As Niki strides toward me, Billy says, “You’re not an F1 fan, are you, Scott? Rugby is his thing.”
“I’m still proud of you,” a man replies, and suddenly I’m transported to a beach in Australia on the night Tabi was conceived.
I turn to Scott.
His eyes meet mine.
“No,” I whisper. “It can’t be you.”
His mouth drops as he stares at me. “Rugby girl. I didn’t think I’d recognise you, but you look exactly the same.”
Tabi’s dad is Billy’s stepbrother.
I swallow the golf ball in my throat, but it won’t go down. Sweat rolls down my back, and my body shakes.
“Can we chat?” Niki asks me.
I can’t get my words out. I grit my teeth as Scott’s brow furrows. The black curls. The bright green eyes. So much of her is him.
“Niki, sorry about the tap, mate. It was your fault, though,” Billy says.
“Typical Billy, unable to take responsibility for shitty driving.” Tawny rolls her eyes.
“She’s got your number, Billy,” Scott says, but his laugh is strained. He stares at me before nodding at Niki. “Well done for your race.”
Niki threads his fingers through mine, but it doesn’t calm my frantic pulse. “We need to chat,” he whispers in my ear.
“You called Rosie ‘rugby girl,’” Jacs tells Scott. “When did you two meet?”
“Australia, five years ago,” I stutter.
Niki glances at my face, then Scott’s. His hands shake as he slowly stares at Scott’s black curls and bright eyes. His mouth drops, and I’m torn between grabbing him for comfort and telling Scott he has a daughter.
“Oh my god, you’ve got her eyes,” Jacs adds.
“Whose eyes?” Scott and Billy say at the same time.
The group falls silent. Everyone stares at me.
“Niki Coulter, come speak with me,” Filip, Vessa’s notorious team boss, demands.
My breath comes out in rasps, and vomit scales my throat.
“One second, Filip,” Niki says, his voice tight.
He eases me away from the group, my foot catching on a stone. He grabs me to stop me from falling.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” he pants. “I can’t believe I met Tabi’s dad months ago. I had no idea.” Niki pulls a hand down his face. “Fucking hell.”
“I know. I can’t think straight, but I need to speak to Scott and tell him about Tabi away from everyone,” I stammer. My heard thuds, and I wrap my arms around myself to stop my body tremors. “I never thought I’d see him again.”
“I can’t even process this. You’re coping so well, Rosie.” He squeezes his eyes shut and takes a deep breath. “Okay, so you’re going to speak to him. Do you want me with you when you do?”
I glance at Filip, who taps his foot in frustration. Filip is the team boss of the most successful Formula One team. If Niki drives for him, he’ll be back on top as the man he deserves to be. I can’t stop that chat. It might be his big break into becoming who he was before.
“No.” I shake my head. “I should do it on my own.”
It’s not what my heart tells me. I want Niki’s support, but he must chase his dreams.
