am way more pregnant than I thought I was,” I said, looking at my baby bump underneath the biking shorts and shirt that were stretched a little too tight. “What didn’t you tell me how ridiculous I looked?”

“First of all, you didn’t look ridiculous,” Brian said, wrapping his arms around me. “And second of all, you wouldn’t have listened to me even if I had said those exact words to you.”

“Yeah, you’re right. So, what’s next? A commemorative mug?”

“Don’t be silly,” Brian said as he kissed my head.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out. I didn’t recognize the number, but I’d been getting a lot of calls for interviews lately, and even though I really hated talking on the phone, I answered it. Brian stared at me for a while as I listened to the person on the other end, then said things like That sounds great, and I’d definitely be interested. But when I said something about having to talk to an agent Brian mouthed Who is that?

I answered a few more questions with one word answers, then hung up.

“Talk to an agent about what?” Brian asked. “Who was that?”

“You’re not gonna believe this.”

“What?”

“That was a BMC rep. They want me to do an international ad campaign for their newest bike.”

“What? You’ve got to be kidding. That’s seriously amazing, Nate.”

“I know! They said they loved the fact that I was pregnant during the race and that I was on one of their bikes, and they said, with my leg and baby bump, they thought I’d make a really unique spokesperson. They want to do a shoot right now, with the way I look with my bump and everything.”

Brian laughed, the picture still in his hand. “Then I guess the whole world will see you looking like this. That’s awesome! Did they talk about what you’d be making?”

“No they didn’t say anything about money on the phone. That’s what I need an agent for. I don’t want to go into this thing alone. I have no idea how to negotiate.”

“Yeah, we’ll definitely line up someone really good. We can afford it.”

“I can’t believe it, Brian. I might be able to buy this house with cash. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about anything. We’d be free and clear. I can’t believe this.”

“I can. I’ve always believed in you, Nate. I have known you my whole life and it doesn’t surprise me one bit that you finished first in all three of those races … with a prosthetic leg … and two months pregnant.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked, laughing and folding my arms in front of me. “You were the one that told me you wanted me to bail on the third race.”

“Hey,” Brian said as he put his arms around me again. “You’re my omega and you’re carrying my baby. I’m allowed to be a little overprotective. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t still believe in you. Anything could’ve happened to you on that course.”

“Yeah, I know. And I love you for that. I guess I’d better get on finding an agent if they want pictures of me the way I looked at the finish line. My bump is getting bigger every day,” I said, rubbing my stomach in circles. “And after the shoot is overwith I’m going to focus all of my attention on the two of you,” I said, looking up at Brian. “I want to relax and be a house husband for a while.”

“That’s exactly what I want too,” Brian said, burying his face in my hair.