Chapter 40
FORTY
The garage is weirdly quiet when I get to work. As I put my stuff in my locker, I feel eyes on me, but when I turn around, everyone is looking somewhere else. Narrowing my eyes, I head to the table where Skylar is clutching a mug with a paper bag in front of him.
“What’s up? You’re weirdly quiet. No sex jokes this morning?” I tease as I drop into my chair.
“This is for you,” he says as he pushes the bag and coffee toward me.
“Thanks?” I respond, confused as I open it to find pastries from my favorite bakery. I perk up. I didn’t have time to eat this morning since Conan and I were busy after he climbed in the shower with me. I shiver at the reminder before stuffing a croissant in my mouth.
“Now that you have a sweet treat and coffee, I need you not to be mad.”
Swallowing the mouthful of pastry, I tilt my head. “About what?” I murmur and take a sip of the coffee. “Did you break something of mine again while fucking Bones? Shit, did you do it in my car this time by mistake, thinking it was yours?”
“No, not recently at least,” he replies with a sly smile.
“Sky!” I groan.
“What can I say? Watching me race gets my boy going, and whatever he wants, he gets.” He shrugs. “But that’s not what it is—”
“Did you get arrested again and need me to lie to Noah?” I ask as I take another bite.
“Not since last week. If you would let me—”
I run down my list quickly. “Did you punch someone again?”
“Damn it!” Skylar throws his phone on the table and turns to me.
“This, this is what I’m trying to tell you in a delicate way, because Bones said it might upset you, though I didn’t see why since it’s like a public claiming and shit, but apparently I have the feelings of a chimpanzee and I should listen to him. ”
Blinking, I stare down at his phone. The coffee and pastries are forgotten as I grab it and pull it closer, skimming the words as Sky waits.
It’s the online version of Racing Magazine, a national tabloid that reports on our industry. There are usually gossip columns about drivers, like who they are dating, who’s changing companies, and things like that.
This headline is what stops me though, and my stomach plummets.
STARFIRE RACING CEO AND EX CHAMPION NOAH FLETCHER ALLEGEDLY DATING MUCH YOUNGER UP-AND-COMING RACER MACKIE DRAPER.
Shit.
The article makes it seem like he groomed me, going on to post dates of when I joined the company and how young I was, to the recent speculation we are dating from “inside sources.”
“I knew I should have brought alcohol instead,” Sky mutters as I stare. “Don’t read the comments. It’s gone viral and already spread online, so don’t check your socials either.”
Luckily, the company’s PR team usually handles my socials, so I didn’t check them, but I find myself navigating to the comments despite Sky’s warning.
RACEFAN45: Disgusting, isn’t he like a kid?
RACE4LYF: Dating a guy? Seriously?
STARFIRENERD: I knew it. He’s always been weird around Mackie.
NOAHSWIFE: There’s no way. He’s way out of his league.
NOAHSWIFE: Mackie is probably doing this for money. He’s probably the one reporting this.
So it goes on, from outright homophobic to slander on me, Noah, the team, and our racing results. It just gets worse and worse, even though no one even knows if it’s true, but they don’t seem to care.
“We need to get ahead of this before Noah sees it,” I mutter. He spent his life building Starfire and getting us to the championship. Something like this could ruin everything he has created. It’s only gossip, but his reputation and this garage are at stake. “And figure out who told.”
The timing is suspicious. It could be someone from the garage who didn’t agree with it, or it could be Amanda or Noah’s family. I’m not sure. Either way, it doesn’t help.
“Agreed, he’ll lose it.” Skylar nods as we peer at the phone and read the comments.
“Somebody better get me a fucking interview with Racing Magazine right fucking now!” Noah roars as he storms from his office, chest heaving, his face red.
“Welp, too late.” Skylar groans as he sits back, grabs the bag of pastries, and stands. “He’s your problem now. If I were you, I’d suck his dick. It calms anyone down.” He runs away.
“Pussy!” I call as I stand and blow out a breath. Heading over to Noah, I press my hand to his chest and maneuver him back into his office, all while he’s yelling for his team and interviewers.
Once we’re inside, I shut the door. “Hi,” I say softly.
His shoulders slump. “Hi,” he grumbles. “I need to deal with something.”
“I saw it,” I tell him, since he seems to want to protect me.
“Shit.” He scrubs at his face as he paces. “I’m sorry, baby. I don’t know where they got this from or why. I’ll deal with this. Don’t even worry about it.”
“Noah, take a breath.” I grab him, stopping him in front of me. “This isn’t for you to deal with alone.”
