He sidesteps when I try to move around him again.
I start to push him out of my way when Norm calls me from the opposite side of the garage.
“Glad to see you’re okay.” He pushes his way through to stand beside Drake. “Not being able to finish the race sucks, but there’s probably a way we can spin this.” He snaps his fingers. “Oh, your sponsorship deal with?—”
“Get out of my way,” I tell my agent through gritted teeth.
His eyes bulge and he takes a hesitant step back.
“Travis?” Annalise’s voice captures my attention.
I brush past a few of my team members to get to my sister. “Where is she?”
Her forehead wrinkles as I ignore the hustle and bustle around us. There’s still a race going on and Skyland is still in it.
“Is she okay?” I ask Alyssia. “Was she rubbing her shoulder?” I ask before she can answer my first two questions.
“Her shoulder? What?”
“If she’s rubbing her shoulder that means she’s scared. If she—” My words catch when I look up from my sister and see Alyssia slowly descending the stairs.
Her watery eyes meet mine, and I pass my sister and shoulder my way through the crowd of Amato crew and even the rest of my family to get to her.
“Travis?” Her voice is wobbly as if she’s afraid to say my name louder for fear I’ll disappear.
I pull her into my arms. “I’m okay,” I say into her ear so that only she can hear.
“Are you sure?” she asks, pulling back to inspect me for herself.
Right now, I hate myself.
Knowing I’m the person that’s put this fear in her eyes makes me want to claw my own chest out. A battle rages inside of me to scoop her up and take her back home where it’s just the two of us, or to follow team protocol and carry on with the rest of my work.
I’m still obligated to do post-race interviews, speak with my team, and most of all figure out what the hell happened out there.
It has me question what the hell I’m doing all of this for.Is the price of a championship worth it, if it terrifies the woman I lo?—
“Travis, we have to get you checked out more thoroughly. That was a nasty accident and then there’re some interviews you need to finish,” Drake calls from behind me, as if I’m unaware of the drill.
I hug Alyssia to me again and kiss her. It’s too brief for my liking, but I know if I don’t pull away now I never will.
And where will that leave me?
I release Alyssia and turn to my sister who’s never far. “Take care of her,” I tell Annalise in her ear.
Each step away from Alyssia feels like a blade slicing through my heart.
Tingles runthrough my body as Alyssia runs her finger along my belly, tracing the largest bruise there.
She’s been quiet for the past ten minutes we’ve been lying in bed, staring at one another. Well, I’ve been watching her while she’s examining the bruises that’ve formed along my abdomen and chest as a result of today’s accident.
While I could’ve hidden them from her by wearing my shirt to bed, I wanted her to see that I really am fine after what happened today.
After all of my post-race interviews and going over with my team about what happened, we assessed that something went wrong with one of the tires. Once I got caught in another driver’s downforce, things got messy, and in Monaco it doesn’t take much to end up in the wall.
This is the last place I would’ve wanted a crash to end my race. Not over pride solely, but because this is one of the few races where my entire family is here.
And, most importantly, Alyssia.
