Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
JACE
“What did you think?” I climb out of the car, whipping off my helmet.
The ten-year-old boy beams up at me. “That. Was. Awesome!”
His mom laughs off to the side and I take his helmet. “If you’re lucky, we’ll see if we can get you another go at it later, cool?” I wink at him and he cheers.
“So cool.” The guide steps up and takes them over to the area where they can see pictures from when we were driving.
Today we’ve partnered with the Great Ormond Street Hospital to give children with all kinds of diagnoses the Formula 1 driving experience. They get to come to headquarters, see how our garages work, how testing works, get to build their own mini car out of legos, and even get to participate in a ride around the practice track.
We do this multiple times a year with many different programs, but this one is special. These kids are hospital bound and don’t get to live, well, like a regular kid.
But while they’re here, they get to immerse themselves in a totally different world, leaving the harshness of reality behind for even just a little while.
I can relate to that on some level.
I hand off my helmet to one of the crew members and head over towards my garage. Lawson’s on duty for the next few laps, and so I’m taking the moment for a small break.
Kids stop me as I walk by and I bend, making sure to give each of them the attention they deserve. The parents quietly thank me as I do and I wave them off, thanking them and letting them know that if they need anything, we are here for them.
Mitch waves to me as I pass by one of the open garage bays and I nod, chuckling when a kid pulls on his shorts to show him their hand is covered in grease.
Stepping up to the closed garage, I’m about to punch in my door’s code when I hear a sniffle. My eyebrows furrow and I look around, a familiar camera strap catching my eye to the left.
On quiet feet, I walk over and peek around the corner. Kinsley sits with her back to the wall, knees to her chest, and her hands covering her face as her shoulders shake.
“Hey,” I say softly.
Her head whips up, waterlogged eyes meeting mine. “Oh my god, Jace.” She wipes at her face furiously as I squat. “Sorry, I just. I needed a second. I’ll be back out there in a moment.”
“Kinsley, I’m not here to drag you back out there.” Shifting to sit at her side, I lean my back against the wall next to her. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She shakes her head, her fingers twisting with the hem of her shirt. “It’s Rose.”
My heart stops. “Is she okay?”
She sniffles. “She took a fall yesterday and hurt her hip. She had hip replacement surgery years ago. The doctor put her on bed rest for the next week, but even after that, she’s limited to no stairs or excessive walking.”
Realization hits. “Cooper,” I whisper.
She nods, dropping her head back against the wall. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I love this job, but I can’t just leave Cooper with her when she’s recovering. She says it’s fine and he’s already said he’d be her little helper, but I just can’t do that to her. She’s already done so much for me over the years.”
She covers her face, shoulders shaking. Instinctively I reach over and gently pull her hands away. Memories invade my mind as her glistening golden eyes meet mine.
Instead of sitting against the side of a building, we’re in a dark room.
Instead of the team polo, she’s wearing my jumper.
Instead of crying into her hands, she’s pressing her face into my chest.
“We’ll figure this out, okay?”
“How?”
Without thinking, I reach up, thumbing away her tears. My heart skips when she leans into the touch instead of pulling away.
“I have an idea, but let’s talk to some people and see what we can do, yeah?”
Her eyes dance between mine before she slowly nods.
My lips tip up and I swipe my thumb across her cheek. “Now no more crying, it breaks my heart to such a beautiful face wet with tears.”
A watery laugh bursts out of her and she shakes her head with a smile.
“There she is.”
There’s my angel.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“You aren’t alone in this anymore, Kinsley. You have the team, the lads, Blake and Sydney.” I bump my knee into hers. “You have me. You can lean on us—lean on me to help when you need it. We’re a family here. No one gets left behind.”
She sniffles, wiping her cheeks. “Yeah, I’m starting to see that.”
“Well believe it. Your pain is my pain. Your struggles are my struggles?—”
“Your successes are my successes?” She raises an eyebrow and I chuckle.
“Exactly.”
“So when do I get my turn at holding the trophies you’ve—sorry, the trophies we’ve won?”
A laugh bursts out of me and I wink at her. “We can draw up an agreement on joint custody.”
“I’ll start clearing my mantel,” she says through a chuckle.
Sighing, she leans back against the wall, rolling her head to look at me. “Seriously, though. Thank you.”
“For what? I haven’t done anything yet.”
“You’ve done a lot more than I think you realize. You just always seem to always know exactly what I need.”
I look off towards the clearing, my mind warring with the need to tell her the truth. That I always know what she needs because I know her. I’ve known her.
Those few weeks all those years ago, this girl became such an important part of my life that I swear my heart beat in time with hers.
I was only happy if she was happy.
I laughed when she laughed.
