Page 7 of Homecoming

We were in a different country every week, but the layout of the pits was always the same, so I didn’t need to look where I was going. Being in the sport for almost ten years would do that to you.

One day, you were a lost kid, trying to find the right bay to go into, and the next the muscle memory formed, and you could find it as easily as taking your next breath.

“Williams!” My name was called in a feminine voice, and out of reflex, I lifted my head and looked for its source.

It didn’t take long to find it.

Rylee Donavan was hard to miss. She was almost as famous as her husband who was a legend around here. Her brown curly hair—coupled with those violet eyes—had the power to make any man spill all of his secrets. Add to that a body with curves in all the right places, well, you would not only spill your secret but your desires also, all in the vain hope that she would be the one who would make them a reality.

There wasn’t a single woman in this place that was hot as Rylee, and with that thought running through my mind, I glanced quickly around hoping her husband couldn’t hear my thoughts.

Colton Donavan was a lot of things. A fierce competitor, a legendary driver, driven to the point of madness. But one thing that rivaled it all was his love for his wife.

If he got even a nagging feeling you glanced at her with anything other than respect, which she rightly deserved, you would find yourself with a bloody nose and a broken knee before you could even blink.

“Rylee.” I smiled at her once I was sure that Colton was not going to charge at me like a raging bull. Not that I would blame him. After all, she was his wife, and I was checking her out. But still, we didn’t need a new scandal. We’d had one too many of those in the last few years.

“Hey,” she smiled back in greeting. “How are you?”

I spread my arms wide, my face stretching into a big smile, one that was genuine. “I won!”

“That you did,” she agreed.

“What are you doing here? Recruiting for your charity or trying to organize a new event?”

It wasn’t unheard of for her to be here, but she was never here alone. Colton was always with her.

“Don’t remind me.” She shuddered at the thought of another event. The last one was crazy enough, and I couldn’t help but laugh at her visible discomfort. “After what you and Lance put me through the last time, I am not going down that road again.”

“Hey now,” I chided. “We weren’t that bad, and we did bring in a truckload of money.”

Okay, I lied, we were. We got shit-faced and ended up stripping on the stage in the middle of the auction. We were ‘items’ on the auction, or rather a dinner with us, but we decided to spice things up and give the ladies a little pre-show. To say it was a great night for Corporate Cares was an understatement; our prices ended up going through the roof.

“Yeah,” Rylee chuckled, shaking her head at me like a big sister would do while trying to get her little brother to act normal while also concealing that she found him both adorable and hilarious at the same time. “That’s why I got help this year.”

“Oh?” I asked, intrigued.

While Colton was fiercely protective of Rylee, she was almost as much of him and her work with children.

Rylee stepped to the side revealing a woman standing there.

Not just any woman. Long, shiny chestnut hair. Full lips stretched in a smile that lighted even the bright shine of the sun. Warm, brown eyes, that once upon a time had made me feel like she could see right to my soul.

“You won’t forget me, right?”

“How could I forget you, you’re everything to me?”

She looked at me with those big brown eyes, and for the first time, I felt helpless. As long as I could remember, all I wanted was to get out of here, to do something… something good, something I could be proud of. And now, all I wanted was to stay right where I was.

With her.

Who would have thought that my best friend would be a thirteen-year-old girl?

“Promise?” she whispered, looking down as if she was scared of my answer.

“Hey,” I nudged her knee with mine to get her to look at me again. Everything was better when she looked at me. I felt like I was home when she looked at me. Once I got her eyes on me, I leaned to her and gave her the only truth I could. “I will never forget about you, Lola Adams. Because, even if you don’t know it yet, you’re pretty unforgettable.”

She looked down again, but this time, there was a small satisfied smile on her face.