“It’s an adrenaline sport. Fans, drivers, everyone loves a good accident, but a clean one. It’s when the big boys happen that we all seem to cool it. Sometimes it’s on purpose, though no one says it and most of the times it’s on accident, getting too close to someone.” Law placed his arms around mine and his hands planted on my cheeks. I wasn’t letting his face move and neither was he letting mine. “I’ve been lucky enough to only have been in four accident, minor ones, and one large one, back when I was a rookie. Caused me to be out for the rest of the season with a broken leg, but I’ve learned since then. I let the adrenaline overtake me, but when I flipped that damn car and my mom saw me in the hospital, I knew I had to have my head better set into the sport. That’s when I built the track here. It allowed me to hone in the sport more and make better and quicker decisions when driving.”
All of his words hung between us and I was so grateful for them. He had been honest with me and I was relieved to know he had made changes to how he raced because he saw how it affected the people around him.
“Thank you, Law.” I moved my hands down and wrapped my arms around his neck. Law’s hands followed suit and moved toward my hips.
“Anything for you, sugar.” Law had me in his arms instantly and his lips on mine. Before I knew it he was carrying me up the stairs and depositing me on the bed. I watched as he looked around and checked the closet and the bathroom.
“You’ve not unpacked?”
“Well, aren’t you just a mood killer.” I laughed at how upset Law looked. His face was scrunched together and lips pursed as he looked at the suitcase in the corner of the room. I hadn’t unpacked because I had no idea where to put any of my stuff. I didn’t feel comfortable with just choosing a drawer or moving Law’s clothes around to make room for mine.
He didn’t say a word, just grabbed for the case and opened it, taking out a few of my shirts, and then opened one of the dresser drawers on the other side of the room. Clothes went flying out of the drawer and I jumped up trying to grab for Law’s shirts.
“What are you doing?” I laughed at his erratic response.
“Making sure you never leave.”
“What?” I sat up in the bed and watched as Law took more out of the suitcase and started adding it to the closet. I didn’t try to stop him as he finally unloaded the last of my clothes and the now empty suitcase was being placed under the bed, out of sight.
“You can’t leave if you’ve already made yourself at home.” Law made his way back toward me. “This is your home. You know that, right, sugar?”
Law stepped in between my legs and pushed me onto my back.
I lay there, staring up at him. “I know it’s your home.”
“It’s our home,” Law iterated.
“Our home,” I mimicked what he said.
-----
“You leave tomorrow morning again, right?” I asked Law. We were in his truck, parked in an empty parking lot. He had somehow convinced me he was going to try to teach me how to drive before we had to head out to his friend’s farm for the field party they were throwing for his victory this last weekend.
“Stop trying to distract me.” Law was in the passenger seat, buckled in, but turned to the side, facing me.
“Whatever do you mean?” I looked over at him and batted my eyelashes. I had both hands on the steering wheel and the key in the ignition, but I couldn’t even build up the courage to start the damn monster. Law had tried to explain to me about the car, the make, model, the engine, but I didn’t remember a damn thing once he had helped me into the driver’s seat.
“We’ve been trying for two days, but I’m not playing this time.” He laughed. “Start the damn engine.”
“But—”
“Start the damn engine, sugar.”
I pushed the button on the dash and the engine revved to life. This was as far as we normally got before I made some excuse or freaked out and Law gave up, but it didn’t look like that would happen today.
“Keep your foot on the brake and put the car into drive.” He pointed toward the shifter and I placed the car in drive, but we still sat there with no movement.
“Now what?” I looked over at Law, who was smiling from ear to ear.
“Slowly lift your foot off the brake.”
“Oh, hell no.” I placed the car back in park and pulled my foot off the brake.
“Woman. Place the car back in drive and just ease off slowly. Not like you’re going to crash out here.” Law waved his arm toward the windshield to the empty lot. There weren’t even poles in the lot I could possibly run into.
I put my foot back on the break and put the truck in drive, I looked over at Law and slowly eased my foot off the brake.
“Eyes in front.”
