Page 157 of The Champion
“It couldn’t hurt.”
“All right,” he nodded. “do you need water or Gatorade?”
“Nah, I’m good.” Kyle put my window net up again and thenmoved back so the crew could make some adjustments. We were currently testingat Texas, in probably the hottest temperatures of the year. In the two-hourtest session we did I drank six bottles of water and had no urge to use thebathroom—I’d say I was a little dehydrated.
I ended up making another hundred laps or so beforeparking beside the hauler in the infield where Kyle, Bobby and Mason werewaiting.
Tossing my gear inside the hauler, I turned toward them.“You guys wanna get some food?”
They all agreed so we headed off to Lonestar for dinnerbefore I flew home to see Sway and the kids.
Everyone was sound asleep by the time I got back to Mooresville.Quietly I crawled in bed, hoping not to wake Sway who was curled up to mypillow.
My eyes were just about closed when I felt a tiny handagainst my shoulder. “Daddy?”
I could hear a soft melodic whisper that pulled me out ofthe almost sleep. My baby girl’s breath blew across my face as she nudged myshoulder again. “Daddy?”
“What’s the matter princess?” I whispered back blinkinginto the darkness.
Arie sighed. “I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you?”
Opening my eyes just enough to make out her tiny frame; Ilifted her in between Sway and me. She curled up next to me, her head restingon my pillow. Arie was a snuggler with me, not so much with Sway but she loveda good cuddle in the arms of her daddy.
Every time she slept with us she had to be touching meand usually with several body parts.
“I hate bad dreams.” She said with another sigh.
“Do you want to tell me about it?” I asked throwing anarm around her and rubbing her back.
“You wrecked and didn’t come home to us.” She wiggled andsnuggled closer. “It made me sad.”
“Do worry baby, nothing is going to happen to me.” Iwhispered kissing her forehead.
Within a few minutes she was sleeping in my arms. Thiswas always a fear of theirs. At least Arie’s. I never heard Axel or Casten talkabout it but Arie worried me as I worried about her. But this was different.Even though I promised her, I couldn’t. I never knew what would happen fromweek to week on the track. All I could hope for was the chance to let my familyknow I loved them.
I’ve mentioned this before but other women wererelentless at times. And it wasn’t even the pit lizards. It could be anyone.Any time they found out who I was it was if they thought if I gave into them,they won something. It wasn’t happening though. I was happy with Sway.
We were comfortable with each other. Just like myfavorite dirt track, on any given night I knew how to get fast time, I knewwhere the ruts were and I knew just how much speed I could carry through thecorners. I knew how to throttle through the turns to glide over the ruts...Just like any bullring track, I knew her asshe knew me.
I also knew even good marriages failed at times. But itstarted with one simple miracle, two people fell in love. That’s what I valued.Sway and I fought at times over everything from time with each other to meleaving my underwear lying around the house. I’m not saying it was perfect, butit was pretty fucking good. All that being said, that’s why these womenthrowing themselves at me wereneveran option or even so much as athought.
One particular woman, Kristy, worked for me as a scorerfor our team and on any given weekend was rather flirty. Spencer warned mecountless times that there was something more to her as though she took the jobto get closer to me. For a while I thought he was right until she began datingColin. I realized how right Spencer was when Kristy and I had to spend a fewafternoons together when she stepped in for Alley as my publicist for an event.Kristy really wasn’t any different from any other girl.
Once night while we were in Chicago for the race, sheknocked on the door to my motor coach fairly late as I was just getting readyfor bed. Sway and the kids were in Eldora at the Little Dirt Nationals for Axeland Casten. I was flying out tomorrow to catch a few heat races but this leftme alone.
Thinking it was Spencer again I answered the door in justjeans, without a shirt.
“Oh...hey Kristy,”I reached for my shirt on the back of the chair near the door. “What’s up?”
She was crying. That much was evident by her reddenedeyes. I invited her in, she told me that she and Colin had gotten in a fightand she was feeling upset about it and thought she wasn’t good enough for himbeing a NASCAR driver. After a while when I told her I needed to get somesleep, she hugged me and confessed her real motive.
“I came in here hoping that you and I could...you know.”
Well shit, Spencer was right.
“Kristy,” I let out a deep sigh. I knew where this wasgoing with that look on her face. I’d seen it on countless women. “You’rebeautiful. I’m married, not blind, so when I tell you that you are, pleasebelieve me. But I love my wife more than anything in the world sothis,”I motioned between us. “is not an option.Ever.”
“I know.” She mumbled tears streaming down her reddencheeks. Her expression brought me back to when Sway left me in Sonoma all thoseyears ago.
