Page 174 of The Champion
“I can’t stay right now.” She said quickly wiping hertears away again. “I need some time to think.”
“What does that mean?” My voice was harsh, my eyes flaredwith anger. The thought that she would ever leave was real now and I admit; itpissed me off because I didn’t do anything. Yeah, I lied but I only lied toprotect her. I never meant to hurt her.
She didn’t say anything for a long moment, I wasn’t sureshe was going to until she sighed. “I came to Vegas this weekend because Iwanted to be alone with my husband for once. Just for one evening, I wanted himall to myself.”
“Sway I—”
She shook her head. “Jameson, I came up here to be alonewith you and I see another woman,naked, wrapped aroundmyhusband. I just...I’m not leavingyou—that’s not me. I wouldn’t do that. I know you didn’t do anything with herbut you lied to me, you always lie about them. I just need some time to think.”
“That’s leaving!” I snapped back at her brusquely.
I stepped closer to her reaching for the door, slamming itshut.
“Anyway you look at, if you walk out that door, that’sleavingme.”
“Thisis why I need to be alone. You’re actinglike a child about this.” She pulled away from my grasp. I knew she wasreferring to my temper and my inability to control it when it came to us.
“We need to talk about this.” I shouted.
“We need to think about this before we say somethingwe’ll regret. I need to go.” She replied calmly because I was inept in doingso, and then she left. This time I just stood there until her actions caught upwith me.
“Sway,” I yelled after her but she never stopped.
I think I laid on the floor for close to an hour before Irealized I was lying in the middle of the hallway. I know that sounds pathetic butif you knew our past and what lying to Sway meant, you’d understand myfrustration with myself and my option to just lay there.
“Are you all right Jameson?” the timid sound of Alley’svoice made me look up from the floor. I shook my head at her question. I wasn’tall right. No, I was far from all right.
Spencer, who walked in behind her sighed and put his handon my shoulder. “Sway left.”
She had every right to leave. I lied to her...I yelled at her...I deserved her leaving me. I was hardly the model husband hereand in the fifteen years we had been married, she came second to racing and shenever deserved that. I knew how Sway felt about these women and she had everyright to want the truth. I don’t know why I felt the need to lie because notone advance had I ever acted on. I had nothing to lie about, but I did. I liedbecause I never wanted her to know how bad it really was.
My eyes fell back to the floor. “Did she say where shewent?”
“Casten is racing in Williams Grove tonight.”
“Shit.” I scrambled to my feet. I remembered he asked meto come with him the other night.
“Go talk to her and see your son’s race.” Spencersqueezed my shoulder. “The longer you wait, the harder it will be.”
Alley stopped me at the door. “Jameson, you have anautograph session in an hour followed by an interview with ESPN. You can’tleave.”
“Fuck that, I need to see my son race and apologize to mywife.”
“So you want me to call up Simplex and tell them what?”
“Jesus Christ!” I threw my arms up in the air. “I can’tbe in two places at once.”
“I’ll go watch Casten and talk to Sway.” Spencer offered.
“I’d rather you didn’t.” I clipped. Spencer meant wellbut I just wasn’t in the mood. Besides the last time Spencer intervened in anargument we had, I ended up doing more apologizing.
There was no way out of the obligations and I knew it. IfI cancelled, I had to re-schedule and with everything else, I just didn’t havetime.
So Spencer once again went to Casten’s race, where Swaywas. Spencer, Van and Aiden saw my kids more than I did these last few months.I was once again battling for the chase these year and time wasn’t on my side.
I’ve done a lot of fucked up shit in my time but nothingcompared to the way I felt knowing Sway didn’t want me around. After myinterview and autograph session, I flew to Williams Grove but Sway had alreadyleft back to Mooresville with Casten. On the way there, I called.
“Sway?”
