by Jenny Siegel
“What? Why?” I raise myself up to get a proper look at his face and see a flash of pain cloud his expression.
“Every time you came home, you avoided me. I would hear that you had come back, and I guess part of me hoped that you would come see me. But you never did. It made me wonder if I was just one big stupid mistake to you.”
“Max.” I let out a strangled cry, not realizing for one second that I had hurt him in this way. “You were never a mistake, but I did try to avoid you. After that night, I was more confused about how I felt and my way of dealing with it was to avoid you. You were always with another girl. Why would you want me?”
“Ever since I first saw you at the quarter mile, I have wanted you.”
“You have?” I pull back the sheet to straddle him and reveal a rapidly hardening erection. Leaning over, I pull a condom out the drawer and rip it open. Max watches me with hungry eyes as I roll the condom down his hard dick and rise up on my knees.
“I have…” he trails off as I lower myself onto his dick, and his hands slide up my thighs. Effectively ending our conversation.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The rest of the weekend is spent in bed with Max, catching up on the past four years and reminiscing about before that when we would irritate each other on purpose. Turns out we never got past the childish stage of being horrible to each other when we secretly liked each other. All along we were both hiding how we really felt.
By the time Aaron comes to the garage on Monday morning, we are already there and working on the jobs that were left over from Saturday morning.
“Hey, you guys,” he shouts out as he enters, and I’m betting he’s just watched The Goonies yesterday, it’s his favorite film.
“What’s up?” I ask and pull my head out from under the hood of the car I’m servicing.
“Nothing, just in a good mood.” He smiles widely, and I roll my eyes at him, wondering what’s put him in such high spirits, besides the obvious.
“What did you do this weekend?” His smile drops into a frown when Max moves closer and his eyes dart between Max and me.
“Ah, you know.” I wave my hand around being deliberately vague, trying to avoid his eye.
“What she means is, she was with me. Weren’t you, Storm?” Max supplies helpfully, to which I stick my tongue out at him, unable to fight the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. I don’t know who is more surprised that I’ve not gone off on one of them at the use of my nickname, but I don’t care anymore.
“So, you two…” Aaron motions back and forth between the two of us. “After the other day and then at the barbeque…” Max wraps an arm around my shoulders before planting a kiss on the top of my head.
“Yup, what can I say, it’s only taken her this long to admit that she’s crazy about me.” He laughs when I elbow him in the ribs.
“Fuck off,” I mutter, but he’s nailed it.
A car door slamming outside interrupts us before we can get into it further and all three of us focus our attention on Zach Anderson and Tate Miller as they stroll into the garage as if they fucking own the place. Max feels my body tense, my insides coiled tight, ready for a fight, and he leans down to whisper, “Keep calm,” into my ear. I nod, I’ll try my best, and he drops his arm to my waist, not letting me go.
“Leigh, Aaron, and Max. Good, you’re all here.” Zach’s eyes settle on me, and I bristle.
“What do you want, Zach?” I snap; just the tone of his voice is irritating the hell out of me. His eyes widen with mock offense and that just pisses me off even further.
“I’ve come on behalf of my dad.” He pauses for dramatic effect but none of us bats an eyelid. I wish he’d just cut to the chase and get out of here. I cross my arms over my chest, demonstrating my impatience, and wait.
“And?” My heart hammers in my chest; it feels as though our future is hanging on the next words out of this prick’s mouth, and he seems to be enjoying making me sweat.
“And he’s agreed...” Another pause for dramatic effect.
“Fucking get on with it, Zach,” I snarl and hear Aaron’s intake of breath. Max’s grip on me tightens slightly, a warning not to piss off Zach. He’s unpredictable and could quite easily go against his dad’s wishes.
“He’s agreed to another race.”
“Another race?” Aaron echoes.
