Taming Zach

by Amy Sparling

  “Already?” I say. We’ve been alternating days on who goes home to shower and take a nap in our own bed, that way one of us is always here with Dad. I feel bad leaving him, but getting some sleep in my own bed is so much better than sleeping hunched over in the pleather chair in Dad’s hospital room.

  “I went home yesterday,” Mama says.

  I nod, and then a yawn escapes me. My body definitely wants that nap. “Okay,” I say. “I think I’ll stop by the track and ask Mrs. Sam if I can work more shifts.”

  Mama nods. “That’s a good idea.”

  It’s been a week and Dad is going to be okay, so I know it’s time to start working more and sitting in the hospital less. Any money I can bring in will be good for us.

  I say goodbye to my dad, who is half asleep from the drugs they have him on, and then I hug Mama and head outside to where the rest of the world is still carrying on like usual outside of this hospital. I get in my car and drive home, mentally adding up how much money I can make if I work every race day and a few practice days during the week.

  I almost don’t even notice the truck in my driveway, and when I do, it’s too late. I can’t keep driving and pretend I didn’t see him.

  My knees shake as I park my car and step out. Zach is sitting on my front porch, a massive bouquet of pink roses in his lap.

  What the hell is he doing here? It’s been a week. I was finally starting to feel slightly less heartbroken.

  I grip my keys in my hands and take a deep breath to steady myself.

  Zach stands up, his eyes never leaving mine as I walk the short distance from the driveway to the porch.

  “I thought I kicked you out,” I say.

  He holds out the flowers toward me. “I don’t give up after one lost race.”

  I take the flowers and glance down at their beautiful petals. Then I meet his gaze. “Life isn’t like motocross races,” I say.

  “Trust me,” Zach says as his eyes sweep over me. “I know. Life is so much better than racing. At least, it is when I’m with you.”

  The flowers are heavy. There must be three dozen roses in this bouquet. I shove my key in the front door and unlock it, then venture inside to set the flowers on the counter. Zach stands on the porch watching me.

  “You know you’re crazy right?” I say, trying to keep my heart from pounding. “You’ve only known me like a month.”

  “Can I come inside?” he asks.

  I shrug. “Sure.”

  He steps inside and closes the door behind him. Immediately the bright sunlight fades away and my cozy living room feels ten times smaller now that it’s just the two of us standing here.

  “We might have only known each other a month,” he says, slowly closing the distance between us. “But we’ve been in the same world our whole lives. We both grew up at this track. You know motocross as well as I do. You’re a part of the community, just like me.” He takes one final step toward me and now we’re just inches apart. He reaches up and cups my cheek in his hand. I don’t know why, but I let him.

  Those gorgeous blue eyes peer into mine. “Let’s buy the track from old man Perkins.”

  My eyes widen. “What?”

  He smiles. “Maybe not today. But someday. Let’s buy it and run it ourselves. You can put your business skills to work and we can fix up the place, turn it into a nationally known race track. We can do it all together. Here, at home. In the motocross community.”

  “You’re insane,” I say, but I’d be lying if I said the idea doesn’t sound awesome. “Buying the place will probably cost a fortune.”

  “We can afford it,” he says. At some point, his other hand grabbed my waist. Now we’re just inches apart and my heart is racing and I can’t find a single part of me that wants him to go away.

  “We?” I say, recalling his words. “You might be able to afford to buy sixty acres and a business, but I can’t.”

  He places a soft kiss on my forehead. “We can afford it if we’re together,” he whispers. “I just need a few more years of professional racing and then we’ll have the money.”

  “You keep saying we,” I say. “We’re not a we.”

  His eyes stare into mine. “We could be.”

  I swallow. “I’m just supposed to blink and forgive everything? And just be okay with everything?”

  He shakes his head. “No, I don’t expect that. Which is why I’m going to prove it to you. As long as it takes, Bree. I’ll prove that I can be faithful. I only want you. No one else.”

  My defenses are cracking. I can feel it. All these walls are tumbling down. “So what now?” I say, trying to sound bold even though I’m crumbling.

