15. Ryder
Ryder
R andall sits at the head of the table, defeated, but I want to know if he’s genuinely trying to make amends or just save face. “Sir, are you going to allow Blake to continue racing?”
His jaw muscles ripple as he clenches and unclenches his teeth. It takes him several moments before his shoulders sag and he says, “If that’s what she wants. Having a brother and sister team will be something new.”
At least he’s trying to change. It’s a start.
Teague pushes his chair back and stands up, pacing the room. “Um, it would only be until the end of the season. I won’t be driving for Morrison Motors next year. Too many strings.”
Blake bobs her head in agreement. “I’ve already been offered a team position back at Wheelie Good Tires after the season ends. I spent five years after graduation helping them take their company to the next level in the corporate world while practicing with their team in my spare time. When a slot opened up, Mark gave me the opportunity I’d dreamt about. He’s supported me from the very beginning. I’ll be racing with Ryder next season.”
Randall buries his face in his hands and begins to sob. The strong and fierce businessman I’ve always known is nothing but a broken, hollow shell before us. “I’ve lost everything. My children. My racing team. Soon, my company.”
This piques my interest. “Why would you lose your company, Randall?”
“After today’s fiasco, the stock prices for Morrison Motors took a big hit. I’m supposed to be about family values, and with what people witnessed today, I fell short of that. I have not been a good father, and now everyone knows it.”
Blake stands up and walks around to hug her dad from behind. “It’s not too late to change things, Dad. In this moment, you have a chance to turn things around and simply love us as we love you. Neither of us wanted to walk away from you , just the expectations. Teague is right. No more strings. No more dangling carrots. No more ultimatums or threats. We don’t need your money or your company to be happy, so those shenanigans won’t work. We just need you, your unconditional love, and support. Everything will fall into place when the time is right. Show the world you’re capable of being the family man you claim to be.”
Randall’s eyes still stream with tears. “Can both of you ever forgive me?”
“Yes,” Blake says without hesitation, and my heart bursts with pride. I glance over at Teague, waiting for his response.
“I’m willing to try because you honestly thought you were doing the right thing, Dad, even if you went about it the wrong way. You lied, manipulated, and threatened us—Blake more so than me. That’s going to be sitting in the back of my mind for a very long time and difficult to forget. It’s going to take time for me to believe that the other shoe isn’t going to drop.”
Since I’ve already told Randall I forgive him, I remain silent.
Standing up and wiping his eyes, Randall says, “I’ll do everything I can to prove that I’m letting go of my selfish ways because it has yielded nothing of true value. It may take me some time, and I’m going to mess up, but I’m going to try my very best. Instead of protecting you and securing your future like I’d hoped, I’ve smothered you both.” He looks at me. “Take care of my baby girl, Ryder. The two of you have my blessing.”
I didn’t really need it, but it’s nice to know that somewhere down the road, and once Blake and I are married, our kids will be able to visit their grandpa. I haven’t had much in the way of family growing up, and life in a biker gang was pretty rough. It’s no place for a big family, but having one is something I’ve always dreamed of even if I didn’t think I’d be very good at it. For the first time, I can picture the woman who will be by my side to make it happen.
“Blake is an exceptional woman, and Teague is one of the best men I know. You didn’t do everything wrong, Randall. You played a part in shaping who they’ve become, and your children are upstanding and caring people. Take solace in that. I haven’t seen much compassion in my life, but both of them cared enough to look beyond my surface and get to know me. Despite your misgivings about me, you loved your son enough to give me a chance at a brighter future. So, thank you.”
I extend my hand to show that I don’t harbor any ill will, but Randall doesn’t take it. He steps toward me and hugs me instead. It’s awkward and quick, but a kind gesture, nonetheless. He places his hands on my shoulders and looks me square in the eyes. “I never thought I’d say this to you, Ryder, but you’re the type of man I wish I’d been.”
I drop my voice to just above a whisper. “You still can be.”
He dips his chin once to acknowledge my words and then steps back. He rings a bell, calling one of his staff. Moments later, a woman appears out of nowhere with four envelopes and three sets of keys.