“Yeah, at Willow Springs; a proper drag race, one winner and no rematch.” He looks at each of us in turn, a silent warning in his eyes that this is our one and only chance. The superior smirk on his face reminds us that we are at the mercy of his dad.
“Okay, but…” I know there’s more and hold my breath for the huge ‘but.’
“She has to race me and win.” He nods in my direction and that’s when all hell breaks loose. Aaron and Max start shouting, and Tate, who obviously came as muscle, takes a step forward.
“No fucking way,” Max bellows and rushes toward Tate, his hands already curled into a fist. I pull on one arm, trying to hold him back because even though they are the same height, Tate is solid muscle.
“Like hell she will,” Aaron backs him up and my other hand reaches for his wrist, snagging it to stop him from getting in Zach’s face.
“She races or all bets are off.” Zach laughs and shrugs his shoulders indicating we can take it or leave it because it’s of no consequence to him. He is enjoying this way too much, and I could quite happily smack him in his smug face.
“Fine, I’ll race,” I shout above the noise and watch the sly smile that spreads across Zach’s face, making him look even more menacing and sleazier than before.
“Storm.” Max protests at the same time as Aaron wails, “Leigh,” and drops his head.
“I win, and your dad still owes us. You win, and you’re free and clear.” Zach holds out his hand.
Without hesitation, I step forward and stand toe to toe with Zach. “You’re on.” Ignoring the protests from Aaron and Max, I shake his outstretched hand quickly and then resist the urge to wipe it down the front of my jeans.
“What are the rules?” Max snarls from behind me.
“Race a car you would on the quarter mile. Cars will be checked before, no modifications allowed and no nitrous. First one over the line wins.” His eyes never leave mine, even though he’s addressing Max.
“When?”
“Week from Saturday.”
“We’ll be ready,” I assure him in a voice that is much steadier than the way I’m feeling right now.
Zach nods as if contemplating the whole deal. Beady eyes run down the length of me, and I resist the urge to shiver as a wave of revulsion washes over me. I just want him out of the garage.
“Nice doing business with you, Leigh.” He casts a look over at Max and Aaron before jerking his head in the direction of the door. Tate follows him out.
It isn’t until I watch his taillights disappear out of the parking lot that I sink against the hood of the nearest car. All adrenaline has abandoned me, and now I start to freak out.
What the fuck have I gotten myself into?
“Zach Anderson is mean.” Aaron is the first one to round on me and give me a piece of his mind. “What the fuck have you done?” His voice sounds muffled, and I can’t hear him past the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears.
“This isn’t like the time I goaded you into racing,” Max shouts. “This is serious shit.”
“What else was I supposed to do? We can’t lose the garage. We’d all lose our jobs,” I shout back at him.
“Why do you have to be the one to race?” Max’s face is flushed with anger as he starts to pace back and forth. Normally, he’s so calm. I’m not used to seeing him freak out like this. “I’ll race in your place.”
“No way.” My stomach drops, and fear claws at my heart. There is no way he is putting himself in any kind of danger.
“What about Aaron?” Now he is clutching at straws. There is no way I’d let anything happen to my cousin, either.
“He
’s getting married,” I remind him, and besides, Beth would kill me.
“Beth’s pregnant,” he says in a quiet voice and that shuts us up. We turn and stare at him, eyes bugging out in disbelief.
“For fuck’s sake, Aaron.” I slap him on the shoulder. I’ll digest that news later, but for now, I can only focus on one problem at a time. “Do you not think I can do it, is that it?” I spin round to face him and now Max is bearing the brunt of my wrath.
“No, I know you can do it, but you hate racing. You wouldn’t date me because I’m a racer, but here you are changing the rules.”
“It’s one race. Will you still date me if I race?”
“Of course.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
He scrubs his hand wearily down his face and over his stubbled chin. “You can be so dense sometimes.”
“What did you just say?” My voice is dangerously low as I square up to him, hands fisted on my hips.
Aaron takes a step closer, pressing his hands between us. “Children.”
