Nitro Crew Complete Series, page 35
“I don’t know what to do, Frankie.” He rested his forehead against mine and closed his eyes.
“Do you want me to stay here while you call the doctor?” I wanted to do whatever I could to make things easier on Brooks. “You could also ask your mom and just see what she says. For all we know, she could hate going to races and would refuse to come. That would solve your problem without even having to call the doctor.”
He sighed heavily. “I’ll call Mom. I’ll put her on speaker.” He grabbed my hand and pulled us behind his desk. He sat down in his chair and patted the desk for me to sit down. “I’d put you in my lap, but I’d get too distracted.”
I hopped up on the desk and handed him the phone. “Ten bucks says she jumps for joy when you ask her.”
“I don’t know about that, doll.” He pulled up her number on his phone and put it on speaker.
“Brooks?” She called.
“Hey, Mom. It’s me and Frankie.”
“Hey, hons. Everything okay? Susan and I are at the store picking up a cake for dinner.”
“We’re having cake for dinner?” I asked. Now that was a meal I could go for. Forget lasagna and tacos when you had cake.
“For dessert, dear,” she laughed.
I wrinkled my nose and pursed my lips. “I’m totally eating my cake before dinner.”
“Hell yeah,” Susan echoed in the phone.
“You’re on speaker too,” Christy laughed.
“Ma, you just said you were in the store. You can’t have the phone on speaker while you’re shopping. Everyone will hear us.” Brooks was such a stick in the mud when it came to his mom.
“Stop being a stick in the mud, Brooks,” Christy scolded. “I’m trying to push the cart and grab stuff.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that Brooks’ mom and I had the same thought.
“Ask her,” I hissed.
Brooks rolled his eyes. “Look, Ma, I was calling to see if you want to come to the race with me this weekend.”
Susan scoffed. “It’s about damn time he offered to bring us along. The man’s traveling the country while you and I watch reruns of Dexter and knit like a bunch of old ladies. Count us in.”
“Mom?” Brooks called.
“You’re sure you want me there? I don’t want to embarrass you or anything.” Christy talked quietly, and I could tell she was nervous about coming to the race.
“You’d never embarrass me, Mom. I want you at all of my races, but I didn’t know if you would be up for it.”
“You never asked, dumbass, so you never would know if she was up for it.”
When I talked to Susan, I felt like I got a glimpse into the future and knew I was going to be exactly like her. Even more sarcastic than I was now and spunky as hell.
“How would you feel about me hiring a new nurse?”
I busted out laughing, and even Christy laughed.
“You signed a contract, so you’re stuck with me for at least eleven more months.”
“Dammit,” Brooks whispered. “Did you want to come with, Mom? Frankie thinks it would be good for you.”
Of course he was going to state that it was my idea so just in case thinks went horribly wrong, I would be the one who got blamed. “You can come and hang out with me in the pits, Christy, and we’ll get you a pair of those booty shorts the AC Cola chicks wear.”
“What?!” Brooks shouted.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Susan hooted. “Count us in.”
“I’ll be there, but I’m not too sure about the booty shorts,” Christy laughed.
Brooks asked her three more times to make sure she was certain before he finally hung up. He tossed the phone on the desk and leaned back in his chair. “If I see one pair of booty shorts close to my mother, there will be hell to pay,” he warned.
I hopped off his desk and leaned into him. I rested my hands on the arms of his chair and stepped between his legs. “What if a pair of those booty shorts happened to find their way into my bag?”
He grabbed me by the waist and lifted me onto his lap. “Now that is acceptable.”
I rested my hands on his shoulders and locked my eyes with his. “Are you okay?”
“You’re in my arms so all is right in the world.”
I rolled my eyes. “What utter bullshit,” I laughed.
“You doubt it, doll, but I’m serious when I say you just being with me makes everything good.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. “Hell, I’ve just sunk basically all of my money into rebranding and I’m going to take my mom on an eight hour road trip. I should be freaking the hell out, but all I can think about is what color underwear you’re wearing today.”
“You’re such a man.”
He lightly smacked my ass. “That’s one of my best qualities.”
I slid my fingers across his scruffy cheek and smiled. “I could think of a couple of other qualities I’m fond of.”
“Oh yeah?”
I nodded and glanced at the door. “You didn’t by chance lock that when we came in here, did you?”
I sly smile spread across Brooks lips, and he nodded.
By the time I walked out of Brooks office, Harlyn had put his calls on hold for over an hour while I went over all of the “qualities” of Brooks I liked.
Being called into the boss’ office really wasn’t that bad.
*
Chapter Thirty-One
Brooks
“You ready, Brooks?”
The car vibrated to life, and I gave Roc the thumbs up.
“Bring it home for King Racing.”
I didn’t know how it happened, but King Racing, in their debut race, had made it all the way to the finals. The car had run like fucking magic all weekend, and I was ready to put it through its final paces to bring the Meyer Royal win home to Leeds Square.
