It wasn’t there when I walked this way the first time because I was looking around for it in the dirt.
I smirk. At least her guilty conscience had her returning this before she really got her ass handed to her by the league.
Now I feel whole again and ready to tackle this race head on.
* *
I have thirty minutes before my race starts so I decide to call my dad and make sure he’s doing okay. This will be the first race out of state that my father has ever missed.
“You all prepped for the race today Emmie Lou?” he drawls, sounding a bit anxious.
“Yep. We hit a small speed bump this morning but things have since been taken care of so we’re good to go,” I tell him.
“What speed bump baby girl?” Now he really sounds nervous.
“Someone broke into our trailer this morning before we got here and pulled the chain off my bike and stole my taper bar, but I knew who it was and confronted her about it. Since then the taper bar has miraculously reappeared, the chain has been fixed, the bike is running better than ever, and the league is looking into the person who tried to screw with my bike.”
I can practically hear the steam coming out of dad’s ears as soon as I mention someone had stolen the taper bar cover. That thing means more to him than it does to me, and it really means a lot to me.
“You got it all straightened out though?” he says through what sounds like gritted teeth.
“Yeah daddy, it’s all good and I’m ready to go out there and kick some major ass.”
“Sounds good baby girl. Be careful, remember to race with a clear head, be mindful of the other racers, and gun it out of the turns,” he recites the same mantra he’s been telling me since I was ten.
“I will daddy. Take care of yourself until I get home and don’t get too worked up about the race. It’s not good for your heart,” I warn him.
“Don’t you worry about me. Collin and Jaycee have me eating everything green under the sun. It’s not a fun experience and I can’t wait to be back at my own house with my own food,” he grumbles.
I giggle at his words. “Get used to it old man. As soon as I get home I’m going to hire someone to go grocery shopping for you and only buy you the green stuff. I love you.”
“Love you too Emmie Lou. Now go kick some serious ass,” he huffs and then hangs up.
I’m about to put my phone back in my purse when I get a text message.
Nixon: Good luck today sugar even though you don’t need it. I love you and can’t wait until you come back to me.
I shake my head but find myself smiling when I read his text. He’s worming his way back into my heart and I’m not sure if I want him to be there right now or not.
I don’t answer the text and instead remind myself that I need to be completely focused on my upcoming race.
I ride my bike up to the side of the track, going over the layout one more time with Adam and listening to him rattle off how I can improve on my lap times from the day before. I know I can beat those lap times and I’m determined to come in first today.
As we line up behind the starting gates and the announcer calls out my name and number I kiss my palm and touch it my number plate, #329, my mom’s birthday, completing my ritual.
After every girl has been introduced and the announcer has gone through his spiel about the layout of the track for the fans the countdown beeping begins, sending that tingle of excitement throughout my entire body.
A firework bang goes off to signal the beginning of the race as the gates drop. I notice out the corner of my eye that Jen Caruso gunned it too quickly and got her front tire caught behind the gate and I can’t help but smile.
I drop it a gear and gun my throttle, coming in second at the first table top jump. At the double, where it’s two jumps that the bike flies over in one leap, I come out ahead but am constantly using my peripherals to spot other girls who are close. I don’t want to run into them or have them run into me, slowing us both down.
By the sixth lap into this eight lap race I have a commanding lead. I’m not as worried about running into other riders and my lap times are still coming in faster than they were during my practice laps were yesterday.
As I make it to the line on my last lap, I see Adam holding my sign and take a quick glance at what he’s written.
1:13
No traffic! Lookin’ good
I smile through my helmet at the fact that I’ve smoked this race. I take every precaution while maintaining my position through the last lap and do a whip with one fist raised after I’ve crossed the checkered flag and come in first place. As soon as I come down, I see someone holding out my racing sign, but it’s not Adam.
It’s Nixon.
The sign says:
I love you
Be my girl
I smile bigger, not sure if the smile is because he’s actually here or if it’s because he wrote on a sign that other people could see that he loves me.
I take my victory lap around the track waving at the crowd that is going crazy and then make it back to the finish line only to be bombarded by different sportscasters.
After three different quick interviews answering questions about how the track felt today, how the competition was, and about the break in to my trailer earlier in the day which I didn’t know that anyone knew about other than those directly affected, I get off my bike and give it to Jack who will ride it to our trailer and put it away for me so I can do some more interviews.
Once I’m outside of the track I see a tall blonde woman doing an interview with Nixon standing off to the side and I wonder what’s going on since he isn’t racing here. Maybe they just want to hear his take on the race today and I’m interested in what he has to say about it.
“From what we’ve learned Jen Caruso has been officially banned for life from the WMX circuit. Officials say they have video proof of her tampering with other riders’ equipment and had suspected she was trying to purposely injure other riders, as well. An official statement will be released later in the day,” the announcer tells the camera before she sticks her arm out toward Nixon and he steps closer to her.