“Butt out,” we shout at the same time, never taking our angry gazes off each other. With a huff, he takes a step back.
“Can’t you see? It doesn’t matter if you race or not. It won’t change the fact that I fucking love you, but you’re going against everything you believe in.”
“You love me?” My eyebrows rise as I fixate on those three little words.
“Yes, you crazy woman. I love you, I always have.” His arms wrap around my waist, and he tugs me into his mouth-watering body. My hands move to his chest; one palm rests above his heart that is hammering in his chest.
“Racing tore my family apart, but if I don’t race, we’ll lose the garage.”
“And I can’t lose you.” I see a flicker of fear in his eyes, but if anything, it makes me feel stronger. I can do this. If Max has my back, I can do this.
“You won’t.” I reach up and kiss him square on the lips. My fingers curl in the material of his t-shirt while his hands sweep up my back and into my hair. Our kiss lingers on and I forget that Aaron is still standing there, awkwardly, trying not to look at us.
“Erm. As touching as this is, we’ve got work to do.”
“I know,” Max murmurs against my lips as our kiss softens but doesn’t stop.
“You’re not off the hook,” I warn Aaron, giving Max one final kiss before I pull back and focus what is left of my attention on him. “What were you two thinking?” I ask, referring to his earlier bombshell.
“We’re getting married.”
“I know but do you not want some time together before you have a child? And where are you going to live?”
“Leigh,” Max interrupts quietly, but I’m on a roll and don’t register the warning look he flashes me.
“Honestly, I can’t leave any of you without you getting into some kind of trouble. Look at my dad and now you two.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have left us then should you? Did you ever think about how your leaving would affect the rest of us?” I realize too late that I’ve crossed the line. It’s not like him to have outbursts like that and I shut up. “I’m going to lunch,” he shouts over his shoulder as he storms out the garage. I don’t think it would be wise to point out that it’s only eleven am.
We watch him leave, and Max drapes an arm over my shoulder and kisses my temple.
“It’s up to them, Leigh. Stop worrying about everyone else.”
“But…”
“We’re not kids anymore.”
“I guess, but this is huge.”
“It is, but they’ll be okay. They’ve got their family and each other.”
I nod, but dip my head, feeling a rush of tears. When did I turn into such an emotional wreck, ready to cry at the slightest thing? Max pulls me back into his chest while I fight against the tide of emotion and calm my breathing. The thing is, he’s right…I didn’t think about anyone else when I made the decision to leave. They’ve all moved on and made a life for themselves and what do I have. A tiny apartment that I haven’t given a second thought of. A job that I couldn’t give a shit about, and no one other than the people here that I left behind. How would things have turned out if I’d stayed here? Would I be engaged to be married right now? Pregnant? That thought scares the shit out of me, but I guess I’ll never know. The thought that scares me the most is that I might never have realized how I feel for Max.
“We need a car.” Max’s hand sweeps up and down my back.
“We need to tell my dad what’s going on.” That is something I’m not looking forward to.
“When does he come home?”
“This week, I think.”
“Well, we’ve not got long. Plus, we’ve got a car to build.”
“And a cousin to make up with.”
“That, too.” Max kisses me and we get back to work, but even after Aaron has come back from lunch, I experience the same twinge of guilt as I did the other night at the hospital. I didn’t think about how it would affect them all. I never expected it to make a difference, but Aaron and I grew up together. He is a year older than me, but we are as close as any brother or sister.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The plan is to head to my house after we close the garage for a strategy meeting. Things between Aaron and I have been a little strained since his outburst, and I know I need to make the first move. The truth is that I’m not sure what to say. I’m not very good at the heart to heart shit, but I’ve hurt him and need to make it right.
