CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER thirty-six
Stepping into Oxbow two days later didn’t affect David like he thought it would. He expected the halls of trophies and photos to remind him of how much he’d fucked up his chances at being a multi-time champion, but all he saw were the fake smiles and a veneer of positivity that didn’t last past the lobby. Members of the team greeted him when he arrived, giving hugs and well-wishes, but the higher-ups barely offered him a wave. Apparently, he was useless to them if he wasn’t making them money. Or maybe they had sticks up their asses because he was holding hands with Noah as he walked through.
Noah cocked a brow at him as they neared the gym. David blushed but shook his head.
“Backing out?” Noah joked with a kiss to his temple.
“This place isn’t ready for us,” David replied. “I don’t think it ever will be.”
Trying to make a positive memory here after everything was something Oxbow didn’t deserve.
Noah snorted. “Ain’t that the truth.”
He paused in front of the photo of the Titanium Trio podium, and David saw the corner of his mouth twitch but couldn’t tell if it was moving toward a smile or a frown.
“Do you want to take it?” David asked.
Noah blinked at him. “What?”
David nodded toward the photo. “You should take it.”
Noah laughed and shook his head. “It should stay. Otherwise, Robbie’s going to get forgotten. At least he’ll always have a spot here.”
David squeezed Noah’s hand. He glanced down when he felt warm metal against his fingers and took a long look at the engagement ring he’d put on Noah’s hand yesterday. It was a simple gold band with a stripe of black tungsten down the middle. He doubted anyone would even notice it among all the other rings Noah was wearing, but it gave David strength to know he’d made at least one good decision in all of this.
“There you are.” Sophie, the Oxbow press officer, appeared at the end of the hall. “We’ve been looking all over for you two. We’re ready to start.”
David smirked at Noah. “See? We wouldn’t have had enough time anyway.”
“You vastly underestimate how much I want you,” Noah teased.
They shared a kiss that was soft and wonderful. David tasted remnants of smoothie on Noah’s lips, and for the first time in a long time, it didn’t disgust him.
They followed Sophie down the hall into the technology center, where previous cars were lined up on pedestals. David’s championship car was up on stage with a glass lectern in front of it.
“Oh boy,” Noah said. “Silly me, I think I forgot to give them the updated copy of your statement.”
David elbowed him playfully. He’d been practicing his speech all night, pacing back and forth in their hotel room to smooth out the rigidness of his accent, though that became difficult when he started getting emotional—and he’d been emotional for every run.
Members of the media filled the empty space in the room, speaking amongst each other, testing out microphones, and scribbling on notepads.
David spotted Hugh next to the stage, sour-faced and talking to a group of Oxbow business types. David tugged Noah toward the opposite side, where Aiden, Pratik, David, and Sunny stood in a group.
“Where’s Jacob?” David asked as he approached.
“I advised him not to be here for this,” Pratik said with a twinkle in his eye. “I think it’s for the best.”
Aiden frowned. “Oh no. What are you going to say?”
David shrugged. “The truth. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” He turned to Sunny, who was gaping at Noah. “Sunny, this is Noah. Noah, this is Sunny, one of the mechanics on my pit crew. He’s a big fan.”
“Hey, mate,” Noah said, extending his free hand.
Sunny shook it with stars in his eyes. “I’ve followed your whole career, man. You’re probably my favorite driver ever—no offense, David.”
David beamed with pride. Noah deserved that kind of praise from everyone in this room—he’d made Oxbow into a formidable team. David still felt bad that Noah left Oxbow for him, but even that didn’t make him feel as guilty as it used to. They couldn’t change the past or cling to it.
“You look healthier, David,” Pratik said gently.
David thumbed the side of Noah’s palm as he said, “Thanks. I’ve had a lot of help getting here, and I know I still have a long way to go. A few weeks ago, I was ready to kill you, but… Thanks for looking out for me, Pratik.”
Pratik shook his head. “I should have spoken up earlier.”
“Did you hear anything back from the feds?” Noah asked.
