“IT’S NOT MY birthday. Not for another two months.”
Tyler’s eyebrows raise up as he inspects the colorfully wrapped boxes on the kitchen table.
“What?” I squawk. “I thought your birthday was March 7th!”
With narrowed eyes, he smiles playfully.
“Tyler, you’re exactly two months older than I am. How could I forget that?”
I wasn’t in the mood last year to celebrate my birthday so I didn’t care that it slipped by without notice. Neither Susie’s sweet éclairs or Pam’s promises to find me a hot date could cheer me up. The fog I had been in had only begun to lift; things were still clouded and hazy especially where Tyler was concerned.
“I’m opening it,” he sings, slowly peeling off a sliver of clear tape.
The anticipation is killing me. I do have to give my mother credit for the idea; but the logo and its meaning is all mine.
Bits of paper fly everywhere as Tyler rips into it, leaving the cardboard box naked. He pulls an Army knife from his back pocket and cuts the tape, finally revealing its contents.
“Shirts?”
I can see the gears working in his brain.
“Well, you have to take them out and look at them!”
He grabs a T-shirt and stretches it out on the table, using his hand to flatten the material.
“Superman?”
There’s a mask of confusion on his face at the logo printed on the left side of the shirt.
“Now turn it over.”
He obliges.
“T.A.S. Racing.” Tyler smiles in surprise and awe when he sees the bold printed script.
I can almost feel the excitement seeping through his pores.
“Did you read what it says below?”
“Stronger than ever.”
The muscle in his jaw clenches as he bites back the moisture in his eyes.
“I love this! Thank you.”
Slipping from his grasp, the soft material falls to the table when he turns to face me, sliding his rough hands over my face.
My heart melts into a pool of emotions.
“You are the most thoughtful person. All the little things you do make me fall more in love with you each and every day. I don’t think I could possibly love you more.”
“I feel the same way about you.” I sweep my lips across his.
Tyler’s body crushes against mine, his arms locking me in place…my favorite place in the world.
“Can I ask you a question?” he breathes into my hair as his kisses line my neck.
I hum, unable to locate the words to respond.
He chuckles lightly and asks, “What’s up with the Superman logo? I’m not a fan of superheroes.”
I pull back to look at him.
“I know that…but you’re my superhero. You’re my Superman.”
Angling my body to free my arms, I turn and guide his attention to the logo.
“S.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “While some may see “S” for Superman, I see it as “S” for Strong. You are the strongest person I know. You’ve overcome so much. You give so much.”
“But—”
I cover his mouth.
“I wasn’t finished yet.” I smirk.
“Like Superman, you want to make the world a better place. Like him, you take care of people. Like him, you flew in, came out of nowhere, and saved the girl.”
My eyes meet his and express a deep connection.
“You saved me, Tyler. You saved my life.”
This man, this strong and loving man, buries his head in the crook of my neck as the emotion he tries to suppress finally overwhelms him.
“I wish I could’ve saved you sooner.” Broken words are mumbled.
My fingers run along the nape of his neck, gripping tightly as his body shudders against my breasts.
My lips move quietly, whispering, “You’re my Superman.”
Together we release a torrent of moisture, giving and taking what we need from each other until our faces are stained with dried tears and our bodies thoroughly exhausted.
“You made me cry,” he declares with a hint of shame and disbelief.
“So what?” I pull back and smile. “I’m sure Clark Kent shed a few tears over Lois Lane.”
“I don’t cry.”
I grimace as a humorous warning emerges. “Don’t make me change that logo!”
“Why would you change it?
“Because “S” is also for sweet.”
I’ve embarrassed him based on the red flush on his cheeks and the turning away of his eyes.
“And it’s for sexy.”
His eyes drag up slowly.
“And solid.”
My gaze falls to his hard abdomen and then lowers as my hand follows the trail.
“And sensual.”
I graze his groin.
“And satisfying.”
My hand moves against him causing his erection to stiffen.
“And surprising.”
I pull my hand upward and place it on his chest with my palm splayed flatly. My thumb rubs over the top of his scar slowly.
“But above all, you are strong. Stronger than ever.”
The air between us crackles with passion; its blanket envelopes me. I know my expression mirrors that of Tyler’s.
“You know I’m going to marry you, don’t you?” A rushed question flies from his lips while his hand covers mine on his chest.
