Page 180 of The Champion
Sway and I just sat back and watched after that when Axelcame stumbling down the steps sporting a black eye and a fat lip.
“And where have you—” Casten asked but was cut off ratherquickly by Axel pushing him off the stool onto the tile floor.
“Oh my god, Axel,” Sway balked. “Don’t do that to him.”
Casten, pleased that he’d gotten the attention from hismom, added fuel to the fire and pretended to be hurt.
Turns out, while racing in the Silver Crown series, Axelgot into a fight with some kid who thought Axel needed a reality check. I guessmy little five-foot three son showed him a thing or two because he broke thekids nose and dislocated his jaw.
“Wow,” was my response to Tommy that morning when heshowed up and told us.
Axel, a tad sheepish, didn’t have much to say. Just likeme, his aggression frequently got the best of him and then the consequencescame crashing down. For the altercation, USAC suspended him from all threedivisions for two races.
“Should you talk to him?” Sway asked when Axel left withLily later that morning.
I had to leave for Charlotte later that morning but I didplan to talk to him about it.
“I will. Just let him calm down. Right now, it wouldn’tdo any good.”
“All right, just...don’twant this to turn into anything.”
Kissing the top of her forehead as she reached for theplates on the island, I whispered into her ear. “Wait up for me tonight,please.”
Her eyes sparkled with a sense of needing, the same needI wanted.
“Don’t be late.” She tried to hide the smirk but couldn’tvery well. “You have some making up to do.”
“I know.”
“And take out the garbage.”
“On it,”
“And feed Rev.” she added. “The last time I fed that damndog he knocked me into the pool.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”
I was more implying more about the way last weekendplayed out but I was sorry about Rev. The dog outweighed Sway and thought shewas his own personal play/chew toy.
Sway, well she had other ideas about that.
“That’s a long list there champ.”
“Well then you’d better get a pen and start writinganything else you want me to do. I don’t have all day.”
Instead, she grabbed a sharpie from inside a drawer inthe kitchen and wrote on the inside of my hand. “Be home by nine or else.”
“Nine it is.”
I did one better and was home by seven that night makingsure the kids had something to keep them busy. Axel was with Lily before heleft to Terra Haute. Casten was with Cole at Spencer’s house for the nightbuilding ramps for their dirt bike track. And Arie was with my mom shopping inNew York. I was not thrilled with my daughter shopping in New York either. Itwas to yuppie for me but whatever pleased my little girl pleased me.
“Sway?” I called out when Casten finally left with Cole.
“In the bathroom,” She answered.
We only had six in the house so it took a few to findher.
And then there she was, in our large sunken whirlpool tubin our master bathroom covered with bubbles. Her long dark mahogany hair sweptover the side, her legs were bent only revealing her knees. She was stunningand just as beautiful as the day I had met her. Only now, she was a woman, awoman who owned me entirely.