I went through the motions of rolling though the water box, burning out to warm up the tires, then crept toward the start line.
I had my crew chief/business partner in front of me and the best pit crew on the AC Cola circuit behind me. All of the cards in the deck were stacked in my favor, and it was up to me to bring it home.
Time stood still as the three yellow lights lit up, then I rocketed off the line. My eyes stayed on my lane, and I felt the force of the car course through me with each foot that passed.
“Woo!” Roc shouted in my ear. “We fucking did it!”
I shut the car down and came to a rolling stop. I pounded the steering wheel with my fist and waited for the crew to get me out of the car so we could celebrate.
We raced as a team, won as a team, and you bet your ass we were going to celebrate like a team.
*
Frankie
“Susan texted me.”
Brooks rolled to his side, and I watched the sheet slide down his waist to expose his dick. After we had celebrated with the crew in victory lane, Brooks and I had come back to the trailer to have our own victory party.
“Mom okay?”
I nodded and turned my phone to him. Christy had the time of her life this weekend. Watching Brooks win with King Racing on his car was the cherry on top of the sundae. Susan had stayed close to her all weekend, and from what she reported back to Brooks, she showed no signs of her memory slipping. When we had gotten back to the trailer, Susan had left a note that they were off to grab a hot dog before all of the food stands shut down, but from the looks of it, they happened to find something else.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Frankie. We’re going to have to find a new nurse for Mom.” Brooks covered his eyes and shoved the phone away.
“Why?” I laughed. “I think she helps keep your mom young.” I turned the phone back to me and looked at the picture again. “How many fifty-nine year olds do you know who take a picture with four shirtless twenty-something-year-olds?” Christy was in all her glory in a hot guy sandwich.
“Don’t ever show me anything like that when I’m naked and in bed. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get it up again.”
I tossed my phone on the floor and dove into bed with Brooks. “Is that so?” I laughed. “Perhaps I need to help you think of something else. You know, make everything disappear.” I used his cheesy words against him and felt his body shake beneath me.
“I pour my heart and soul out to you, and what do you do? Throw it back in my face.”
“Oh come on. You know I love it, even if it’s cheesy.”
He rested his hands on my hips. “It did get you in my bed, so you can give me shit for it all you want because you’re the one who fell for it.”
“I fell for it, huh?”
“Hook, line, and sinker.”
I rolled my eyes and leaned down to press a kiss to his lips. “I think you were the one to fall for me first, Mr. Holeshot.”
“Mr. Holeshot, huh?”
I nodded. “Yep, you’re always the first off the line and the first over the finish line. You might as well have the official title.”
“And what should your official title be?” He wondered.
“I’m good with Best Car Chief ever.”
“No, no,” he muttered. “We can do better than that.”
I wasn’t sure how we could do better than that.
“How about the woman I love?”
My jaw dropped, and my breath caught in my throat. “Take it back,” I whispered.
He shook his head and had a huge smile on his face. “Nope, I can’t. I said it, and I mean it.”
No one other than my family had ever said they loved me. They had to love me.
Brooks, on the other hand, didn’t have to.
“See,” I whispered. “You really are Mr. Holeshot. You had to be the first one to say you love me.”
“First one to the finish line always wins, doll.”
And that was the damn truth. “What about being second?”
He tilted his head to the side and smiled. “Well, there really is only one time when being second is acceptable.”
“And when is that?”
“I think you know exactly when that is.”
I bit my lip, planted my hands on the bed, and leaned down ‘til my lips hovered above his. “I’m really not okay with not being first.”
“Then you need to be quicker off the line, doll.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “I love you, Brooks.” I held my breath and waited for him to either laugh in my face or wake up from the dream I was surely in.
“I love you, too, Miss Best Car Chief.”
My eyes popped open, and I busted out laughing. “You think maybe you could add in the world on the end of that?”
He shook his head and pressed a kiss to my lips. “You keep giving me a winning car, and everyone in the world will know just how amazing you are, Frankie. We make a pretty good team.”
I fell onto the bed next to Brooks, and he wrapped his arms around me.
Brooks may have said he loved me first, but we were both winners in the end.
*
Chapter Thirty-Two
Jay
I was slightly drunk, and my brain tried to file through all of the girls I had been with, but I came up blank. She looked familiar, but that was it.
“Do you remember me?”
I paused for a second to make sure I wasn’t about to slur and laid on my usual charm. “I never forget a pretty face, darlin’.” I didn’t, it was just remembering the name that went along with the pretty face I struggled with. Especially when I was nine beers into a twelve pack.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head as if she wasn’t impressed with me. “We hung out a couple of months ago.”
As if that was going to jog my memory. “Oh yeah? We had a great time.” I wished like hell I could remember her name. I very rarely had run-ins with the chicks I hung out with after everything was said and done.