Pratik filed his safety motion with Formula America the week prior, though David only found out about it yesterday. Pratik shot a pointed look at Sunny, who took his cue and excused himself. Oddly enough, he didn’t do the same to Aiden, who was a way bigger gossip.
“You don’t have a mic on yet, do you?” Pratik asked David.
David shook his head, suddenly excited. “What did you hear?”
Pratik scanned the room before stepping closer. “I got a call from the medical director last night. This is a big deal. Between what happened with your father and now this, the higher-ups are furious. Hugh’s days are numbered, and the board is already seeking out a new team principal.”
“What?” David and Noah blurted at the same time.
Pratik smirked. “I’m also going to be on the committee to create new rules for qualifications for performance coaches. Kyle never should have been allowed in the building. He listened to whatever Hugh said, regardless of how it affected you, David.”
David swallowed hard. He still had trouble wrapping his head around people on his team looking out for him without being asked. He used to only trust his dad, then eventually Noah after that.
“Good,” Noah said with a nod. “I’m happy to make statements as well, and I know Finlay will too. We’ve both seen a lot of shit.”
“I may take you both up on that,” Pratik said. “There will be a lot of change happening around here very soon.”
David looked at Aiden, who didn’t seem at all surprised. “Are you in on this?”
Aiden glanced at Pratik. “I got a call last night from the investors. They’ve been watching Jenson Gallagher’s progress at Cobalt, and, well, they think I may be the right fit to take Hugh’s place.”
David’s mouth dropped open. Aiden would be a great team principal. He had a level head and actually had empathy toward other people. His hands were tied most of the time when it came to big decisions, but they wouldn’t be as the leader.
“Aiden was the first one to bring your weight fluctuation to my attention,” Pratik explained.
“Didn’t do much to stop it,” Noah growled.
David shot him a look. “Don’t.”
“No, Noah’s right,” Aiden said with a shake of his head. “I should have done more. I’m trying to learn from my mistakes and get better. There were a lot of things I could’ve done, but I was, admittedly, too worried about losing my job.”
“Well, I lied and told everyone my fiancé wasn’t good enough to be a champion on national TV to save my job, so I think you’re excused,” David interjected before Noah could get a word in.
Aiden and Pratik both went wide-eyed.
“Fiancé?” Aiden asked.
David cringed. “Oh my god. I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”
Noah lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of David’s palm with a smile. “We’re getting hitched. On the down-low, so let’s not spread that around, okay? Finlay will kill me if he finds out you guys knew before him.”
David relaxed and realized he’d been expecting Noah to be angry. He was still too used to people—his family—exploding on him for slip-ups.
“Congratulations,” Aiden said, patting David’s shoulder.
“You too,” David said, leaning into Noah’s side. “How’s that girl doing in my place?”
Aiden laughed. “I was waiting for you to mention her. Of course, we can’t wait to have you back, but Louise is talented. We’re working on the experience part.”
“Sounds like someone I used to know,” Noah teased with a kiss to the crown of David’s head. David tilted his head up and met him for a proper one.
When he opened his eyes, Noah was gazing back at him, full of love. It wasn’t their first kiss inside this building, but it was the first one they’d shared in the open.
“I should probably get ready,” David said with a note of finality. “Thanks for everything, guys.”
He led Noah toward Sophie, who quickly instructed her assistants to get the microphones ready. David vividly remembered the press conference where Noah gave the shock announcement that he was leaving the team. David’s heart had torn itself in two while he sat there and pretended like he wanted Noah gone.
“You’ll do great,” Noah said, now standing in front of him to fuss with the collar of his Oxbow polo. “Don’t worry about anything.”
David rolled his eyes. “Ah, I forgot. I can just tell myself not to worry, and it’ll all go away.”
“Don’t get smart with me, Davey Jones,” Noah teased with a kiss to his nose.
David tongued the inside of his cheek and gently held Noah’s hip with his good hand. “Thanks for being here, by the way. I love you.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Noah replied. “And you know I love you, too.”
“Ready?” Sophie asked.
David nodded, then pulled Noah in for a chaste kiss. “I’ll be right back.”
