The Rookie (Racing On The Edge #7)

by Shey Stahl

  “Whip it out, big boy.”

  Easton was tempted. I knew he was. He was just about to respond when I heard commotion outside the door and prayed he finally left but, no, instead the fucking Cookie Monster was rearing its ugly head. “The stewardess is coming by with the cart.” His voice was suddenly rushed. “Can I have your pretzels and drinks?”

  “Sir…you need to take your seat.”

  Easton and I both looked at each other and panicked a little. As if arguing with my brother hadn’t ruined the mood, this ‘bathroom flight’ never got off the tarmac because of Casten and his stupid comments. Talk about ruining the mood.

  “I have to pee and there’s two people in there press forging.”

  “Press forging?” She asked.

  Casten just chuckled, really loud and I’m sure made a gesture that wasn’t appropriate because I heard the stewardess gasp.

  That. Fucking. Jerk.

  Talk about the walk of shame?

  Being escorted to our seats by the stewardess with Casten and the Cheshire Cat fucking grin on his face. Every person on the flight saw us and I just knew that they all knew what happened. I sat fuming at my brother when he looked at me, completely serious and said, “See…I don’t think the mile high club is accepting new members. You’re shit out of luck.”

  “Well, the douchebag club of America has a few openings, Casten, and I’m nominating you.” I turned away from him before I lost my shit on this plane and had to be physically restrained. There are three things I’m utterly sure of at this moment. I will never fly commercial again. My brother is the biggest asshole there is and karma is one motherfucking bitch!

  Casten, oh dear brother, your day will come especially since I didn’t.

  He could tell I was staring at him and slowly looked over at me. “What?”

  “You didn’t have to pee, did you?”

  “Nope.”

  I took the fork from Hayden’s salad and held it up.

  Casten’s eyes went wide and caught my hand mid-stab. “What are you doing with that?”

  “I’m going to stab you in the fucking ear!”

  Casten and I were arrested when we landed and put on a no-fly list. Seemed flying commercially wouldn’t happen again for us.

  Easton smiled when he bailed us out, looking at Casten. “Couldn’t talk your way out of that, could you?”

  “What are you talking about?” Casten stopped as we exited the jail and gave Easton a smile. “Once they found out who Arie was I arranged a meet and greet for them to meet her husband.” Casten’s Cheshire Cat grin returned in full effect. He motioned over his shoulder. “They want to do it now so you should get back in there. They have handcuffs.”

  “If you made a deal, then why have we been waiting so long for you to come out and why did I pay for both of your bail?” Easton looked at Hayden. She shrugged and gave Casten a funny look. She was used to him pulling this shit. I should have known that little fucker was up to something, but I was so pissed that it was best that we were separated.

  “You paid for Arie to get out. I made no deal for her release. Fuck her. She stabbed me in the fucking ear. My ear! That hurt.”

  I smacked his other ear. “I hope I punctured your brain with that spork!”

  We managed to make it the Summit Lake around nine that night and I refused to speak to Casten. I wasn’t exactly his favorite person either considering he had a ruptured ear drum from where I stabbed him in the ear. Serves the fucker right.

  “What?!” Casten asked, entirely too loud.

  “Why does he keep yelling at everyone today?” Mom looked closer at his ear. “And why is he bleeding from his ear?”

  “I stabbed him in the ear and ruptured his ear drum.” I acted as if this was no big deal. “And he got me arrested.”

  “Arie!” Mom gasped. “You could have hurt him.”

  “I wished I had! He got me arrested and now I have to drive back to North Carolina.”

  Mom shook her head. “Like father like daughter.”

  I grabbed mom by the hand and led her upstairs to help her get into her dress. They were having a night wedding out on the patio that overlooked the lake. Mom had yet to get into her dress, a simple white gown that offered nothing too revealing, but clung to curves I only wish I had at her age.

  She was by the window when I brought the dress to her in the bedroom, drink in hand looking out at the lake. I went up to her and stood beside her, my arm around her shoulder. “You okay?”

  She smiled, her eyes strangely focused on the dock where dad was standing, dressed in his tux, with Gray pointing at something in the water. Gray had on her flower girl dress with her hair pulled back into pigtails. Holding dad’s hand, she was looking up at him like he was her hero. I knew that feeling.

  “I am now.” Mom sighed, smiling. “It’s moments like that, those ones,” she gestured to the lake, “that I’m forever thankful I stayed.”

  Part of me thinks me walking in on Easton with Shaylee and Olivia was a blessing. It felt wrong to say that but so much of what I experienced these last six months with my mom were experiences I never wanted to forget. I knew that had I not left Easton, they wouldn’t have happened. That made it worth it.

  I’m not into weddings. It was like torture having to attend my own wedding let alone going to another one. They’re too formal to me.

  Today was different. Maybe because it was intimate and only about fifty people had been invited or maybe it just wasn’t about me and I appreciated what this was. Two people confessing their love again.

  The wedding was planned by Alley and Emma which meant everything just sort of flowed flawlessly.

  My parents chose to get remarried on December fourth, their original wedding date. Dad teased that he’d already had that day memorized. No since changing it now.

  Dad had never been big on celebrations but he was hell-bent on giving mom whatever she wanted that day.

  It started with Gray walking down the stone walkway to the arbor near the lake. She refused to throw the flower petals on the ground and ate them instead.

  Then as if she was Cinderella, mom appeared at the top of the stairs that led to the stone walkway. With a small bundle of flowers in her hand, she walked the dimly lit path to join my dad at the arbor. My stare and fifty others went to my dad before she approached him. He sighed and smiled at her, his hand over his heart, as if he was completely content now.

