“Could work.” Hoyt shrugged. “If you weren’t my brother I’d totally think you were a dick, by the way.”
“Ouch.” I slapped my hand over my heart. “Good thing you’re my brother then.”
“I just hope you’re really doing this for the right reasons.” Always the rational one. “I mean, I know you cared about her, but what you’re about to do is some serious shit. This isn’t a competition. It’s people’s lives and emotions. You sure she’s the one?” Not only was he rational, he was apparently a big ole softie. I appreciated his concern, and I had thought about the ramifications if this didn’t work out the way I’d hoped.
“I’m sure,” I promised. “I know it might seem like a dick move, but I can’t just stand by and watch her waste her life with Beau. You know as well as I do that he’s probably only with her because she was mine in the first place.”
“Very possible.”
“But if there is even the slightest chance that she’s willing to give me an in, I’m going to take it.”
“Well, let’s see what happens,” Hoyt said, nodding his head toward the roadway that led back to where we were standing. A convoy of trucks and trailers, all filled with bikes and four wheelers, was making its way toward us. Easily a hundred plus people. “I don’t think we have enough food.”
“I seriously only called like ten people,” I promised Hoyt.
“I might have invited a few more people,” Brett’s voice called out from the porch. Hoyt and I both turned to find him standing there with a smile. “Gotta love Facebook.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” I said to my sister, who was sitting on the tailgate of Beau’s truck next to me. The roar of multiple engines made it difficult to hear one another, but when she nudged her shoulder against mine, I knew she could read my mind. The whole thing was surreal. I was watching bikes go around a track that I’d swore I’d never see again. I almost felt guilty for not cheering for Reid. He was the one who’d introduced me to this sport and he was the reason I’d fallen in love with it. Nothing in my life was making a damn bit of sense.
“I can’t believe Beau wanted to come,” she said into my ear. “I mean, I’d get it if they were friends, but we both know that is not the case.”
“This is why,” I pointed at the race track. Beau and Reid’s bikes went rushing by us. They were so close that it was impossible to tell who was in the lead. “He thinks he has something to prove.” I rolled my eyes.
As soon as we had arrived at the track, Georgia found me, thankfully. Beau readied his bike to ride and put on his gear. He looked pretty good all dressed up. It had been so long since I’d seen a man in racing gear that I almost forgot how sexy it was. I’d purposely avoided looking at Reid. He’d had a fantastic ass in riding pants years ago, I was sure it looked even better now, and I had way too many memories of taking those clothes off of him to even consider it. I was there for Beau, not for Reid.
“Be careful,” I’d suggested to Beau, knowing that it was an unheeded warning.
“I should have stayed home,” Georgia said. “This is so nerve wracking. I don’t know how you did it all those years.”