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“Does it hurt?” she finally asks while still tracing her finger along my skin.
“No.”
She frowns as she lifts her eyes to meet mine.
“Much,” I add.
Her mouth quirks into a small smile.
“There was a moment …” She pauses, swallowing. “Annalise was with me. She told me the moment she heard your voice when you told your team principal that you were okay.”
I lean in, kissing her forehead. I’m grateful for my sister. My family is used to this type of thing, though I know it’s not easy for them to see me crash either.
Guilt burns through my chest at the reminder that I’ve put everyone I love through the difficulty of watching me crash at some point.
My hand finds its way to Alyssia’s belly.
“My mom hated my racing,” I say as I look at my hand resting on top of her swollen belly.
“She seems like your biggest fan,” Alyssia says, surprise in her voice.
“She is … always has been. Doesn’t mean she always liked it.”
I adjust my head on my elbow and raise my other hand to run my thumb over her jawline.
“How did that change happen?” she asks.
“My first go-kart racing championship. My entire family came out: grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, and of course Mom, Dad, and the sibs.”
She snorts, grinning.
“But I got overconfident. I tanked in qualifying. Came in second to last. After that, I knew it would be nothing more than a humiliation ritual to go out and compete. So, I decided I was going to walk away.”
“Let me guess. It was your dad who talked you up and told you there was no way you were going to quit.”
I shake my head.
“It didn’t even get that far. I knew my dad would’ve been disappointed, so I went to my mom instead. I figured it would be easy to get her on my side since I knew she wasn’t a fan of my racing. Then Dad would have to be okay with it.”
Alyssia cocks her head to the side. “She refused to let you quit.”
I nod. “Told me not only was I entering that race, but I was going to give it my all, no matter what. And if I didn’t, I would be grounded for three months.”
Alyssia chuckles. “No way.”
“I kid you not. I knew she was serious and I knew even if I gave it my all, I’d still lose because I was starting so far behind.”
“But?”
“I did what she said. I gave it everything I had.”
“And you won,” she says, eyes looking expectant.
“Not quite. I came in third, still an accomplishment given where I started. It wasn’t until the next year that I won the championship.”
Alyssia’s eyes sparkle as she caresses my cheek.
I turn and kiss the inside of her palm, remembering all of the new reasons I have to win now. This time it’s to make the woman I’m falling in love with proud.