Noah tapped his nose. “Go get ‘em.”
David cleared his throat and followed Sophie to the edge of the stage. He looked over at his car, where he’d spent so many hours in the cockpit, fighting for his championship. It seemed stupid to be so focused on a championship that didn’t really matter when he had Noah standing on the other side of the garage. His regret in all of this would be Noah never having the championship he deserved, even if Noah didn’t feel the same way.
David gave him one last look as Sophie began the introductions, only to find Noah already smiling at him, absently twisting his engagement ring on his finger.
Sophie invited him up to the podium, and David jogged up the steps, looking out into the sea of cameras, microphones, and eager journalists. What they thought about him didn’t matter. The only opinion David cared about was Noah’s.
“Hi, everyone,” he said into the mic. “Sorry I’ve been away.”
A nervous chuckle rippled through the crowd.
“Today, I’m here to talk about my future with Oxbow Racing. This team has given me more than I could have ever imagined. When I first started, Oxbow gave me an amazing team in the garage to support my progress. My race engineer, Aiden Yates, has been instrumental to my success here.” David nodded to him off-stage.
Aiden waved back, and Sunny clapped him on the shoulder, along with a few other guys from his pit crew.
“Oxbow also showed me I wasn’t as good as I thought I was,” David said. “Teaming up with Noah Caparelli in my first year set the bar high. In my opinion, I never had a chance against him, so it’s a good thing he went to Cobalt so quickly, so I didn’t embarrass myself.”
The crowd laughed. A few people cheered Noah’s name, and it reminded David of the times he’d shared a podium with him.
“And I’ll state the obvious: Oxbow introduced me to the love of my life, who happened to be that same guy.” David winked at Noah as more laughter erupted. Noah looked like he was going to melt any second. “For that, I’ll always be grateful.”
He rested his hands on the lectern. His cast thunked loudly against it, but David didn’t flinch.
“However, there are a lot of problems here, too, and I think it’s time someone said them out loud,” David began. “First, my father abused me heavily while I was on this team. Everyone turned a blind eye to it. The people who did know, I begged not to say anything. I raced with hidden black eyes and bruises all over my body, and I was constantly in pain. I thought that was just what needed to happen to make me faster.”
He swallowed hard. He hoped Noah didn’t think he was calling him out or anything—Noah tried many times to go to the authorities, and David never let him.
David cleared his throat. “The fact is, Oxbow has created an atmosphere where people—even the drivers—have no way to seek help when things go wrong. Even after Hugh Warren found out about my father’s abuse, my dad was still allowed to come to races. At Road Atlanta last year, my father beat me so badly I had to go to the hospital. We hid that from the public so that I could still race, because I thought racing was more important than anything.
“And after that incident, my father still showed up at the Los Angeles race, and I was told he couldn’t be barred from the event, despite a restraining order in place. I would encourage Formula America and Oxbow Racing to remedy that rule loophole so that no one else in the series ever has to experience the fear I felt that day while my father was lurking around the track.”
He found Noah in the crowd again. Noah nodded encouragingly and didn’t break his gaze, giving David a surge of strength.
“There are other problems too,” David said. “Homophobia is one of them, but it doesn’t hold a candle to what I’ve experienced this season. Oxbow allowed an unqualified personal trainer to take over my training. That trainer—in conjunction with Hugh and the rest of the Oxbow leadership—then told me that I was the reason the car was slow and that I needed to lose weight in order to help the team.”
He paused, and the silence was so all-encompassing that he could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. For Noah , he thought. Do this for Noah, even if you don’t believe it yet.
“I lost over thirty pounds in a few months,” David said shakily. “I developed a severe eating disorder and was eating less than seven hundred calories a day while racing and running a complete training regimen. I became a danger to other drivers because I almost passed out at each race—and I was still led to believe that I needed to lose more.”
David still felt like he was fat as he stood there in front of everyone, but Noah had worshipped every inch of his body the night before and told him differently.