Randall clears his throat. “I’d like to say that this is in no way an attempt to buy your love, because tonight you’ve shown me how much of it you already have; not only for me, but for each other. It was wrong of me to hold anything over your heads to get my way. This is just me, trying to be the father I should have been all along. There are times when it’s necessary to earn what you get, and then there are times to be spoiled. I’ve made you work for everything so far; now it’s time to reward you. I am proud of each of you, even if I haven’t always shown it. I’ll strive to do better.”
He hands each of us a set of keys and an envelope, keeping one for himself. “The cars outside have had the Morrison Motors logo removed and are now registered in your name. I can’t take them back, so you can be assured there are no strings attached. Blake, I’ve taken the governor off your car. It’s time for you to fly like you were always meant to. I never should have clipped your wings.”
The corners of my mouth reach my ears as I stroke the keys in my hand and quote Gollum from Lord of the Rings , “Myy Preciousss.”
“Oh, no! We’ve lost him, Dad,” Blake jokes, but then becomes serious. “Thank you for the gift.” For her, the gift wasn’t the car itself, but rather the removal of the governor. It symbolizes her freedom.
I clear my throat and straighten up, dangling the keys in front of me. “Thank you, Randall. I’m not gonna lie. I missed my baby.”
Randall wraps an arm around his daughter. “I don’t blame you, but now you have my baby, and she’s even more precious.”
I hold out my hand for Blake, inviting her to step into my embrace. “That I do, and I plan to take very good care of her.”
Teague covers his face. “No! No! No! No kissing! Save it for later! Dad, shield your eyes!”
“Grow up!” Blake scolds her brother.
“Never! I’m like Peter Pan!” Teague retorts.
With the somber mood now lightened, Randall waves the last envelope to gain everyone’s attention. Once he has it, he hands the envelope to Blake. “There’s one organization that has played a significant role in your life, and though Ryder gave me more credit than I deserved, I know that Play It Forward also helped shape the person you’ve become. This is just the first donation of many to come.”
Blake opens the envelope, and her eyes widen at the numerous zeros on the check. “Five million dollars?” she asks, astounded.
“Once you and your brother take over Morrison Motors, you can change the amount. I currently have it set at five percent of the annual profits,” Randall says. When Blake hands the check back because of the assumption that she will still take over his company, Randall raises his hands to placate her. “Only when you’re ready. If that never happens, then I’ll make the donation a non-negotiable stipulation if I have to sell. I promise; no strings.”
“That’s good, because I accepted the offer of the CEO position at Wheelie Good Tires, and I’ll be racing part-time next season.”
I stare down at Blake in disbelief. “You won’t get enough points to make the playoffs if you do that,” I say.
She smiles and pats my chest with her fingertips. “Then I’ll have to make the rest of this season count.”
Two weeks fly by while training at a facility about 20 miles west of Houston. The drive to work takes more than an hour each way, and I find myself wanting to speed along the country roads to get back and see Blake. The one thing stopping me is the idea that one more ticket results in jail time and a loss of my license.
Training has been a little different at Wheelie Good Tires. Instead of the full-motion simulators I’m used to using, I’ve been practicing on a mobile simulator that’s still pretty sweet. It’s not as effective, but since the company is based out of Maine, it’s the best they could come up with when Blake moved to Texas. They’ll be building a more permanent training facility down the road from the regional office where Blake will be working for the foreseeable future.
Exhaustion weighs heavily on me as I close my eyes and lean my head against the back of the couch. Blake’s willowy form is nestled next to me as we watch a movie; or at least try to. I can barely keep my eyes open. Usually, I do my simulator training on Wednesdays, but I’ve shifted it to the day before so I can have more time at Play It Forward. That makes Tuesdays much longer than I’m accustomed to.
The sound of Blake’s voice wakes me from my impromptu nap. “It’s hard to believe that the annual event is only a few days away. Tomorrow will be less mentoring and more heavy lifting. It’s a good thing you’ve got the muscles.”
