Page 138 of Redline Baby

“I tell you.”

“Good boy.”

He brushes his thumb over my cheek.

“I’ll be right behind you.”

I put my helmet back on. Swing onto Vera. Start the engine. She settles beneath me into a smooth idle. Soren gets on his bike behind me. I pull onto the road. This time, I don’t open the throttle until the world blurs. I ride. Normal speed. Clean lines. Margin everywhere. At the first long straight, I check my mirror.

Soren is there.

Not chasing.

Not holding me back.

Just behind me.

Chapter 31. Soren

His weight settles over my lap. Kit’s hips lie across my thighs. His hands have found the duvet on the far side of my knee and are not quite gripping it. His legs are together, slightly rigid.

We dealt with yesterday’s ride this morning.

Properly.

He told me exactly what happened in his head before he took the Yamaha. He took responsibility without minimizing it, and I held the structure we agreed on. The consequence was clear, finite, and finished.

This is not that. I keep my hand flat against the small of his back. Not doing anything yet. Just there. His head is turned slightly to the side, cheek against the duvet, and his breathing is shallow. He is waiting for the charge. The list of offenses.

“No scolding today,” I tell him, reading the tension correctly. “There’s no list. I’m not building up to something you did wrong.”

“Then why—”

“Because you asked me a question yesterday, and I don’t think I answered it the way you needed.”

He goes quiet.

“You asked whether I’d still want you here once everything was fixed. Once you weren’t falling apart anymore. Once the bike was done. Once the rules stopped needing so much attention.”

My hand stays steady against his back.

“I answered you with words.”

“You did.”

“They didn’t get all the way through.”

Kit says nothing.

“I want to answer you another way.”

His fingers curl slightly into the duvet. I stroke my palm once along his back. “Do you want me to?”

He is still for a moment. Then: “Yes, Daddy.”

“Good boy.”

I let the words settle before I continue.