“Tess…wait,” he pleads.
My throat tightens with unshed tears and vulnerability. I clear my throat and open the door. “I’ll see you out there.”
“Tessa.”
“I’m fine,” I insist. “Clear your head and find your center. I’ll see you out there.”
I tell myself to do the same, but the entire walk through the paddock, over to the pit wall, is a blur. I have never had a hard time finding my own center.
But as I slip my headset on and stare across the paddock, I realize something that's terrifying. Somehow, over the last few months, Rome has become my center.
I can’t help but feel lost without his icy eyes pointed in my direction during the national anthem. I opt out of searching for him when the drivers climb into their cars so I can save myself from even more rejection and confusion.
It’s time to focus.
I smile at Gia when she hands me a Diet Coke in a can, unopened. I pop the top, take a quick sip, and lower the mic to my lips.
“Radio check.” I push away my nerves. “Can you hear me?”
“I’m sorry,” he says.
I exhale. “Rome, can you hear me?”
“Yes, and I know you can hear me.” His voice is strained. “I’m sorry. I know you–”
“You don’t have to explain,” I interrupt him.
His scoff echoes inside my ears. “Just give me until after this race, and I will be able to explain. Okay?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot my dad stepping up onto the pit wall beside me. “Front-row seat?” I ask him, faking a smile.
“Give your dad the headset,” Rome says. “Quick.”
I don’t argue. I slip the headset off and give it to my dad, who takes it with one eyebrow raised.
“Rome?” He’s cautiously on guard.
I nibble on the end of my thumbnail and look down the pit wall. Everyone is in their rightful place with the race starting in less than a minute. Things are shaky, though. Something isn’t right, but maybe it’s the sudden wedge between Rome and me that has me on edge.
My dad hands the headset back to me, but I don’t have time to question what Rome said to him.
The countdown has started, and Rome’s evened breathing is in my ear.
“After the race, it’ll all make sense, Princess.”
“Focus,” I say to him.
But really, I’m the one who should focus, because right as Rome takes off, my attention is on my dad and the way his shoulders tense as he glances down the line at Lucas Pierce.
Chapter Forty-Four
ROME
The marginfor error on a street circuit like this is next to nothing. One minuscule mistake and you're in the wall, which is why my focus should be laser sharp. Which has never been an issue. Until now.
My head is in another place.
Driving is second nature to me, so I’m doing okay in position due to my qualifying, but it isn’t until Tessa’s demands come in that I’m pulled back in at the last second.
