My brother could have returned to football after a long recovery from his knee injury, but he knew he wouldn’t be the same. I couldn’t blame the dude for not wanting to watch his Hulk status shrivel.
“I admit, with him and Romeo both retired now… the grass is looking hella green on the other side.”
“So what do you want to do?” Trent asked like he was opening a book of endless possibilities and telling me to pick one.
“For now, a dad and husband are enough. In the future? Who knows.”
“I just want you to be happy, Drew. So if you’re ready to retire and that will make you happy, I’m all for it.”
“You won’t miss being married to a pro driver?”
His lips twisted. “I think I can live without the constant worry for your safety.”
“You almost die one time,” I muttered sardonically.
“Once was way more than enough,” Trent deadpanned.
He was right. It had been hell. Yet he still supported me when I made a comeback and didn’t slow down since. I knew it was stressful for him, but he never complained.
“There is one thing I will miss,” he said, a little tongue-in-cheek.
Color me intrigued. I met his eyes. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“Your racing suit.”
Surprise and humor rippled through me. “What?”
“So fucking hot.”
I threw back my head and laughed. Wrapping my arms around him, I snuggled closer. “Is that why you always jump me after races?” I said, kissing along his jaw. “I just thought it was the adrenaline.”
His hands reached around for my ass, digging his fingers into muscle. “A man has to keep some secrets.”
I made a mental note to bring the suit home.
“T?” I asked, pulling back after some mild making out. “You sure you’re okay with me retiring?”
“As long as you’re doing it becauseyouwant to and not because you feel like you have to.”
“This is what I want,” I confirmed. After talking it out with my guy, I was even more convinced than before that this was what I wanted. Besides, I’d always be a driver.
I might be coming to the end of one track, but there was a whole highway out there I’d yet to travel.
8
Trent
The vibrationof the phone against the nightstand roused me from sleep just enough for the sound to be annoying but not enough to make me open my eyes.
When it abruptly stopped, I slipped right back under as though I hadn’t been interrupted at all.
Until it happened again.
This time, the sound didn’t stop, the continuous vibration enough to make my eyes open. It was morning. I could tell that much by the light in the room, but it wasn’t as bright as it usually was when my alarm went off.
I willed myself to silence the noise, but doing so required moving, and I quite liked where I was.
Gazing down, I took in the little peanut wrapped around my side, one leg thrown over mine. A brown bear was on my stomach, her arm tossed over both. Drew squished against my other side, his head pillowed on my shoulder, bedhead tickling my face. His arm was wrapped around Andi, the bear, and me.