  “You don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to agree or promise to be my girl or anything,” he whispers, his lips just inches from mine. “Just let me prove it to you. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you my girl. However long it takes. I’ll do it.”

  I bite my bottom lip. “What if it takes a long time to gain my trust?”

  He shrugs. “Then it takes a long time.”

  Something deep in my gut tells me to believe him. I don’t know why, and maybe I’m stupid, but I don’t think I am. I can feel it. He just feels right. Like Zach Pena was made to be my soul mate. My everything.

  That doesn’t mean I won’t make him work for it.

  “Fine,” I say, taking a small step backward to give myself room to breathe. “Let’s do this.”

  His gorgeous lips break into a grin. “Really?”

  I nod, unable to hide my own grin. “If you keep your promises and you don’t let me down then… yeah, I’ll be your girlfriend.”

  He puts his hands together in a praying motion and tips his head back in a quick thank you to the heavens. “Oh, Bree,” he says, smiling so big it makes me laugh. “You won’t regret this.”

  I slide my hands up his chest and hook them around his neck. “I better not.”

  His strong hands are on my waist, holding me close to him. “Can I kiss you?” he breathes, his lips just inches from mine. A fire roars in my belly, and I want so much more than a kiss from this man.

  “Mhm,” I say. “But not here.”

  “Then where?” he whispers.

  I give him a devilish grin. “My bedroom.”

  His eyes narrow mischievously and then he scoops me up, carrying me straight to my bedroom. He kicks the door closed behind us and then drops me on my bed.

  “Take off your clothes,” I say, reaching for my own shirt.

  He grins, and pulls his shirt over his head in one quick movement. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Chapter 24

  2 months later

  I run my hand down the seat of my dirt bike. Team Loco recently changed all the graphics to this slick royal blue and silver color scheme. It looks great. My gear is all new as well, and this is the first time I’m wearing it. I tug on my jersey and tuck it into my pants, liking the new silver color. It’s a weird time for the team to change their look. Usually they change up the colors at the start of the year.

  Today is the last race of the summer season. In two weeks, the fall circuit begins and I’ve already scored my spot on the team. The fall circuit is more prestigious than the summer series since we’ll race at bigger tracks to larger audiences. All of the uber-famous motocross racers will be there, whereas some of them take off during the summer. But today’s race is the most important one of the summer season. Jett and I are tied for first place. Whoever wins the race today will be the winner of the whole summer series.

  Luckily, that means a win for Team Loco no matter what. But my girl will be here tonight and I’m hoping to win for her. The idea of her flying all the way out to Vegas to watch me lose doesn’t work for me. I need to win.

  I walk over to where my teammates are hanging out under the Team Loco canopy next to our bikes. We’re in the large parking lot area of the arena and the fans haven’t been allowed inside yet, so it’s only VIPs in here now.

  Aiden is back, but his ar
m is still in a cast and he’s not cleared to ride for a few more weeks. He says he’s here for moral support, but I think he’s sick of seeing his family back at home. Like me, he feels more comfortable being in the world of motocross. He lounges in a chair wearing dark sunglasses, his casted arm resting on his stomach.

  Jett and Clay are huddled around Clay’s phone, watching a YouTube video. I don’t know what they’re watching, but I can hear dirt bike sounds coming from the small phone speaker so I guess it’s a video of themselves.

  “Oh my God,” Keanna says. I turn around to see her and Bree walking back to our canopy. Keanna puts one hand to her heart while the other one holds a pink cup with a thick blue straw. “These smoothies are amazing!”

  “I know, right?” Clay says. “They’re like crack. But healthy crack.”

  “What flavor did you get?” Jett asks Keanna. She holds out her cup and he takes a sip.

  I turn my attention to Bree. “Having fun?” I ask, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

  “Mhm,” she says, sipping from her smoothie. “I don’t know what I’d do if Keanna weren’t here to show me around.”

  “I’m glad you two are getting along.”