“What did you say?” I ask with hesitancy as my mind works in overdrive, struggling for comprehension that he wants to be my husband. The idea of marrying has nudged my brain for some time, but now that I hear them, I’m stunned.
“I’m going to marry you, Karrie.”
His words, dripping with longing, reach my ears and take hold of my heart.
“I thought that’s what you said.” I sigh, releasing the pent-up ball of air.
“I love you and I don’t want to spend another day with you as my girlfriend.”
Intensity laces his voice.
“I’m your girlfriend,” I breathe; the intonation of my statement sounds more like a question.
“You’re so much more than that! I’m serious. I can’t wait for you to be my wife.”
The pounding of my heart rings in my ears.
“Ty—”
His eyebrows furrow and his countenance darkens.
I smile.
“When you ask, I’ll say yes.”
Judging by the open mouth, I believe I’ve shocked him until his lips give way to a massive grin and his arms lock around me. Tyler lifts me off the ground, spinning me so my legs are left to dangle as I fly around. Joyous laughter floats in the air.
When the room finally comes to a complete stop, my head is left dizzy. I bury it in his chest and hold onto his biceps for support.
“So?”
“So what?” I ask, keeping my head down.
“When do you want to get married?”
I drag my head up and my eyes meet his.
“What? Wait…you didn’t actually ask me anything,” I laugh before becoming serious. “Here’s the thing.” I inhale drumming up courage. “I do want to marry you…someday, but I don’t want to rush into it. I rushed into a marriage last time with a man I hardly knew and look how that turned out.”
“Don’t compare me to him! I’m not Alex; I’m nothing like him!”
My eyes close in response to his harsh tone before I eventually take a deep breath, reopen my eyes and look at him with compassion.
“You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t realize how damn lucky I am to have found you? You don’t think I know how special this is?” I motion between our bodies. “I love you so incredibly much and that scares the hell out of me.”
“I want you to be mine.”
“And I am! A piece of paper isn’t going to change that.”
I caress his face gently, soothing away the stress I see.
“I am yours in every way possible. You’ve claimed me. Heart. Body. Soul.”
“So you’re saying we’re not going to get married right away?”
“I’m saying when the time is right…when you actually propose after asking my father, of course,” I tease, “I will be the luckiest girl in the world and completely honored to become your bride.”
When he takes me to bed, it’s more than sex; it’s a promise of what’s to come; a promise of our future as husband and wife.
***
“ARE YOU SURE you have everything?” I quip, looking inside the trailer where his bikes are strapped down and secured for the ride down south. Over the past two weeks, Tyler’s excitement grew daily. He’s ready to race hard and win big.
“I could do this with a blindfold on.”
“Arrogance.”
Tyler’s smirk is followed by a kiss.
“Confidence.”
I climb into his truck and slide next to him, getting comfortable for the six-hour trip.
My eyes flutter open and my belly rumbles with a combination of hunger and anxiety when I spy the state sign.
“We’re here?” I yawn, stretch and crack my neck.
“Just about. How’d you sleep?”
“Good, I guess. I didn’t realize how tired I was. I haven’t been sleeping well the past few nights.”
“I noticed.” He chuckles.
“Well maybe if you stop waking me up for Midnight Madness, I’ll sleep more.”
Tyler pulls up to the gate and rolls the window down to talk to the lot attendant.
“Name and sponsor?” a tall, thin man asks, checking over the list attached to a clipboard.
“Strong. TAS Racing.”
The man’s eyes nearly fall from his face with realization.
“Tyler?”
With his hand extended, Tyler greets him.
“Hey Matt. What’s up?”
“Yo, brother. I didn’t recognize you or this truck.” Matt says as he sweeps a quick glance at the dark truck and trailer. “You look good, man! Real good.”
Tyler nods in response.
“Hey man, I’m sorry about Alex. I can’t believe he’s gone. One day he’s here and the next he’s gone. I wish I could’ve made it up for the funeral. I wanted to go, but you how things are down here.”
Tyler pulls his eyes away from the gate attendant, ignoring his comment entirely.
I listen as the two men chat about the weather forecast and the other teams coming in for the weekend. Apparently, the return of Tyler Strong has been the talk of the town and all eyes will be on him. Races have been secured and bets placed. There’s a lot at stake for him. It’s his time to come out from behind the shadows of his former sponsor and show everyone he’s still one of the country’s top racers.
