“Fuck,” I seethed. What had I said that had spooked her? It seemed like we were really getting somewhere. It felt so good to have my lips on hers again and to hold that sweet little body of hers on my lap. It was more than just the physical pull I had to her though. Sitting there with her and talking, hearing her laugh and giving me a hard time for the move I pulled on Beau. Airing how we felt about the past and the mistakes we’d made, it was everything about her that made me want her, including our history, which was the apparent deal breaker in this entire ordeal.
Did she want me to give up racing and move back to Halstead for her? I wanted to say I was ready to do that, but how could I? I’d given up everything for my career and to just let it go was not something I could do without some serious thought. Thinking about the wounded look on her face when she stood up and walked away from me had me seriously considering parking my bike for good, I would have given anything in that moment to have her back in my arms, but I couldn’t be impulsive. Look where being impulsive had gotten me with Nora. Had I known that ending things with her back then would have had both of us feeling completely miserable, I definitely would have thought it through a little better.
I gave her a few minutes to get back to the track before I headed that way. I should have just stormed after her and made her say in front of everyone that she still loved me, but the idea of causing her anymore heartache that night was enough to keep me from causing a scene.
“Where you been?” Hoyt asked when I found him chatting with Brett and Georgia. No signs of Nora anywhere. She’d probably already left with her asshat boyfriend. I couldn’t stomach the thought of her being with him. The way he’d kissed her in front of me and every other damn person at the party earlier had me seeing red. I was relieved when I saw her storm off. A little bit of that spitfire girl I’d fallen in love with a decade ago peeked out from behind that responsibly, well-adjusted adult facade she was so good at wearing now.
“Needed to clear my head,” I said, grabbing a beer from the cooler next to them.
“You mean you were scared to show your face after Beau smoked you?” Brett teased.
“Something like that,” I mumbled, before taking a drink. I wasn’t in the mood for joking around. I was in the mood to drink and try to figure out what exactly happened back in those woods.
“My sister was clearing her head too,” Georgia piped up. “Any chance you saw her?”
“Why?” I replied. “Would it even matter?”
“It might,” she suggested with a shrug. “It might make all the difference in the world.”
“What the hell does that mean, Georgia?” I was through playing games. If she knew something that might help me it was time for her to start talking. “What do you know?”
“I know that my sister came stomping out of the woods and told Beau she was ready to leave without so much as a word to me.”
“What makes you think that it had anything to do with me?”
“You’re the only person I’ve ever seen her get that upset over.”
“I didn’t mean to upset her,” I confessed my being with her without even thinking. I thought about covering my tracks for Nora’s sake, but Georgia already knew.
“What did you say to her?”
“Just the truth.” I shook my head. “I want another chance.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?”
“Why do you want to be with her?” she said pointedly. “It’s not a hard question, Reid. Is this about competing with Beau? Do you just want her for old times’ sake? Or is it more than that?” With every question she stepped closer to me and I was actually feeling a bit intimidated by the 5-foot-4-inch woman standing in front of me.
“Yes, it’s more than that,” I promised. “She’s it for me. I’ve known she was the one since we were kids. I made a mistake back then and I just want a chance to make it right.”
“You hurt her once and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you do it again.” Her usually sweet face took on a much more ferocious look. “You better be telling the truth.”
“I’m a lot of things, Georgia Bennett, but a liar is not one of them.” I looked her straight in the eyes and I hoped that my sincerity was coming through loud and clear.