AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bristol
Flurries swirled through the air while we headed toward our Valentine date that evening atBarke’s Grille. I sat in the middle of the bench again, right beside Axel, enjoying his heat on what had turned into a really chilly evening. Our fingers were twined on his thigh while we traveled in comfortable silence.
A call ringing through the dashboard of the truck startled us both, the display showing only a number since the name wasn’t one of Axel’s contacts.
“You know who it is?” I asked.
He shook his head, letting it go to voicemail. “Nope.”
The call immediately rang again.
“I think you should answer. It might be something urgent.” We both knew what had happened just days ago with his mother.
“Yeah…” His thumb flicked a button on the steering wheel. “Hello?”
“Hey, Axel?”
“Yes?” It was clear from Axel’s tone, he didn’t know the caller.
“It’s Troy Pressure.”
“Um. Hi, Troy. What’s up?” And why was he calling? My heart sped up at the possibilities, both from excitement and a tinge of fear I couldn’t quite assuage.
“Look, I’m not gonna beat around the bush,” Troy continued. “I heard what your uncle did, which is some bullshit by the way. Did you hear what happened at the track today?”
My brow furrowed as I wondered what crap Darius might have pulled.
“No. I’ve been spending Valentine’s Day with my girl and avoiding all things NASCAR,” Axel answered. His fingers tightened around mine, silently reminding me we were together no matter what.
“Shit! Valentine’s Day. My wife is going to kill me. What?” he called to someone who’d said something to him that we couldn’t hear. “You sent her flowers for me? Thank fuck. Remind me to give you a big raise.” He took a breath. “Sorry about that, Axel. Just side a note—a great assistant will save your relationship on shitty days. Keep that in mind. Anyway. I’ve been chest deep in a shitstorm because one of my drivers, Martin Peevy, wrecked during a practice run today. He’ll recover, thankfully, but we weren’t even sure of that, earlier. It was bad. Real bad. Bad enough he’s out for the season.”
Fuck. And the season didn’t technically start until Sunday.
“He qualified yesterday. I could bring someone up from National, but I want someone who can handle Daytona with the big dogs, someone who knows what it’s like with these guys and won’t need a rookie stripe on their car. I need someone like you in that car. It’s yours for the season, if you want it.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Axel replied slowly, his body going tense beside me.
I practically bounced in my seat.Oh my God!Probably my worries should have roared into gear, but excitement won out. This was everything! Axel would get to race after all!
I squeezed his hand, and I was nodding when he looked over at me, concern in his eyes. I knew he was thinking he’d have to choose between racing or me again. Not true. We were older now, different, and we knew what it was like to be apart.
“Well, fuck. Say yes. You’re my top choice. You might have heard I’m running a third car next year,” Troy continued. “You do good this year, and the new car is yours.”
“He’ll do it,” I exclaimed before Axel could say something dumb likeI’ll think about it.
“Good,” Troy crowed. “I need you here tomorrow. I was hoping you’d say yes, so I took the liberty of delaying your rig from leaving this afternoon. It’ll be here for you.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can get a ticket,” Axel told him, his shock wearing away. I felt it. His excitement rolled off him, his body shaking with adrenaline now that the opportunity had pushed past his surprise and disbelief.
“Good,” Troy said again. “I’ll have my assistant handle it and text you the info. Welcome to the team, kid.” He hung up.
Axel pulled over to the side of the road. He turned in his seat to look over at me.
“Bristol…”
“I love you. It’s best for you.”
“But—”