When we drive through the gate and enter the open lot, I turn and ask him why I wasn’t introduced.
“You don’t want to know him. He’s a dick.”
“Oh,” I say as my eyes widen.
“A lot of these guys are just like him and I don’t want you talking to them. Stay close by me.”
I heed the warning in his voice and it raises my suspicion.
“What’s going on?”
“You’re going to hear Alex’s name a lot this weekend. I just want you to be prepared.”
“I know. I kind of figured as much.” I exhale slowly, hoping I have the courage to face all these people.
Trucks and trailers of every size and color line the lot. Pop up tents with team logos fill in almost every vacant space.
Curling the bill of my ballcap, I pull it down low, protecting my face from the scorching sun. I step out of the truck. Glancing around, I immediately spot them…scantily clad bike bitches circling around the trailers like piranha.
“You look good.”
I look down at my team logo shirt paired with cut off shorts and smile.
“I do, don’t I?”
I wave a quick hello to Gabe and Matt, two guys whom I’d met before when they came up to help rebuild the engine with Tyler a few times. They ended up staying for the weekend and I’m almost a hundred percent positive Gabe went home with Pam …or was it Matt?
“Did you bring the earplugs like I told you?” Gabe asks.
I shake my head, kicking myself for not grabbing a pair when I was at the store last week.
Matt raises his chin in greeting before helping the rest of the crew unload the bikes from the trailer while Tyler gets bombarded by fellow racers and their cronies. Of course, the bike bitches follow and focus all their attention on my man. My attempt to step back is thwarted when Tyler reaches for my hand and keeps me in place right beside him.
I don’t understand half the terms they’re using; I never had the desire or the need to pay attention before. This time is different. I want to know everything. I listen intently, making mental notes of things I want to ask Tyler about.
After what seems like forever, I excuse myself to find the restroom. The long ride left me feeling queasy and car sick.
I lock the stall door and stand against it, regulating my breathing when a hot flash fires through me. A shadow of doubt tells me I don’t belong here; I’m an outsider.
After splashing water on my face, I feel the weight of someone’s stare and I catch her eye in the mirror.
I recognize the petite blonde instantly and fight hard to suppress a surge of anger.
“I thought that was you,” Penny says, fixing a hard stare at me.
Breathe, Karrie. Breathe.
The dilemma I face is whether to address her kindly or as the whore she is for sleeping with my husband.
“Hi, Penny.” I take the high road.
“I don’t think you’ve ever been down here before, have you?” Her southern drawl seems more pronounced than I recall.
“No,” I answer, moving to the dryer and rubbing my hands together.
“And now you’re here with Tyler.” She chuckles dryly. “You know about me and Alex, don’t you?”
I swallow the lump and look away. I don’t want to think about her or him or that part of my life. It’s dead just like he is.
Inflicting another wound, she continues. “He was going to leave you.”
My voice vanishes and I am left with nothing to use as my defense or to launch a verbal retaliation so I turn to leave.
“I had his baby. A little girl. Her name is Alexandra, but I call her Alex… after her daddy.”
“Alexandra,” I breathe, my voice re-emerging weakly as I get sucker punched in the gut at the mention of the name he always said he wanted to name our daughter.
“Want to see pictures?”
I spin on my heels, ready to spew venom. That’s when I notice the swell of her belly.
“You’re pregnant again?” I don’t even try to hide the disdain in my expression.
Her mouth transforms into a smug smile and she straightens her shoulders, exuding an aura of pride.
“Seems these guys can’t keep their hands off me. None of them ever could. Not even Tyler.”
My lips move slowly, mumbling, whispering words of hate I know will never reach her ears.
“It’s hot outside. Make sure you lotion up. God forbid you burn that white trash skin of yours. “
The last thing I see is her smile fall from her face and her mouth drop open. I’m pretty sure she calls me some choice words as the bathroom door shuts behind me.
A quick stop at the concession stand does little to settle my stomach. I make a mental note to pack Dramamine next time. I purchase a few fried snacks and meet Tyler back at the trailer where he’s getting suited up to make his first pass of the afternoon.
Damn, he looks good! I’ve suddenly lost my appetite for the food in the tray.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he whispers in my ear after he kisses me. “Especially when you know I can’t do anything about it right now.”