Chapter fifteen Cole
Chapter fifteen
Cole
September
Home, Marietta, GA
I won the moto. Zeke and Fisher were totally right about the bike, and Brian’s advice helped a lot.
I stayed cool and pressed through. I had Monday and Tuesday off, then I’d be back at Zeke’s Wednesday and Thursday for practice.
Then, we’d fly out on Friday to do it again for the last race in Pala, CA.
Then I’d be off until January, even though Zeke was talking about getting some practice runs in before then.
If he wanted that, he’d have to come to Georgia.
I wasn’t going anywhere until the New Year.
I needed the down time. And hopefully time with Nix.
My flight got in early, putting me at my parents’ doorstep in time for breakfast. I sat at the little breakfast nook in the back of the house.
I’d spent a lot of time there when I’d first injured my arm.
It was always warm and inviting there, and I felt comforted.
I needed that since I was about to change a lot of things in my world.
It was time to discuss my plans and Nix with my parents.
My mom laid out some breakfast. She knew how I ate, turkey bacon, an omelet with spinach and mushrooms, orange juice to wash it down. I’d already hit my coffee limit. She slid the plate of biscuits toward me. “One won’t kill you.”
I put a biscuit on my plate, unable to resist at least one. “Thanks. Where’s Dad?” I wanted to talk to them both at the same time.
“He’s coming in a minute. He’s gonna want to talk about your win yesterday but don’t hold him up too long, he needs to get to work.”
My mouth was full of egg and biscuit when he came in, sat his big coffee mug on the table and loaded his plate. “Good job yesterday. Looks like you’re back.”
“Yeah.”
Dad started eating, and mom bumped my leg under the table, but I wasn’t interested in giving him any race details. “There’s something else I want to talk about.”
“What is there other than racing?” Dad asked and sipped his coffee.
“Two things really. Uh, first, I’m moving out. I’m looking for houses in Atlanta.”
My dad gave me an odd look. “What on earth for?”
“It’s time.”
“Bullshit. It’s a distraction. Son, you’re better off staying here. Besides, with as much as you travel, you wouldn’t be home long enough to take care of a house.”
“Well, that’s sort of true, but I need a place. My own place.”
My mom sighed as if the conversation was somehow putting her out. “Well, if you’re ever going to get a woman, you need a place. No girl is going to want to come back to your parents’ house.”
“What?” Dad shoved his coffee, spilling some of it on the table. “You don’t need a woman.”
“Exactly—” I started, but dad talked over me.
“Glad you agree. A relationship is a distraction you don’t need. You need to focus, like I said. Women? Nah.” Dad shook his head before taking another bite of biscuit.
I took that opportunity with Dad having a full mouth to fill them in. “Well, I mean, I don’t need a woman. Because, uh, I already have a man. His name is Nix.”
The breakfast table was suddenly silent for a few heartbeats.
Mom shoved her chair back. “No, no, no. I want grandchildren.” She fanned her face dramatically.
I ignored her and looked to Dad. “Same thing applies, Cole. I don’t care if you’re interested in men or women or Martians. Supercross careers are short. Save that for when you retire. You’ll still be young enough to do what you want. Right now, stay focused.”
I protested, “I think he’s good for me. I want this.”
Mom shook her head and pointed at me. “Don’t let your wants hurt you, boy.”
I was disgusted with both of them. They didn’t understand me.
It was this type of weird attitude of theirs that had my head messed up.
I should probably talk to Brian more about them.
Mom didn’t give a shit about anything except grandkids, and Dad didn’t give a shit about anything but my racing career.
I was at a point in my life where that wasn’t enough.
Mom was having a conniption fit. I took a deep breath, then another, like Brian taught me. “Mom, seriously. Gay couples have kids. We aren’t there yet, but if we get there, we’ll have kids.”
She dabbed at her eyes and fanned herself.
I knew she’d wanted a lot of children. She’d always wanted a houseful, but after me, she couldn’t have any more.
To her, grandchildren would compensate, but I couldn’t do anything else to ease her mind no matter how much I wanted to.
I wasn’t popping out babies for her, even if I could.
“Who is this guy?” She flapped her hand in the air as if it would magically make Nix appear, or maybe it would make everything go away. I didn’t know which she wanted.
“He’s a documentarian. He’s been filming my injury and come back.”
“Ah…” Dad said. “I know who you mean. I’m coming to the moto this weekend.”
“No, you’re not. Like you said, I need to focus. There’ll be too much distraction with you there.”
“I’m coming.”
“Seriously, Dad. Don’t come.”
He didn’t say anything else. He looked at his watch. “I’ve got to go. This conversation isn’t over, though.”
I didn’t reply. I didn’t want to be rude.
My parents had done a lot for me over the years.
I wouldn’t be where I was in this career if it wasn’t for them and their sacrifices.
I didn’t want them to think I was taking that for granted.
Plus, my mom always expected me to shut my mouth if I had nothing nice to say.
Back in my room, I flopped down on the bed and called Nix. He answered right away. “Hey!”
“Hey, babe. You in town? I really want to meet up.”
“No, I won’t be back before your race. I’ll meet you in California.”
“That sucks.” I rolled over to my back. I missed the hell out of him. “I told my folks about you.”
“Yeah, what’d they say?” He sounded worried.
“They didn’t care much, except Dad thinks I should only be focused on Supercross, and Mom could only cry about not having grandkids.”
