CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
JULIE
The wedding was private, practical and swift—so swift in fact; that sometimes I thought it didn’t occur at all. But there was already a beautiful wedding ring on my finger and before I knew it, I was already moving into his apartment suite.
He’d offered to buy a house, but I adamantly refused, uncomfortable with having someone spend so much for me—someone who wasn’t my real husband. I had some savings apart from what my dad had given me, and I could sustain my own.
“Make yourself comfortable,” he said as he ushered me in the spare bedroom, bringing my bags along. “My fridge is stocked with all kinds of food, so get whatever you need.”
“I know,” I said, reminded of my time there when I’d first tried to seduce him.
He seemed to realize it at the same time, his expression going unreadable. Lately, he’d been unreadable, starting from the time he offered me marriage to when he talked to my father and promised him that he’d take good care of me. Then there was the short wedding, and now this.
“This place is yours now, too, for the next months to come. You tell me if you feel anything, okay?”
I looked down at the floor, tamping down the overwhelming feelings. Getting married at twenty-two? It definitely wasn’t part of my plan in life.
But I guess on some things, you just had to wing it.
A hand went to my chin, gently lifting it up. I met Scott’s gaze and found his eyes softening as he looked at me.
“Hey. Cheer up. We’ll be fine,” he assured. He didn’t smile, but I could hear the sincerity in his voice. “And you’re still part of my crew, so don’t worry about the job. I want you to take the few days off.”
I inwardly groaned. I hadn’t seen the crew since that fiasco. I wondered what they would think of it. Absorbing his words, I straightened my shoulders.
“No. I’m going to the next practice. And the next race. This is the majors, Scott. You need all the help you can get.”
His brows furrowed. “There will be media, Jules. And questions.”
I shot him a smile that was more confident than I was feeling. “I’m a big girl. And the baby needs the exercise.”
Just the word baby had Scott’s face transforming from expressionless to amused. Something inside me responded, but before I could analyze it, he was already tugging me towards him and wrapping his arms around me. There was nothing sexual about the hug, but it didn’t matter. I was still tingling all over from his warmth, the same tingles that I felt for him even before we started touching each other. And I no longer had any plan of pursuing that, not when he made it clear that this was strictly business.
He stepped back from the hug after a while and flashed me a smile, right before telling me to get some rest. I watched his back until he left, realizing that in the time since we’d made this arrangement he hadn’t teased me or made fun of me. Not once.
What the hell was wrong with me that I would miss that?
The passionate Scott I knew? He was no longer there. In his place was essentially a stranger and not the man I’d shared a night with on a tower rooftop, nor the man who’d taken me twice and enjoyed it very much. And I still wanted both versions of him.
*****
Ulysses was the first to see me when I got to the garage early in the morning. I noted his shocked expression first and the way his eyes slid down to my stomach as if expecting it to grow big within seconds of his stare. Trying to stifle a laugh, I sauntered forward.
“Hey, Uls.”
He blinked. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”
I raised a brow. “Do I look sick to you?”
He shook his head. “No. You don’t…no. It’s just…” I waited in amusement as he colored a bit. “Oh, hell. We didn’t think you’d come back, okay?”
“Why? Because I married the boss?”
“Something like that,” he muttered.
“Well, then you’d better get used to my presence again because I’m here to stay,” I said firmly. “And I don’t want any special treatment. I’m still the same part of the crew.”
“Just the boss’s wife,” he shot.
“Who is a part of his crew and will do her best to help him win,” I shot back.
That silenced him enough to think it over. Finally, slowly, he slid the box of car tools over to me—a peace offering.
I beamed.
“I thought you’d never ask,” I chirped. Then I was picking up the wrench and happily getting back to scrutinizing Scott’s racing car.
*****
The others were just as shocked as Ulysses, most especially Henry, who hadn’t been told I’d be back. I didn’t make the same statement with them that I made with Ulysses, but kept working and soon the silence was gone as everyone got back to their routine. Henry looked bothered and almost like he wanted to talk to me, so I waited. But he didn’t say anything.
By the time Scott arrived the car was already pre-checked and on its way to the racing line. I had ridden to the race track with him, and the awkwardness inside had been palpable. We managed to get rid of it by talking about cars, but I didn’t know what was happening between us. One day of living with him, and he’d just grown more distant.
“Everything fine here?” he asked.
It was Henry who responded. “Yes, everything’s good to go. Doug got into a minor car accident and won’t be here today, but all the others are here.”
The Doug news surprised me, and I hoped he was fine. Henry called the crew to remind the setup for today, then glanced at me.
“Congratulations to you two, by the way.”
Silence ensued. Then the others whispered their congratulations, too, and I could feel my face turning hot. To my surprise, I found a large hand squeezing mine—Scott’s hand, as he grinned at his crew.
“Thanks. Dinner’s on me after we win this today.”