“Muscles that feel like jelly.” I clasp the hand she has resting on my chest and start nipping at the tips of her fingers. The sound of her giggling warms me from the inside out.
“I’m sure that’s how Trevor’s brain feels after his Algebra test yesterday.”
“Yeah, but he’s a lot better since I took him and his family to Friendly’s for dinner and ice cream to celebrate his B+. His mind is fully refueled after the size of his meal. I don’t know where he put all the food. I don’t remember eating that much when I was growing up,” I joke.
“That’s not what your dad said when we saw him Sunday. Your dad told me the story of how you used to eat so much he had to put a lock on the fridge so there was food for him, too.” Blake has urged me to continue visiting my father, even though he’ll be out of prison in six months. She has accompanied me twice over the past two weeks.
I grin. “I was a growing boy!”
She turns in my arms as the movie plays in the background. “What’s your excuse now? You ate three veggie omelets after our workout session this morning! And don’t forget the four pieces of toast, two sides of bacon, cottage cheese, and a big bowl of fruit! I bet your lunch was a sight to behold.”
Mark doesn’t have any issues with me continuing my physical training regimen with Teague, but now that Blake’s secret is out, she’s been joining us almost every morning—including going out to breakfast afterward.
“I eat like that, so I have the energy to do this!” I begin tickling her sides, causing her to squirm. In an attempt to escape the onslaught, her elbow inadvertently connects with my nose, and I scream like a girl. “Ahh! Kleenex! Kleenex!” I shout as I stem the gush of blood.
Thankfully, she gets the hint when she sees crimson flowing from my nostrils. “Oh! Oh! Oh! I’m so sorry!” She scrambles to find a box of tissues and ends up falling on the floor in her haste to help. “Where are they?”
She doesn’t give me a chance to answer as she runs to the bathroom, only to come back with a wad of toilet paper. The problem is that she didn’t tear it from the roll, and there is a long trail that reminds me of the days when my friends and I would TP someone’s house. Not my finest moment in life, but still a fun memory.
“Hank hu,” I say as I press the tissue to my face and head to the kitchen to pull out the ice bin. With one hand, I grab the dishtowel hanging on the oven door handle and then use it to wrap some ice. Switching out the tissue for the rag, I lean my head back and sigh in relief as the coolness soothes the ache.
“How did your brother ever survive the summers with you?” I ask. “You’re a scrapper!”
Blake’s beautiful smile blooms on her face. “He always brought out the big guns.”
I flex the muscles in the arm that’s not currently being used to stifle the bleeding. “Like this one?”
She titters. “As impressive as your biceps are, Teague brought out the really big guns. He tattled to Mom! Now we keep our feuds on the track, which helps keep the peace. May the best sibling win.”
“I really wish you’d reconsider racing full-time. We’d get to be together more often,” I tell her.
She kisses the sensitive part of my neck that she knows elicits shivers from me. “We won’t be racing together next season, Ryder.”
“Why not? Did you change your mind and decide to continue driving for Morrison Motors?” With a top ten finish last weekend in Daytona and her second-place finish at COTA, Randall has been changing his tune and begging Blake to stay.
“No. I’ll still be racing for Wheelie Good Tires, but Mark and I had a long talk today about your future. After this season, you’ll be training in a different car—the ones used in the Cup Series. Your times are good enough to pole in a few of the races if you can handle the extra horsepower.”
Wow! Mark wants me to race in the big leagues. I toss the rag in the sink now that my nose has stopped bleeding and wrap my arms around her waist to draw her as close to me as she can get. I lean down and nibble on her ear and then whisper, “If I can handle you, I can handle anything.”
She giggles and then pats my cheeks. “Oh, Ryder, that’s so sweet. But when it comes to ‘handling’ me, you still have the training wheels on.”
“When do the training wheels come off?” I ask as I pepper her face with tender kisses, taking special care to avoid her lips. I’m saving the best for last.
One side of her mouth lifts in a cute smirk that works for her. “When you’re fully committed to winning the checkered flag.”
I press my lips to hers and show her just how committed I am.