  She smiles up at me. Things have been so good between us. We’ve had to be long distance for several weeks, but I’ve been flying home after every race just to hang out with her until I have to fly back each weekend. This is the first time she’s come with me to watch me race. Her dad is finally home from the hospital and he’s doing much better. He has a couple of months until he starts physical therapy, but we’re all rooting for him to be okay.

  The Perkins started an online fundraiser for him and the donations have been coming in nonstop. Jett, Clay, and Aiden were nice enough to post about it on their social media pages and now their fans are donating too. I know it won’t lessen the pain of recovery, but now Bree’s family won’t have to stress over how they’ll pay the bills. And because of it, Bree finally felt okay taking a few days off work to travel with me.

  I pull her in close and kiss her lips, which now taste like strawberries and kiwi. “I’m so glad you’re here,” I say just low enough for only us to hear.

  “Me too,” she says with a grin that makes her so cute I could die.

  I haven’t told her the good news yet because we haven’t had much time alone since we flew out here yesterday morning. But two days ago, I called Grant Perkins and talked to him about what his plans were for when he retires. He said he’d never thought about it, but if he’s going to sell the track to anyone, he’d pick me. We talked about how there’s still plenty of time until the day comes, but he knows that I want to buy the track. I want to finish out my professional racing career and then settle down in my hometown with the girl of my dreams. We can build our future at Hopewell Motocross Park. It’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait to tell her.

  Marcus rides up on his golf cart and brings several boxes of catered food for lunch. The races don’t start for a few more hours, so it’s the perfect time to eat. In an hour, the fans will be let into the pit area and I’ll be sighing autographs. The nervous tingle I always get just before a race starts to settle in. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve raced, I still get a little nervous before it. Not that I’ll ever admit that to anyone.

  We eat lunch and then Keanna and Bree decide to get another smoothie from the smoothie food truck. As they walk off, Marcus nudges me in the elbow. “You did good with that one,” he says, nodding toward Bree. “I like her. She’s keeping you grounded and it shows in the way you race. You’re more focused.”

  “Thanks,” I say. “I’m lucky to have her.”

  “That’s for damn sure,” Marcus snorts. “A girl like that is too good for you.”

  I roll my eyes and he punches me playfully in the arm, then he heads back into the large motorhome behind us. Marcus prefers to stay in the air conditioning as long as possible.

  When the pits are opened to the public, all of Team Loco lines up and sits behind tables that separate us from the fans. We all have a stack of posters of ourselves that we sign for everyone. I’m sitting between Clay and Jett. Jett is usually the most popular of the whole team, probably because of his dad’s fame. But today I’m getting just as many squealing fans and people who want to lean across the table to take a photo with me. It feels so good to know I haven’t totally ruined my career.

  I glance back at Bree between signing posters. She’s sitting next to Keanna and she gives me a little wave. I hope I’ll win this race and make her proud. But even if I don’t, I know she’ll still be there for me, still cheering me on and supporting me. I wave back at my girlfriend and then turn back around and smile at the little boy who is eagerly waiting for my autograph. For the first time in my life, I feel like things are finally going the way I want them to.

  I’ve never been happier.

  Thank you for reading Taming Zach! If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review on the site where you bought this book. It doesn’t even have to be long; just one sentence helps out a lot! Click here to leave a review on Amazon.

  Don’t miss the next book in the Team Loco Series

  Alluring Aiden will be released November 27, 2018

  *

  Want to get an email when Amy’s next book is released? Sign up for her newsletter here and get exclusive access to giveaways, new releases, and more!

  Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/bTmkPX

  About the Author

  Amy Sparling is the author of The Summer Unplugged Series, Ella's Twisted Senior Year, Deadbeat & other awesome books for teens and the teenagers at heart. She loves coffee, the beach, and swooning over book boyfriends.

  Amy loves getting messages from her readers and responds to every single one! Connect with her on one of the links below.

  Connect with Amy online!

  Website: AmySparling.com

  Twitter: @Amy_Sparling

  Instagram: @writeamysparling

  Goodreads: goodreads.com/Amy_Sparling

  Wattpad: AmySparlingWrites