Chapter 31
CHAPTER 31
KINSLEY
There’s a little foot in my face.
I could have sworn when we laid down, there was a sweet head of curly brown hair laying on the pillow next to mine.
I lean up on my elbow and squint down towards the foot of the bed. Cooper’s lying on his stomach, face pressed into the side of my thigh. His arms are splayed out around him, one draping over my legs and the other clutching onto the race car Jace got him last week.
I’m reminded about what woke me up when the fan turns back this way, blasting me with air. I shiver and my eyebrows pinch as I take in the state of what’s left of our bedding.
Leaning over the edge, I get a glimpse of the fluffy duvet piled on the floor. The sheet looks like it’s been through war, stretched and crushed into the bottom corners of the bed. There’s a low glow to the room as light peeks around the edges of the curtains.
I pick up my phone, seeing that it’s almost seven in the morning.
My pout over the fact that I could have had a few more minutes before my alarm was due quickly morphs into a muffled giggle as Cooper mumbles something about a cereal party before making a slurping sound.
Pinching my lips together, I reach over and brush the hair back from his eyes. He grumbles, his little face scrunching in annoyance and flips so his head faces away from me.
I shift to my knees and lean over him. “Little monster, time to wake up.” He wiggles, worming his body farther down the bed. I chuckle and flop down next to him, poking his cheek. “Come on, sleepy head.”
“Mmm,” he whines.
Sighing, I roll out of the bed and head for the bathroom, calling over my shoulder dramatically, “I guess there’ll be more delicious waffles for me then.”
Picking up my toothbrush, I yelp when I look in the mirror and see a disheveled little boy standing in the doorway behind me. My lips twitch as he shuffles into the bathroom and climbs up onto the step stool, grabbing his race car toothbrush and holding it out to me.
I put some toothpaste on the bristles and he sticks it in his mouth, his nose scrunching.
“Ish show spishy,” he says around the toothbrush.
I laugh, brushing his hair back as foam spills out of the corners of his mouth. “We’ll get you some more of your toothpaste when we get home next week, okay?”
He nods and we finish up in the bathroom before I help Cooper get dressed in the jeans and Miller Racing T-shirt that I laid out for him last night. He picks out his black hat to wear with it and jumps around excitedly when I hand him the matching one for Beckham.
I’m slipping on my Miller team shirt over my compression long sleeve when there’s a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” he yells, running across the small room.
“Wait.” He doesn’t listen as he yanks the door open, but it slams shut when it ricochets off the secondary lock. His head jerks back. “What the?”
There’s a familiar muffled chuckle on the other side of the door and I walk up behind Cooper. Sliding the security bar out of the way, I pull open the door and he slips in front of me.
“Becks!”
“Coop!”
“I feel like that’s how everyone should greet each other. It’s so much more exciting than ‘hey, what’s up’ don’t you think?” I laugh and he smiles. “Are you two ready to head out or do you need a few minutes?”
“Let me just throw my hair up real quick and grab my camera bag.”
I move back into the room, flipping the lock to keep the door open. As I’m brushing my hair, my ears perk up at Cooper’s bright voice. “Look.”
Jace gasps and I shake my head with a smile knowing exactly what Cooper is showing him.
“That’s my driver number.”
“Mummy got me it yesterday. Oh, I also got this for you, Becks. It’s so we can match.”
“Sweet. Dad, look what Coop got me.”
“That’s awesome, dude. What do you say?”
“Thanks, Coop. Dad, can we change my shirt so we can match even more?”
My stomach dips at Jace’s soft chuckle and I close my eyes, picturing the smirk on his face as he looks down at his son. “Sure thing, bud. We’ll stop by our room on the way out.”
“Yes,” the boys whisper cheer in unison.
I grab my camera bag and Jace looks up as I step into the hallway with them. He glances down at my bag. “Here, let me.” Leaning down, he takes the bag from me and my attention catches on the flex of his arm as he slides the strap over his shoulder.
My cheeks heat as my eyes trace the veins of his strong hands and the image of him holding my face, his thumb swiping across my cheeks floods my mind.
I jump slightly when there’s a tap on my arm. Looking down, a giggle burst out of me when the hat on Beckham’s head flops to the side.
“Hold on.” I squat down in front of him and take his hat off, tightening the strap. I fix it back on his head and tap the brim. “There you go, handsome.”
“Thank you.”
I straighten and the boys take off down the hallway towards the lift. Jace knocks his arm into mine as we follow behind them, nodding towards where they stand taking turns hitting the button. “He likes you.”
“You think so?”
He nods as we make our way to the boys. When the doors open, I guide them in and swear I hear him whisper ‘he’s not the only one’ under his breath.
I track him as he joins us and watch his reflection on the doors when they close. The small space fills with the boys’ voices as they animatedly talk about what they think breakfast will be today.
His eyes meet mine and my face flames at being caught. But instead of discomfort, there’s a softness in his gaze as they dance over my face.
I blink as the doors open and we silently follow after the boys. After changing Beckham’s shirt, we head down to the car and load up, making our way through the city to the track.
“Dad, do you think you’ll win today?”
“Of course he will,” Cooper says matter of factly.
Jace chuckles, glancing in the rear view mirror. “You think so?”
My son nods. “You have your good luck charm, right?”
Jace looks over at me for a beat before focusing back on the road. “I do.”
“Then luck’s on our side, right, Mum?”
I twist in the seat and smile at him. “Absolutely.”
“How fast do you think you’ll go, Dad?”
“I don’t know? As fast as I can?”