“Kids?”
“Right. Too soon.”
“Yeah…” He sounded a little wistful like maybe he wanted a conversation about kids. That was nice but not what I wanted to think about. I wanted to think about what it would be like to live with Nix. Maybe that was also too soon.
“Well, if you’re not here, I can still take some time house hunting. Text me your address. I want to start looking near where you live.”
“That’s sweet.”
“It’s practical.”
“Whatever. I’ll send you my realtor’s contact information, too. If you find something, call her.”
“Cool.” I wanted to start up some phone sex, but with my mom in the other room, I didn’t feel comfortable. “When are you going to be at the track in Cali? I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. If I can get a flight, I’ll be there Friday. If not, Saturday at the latest.”
“Okay. Bring your camera thing.”
“You bet.”
We were quiet for a minute, but it didn’t feel awkward. I could listen to him breathe for hours. I could sleep beside him, run my fingers through his hair. I could stare into his dark eyes forever. I wouldn’t mind spending every free minute with him.
Finally, Nix exhaled loudly. “Cole…”
“I know.”
“You know what?” He chuckled a bit, sounding so confident and sexy like he knew what I was going to say, even though he asked me anyway.
“It’s time to go. Right?” I didn’t want to hang up.
“It is. But when I see you again and taste your sweet lips and hold you in my arms, then you’ll know everything is right. It won’t be long, babe.”
I loved what he was saying, but it was also a bit over the top. He was obviously trying to get a reaction, so I kissed into the phone loudly.
Nix cracked up. I had to wait a full two minutes before he stopped laughing. “What was that?”
“Well, if you’re going to get super-sappy, I wanted you to know I could give it right back.”
“Shut up, Cole.” He chuckled again. “Bye. I’ll see you this weekend.”
“Bye.” I tapped the phone to end the call. I was left with a warm feeling in my chest as if my heart were wrapped in a blanket.
I had found my flow on the track the last weekend.
Now I needed to find my flow in the rest of my life.
That meant my parents as much as Nix. The first step was finding houses.
I downloaded a real estate app on my phone and started searching.
It didn’t take long to find a beautiful house in Buckhead with a price tag under my budget.
It had hardwood floors, an open kitchen and tastefully painted walls.
I could move right in. The bonus was the pool.
It was long enough that I could get a decent lap in, plus there was a large, covered patio that overlooked it.
I could picture Nix grilling something yummy while I swam.
There was only one other home that came close.
It was also large with a pool, and the entire back wall was windows.
It was a little over my budget, but it was bigger with more features like a huge soaker tub in the master bath, and a tennis court, though I didn’t play.
Plus, it was around the corner from Nix’s place.
I could probably look for something without a pool and have one put in. That would open up the options, but I liked the idea of having everything ready and simply moving right in. If I wanted more choices, I probably needed to talk to a realtor, so I texted the number Nix gave me for his.
She quickly agreed to meet me in Buckhead in an hour. That gave me time to get a shower, dressed, and drive across town. I didn’t often get to show off my Mustang, and it was a sunny day. When I left the house, I was feeling positive.
Heather, the agent Nix hooked me up with, met me at Brash Coffee, just outside the area where I wanted to look.
Heather explained that the closer to the heart of Buckhead we moved, the more expensive the houses, and there wasn’t a lot on the market.
It was an incredibly desirable area. I suspected Nix had bought his place years ago before it got this popular.
Instead, she took me south of the area, and I raised my budget. Significantly.
We walked a few homes. One was very stately and too fancy for my blood.
Another was more traditional for a southern house, complete with wallpaper in the foyer, beadboard in the kitchen, and plantation style shudders on most of the windows.
The back of the house had a wraparound porch overlooking the massive pool.
The grounds looked more like a garden, and tucked in the back, almost hidden, was a gorgeous guest house.
My folks could come out and stay there sometimes if they wanted. Or Jason. Or…
It was at the top of my budget, so I had her show me a few more.
A more modern structure that Heather called transitional.
I wasn’t thrilled with the small pool. Another contemporary home that was perfect.
It was farther north, but on the west side of the highway.
It was mostly perfect, but way over my budget.
She thought I could get it for less but still not what I wanted to pay.
Frustrated, I headed back to Marietta with Heather’s promise to call me if she found anything else. I didn’t have a lot of hope.
I parked my sweet ride and went inside my parents’ house. It wasn’t bad. I think I was looking for something like it, but a bit bigger. This had been home my entire life. Despite my desire for more independence, it was hard to leave, and my heart ached a little.
I grabbed a sweet tea and sat in the living room, taking in the atmosphere. Crown molding. Nice furnishings. Peachy colored walls. A brick fireplace. It was homey. Comfortable. Familiar.
My mom came in a few minutes later and sat beside me on the sofa. “You okay, baby?” She flipped my hair around like she’d done when I was a kid.
“I’m not a kid anymore. I’m grown. You know?”
“Of course, I know that. I want you to have all the things that make you happy, Cole.”
“I know.”
“I want to meet this fella of yours. If he’s right for you, I’ll accept that. If he makes you happy. But promise me you’ll at least think about kids.”
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “Of course, we’ll think about kids. When we’re ready.”
“All right. I can live with that.” She kissed the side of my head, easing my heart a bit. “I don’t know if your dad’s going to get on board with the moving thing or not, but I’m working on him.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I couldn’t have ever loved her more.