“If you didn’t know, I’m going to be a father soon,” David continued. “I nearly died at my unborn child’s baby shower, all because Oxbow guilted me into an eating disorder. The doctors say I might have issues with food for the rest of my life—all because this team decided to make me suffer instead of figuring out other ways to lose lap time.”
He saw movement in the corner of his vision from Hugh’s side of the stage, but he refused to look. He needed to say this so that one day his son could watch it and be proud of him.
“As a father, as a competitor, and as a champion, I refuse to be part of an organization that allows this type of thing to happen. Racing is supposed to test us, but not by killing us in the process. So, as of today, I’m retiring from Formula America.”
Camera shutters sounded off like the finale at a fireworks show, but without flashes, thanks to his concussion protocol. David smiled, settling into familiar adrenaline. He could do this.
“I’m moving back to Europe to start my family and the next chapter in my racing future,” David said. The edge of the podium dug into his fingers from his one-handed vicegrip. “I still have a long road back to normal, but I have my real team by my side: Noah and his family, and Caroline, the mother of my child, and her family, who have accepted me with open arms. It’s my sincere hope that Oxbow and the Formula America organization take steps to prevent this from happening to future drivers. And if they want my help, I’m happy to give it.”
He leaned away from the mic, then remembered he couldn’t just walk off.
“Oh, and I’m not taking any questions. You can direct those to Hugh Warren. Thank you.”
David stepped back, and the room exploded with journalists shouting questions at him anyway. He finally looked over at Hugh, whose face had turned purple with fury, but more journalists quickly crowded him and blocked his view.
Noah jogged up on stage and enveloped him in a hug, careful of his cast. David tucked against his chest, but he wasn’t scared. In fact, he felt pretty damn good.
“You killed it,” Noah said into his hair. “Have I told you how much I love you? Because it’s a lot. You did amazing, David.”
The room was chaos. David took one final look at his championship car and took Noah’s hand again. “We should go.”
“You sure? I kinda wanna watch Hugh get grilled,” Noah said, grinning at the crowd still encircling their former team principal.
“Come on,” David said, nudging him back toward the exit. His legs were starting to buckle from exhaustion. “You can get all the gossip later. I want to go home.”
Noah fell in step beside him. A few annoyed security guards opened space for them to pass through on their way out, but David wasn’t scared. The only person he feared was in jail right now.
The main hallway to the lobby was empty except for a bewildered receptionist.
“Hey, Macy,” Noah said in greeting as they passed her. “No Dior this time?”
“Uh, no,” Macy replied. “What’s going on in there?”
“Don’t wanna ruin the surprise,” Noah said with a wink. David tugged him along a little faster before any journalists caught up with them.
“Can we go to Tennessee tonight?” David asked abruptly as they stepped outside into the sunshine. “I think we should tell your parents that we’re getting married. And Finlay. I don’t want to wait anymore.”
Noah smiled at him. “Promise you won’t puke on my mom this time, and I bet she’ll say yes.”
David laughed, even as embarrassment welled up in him. “I promise.”
Noah pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times before lifting it to his ear. They walked up to Noah’s Aston Martin, but David opted to hug his fiancé one more time instead of getting inside.
“Hey, Finny,” Noah said cheerfully as he rubbed David’s back. “What are you up to?”
“Why are you asking?” Finlay replied loud enough that David could hear him.
David lifted his chin. “We want you to fly to Knoxville tonight,” he said into the phone. “Family dinner at the Caparelli house.”
There was a long pause, then Finlay said, “Are you two getting married?”
“Come to dinner and find out,” Noah said. “You can make it, right? Not too busy for little ol’ me?”
“I’m supposed to be in the sim tonight, but a family emergency takes precedence,” Finlay answered. “And Noah Caparelli settling down is definitely an emergency.”
Noah pressed a kiss to David’s forehead. “Hey. No one said anything about settling down.”
David gave him an affectionate nuzzle. He wanted this, always. No one lurking in the shadows; no teams breathing down their necks and demanding performance. David knew he would miss the competition soon, but he needed rest more than he needed to take a car around track.
For now, he could soak in the warmth of the sun on his shoulders and Noah’s voice in his ear and be utterly content.