“One and the same,” I say with a smile.
“How the hell did I not know you were racing here today?” Before I can answer, he turns to another guy on his team. “Yo, Kevin, check this out! Connor Lang is racing today!”
After that, more and more people catch on to the fact that I’m here and ready to race.
Fuck, it feels good.
I’m standing off to the side, shaking hands with athletes, coaches, and fans, when a familiar barrel-chested frame pushes through the crowd.
“What thefuckdo you think you’re doing?” Grey growls at me.
“Racing.”
“Not for Patterson, you’re not.”
“Grey, I wouldn’t race for Patterson if you were the last snowboarding company left on the planet.” I point to the patch over my chest. “I race for Fall Line Boards.”
“What the fuck is Fall Line Boards?”
Turner appears between Vox and me, one arm thrown over each of our shoulders as he calmly states, “Your newest and biggest competitor.”
Snarling, Grey leans in. “This is how you repay me for rescuing you from that shitty office job and your lackluster life?”
I can’t help but laugh. “Of course not, this is how I’m repaying you for introducing me to the love of my life, taking advantage of him, threatening us both, and keeping him locked in a gilded cage.”
“You weresupposedto help me keep Voxinline, not push himoutof it,” he bites.
Beside me, Vox speaks up. “Grey, you should know by now, I take the same line every time. Thefall line. The fastest, steepest,most direct route to victory. You had no fucking right to keep him from meorpull me from this competition. And you definitely have no right to be pissed that we figured out a way to win anyway.”
Grey’s angry eyes and ruddy cheeks zero in on Vox. “I fuckingmadeyou; therefore, I have every right to do as I please.”
Turner pushes past Vox and me, squaring up to Grey.
“That’s funny. I don’t remember you being there the night Alyssa and I brought Vox into this world.”
It dawns on me in this moment that this is the first time I’ve ever heard Vox’s mom’s name.
“And I don’t remember you being there from the day I met him until you randomly decided you briefly wanted to play father,” Grey fires back.
“I never claimed to be perfect, but he was still my son, you bastard.”
My presence was already drawing a crowd, but the heated argument is driving even more attention our way, and suddenly, Renner breaks through the throng.
“What the hell, dude?” he says, clapping my hand and pulling me in for a bro-hug as though we’re friends and not recently coach and athlete. “You didn’t tell me you were racing!” Laughing, he adds, “Damn, now I get to tell my kids I got my ass kicked by Vox MontgomeryandConnor Lang.”
Grey turns his eyes toward Renner.
“Mr. Gentry, I expectyouto come out of this race on top.”
Renner snorts a laugh. “Yeah, right.” Fist-bumping Vox, he winks. “I’ll catch you later.”
“This isn’t over,” Grey says as he begins to back away.
“I’m pretty sure it is,” Vox corrects.
Thirty minutes later, Vox is standing behind my chute, where the other coaches are standing with their athletes.
“I know you wish you were in this box right now,” I tell him. “But I’m going to do my best to make you proud.”