She had the look of someone I would be attracted to, though Frankie and Remy would say that meant she was breathing.
“I know you don’t remember me, but I had to come and talk to you.”
Warning bells went off in my head. I didn’t do repeats. If this chick and I had only hooked up once, that meant we were done. “Oh yeah.”
She took a step closer and tilted her head back to look at me. “I know you’re drunk as hell and probably won’t remember this in the morning, but I can’t leave here without saying something. My name is Delaney, and I’m ninety-nine percent sure you’re the father of my baby.”
My world rolled onto its axis, and I only got one word out before the floor rushed up to me and I blacked out. “Delaney?”
The End
Redlight
Chapter One
Delaney
“Is he dead?”
I crouched down next to Jay and took his pulse. “He appears to have just passed out. Do you have a glass of water or some smelling salts?”
The girl who I assumed was Frankie wrinkled her nose. “I can get the water for you, but last I checked, we aren’t in the eighteen hundreds where smelling salts were a must-need thing.”
“Water will do.”
Frankie didn’t move. “What did you say to him?”
I pressed my knees to the floor and sat back on my butt. “Just that I’m pregnant, and he’s the father.”
Her jaw slowly dropped and a low, “No,” came from her mouth.
“Yes. I’m certain of it.” Was it really that hard to believe I was pregnant? I had taken three tests at home and had already been to see an OBGYN.
I was pregnant, and Jay was the father.
“Are you sure you didn’t kill him? I’m pretty sure that would kill him.”
“Yes, I’m also certain of that. Could I get that water, please?” I could tell her ten times, over and over again, after she got me the water. I assumed Jay had passed out from the shock of my words, but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t because of all of the alcohol he had consumed. Lord knows that Jay was good at drinking.
“Water. Got it,” Frankie mumbled. She moved through the crowd of people to the kitchen.
I pressed the back of my hand to Jay’s forehead and sighed. If this was how he reacted when he found out I was pregnant, then he wasn’t going to be any help when I actually went into labor.
I had known I was pregnant for two weeks, but I just had a chance to tell Jay because he hadn’t been in town before now. Perhaps I could have broken the news to him a little more gently, but that wasn't really my style.
Why delay the inevitable?
“Here ya go.” Frankie thrust the glass to me and crouched down on the other side of Jay. “Should we move him?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m certain he’s fine.” I flicked a couple of drops of water on his face, but he didn’t move.
“Shouldn’t he have woken up from that?”
I shrugged and poured a trickle of water on his face. Not the most professional thing to do, but I had to admit, it was fun.
Jay sputtered awake and jackknifed off the floor. He gasped, sucked in a huge breath of air, and swiped at his face. “What the hell?” he yelled.
“Dude, I thought you died,” Frankie laughed. I don’t think Jay was the only one who had been drinking.
“I’m not dead,” he insisted.
“Obviously,” she laughed. “Just having a baby,” she giggled.
“Baby?” he asked.
I guess he didn’t remember anything from before he passed out. “I’m Delaney.” Might as well as start from the beginning.
Jay weakly shook my hand. “Uh, hi.”
“Are you going to pass out on me again?” We were still on the side of the large living room, and no one really seemed to care that Jay had just passed out. You had to love the way people were at parties.
“I didn’t pass out.”
I rolled my eyes and stood. I held my hand out for him, but he brushed it aside and stood on his own. “Well, you must call having your eyes roll back in your head and hitting the floor something different than me.”
Frankie howled with laughter, and Jay scowled at me. “Remind me again why you’re here?” he growled.
Well, that was a bit of an asshole thing to say.
“I’ve been needing to talk to you, and I heard you were going to be at this party tonight.” The fact I had heard about it from my mother was something I wasn’t going to mention. Even I knew that was lame.
“I don’t think we know each other.”
Frankie snickered. “Pretty sure you know each other in the biblical sense.”
Jay glared at Frankie.
“Though that could be said about you and half of the girls here tonight,” she added.
I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. “Well, I’m not here to talk about that. I just wanted you to know I was pregnant and you’re the dad.” There. I had said it out loud for the second time.
“That’s not possible,” Jay insisted. “I don’t even know who you are.”
“She’s Delaney, and you boinked her.” Frankie busted out laughing again.
She wasn’t helping make this go any better.
“We met at a party on West Street about six weeks ago.”
“I’m pretty sure I would remember getting a chick pregnant.”
“You don’t know how any of this works, do you?” Frankie shook her head and clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s a good thing you’ve got a pretty face, Jay. I’m gonna go tell the rest of the guys we need to start calling you daddy.”
Frankie disappeared into the crowd, and Jay turned to look at me.
More like he glared at me.
He wasn’t happy. Not at all.
“We need to find a place to talk.”
I shrugged and looked around. “You tell me where.”
