Silver Opportunity

Chapter Thirty-Two

* six months later, in August *

Leo trained and pushed himself and Titan harder than he has ever ridden before. Don and Leo shared a special connection. Don was becoming a father figure for Leo, who really needed one. I'm glad they've worked so hard the past couple months because now we were sitting in a large stadium in another country about to watch Leo ride.

That's right. Under Don's instruction and guidance, Leo was now competing at the Paralympics in dressage in grade III. He has become an insane dressage rider who gives Molly a run for her money. But Leo deserved this more than anyone, and I couldn't be prouder to be here.

"Look, here he comes!" Kendall exclaimed, watching as Leo and Titan entered the ring. Leo was allowed to use the modified dressage letters, and you could faintly hear the ringing noises emitting from them.

The ring was silent as Leo completed his test. Again, you couldn't tell he was disabled by the way he rode. He was so confident and sure of himself that it brought me back to before the accident happened, just over a year ago.

I watched as Leo rode perfectly down the centerline, stopped at X, then saluted to the judges. It always amazed me how he could ride perfectly down the center and stop right at X, but I guess when you lose one sense you gain another. Either that or his earing was so good that he could balance the noises and find the median. Whatever the case, he was pretty impressive.

We all started cheering as he exited the ring, and I saw as he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Titan's neck. I was beaming with excitement. I knew Leo wanted to make it big as a rider one day, but I'm not sure if this is what he had in mind. I know he loved jumping, but he hasn't done it since the accident. I don't think he's scared, I think he's fulfilled with what he has and what he's achieved he just doesn't want to. I'm sure he will again one day, though.

Speaking of the future, I finally decided what I was doing about college. I would be attending a university nearby home, far enough away that I could live on campus, but close enough that I could go home whenever. I will be studying equine business management with a focus on teaching and training. Before I met Leo, I wanted to run a breeding farm. But the journey he's brought me on has changed my perspective on everything. I now dreamed about starting and operating a para-rider barn in the future. When I told Leo, he said he'd be right there with me. Molly said she'd join me in the future, but she wanted to first complete her goal of working in the armed forces. She would be leaving for basic training in two weeks, the same day I move into college.

We all watched as more para riders completed their dressage tests. It was amazing to watch, and it just made me more excited about my future.

Soon, everybody in the event had ridden, and it was time for placings.

Third place was a woman from Brazil who was missing a leg from her knee down.

Second place was a woman from Canada who suffered from a milder form of cerebral palsy.

"And our gold medal winner for the grade III individual dressage, from the United States, Leo Fraser!"

We all started cheering and waving the American flags we were holding around. We all watched as Leo, with the help of Don, stepped up onto the podium and accepted his medal. He was overcome with emotion, his face in his hand and his body jolting with sobs. It broke my heart but I knew it was because he was proud and happy.

Later that night, after the official medal ceremony, Leo and I were sitting together in the lobby of our hotel.

"I'm proud of you," I told him, taking his face in my hands. "So, so, so proud of you. I love you so much."

"Em, I need to thank you," he said.

"For what?" I asked, planting a kiss on his forehead. "You don't owe me anything."

"No, I owe you everything," he shook his head. "I love you so much. Thank you for reminding me who I really am, even if I was lost. Without you... man I don't even want to think about that."

"Hey," I said softly. "Thank you. Thank you for changing my life, Leo. We've had a wild ride, but at the end of the day, there's no one I would want to be with."

"Then let me give this to you," he said, fumbling with his pocket. He pulled out a silver ring. "Before you freak out, it's not an engagement ring. It's a promise ring. I promise that one day, I'll marry you, Emily Martin."

"Leo..." I started, staring at the ring. It was simple but elegant, just like Leo. "I love it."

I helped him put it on before I enveloped him in a hug. "I love you so much," I whispered.

"I love you more, Em," he said. "Here's to many more years of causing all sorts of trouble together."

"Here's to it."

and scene

ahhh i cannot believe Silver Opportunity is over! its been a wild ride, thats for sure!
I will most likely be writing an epilogue so we can see into their lives a couple years down the road! while i'm sad its over, im so glad i finally pumped this out and finished it so you all could get the full story!

please leave lots of love, thank you all for reading! <3