Everyone cheered. Then Henry dismissed us to prepare ourselves, and I turned to Scott.
“Good luck.”
He looked at me for a long time, his face serious. Then he broke out into the same grin he gave everyone, and I found a glimpse of the charm I missed. He leaned down to kiss my cheek lightly—a play, I knew, to convince everyone we were fine and today was going to be fine.
When that was done, he let go of my hand and left. With a sigh, I tried to ignore the quickening of my beating heart and ordered myself to concentrate on work.
Since this was one of the major events, media coverage was at its fullest—and some got inside and managed to find me and shove their recorders and video camera in my face. I was pleasant at first, but soon the questions were bordering on scandalous—like whether I’d seduced Scott to get myself pregnant and get instantly rich, or whether it was the other way so he could get to my father’s fame and bank account.
Now, that pissed me off. I opened my mouth, prepared to say something sarcastic. But before I could, Henry was already answering.
“They are in love and have gotten married because of that,” he said firmly. “And they would like to be left alone as they face Scott’s racing challenges ahead.”
“And who are you?” one of the reporters said rudely.
Why, the arrogant—
“Scott’s pit crew chief. I’ve known Scott for years and have known Julie since she started here. They’re both good kids, and we’re happy they’re together.”
It was said so politely and so firmly that the media had no choice but to believe him. I tried to keep my mouth shut as they asked some more questions. They eventually gave up when they didn’t find anything that could be considered “juicy.” When they were gone I turned to Henry wanting to ask him what made him say all of that but grateful at the same time for the save.
He looked back at me quietly. Finally, he nodded his head.
“Let’s get back to work,” was all he said.
He knows, I realized. Not because anyone told him, but because he just did.
And if he knew, that meant someone else was bound to figure it out if we weren’t careful.
Like my dad.
*****
Scott won the race, but it was a close one. This time, it was Gray Denton who came in second with James coming in third. I watched as everyone headed to the finishing line and I soon followed, realizing I should be there to show support as his wife now.
I bumped into Gray along the way, and his eyes lit up in recognition. We hadn’t really interacted much since he didn’t really go to the garage like some of the other drivers, but I’m guessing my name was on the news now along with Scott due to our sudden marriage. The man was pretty hot with his dark good looks, but I heard he was one of the racing track’s resident womanizers who had a thing for bunnies.
I smiled. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Your husband, too,” he said. I saw his eyes flit to my belly before he brought it back to my face, a subtle movement that I pretended not to notice. “He’s going to be some tough competition.”
I nodded, then smiled again. Then I left him alone as others congratulated him too, and navigated my way over to Scott, who was looking at something in the crowd.
“Hey, McCall,” I called out, intending to keep it casual. “Congratulati—”
I didn’t get to finish as Scott quickly turned his head in my direction. Then he was tugging me towards him until I was pressed up against him, startling me.
Then, before I could react, he already had his hand at the back of my neck, pulling me closer.
His mouth brushed against mine amidst the crowd’s deafening roar—one brush, then another, until he was deepening the contact and swallowing me in an all-consuming kiss.
It was hot. It was so hot that need seeped into my bones, and before I knew it, I was kissing him back and shaking at the way our tongues tangled. All the desire I’d felt came rushing back in hot pulses, and I clung on to his shirt as he angled my head and took the kiss even deeper. The way he stroked me with that tongue made me feel like he wanted to do this for hours—with me, just with me. I could taste the thrill of the victory there in his mouth, as well as something else—something that, shockingly enough, aroused me beyond reason in the middle of all the cheering people.
And then he was pulling back and breaking the kiss. I was so dazed, I had to cling on to him for a little bit yet, not sure I could stand without toppling over. What was that about? Was it for the media? Was he just kissing me because he was so happy? Was it—
His head leaned down, his mouth settling near my ear. “Your father’s watching in the stands. Don’t look.”
Oh. Oh.
The light feeling I had in my body grew heavy. Something that felt so much like disappointment sunk in, and I tried to shake it off. I resisted the urge to look up to see if what he was saying was true because really, there was no reason he’d lie to me.
That kiss was all a show, then.
It didn’t matter to the crowd as they kept cheering, obviously enjoying the surprise little show. I could feel cameras clicking everywhere, and I began to grow uncomfortable.
As if he sensed it, Scott put his arms around me and squeezed my shoulders. It bugged me that that gesture alone calmed down my nerves, so I subtly steered out of his light embrace and gave him a smile despite my still pounding heart.
“Congrats. You mentioned something about free dinner?”
Scott laughed. It changed his face, turning the victorious expression into one of pleasure as his blue eyes twinkled. Ah, there was the Scott I knew and loved.
Wait, liked. Not loved. I didn’t love him.
“I believe I did say something about that,” he teased. “Now, come on,” he whispered. “Let’s get out of this hound show.”
He tugged me away from the crowd. Amused and confused, I let myself be pulled.