  Their vows were simple but meaningful. I reached for Easton’s hand as we sat in the folding white chairs arranged on the lawn.

  He looked over at me and mouthed, “I love you.”

  I did the same and brought his hand to my lips kissing the back of his hand.

  Mom spoke first drawing everyone’s attention to them. “I thought you were joking when you asked me to marry you again.” She laughed, her eyes bright with the twinkle lights strung over the arbor. “I can’t believe it’s been twenty-five years. Thank you for the best years and memories of my life. I promise to always stay even when times are changing.”

  My mother quoted Prince in her wedding vows. Classic.

  Dad took a more romantic approach. He repeated to her what he said the day before her surgery. “I’ll be here. Always. Until this stops beating.” He reached out and gently placed his hand over her heart. “And when that happens, you’ll be here, with me, in my heart, until I stop breathing. If you let go…I’ll hold on.”

  Everyone had taken to the dance floor after dinner when Easton had me in his arms.

  “Are you gonna want to get re-married now too?” He was teasing but I could see there was some curiosity behind his words.

  I laughed. “Sorry, but no. Weddings are too weird to me. I don’t understand them.”

  Easton smiled and leaned forward to press his lips to my forehead. “That’s the girl I fell in love with.”

  I almost felt like what we had now was completely different from what we had before we split up. After Homestead we snuck away for t
hree days to my parent’s house on Jacksonville Beach. It’s amazing what can happen in just three days. Just as easily as I fell the first time, I fell for my husband again and realized why I was with him. Why I chose him.

  When I think about our situation, I see just how much I’ve grown and what I’ve learned over these last six months. If you asked Casten, with cotton sticking out of his ear, he would say I haven’t grown up at all. But what does Casten know anyway?

  What I learned was just because my parents had something special, it didn’t mean that everyone else didn’t have something just as noteworthy. Everyone loves in different ways.

  What Easton and I had certainly wasn’t perfect but there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. We continued our dance, eyes only for each other.

  “Can I dance with her?” Rager asked, looking to Easton when he approached us on the dance floor. The twinkle lights above us on the patio shined in his eyes.

  Easton hesitated, looked at me but gave a slight head nod and let me go, his eyes scanning the two of us. It had to have hurt him to do so, but he was doing what I asked him to do. Trusting me.

  He let go of me as Rager reached for me. My eyes were on Easton’s but he didn’t look at me as he walked away. That’s when my gaze went to Rager. He smiled, that smile I knew as his right hand wrapped around my waist, the other holding my right hand. “Did you tell him about us?” was his first question.

  “Yeah, we talked.” I looked up at him as we barely moved swaying back and forth. “He knows everything that happened.”

  Rager gave me a slight nod and then waited for my eyes to find his. “You know I stole your heart at sixteen and I don’t think you ever got it back, did you?” I didn’t say anything, but he continued. “Maybe you love him, I know you do, but part of you will always be with me.”

  He knew me, he knew my heart and soul but, once again, this was where we parted ways. I was with Easton and that wasn’t going to change.

  “I’m sorry about everything that happened.” I said, my head resting on his shoulder listening to the beating of his heart, so steady and strong just like him.

  “I’m not. If a day, a month, a year from now you realize you might want me, or need me, I’m there for you no matter what.” He slid my hand that was on his shoulder lower to his heart. “I know you feel it. We have something here that will never go away.”

  We hadn’t even danced an entire song, maybe two minutes into it when Easton approached. “Can I dance with my wife again?”

  It would always be this way with them. Easton constantly having the upper hand but yet, Rager knew he had a little more than Easton knew. He definitely had a piece of my heart that I would never get back. It was his forever.

  Rager chuckled softly and let go of me backing away. He winked at me and then turned to Easton. “Treat her right, man.” It was a warning, Easton knew that.

  I watched Rager walk away toward the door, much like the night of the party, his head hung as he leaned over the bar and grabbed a bottle. He looked over his shoulder at me, in the arms of another man and then turned quickly walking out the door.

  My eyes found Easton again. He looked nervous, as if he was preparing himself for what I would say next.

  “This is where I belong, E.” A smile so wide was shared on both of our faces at that moment.

  My family is big on life defining moments. I have a few of my own that I know are worth it. A brother sister bond. A mother daughter bond. A father you can be yourself around. A family pulling together. A bond made up of people who aren’t related but share nothing more than a love of racing, a love of winning, and a love for a sport that is adrenaline addiction and passion, desire and persistence all rolled into one. It’s giving in. Loving. Having your heart broken. A moonlight maybe, a sunlight surrender to a hand held and promise vowed. It’s the words I love you whispered under the starry skies and begging him to stay. It’s bright blue and honey brown forever holding hearts and promises. It’s one heart letting go while another holds on.

  Those are my moments. The ones I want to remember. The ones I’ll never forget.

  The End

  Shey Stahl is the author of the Racing on the Edge Series. She enjoys spending time with her family at the local dirt tracks. You can follow her on the links below.

  Website & Social Media:

  www.sheystahl.com

  Facebook: Shey Stahl

  Novels by Shey Stahl:

  Racing on the Edge:

  Happy Hour

  Black Flag

  Trading Paint

  The Champion

  The Legend

  Hot Laps

  The Rookie

  All I Have Left

  Additional novels coming soon:

  Fast Time

  Lapped Traffic

  Behind the Wheel - Outtakes

  Everything Changes

  Waiting for You

  Delayed Penalty