Epilogue
Royce
ABU DHABI - THE FINAL RACE
It all comes down to this race. If I cross the line in the top three, the world championship is mine.
My mind momentarily flits back to our flight, Athena on my lap, her back to me and my fingers pressing into the soft skin of her stomach as I pin her skirt around her waist. She loves going on top, being in control, or so she thought.
Truth is, I love her on top too. I love watching the way her tits bounce up and down, love watching the way my cock stretches her tight cunt.
The way her cunt glides up and down my cock, squeezing me with each roll down. Fuck. I am obsessed with her.
“Royce.” Marcel my race engineer walks over to me, a giddy smile pressed against his lips. “You all good?”
“I’m all good,” I chime. Glancing over my shoulder, I feel her before I see her as she walks down the tunnel and towards me.
“One sec,” I say to Marcel as she runs towards me and I scoop her into my arms. My fingers lock behind her back; I lift her feet off the floor as she kisses me.
“I just wanted to say good luck.”
I smile, placing her feet back on the floor. “I don’t need good luck when you’re here, baby,” I whisper, and give her another kiss.
“It’s race time,” my dad’s voice claps through the garage, and I roll Athena into my arm as I hold her close to my side. “You doing okay?”
“Yes.” I smirk.
“Did you get enough sleep?”
I roll my eyes. I didn’t. I was far too occupied. I look to Athena who ducks her face into my armpit as she hides the blush.
My dad is toe to toe with me, his hand pressing against my chest. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispers. His other hand cups around the back of my head as he brings his forehead to mine. “Whatever the outcome, I want you to know that.”
I close my eyes for a moment, nodding.
“It’s time.” His voice is steady, but I know inside he is probably a nervous wreck.
I place another kiss to Athena’s temple as she walks to join the girls. Glenn gives me a pat on the back as he passes through followed with a wink.
I am good under pressure. I know that. But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious. This is all I have dreamt of since I was a kid.
But now, I have new dreams. My eyes slice to her, the woman I am going to ask to marry me after this race. The woman whom I want to spend the rest of my life with. The woman who I am so irrevocably in love with…
Reaching for my helmet, I glance at the new design.
Yellow stars, mixed with smoky grey clouds and shimmers of silver glitter connecting all of them.
I chose them because they remind me of her freckles.
The ones I would join together, as I mapped out the constellations that only I knew existed whilst she was sleeping on my chest.
My heart lurches against my rib cage. Spinning the helmet around, there in tiny detail is a snow globe, with a manuscript tucked inside. Underneath, in her writing, she wrote Lucky.
Looking up, my fingers gripped just inside the helmet, she gives me a smile.
“Come here.” My voice rumbles and my heart swells as she stands in front of me, eyes locked on mine.
“You’ve got this.” She presses her hands against my race suit, softly tapping her fingertips.
I give a steady nod.
“Bring it home, baby,” she whispers, pushing onto her tiptoes as she kisses me one last time.
“Four laps to go, Royce.” Marcel’s calm voice floats through my ears, the lights whizzing past me as I drive around the track.
I take each apex with care, not wanting to fuck this up by getting track limits, plus there’s the plank under the car. It was that close of a fight between me and Matt that I couldn’t risk anything.
“How’s the car looking?” My voice trembles as I glide the car over the kerb.
“All good, Royce,”
Checking in my mirrors, I see Ajax is gaining.
“Time between me and Ajax.” I’m trying to keep my cool.
“Two seconds, you’re all good, mate.”
I can feel him breathing down my neck. My fingers tighten around the steering wheel. Crossing the line, I count down in my head.
Three laps to go.
“Get Athena,” I breathe as I cruise down the straight, gliding the car around the first apex and flying through sector one.
“Everything okay, Royce?” my dad’s voice echoes down the mic.
“Just get Athena,” I ask again, but this time my words come out in a beg. I can hear a slight commotion, my breaths low and heavy.
“Royce.” Her voice slips around me like silk, wrapping me tightly.
“Hey baby,” I croon, “just needed to hear your voice.”
“You’re doing so well.”
