“Soon.” I leaned in for a kiss.
She smiled against my lips. “Wait. I need to tell your dad something.”
My eyes misted. I nodded as Kaia turned to face Dad’s headstone.
She cleared her throat. “Hola, Sergio. As you know, I’m going to marry your son. He finally said yes.”
Finally?I laughed through tears.
“And I know things didn’t work out for you, but they will for us.” She glanced at me, her blue eyes shining. “I promise to love him. To be faithful. To fight for him and believe in him even when he doubts himself. He’s in good hands, Sergio. He’ll never be alone.”
I pulled Kaia tight, my chest nearly bursting with love and gratitude. “Thank you,” I whispered, my tears wetting her cheeks.
She smiled and brushed them away with her fingertips. “De nada. I told him the truth.”
I slid my fingers into her hair, holding her close as she tucked her face into my neck. “Te amo.”
“Yo más,” Kaia said.I love you more.
I didn’t argue. Instead, I looked skyward. It felt like Dad was here, watching us. And if he was, he knew how happy she made me.
True love was rare.
But I was lucky enough to have found mine.
EPILOGUE
Kaia
Six years later
“Look! There’s Dad!” Enzo bounced on his toes, pointing his tiny hand at the Jumbotron. At four years old, he was his father’s mini copy.
And his father was leading. I held my breath, watching him push for the finish line.
Be first. Be first. Be first.
It would be his fifth world championship. Another victory in Jerez. Nobody deserved it more than the man I was lucky to call my husband.
“Yes!” Dawson pumped his fist, then leaned down for Enzo’s high-five. Miguel, Maricarmen, and Ale joined in, while all around us the crowd erupted—cheers, claps, whistles—as Asher took his victory lap.
Mila stirred in my arms, pressing her tiny nose into my neck. I adjusted her noise-canceling earmuffs and kissed her forehead. At one year old she still napped easily, but without them the roar of the track would’ve woken her.
“Want me to hold her?” Maricarmen asked. “You’ll want to kiss your husband. Look at him, all cocky.”
I couldn’t hold back a grin as Asher yanked off his helmet and raised both hands to greet the fans. Then he turned, scanning the pit wall like he always did—always searching for us.
Enzo was already perched on Miguel’s shoulders. I passed Mila into Maricarmen’s arms and pushed through the throng, straight toward Asher.
As soon as he spotted me, a breathtaking smile lit his face. I waited until he reached me, then threw my arms around him.
“Congratulations, mi amor.”
He rained kisses across my face, high on adrenaline. “Gracias, peque.”
A shutter clicked. “Don’t mind me,” Nova said. “It’s for your socials.”
Asher kissed my nose. “I want to see the kids before the podium.”