I give an inner fist pump at that news. None of the serious riders have to worry about Jen’s bullshit ever again. I’m sure Bethany is going to be ecstatic.
I stand off to the side of the camera, behind Nixon who doesn’t know I’m behind him, and listen to what he and the woman are saying.
“And we also found MX rider Nixon King who is, for some reason, at today’s women’s motocross race. Hi Nixon, what are you doing here today?” the tall, shiny stick figure asks him and then thrusts the microphone toward Nixon’s face.
“Hey Tammy. I’m here today to show some support for my girlfriend Emmie Black,” he tells her in a sure, calm voice.
Tammy and I both freeze. I can’t believe he just said on national television that I was his girlfriend. I feel my face break into an enormous smile at the fact that he admitted it to everyone that he and I are together.
Then I realize that was what I needed to feel like I could be with him again. I needed him to admit it to other people that we are together instead of hiding our relationship behind a closed door like he had been.
“Wow, Emmie Black is your girlfriend?” Tammy the interviewer asks in a higher pitch than she had asked the previous question.
Then I wonder if Nixon has ever been with Tammy because she looks a bit heartbroken at the fact that he just announced he had a girlfriend.
“Yes, Emmie is my girlfriend. I love her a lot and I’m so proud of her today. She ran a clean and impressive race. I doubt I could even come up with those lap times myself,” he jokes.
Tammy still looks stuck on the girlfriend comment.
“So how long have you and Emmie been a thing?”
A thing? What the hell is that all about?
“Well, we’ve been together for about four months now and I’ve never been happier,” he tells the camera with a huge smi
le. Even though we haven’t been together for almost two months his smile says he looks genuinely happy instead of that fake smirk he wears for everyone else.
“Wow, there you have it folks. Our King of motocross has now found his queen,” she jokes making me roll my eyes at her stupid play on words. Nixon just gives her his brightest smile until the cameraman tells Tammy the feed has been cut and she whips her body back to his.
“The fuck you say? Emmie Black is your fucking girlfriend?” Tammy hisses at him. Well there’s my answer. He must have fucked her or she wouldn’t be so upset at this news.
If she looked over Nixon’s right shoulder she would have a clear shot of me standing ten feet away from them, but she keeps her eyes trained on Nixon’s face for his reactions to her words.
“Yes Tammy I’m with Emmie and I’m so fucking happy that even you can’t ruin this feeling for me,” he smiles as she blanches at his jab.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean Nixon?” she spits out. He just shakes his head, his hands going to his trim hips at the same time.
“You know what Tam, I’m done with this conversation. I’m going to go find my girl so I can kiss the shit out of her. Have a nice life, okay?” he tells her and then turns around, spotting me instantly.
It takes him five steps to reach me since I’m frozen in place and can’t move toward him. His hands instantly go to each side of my face.
I look in his eyes and see love and happiness shining back at me so I figure I should say something to him.
“Nixon, I-“ I’m cut off by Nixon’s mouth slamming against mine. His kiss is demanding attention and I give him everything he’s asking for. My hands automatically wrap around his torso and my finger nails dig into his back, holding on with everything I have.
When his tongue sweeps along my upper lip, my mouth opens and my head tips to the side to engage in a little tonsil hockey with this sexy beast.
He presses his body closer to mine and wraps one of his large hands around the back of my head, grabbing hold of the messy bun that sits at the base of my hairline, making me moan.
After a few minutes of our very public display, Nixon breaks away and rests his forehead on mine while he gets his breathing under control.
When his breath isn’t coming out in pants, he decides to speak. “I’m sorry sugar, I know you aren’t sure about us but I can’t be without you. I feel like a piece of me is missing knowing that we aren’t together right now and I can’t fucking stand it.”
I lift my index finger to put it over his mouth and keep him quiet while I speak to him. As soon as my finger touches his lips he puckers and kisses it, making me smile.
“I understand what you mean, Nixon. I haven’t felt right since we split and I wasn’t sure about what was going to happen with us until just now.”
He furrows his brow like he doesn’t understand what has changed between us in the past few hours and I feel my smile widen.
“You do realize that you went on national television and told everyone that I was your girlfriend, right?” I ask, wondering if he doesn’t realize he said it.
“Of course I realize what I did. I wanted to tell everyone that you were mine even if that meant having to say that you wouldn’t take me back during my next interview. Why does that surprise you?”
“Because you decided to let the outside world know that we were together instead of hiding it in a little bubble like you were doing before. It sucked being your girlfriend but not being able to tell anyone about it because you didn’t want to go out in public, Nixon. It made me feel like you were ashamed of me and I really didn’t like that,” I tell him quietly.
“No baby, I’m so sorry that I ever made you feel that way,” he whispers, kissing me softly on the forehead and then the lips before speaking again.