I inhale sharply. “Hey, lucky.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you remember back in Las Vegas when I said we should get married?”
Her soft giggles fill my ears. “Yes,” she whispers.
“Fuck.” I sigh, pushing the car to its limits as I drive down the short back straight. “Should have married you there.”
She goes silent on me.
“I love you, Athena. I’m not even thinking about winning.” I pause for a moment as I turn sharply, slowing down as I roll the car round and accelerate out of the corner. “All I’m thinking about is you, waiting for me when I climb out that car.”
Two laps to go.
“I’ll be there.”
Checking my mirrors, it’s clear Ajax is closer. “Time on Ajax,” I bark.
“Just under a second, mate,” Marcel’s collected tone eases my nerves.
“You’ve got this, Royce.”
Her words sink inside of me, and I curse as I take the corner wide, slowing myself down which helps Ajax out as he tries to lunge up the inside. Pulling tight to the corner, I slide around it before pulling away and leaving him behind.
“Just stay on the radio.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Her voice is steady and calm. “And that married in Vegas thing? How about we jet off somewhere and do it?”
One lap to go.
“Fuck,” I whisper down the radio, my heart pounding in my chest, the blood thrashing in my ears.
“For real?”
“For real.”
Silence echoes momentarily.
“Now bring it home, baby.” The softness of her tone pushes me as I drive like this was my last chance. I have wanted this since as long as I could remember, and now, it was finally about to happen.
Rounding the last corner, I watch the fireworks go off as I chase down the finish line, weaving my car from the kerb and my heart stops beating for just a second as I cross the line.
“Oh my God.” Her voice is there. “You did it! Baby! You did it,” she screams down the radio.
“Royce!” My dad’s excited yell cracks through. “You are the champion, THE WORLD CHAMPION! OH MY GOD.” He is shouting, and I have tears rolling down my cheeks.
“I done it,” I say, my voice breathy. “Oh my God, has this actually happened? Am I the new world champion?” I choke, because suddenly, this doesn’t feel real.
“You are the world champion, baby.” There she is, her voice, my lucky charm.
“I can’t believe it,” I whisper, opening my visor and gripping my helmet, my tears soaking into my gloves.
“Well, believe it. You got your dream.” Her voice is shaky.
“No, baby, I already had my dream. My dream was you.” A soft laugh vibrates through me as I pull the car into P2.
“I’ll see you on the other side,” she whispers.
“I’ll find you,” I mutter.
“I know.”
Removing the headrest, I pop it behind me and lift the steering wheel, placing it just past the halo. I push out my car on shaky legs, my hands on my hips as I look around the crowd. All I see are flashes of yellow and grey filling the stadium.
Dropping my head, I shake it, still in disbelief that this has happened. I twist to face my car, taking a step or two forward before I crouch down beside it and rest my arm and helmet against the still warm tyres.
I have won. I am the world champion.
Finally finding the strength to move, I run towards my team and they’re waiting for me to jump into their arms, but I don’t.
I spot her instantly, throwing myself against her. She pushes me away gently, placing her hands either side of my crash helmet and levels her eyes with mine. Tears stain her cheeks. My hand cups her face and this is all I have wanted.
My new dreams and old dreams colliding, exploding into an array of colours showing me that they can co-exist. I could have both. I don’t need to settle for one.
“Marry me.” My voice cracks and she bounces her eyes against my glazed blues, brows digging in. My words drown in the crowds and cheers. She furrows her brows.
I fumble with the strap under my chin and drag my helmet and balaclava from my sweaty head. Curling my fingers and letting it balance on them. My eyes fall to her mouth.
I inhale heavily, sucking in the fresh air before my hand is back on her face, tilting her lips to mine.
“Marry me,” I say again, and this time she hears me.
She nods, a fresh stream of tears glazing her cheeks as I kiss her, holding her against me as I soak up every single second of this.
I had done it. And the best part of it all, I had her by my side the whole time.
We may have started as dirty little fakes, but not anymore. Everything had changed, apart from one little detail.
Her. My lucky charm.
I was all fucking in.