“It’s my fault. I announced it to the garage, and now this,” he laments.
“Do you regret telling people?” I ask.
“What? No!” he yells, hauling me closer. “Don’t ever think that. I’m just annoyed they went behind my back like this. We are supposed to be a family.”
“I know.” I sink into his arms. “It’s going viral, apparently. We are going to have to release a statement or something.”
“I know. I’ll get with HR and the PR team and figure something out,” Noah says. “We didn’t do anything wrong. It’s fine.”
Leaning back, I eye him, the words choking me.
“What is it?” he asks.
“I don’t think we should confirm our relationship to them.”
He blinks and drops his hands from my shoulders, so I grab them, not wanting him to feel hurt. “I won’t lie, nor will I hide our relationship,” Noah argues.
“I’m not asking you to lie or hide it. I’m telling you I won’t let you jeopardize everything you have built.
The world isn’t ready for us, and that sucks, and I hate it, but it’s the truth, so we’ll tell them it isn’t true for now.
” When he goes to speak, I add, “Until we win this championship, and then nobody could dare say anything against us. We will prove we can date and race at the same time. Noah, as much as I want to say this doesn’t change anything, it does.
Sponsors will pull out. We’ll be slandered online and lose fans.
Until the world can accept we can do both, we should keep this private—just for now. ”
“I won’t hurt you like that,” he protests.
“It doesn’t hurt me, as long as we and the people we care for know the truth,” I assure him as I kiss each of his hands. “You’ve protected me for so long. Now it’s my turn to protect you, okay?”
“Fuck, I hate this,” he admits as he tugs me into his arms and holds me.
“Me too,” I murmur, “but it isn’t forever, just for now.”
“I’ll probably have to do an interview,” he grumbles, making me smile as he blows out a breath and buries his head in my shoulder.
“When I do, and when I say something along the lines of Mackie is nothing more to me than one of my best racers, I want you to know I mean the opposite. You are everything to me.”
“I know that already,” I assure him as I pull back and cup his face. “This doesn’t change anything, okay? I’m not mad, and I need you to understand that. This is just the best option for now.”
He nods, but he’s unhappy about it, so I kiss him softly. “I love you,” I tell him, and he shudders in my arms, holding me tighter as he kisses me.
“I love you too,” he rasps when he pulls back, “more than anything, more than this garage, more than racing. You are my only priority, Mackie, and I need you to know that. I’m only doing this because you’re asking. I want to tell the world, fuck the consequences, but I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Good.” I smirk. “I’ll remember that for later tonight.”
He groans as I laugh, pulling away as I take his hand. “Now, let’s go out there and tell the team. They are all probably scared shitless.”
“You aren’t scared of me,” he rumbles.
“Nope, but everyone else is,” I reply as I straighten his jumpsuit. “I always knew you would never hurt me. Everyone else? Maybe, but not me.”
“Too right.” He nods, holding my hand as I tug him out of the office and into the garage.
Everyone is hard at work, quiet and purposely not looking at us—all but Skylar, who’s bent over the table, doing something.
Noah and I share a look. It’s never good when he’s quiet or focused, so we walk over and lean in to see what’s going on.
“What are you doing, Skylar?” Noah asks.
“Designing us a new logo,” he murmurs as he doodles on a sheet of paper, his tongue stuck between his teeth in concentration.
I look at Noah, who blinks. “What’s wrong with our current logo?” he asks, confused.
“It doesn’t suit us anymore. Look.” He presents the paper proudly as we stare at it, and I have to bite back my laugh.
“Garage of Gays . . . What the fuck, Skylar? The car is a rainbow with a bedazzled dick on the hood!” Noah groans.
“More fitting, don’t you think?” he asks hopefully.
Noah gives me a look and then turns and walks away, heading to the rest of the team.
“Besides, we aren’t all gay,” I add to Skylar. “Michael’s straight.”
“Michael.” Sky sounds extremely serious. “I’m very disappointed.”
“Wait, what did I do?” Michael calls anxiously.
It didn’t take long to set up a press conference for later in the afternoon.
Everyone wants a comment and to be the first to report it.
The outside of the garage has been set up by the Starfire team with chairs, tables, and reporters with their cameras bustle around.
I linger at the back with Skylar, ignoring the flashes and whispers as they look at me.
I waited until they’d all been seated to come out, knowing I would have been mobbed.
My arms are crossed, and my face is closed down, but I’m nervous about what Noah will say. I don’t give a shit what the world thinks, but I don’t want him to ruin his life or reputation for me.