“I wasn’t ashamed of you in any way, babe. I think I was just terrified of screwing us up and having to explain to everyone, especially my mom, what happened. I didn’t want to hurt you and have that be public knowledge. After we broke up I thought about what was said and I was a complete idiot. I wasn’t worried about losing the flocks of women that come around. I’m actually glad I have a reason to keep them away, but I was scared of something happening in our relationship that I couldn’t control and I didn’t want to see you get hurt because of it. I’m so sorry about what I said.”
He leans forward and kisses me deeply, passion pouring in every ounce of movement from him before he breaks the kiss and pulls back slightly to look me in the eye.
“I was also trying to stop my feelings for you because I knew that once I felt them, I’d never get them to go away. Now I don’t want them to go away. I don’t want you to ever go away. I love you so much,” he whispers to me.
After my stomach has come back down from the moon and I can keep the tears from leaking out of my eyes, I respond.
“I love you too.”
Nixon’s eyes close, relief displayed on his face before he moves back in for another earth shattering kiss.
Epilogue
Two Years Later
Nixon and I have both been chosen to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics and represent the United States. We are both so excited to be in Rio and took the first three days we were here, and not practicing the track of course, to explore our surroundings.
It is now time for my race and, after talking with dad, giving my number a kiss in memory of my mom, and my new ritual of a quickie in the trailer with Nixon taken care of, I feel centered and ready to kick some ass.
I have raced with a lot of these girls before and I know that I have some tough competition lined up on either side of me, but they are all nice girls and we get along well.
The beeps begin, sending the all too familiar chill down my spine and then the gun is sounded and the gates drop.
The rider from Norway who was lined up next to me gets stuck behind the gate and it gives me more room off the starting line so I ride hard, inching my way closer and closer to first and by the fifth lap, I’m riding on the back tire of the girl in first place.
I don’t believe she sees me behind her and thinks that she has a commanding lead because after the triple jump she throws one hand in the air to show off.
Unfortunately for her, she loses her balance mid air and doesn’t land properly, crashing into the padded wall at the quick turn and giving me the first place spot.
I know that I can’t lose this position so I keep telling myself that I need to keep a clear head, watch out my peripherals for other riders, and make smart decisions on the track.
With one lap to go I see that I have another rider sneaking closer to me but she’s still far enough away that I know not to panic.
I glance at Adam’s white board on my straight away and see that my lap times are consistent and getting quicker with every lap and that I have a girl about three seconds behind me.
Nothing to lose my head over.
I focus on taking the quick turns tightly so I don’t lose the edge on the outside, finding a good rut through my high jumps, and keeping my balance while gunning it through the whoops.
I can see the checkered flag ahead but I feel someone coming up on my left side so I gun the throttle and take the last double jump faster than I have before, feeling that nervous energy but loving the adrenaline that shoots through me.
When I make it to the finish, I see Adam, Jack and Nixon all jumping around and hugging each other with their index fingers all pointed in the air.
I have come in first place.
I am a gold medal winner in the Olympics.
That’s fucking awesome.
The girl who came in second place was from Germany and her front tire was equal with my back tire. She was right on my ass and a tiny screw up on my part could have made her the winner, but I did everything perfectly and am now enjoying my victory lap around the track.
I gun it to the tabletop jump and decide on a Superman trick for the audience, landing it perfectly and basically glowin
g when I hear the cheers coming from the American spectators in the crowd.
I idle the bike at the top of the second tabletop so that I can take off my helmet and wave to my dad, Collin and Jaycee, who are all in the crowd screaming their heads off.
I then put my helmet back in place and finish the track but as I make it back to the finish line I spot Nixon standing in the middle of the track, holding Adam’s white board.
But it no longer has my lap time written on it.
Marry Me
I instantly stop the bike and put down the kickstand. I hop off the bike in the most ungraceful way and begin slowly walking toward him. When I get ten feet away Nixon drops to one knee and pulls a ring box out from behind the white board.
The crowd is going insane but all I can hear is my heart beating like a jack hammer inside my chest.
I remove my helmet and stop when I’m a few feet away from him, completely rooted to the spot when he speaks to me.
“Emmie Lou Black, I knew I had to have you the moment I saw you. When I signed your breast and you gave me attitude, I knew you would be fun and I wasn’t wrong. Every day I spend with you is filled with laughter and happiness. I find something new about you every single day and when I do, I fall more in love with you than I was the day before. Please give me the chance to find more things to fall in love with for the rest of my life. Marry me sugar.”
Holy shit. That was the most perfect proposal ever. I thought I was on a high from winning the gold, but this is a high unlike any other.
After a few seconds of stunned silence I look into Nixon’s light brown eyes and see all the love and happiness that he has for me and that’s when I know for sure that he’s the one I want forever. He’s my once in a lifetime love.
“Yes Nixon, I would love to marry you,” I beam. The smile that lights up Nixon’s face after I say those words is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
Down & Dirty Page 24