Beth and Aaron follow behind Max and me on the drive home. I wait in the drive and grab his arm as he passes me. Max slings his arm around Beth’s shoulder, leading her to the house ahead of us.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt out, real smooth, but I suck at this. Growing up with my dad, I never mastered the art of an apology. Whenever we fell out, it was a gruff ‘I’m sorry’ followed by an awkward hug and all was forgotten. I don’t always remember that although Aaron is my older cousin, he isn’t as thick skinned as my dad.
“S’okay.” He shuffles his feet awkwardly and I sigh heavily; this is going to be harder than I thought. But I take a deep breath and plow on.
“No, it’s not. I never should have said those things to you. It isn’t any of my business. You’re both adults. I forget that we’re not kids anymore, and you two are far more sorted than I’ll ever be.”
He flashes me a wry smile. “You’re getting there. Look how you’ve stepped up since your dad was in the hospital.”
“Yeah well, either that or I’ve just agreed to the craziest race of my life. I’m sorry for leaving you all. I didn’t think about how you would feel about it.”
“We’ve done all right. Let's face it; none of us gets into as much trouble as we do when you’re here.” He winks at me, but he has a point. Apart from my dad, I guess it must run in the family.
“Yeah, you might be right.” I break into a smile and link my arm in his, leaning against him. It’s the closest he’ll get to a hug.
“So, you and Max, eh?”
I groan and nudge him with my shoulder. “What about us?”
“You going to stick around for him?” I open my mouth to answer when the front door swings open and Beth stands in the doorway.
“Leigh, you better get in here.” And then she disappears. Aaron and I throw each other a worried glance and sprint up the path and follow her into the house.
As soon as we enter the living room, we see what she is talking about. My dad is sitting on the sofa, cushions arranged around him and an assortment of medication on the coffee table. Nurse McCartney fusses around him, setting down a glass of water and making sure he has enough cushions then drapes a blanket over his knees. A blanket, for fuck’s sake. How old is he? I didn’t even know we owned one.
“Dad, what are you doing home?” I wince at the way it sounds once I’ve said it; that’s really not what I meant.
“I got out early,” he beams, thankfully not taking offense.
“F
or good behavior,” Nurse McCartney adds.
“We would have picked you up, Uncle Hank.” Aaron flops down on the armchair opposite him and pats his knee for Beth to sit in his lap. Can’t they give it a rest? Catching my eye roll, he discreetly gives me the finger, making sure my dad and Nurse McCartney can’t see. This is what he used to do when we were younger and when I would do the same in return, I was always the one who got caught.
“Nurse McCartney kindly brought me home.” He smiles warmly at her, and I suck in a breath. My eyes snap to Max who grins back; he’s spotted it, too.
“I’ve told you to call me Maria,” she scolds him, and my dad nods. Oh god, what is going on here?
“Well, thanks anyway,” I start, hoping she’ll take the hint.
“Right. Well, I’ll be going now.” She picks up her purse and the atmosphere in the room becomes a little awkward as her and my dad keep nodding at each other but not saying anything. Nurse McCartney doesn’t move and eventually my dad shifts, trying to stand until Max takes hold of his elbow and helps him to his feet. One arm is in a sling, which makes it harder for him to be as mobile.
“Thanks,” he mumbles and walks toward the nurse. “I’ll see you out.” And he walks her to the front door, before they step outside and close the door behind them.
The four of us all stare at each other, speechless. I’ve never seen my dad with a woman. Ever. Even when I was growing up, he didn’t date anyone, I don’t even know if he had offers, but there was never another woman in his life. It’s nice, I guess, but it feels a bit weird. I don’t want to think about my dad and Nurse McCartney in that way.
Five minutes later, Dad comes back in and shuts the door behind him before taking his place back on the sofa. None of us knows what to say and just stare at him.
“What? You’ve never seen a man and a woman talk?”
“She wanted to do more than talk,” Aaron mutters, but we all hear him and Beth kicks him slightly. My dad smiles and that says it all.
“So, what’s kickin’ chicken?” He looks around expectantly.