“A bajillion kilometers a minute?” Cooper asks, eyes wide.
“Not that fast, but we can sometimes hit two hundred and fifty kilometers a minute here.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Really?”
He nods. “It’s one of the faster paced races of the season, even for a street circuit.”
“Wow,” Cooper coos.
“Which race is your favorite?” I ask.
“I’m partial to Silverstone since it’s my home race, but I love a good turn around Monaco. It’s just iconic. I remember watching Ryder’s dad race there growing up. We’d be on the edge of our seats the entire time watching him speed through the narrow streets like he was out for an afternoon drive.”
“I like that we get to hang out on the boat afterwards,” Beckham chirps.
“You guys have a boat?” Cooper asks, jaw dropping.
Beckham nods. “And we do a cannonball contest off the back. I’m the champion. Uncle Ryder and Uncle Lawson are okay, but Dad’s terrible.”
Jace mocks outrage. “Oi, my balls are spectacular!”
I choke on a laugh and the boys burst into a fit of giggles.
Cooper wheezes, “You said balls,” before immediately throwing his head back as a laugh wracks his tiny body.
I shake my head, my eyes sliding to Jace as he pulls through the back gate of the paddock. His jean clad legs are spread as he leans back into the seat with an arm draped over the wheel. There’s a small smirk on his lips as he glances between the road and our boys in the back.
As if feeling my stare, he looks over and winks.
I dip my head to hide my blush, my lips twitching at his quiet chuckle.
I dare anyone to not react this way to that wink.
Seriously, I think he could get grown men to swoon with one look.
Breakfast is filled with sticky fingers, whipped cream tipped noses, and more berries on the ground than what made it into our mouths after a competitive round to see who could catch the most.
Hopped up on sugar, the boys take off on the track with Jace and I chasing after them. As we round the last corner, we slow to a much more relaxed pace behind them.
“Boys, don’t go too far,” Jace calls after them, breathing heavily.
I laugh under my breath as he shakes his head, glancing at me.
I smile and bump my shoulder into his. “Are you ready for the race?”
He nods. “I think it’ll be a good one. There’s always lots of action here.”
“I kind of like those ‘boring’ races, though.” My eye’s meet his and I say quietly, “They’re a lot nicer to my heart.”
He pauses. “You worried about me while I’m out there, Jones?”
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get nervous when you’re battling it out with another driver.”
His eyes dance between mine, his smile growing. “Careful now, or I’ll start to think you might like me or something.”
I open my mouth but the denial doesn’t come and I realize I don’t want it too.
For weeks I’ve felt these flutters of butterflies whenever I’m around him. I’ve tried to ignore the sparks that skate over my skin whenever he brushes by or the skip of my heart when I feel his eyes on me.
The physical attraction, I could handle, but it’s the little things he does and says that I’m in trouble of falling for.
Like how he makes sure I have a bag packed with snacks and hydration at my position on the track for each race so I don’t risk my blood sugar dropping.
When he insists on carrying my camera bag—or any bag for that matter—when he’s around.
The SOS texts he sends me when he’s trapped in a meeting.
How he makes it a point to say good night to Cooper, even if it means over FaceTime.
Our breakfasts and morning walks around the track with the boys these past three weeks since they’ve started traveling with us.
Little by little, pieces of my guarded heart have fallen away for this man.
And something inside is urging me into the freefall.
Someone calls my name and I glance to the pitwall.
“I got them.” Jace nods towards the boys and takes off in a jog.
I meet with the other photographers and we go over everyone’s placements one last time before breaking apart. I start walking towards the starting line, pausing when I see Jace squatting down in front of the boys, talking to them.
There’s a beat before both of them nod and Beckham moves to the other side of Jace. The boys match his pose, squatting down and placing a hand on the pavement.
I slowly raise up my camera, peering through the lens as Jace dips his head down and closes his eyes with the boys following his movements. The shutter of my camera freezes the moment and I smile down at the preview on my screen.
“What’s got you smiling like that?”
I jump at the closeness of his voice, realizing I’d been standing here staring at this picture longer than I thought. Long enough for them to creep up on me.
Jace leans over my shoulder, looking down at the camera’s screen and freezes.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—it’s just it was such a good moment and I—I’m so?—”
“Amazing.” His eyes slowly meet mine, a myriad of emotions swirling in their blue depths. “You have and will always be amazing.” It comes out as a whisper and my lips part at the feelings behind his words.
Broken.
Yet hopeful.
The boys yell that they’re going to be with Lawson in the garage and Jace turns, breaking our simmering connection.
“Listen to your uncle and stick together,” he calls out to them.
We hear a duet of ‘yes sir’ before the shuffle of little feet.
He turns back to me and tilts his head. “Shall we finish our lap?”
I fall in step with him as we take the last few steps to the finish line. “So. Any big plans for the break next week?”
“I’ll probably take the spawn to see his grandparents. Other than that, I plan on getting as much sleep as possible before we hop into this next leg.” He chuckles, bumping his elbow into mine. “What about you?”
I shrug. “Probably spend every day at the coffee shop, helping Rose as much as I can since we won’t be home for a while.” I glance at him, this next part coming out cautiously. “You can always stop by if you’d like.”
His head whips towards me and I blush, stammering over my words. “I—I just know Cooper’s already dreading spending that much time away from Beckham.”
He nods. “Oh, of course. I could probably bring him by so they could hang out.”
“Yeah? Cooper would really like that.”
He smirks. “Maybe I’ll stick around as well.”
Maybe I’d really like that too.