I wanted to fight whatever battle she was going through that made her cry.
Everything I was, everything I wanted to be fell in line the moment she smiled at me.
And now as I turn to take in her calmed features as she leans back, soaking in the rare rays of sunlight, I know those feelings are stronger than ever.
“I’ll always be here for you, Kinsley.” She looks over at me and I lean my arm against hers. “Always.”
“There he is. How was the event today?”
I lean down, kissing Mum on the cheek and ruffling Beckham’s hair.
“It was grand. Nothing better than seeing those kids’ faces light up after a turn around the track.”
I snag a biscuit and throw my arm around Sydney’s shoulder.
“And how’s project halo going?”
My eyebrows furrow and I look down at her in confusion. “What the hell is project halo?”
She rolls her eyes, lowering her voice. “How is it going with getting Kinsley back?”
I scowl at her. “None of your business.”
“Oh, come on,” she cries as I head out back to join Dad at the grill.
“Smells good, Pops.” I clap him on the shoulder.
“Thanks, Son. How was your day?”
“Can’t complain. I got to make dreams come true, they served curry chips in the cafeteria, and I’m working on something super special for a friend.”
He nods, taking a sip of his beer. “This a special project for a special friend?”
I peer at him and he glances at me out of the corner of his eye. It clicks and I set my beer down. “Excuse me. I seem to need to remind my sister what happens when you snitch on your brother.”
“No throwing this time. Your mother just got the last hole you two put in the wall fixed,” he calls out to my back as I stalk across the yard.
“No promises,” I yell over my shoulder.
I enter the kitchen as Sydney tips back laughing while Lawson stands next to her with an unimpressed look on his face. She glances at me as she works to catch her breath.
“Oh, Jace. You just missed it. Here, I’ll recreate it for you. So—” Her words cut off when Dad walks in behind me and her eyes move between us before settling on me.
“Uh-oh,” she whispers.
“Uh-oh,” I echo.
With lightning speed, she grabs a roll and throws it across the room at me. It bounces off my chest and I growl, taking steady steps towards her.
She squeals, throwing herself off the stool and shoving my best friend out of the way.
“Hey man,” I nod as I pass him.
His chuckle follows behind me as I prowl down the hall after my sister.
“Why’s Dad chasing Aunt Sydney?” I hear Beckham ask.
“Because your Aunt Sydney didn’t eat all her vegetables,” Mum replies.
Their voices fade as I round into the living room, finding Sydney on the other side with a sofa between us.
“I can explain,” she says breathlessly.
“What happened to the part of the plan where you keep your mouth shut?”
“That only pertained to Kinsley,” she defends, yelping when I hurdle the sofa and she sprints back to where I was just standing.
“I’m sorry,” she yells. “Mum and Dad were asking how you were doing and I let it slip.”
“Oh, you just let it slip,” I mock.
She throws a pillow at me and sprints towards the hallway. I bat the cushion away and take off after her.
“This is why I didn’t make you part of the plan,” I grit out when I chase her into the dining room. “How can I trust that you won’t ‘let it slip’ to Kinsley about our past when you couldn’t pass the parent questions?”
“Hey,” she yells. “You know Mum could medal in interrogation. Everyone eventually cracks. It’s the whole ‘kill them with kindness’ thing she’s mastered.”
“That is so not the point, Sydney.”
When I lunge for her, she slips on the rug and tumbles to the floor. I pounce on top of her and pin her hands over her head.
“What did you tell them?”
“Nothing,” she shrieks, wiggling underneath me. I grunt when her shin connects with my dick and she freezes, eyes wide. “I’m so sorry.”
“I don’t think you are.”
I make a show of pooling as much saliva in my mouth as I can and she starts to try and buck me off ferociously. I let the strand of spit slip out and she screams, tilting her head away.
“Okay, I swear I’ll eat my veggies,” a small voice yells and we both look up to see Beckham watching us in the doorway.
He runs off towards the kitchen and I look down at Sydney. She flashes me a smile and I glower, rolling my eyes. Shoving off of her, I collapse against the wall and wipe my mouth with my shirt.
“I can’t believe you were about to do that. We’re grown adults.”
“You’re still my annoying little sister.”
She props herself up on her elbows and looks at me. “I’m sorry I told Mum and Dad about Kinsley being back. If it means anything, they’re cheering you on just as much as we all are.”
I huff a laugh, letting my head fall back against the wall.
“I’d ask how it’s going, but I’ve officially run out of energy to run away from you.”
I chuckle, looking over at her as she sits down next to me. “It’s—” I’m cut off when my phone rings and I pull it out, Mitch’s name flashing across the screen.
Smiling, I stand up and look down at her. “It’s about to get a lot better hopefully.”