Cormac grinned."Hey, gramps, that was a half second slower than your last turtle run."
Dad elbowed Cormac back and walked forward to meet me as I yanked off my helmet.The day had started out cloudy, but now the sun was bearing down on the mountainside.I preferred the clouds.
"Think we should probably pack it up for the day, Theo," Dad said."Not getting any better.Your head is not in the game, buddy.Those new sponsors are going to be looking for much faster times than this."
"Do ya think, Dad?Fuck."I threw the helmet on the ground, dropped my bike over and walked toward a spot of shade.Cormac had kept quiet about our secret wedding mission, but Jules knew about it, which meant that Mom and Jade knew and probably Amy and Stella, too.And once news like that got into their circle, everyone in the family knew.
Dad was usually cool about shit, and he hadn't brought it up … until now.He yelled at Cormac to pack up the truck and then joined me in the shade."You need to decide just how committed you are to this, Theo.You can't let this thing with Lacey get in your head."
I looked at him.His hat was pulled down low enough on his head that I could only see him from the nose down."Right and 'this thing' you had with mom, that didn't cloud your judgment or get in your head?"
A smile tipped his mouth up."Fuck, I was a mess when it came to your mom.Once I knew she was my one and only, I couldn't tie my fucking shoes right.But that was different.Your mom knew I was her one and only too.Lacey is married.She made her choice."
I'd heard the shitty news from Jules.She was reluctant to tell me, but when she broke the news, it felt like a ten-ton wrecking ball had slammed through me.Lacey hadn't responded to any of my texts or calls.She'd essentially ghosted me.She'd done it to me again.She'd ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped on it a second time, like she'd done right after high school, and fucking chump that I was, I'd set myself up for it, in case the first time hadn't felt shitty enough.
Dad tapped my shoulder."Just figure out where your head is at.Keep up on your strength and stamina training.That'll help clear your head, and we'll come back out here when you're ready."Dad had never been one of those pushy dad coaches.Some of the other racers had to contend with keeping their head in the game all while figuring out how not to push their controlling asshole dads off the nearest cliff.That had never been the case with Dad.He could get tense or cranky, but for the most part, he was always the same, cool-as-a-fucking-cucumber Slade Stone.
Dad put his hand on my shoulder and left it there."Don't know about you but I could eat a double cheeseburger with a cold beer chaser right about now.Let's head over to Lazy Daze."
I nodded."Sounds good."
"Nah, not you.You're in training."He smiled."Kidding.C'mon, buddy.My treat."We'd made a habit of stopping off at my Aunt Amy's place, the Lazy Daze, for food and beer after a long workout.My riding had been shit, but at least we could finish the crappy day off with good food and beer.It had been three weeks since I'd won and lost Lacey, all in a few hours' time, and I needed to just get the whole thing out of my head for good.I was determined to get past this.I'd come too far with the sport to fall back now.
"Hey, Dad, I'll be back on my game next time.I promise."
"I know you will.You're the best damn bike rider these mountain trails have seen in a long time, and I'm proud of you, kid.You know that, right?"
"Yeah, I know."My dad and his brothers had grown up in a horrible, abusive household where they could barely take a breath without their dad firing off an angry fist, but somehow, they all knew how to be great dads, even though they had no model to work from.Dad had told me more than once that the three of them hated their old man so much they'd all made a pact to never be him.
"Mac has been on his phone all this time, so it'll be up to us to pack the truck," Dad said."He can buy his own damn burger and beer."
* * *
It was stillearly on Sunday evening when we reached Amy's place.The days were getting longer and warmer, and it seemed we'd all be bitching and moaning about the summer heat soon enough.There was a decent crowd in the bar, but that was because most of my family was there.My uncles were playing pool.Griffin and his girlfriend, Shay, were at one of our usual booths.Jaxon and his girlfriend, Bridget, sat with them sharing a large basket of fries.My cousin, Stella, was working alongside her mom, and my cousin, Jules, was sitting near the pool table watching the dads play.Crusoe had taken off for the weekend with a bunch of his friends to surf up north.And Mom and Aunt Jade were working late at their real estate office.
Dad ordered us some burgers and beers, and he carried the mugs back to the booth adjacent to the one where my cousins sat.I sat down and took a long drink of beer.
"How'd the ride go?"Jaxon called from his booth."Hey, I saw an ad come up for that cycling gear company, whatever the hell it's called, and there you were, right in the center of it with that big ugly face of yours."
"Ignore him," Bridget said."He's in a bad mood because he tried to put a new toilet in the guest bathroom, and well, let's just say it didn't go well.And I saw the ad, and you looked gorgeous.I bet they'll sell a million dollars of gear on that smile alone," she added.
I lifted my beer in a toast to her and grinned smugly at Jaxon.A loud combination of a cheer and a groan echoed from the pool area.
"Looks like Hunter just won that game," Dad said."I'll have to play him next and wipe that annoying smile off his face."They put down their pool cues and walked over.Jules followed.She plunked down next to me in the booth and immediately picked up my beer for a sip.
"Uh, Amy does have more than one glass in the bar," I reminded her.
She shrugged and wiped the froth off her lips."Too lazy to go over there and order.Mac, can you please go order me a beer?I went on a long run today, and my calves are killing me.Pretty please, Mac?"
"Fine, I've got to order one, too, since my dad decided to show how he only loves my brother."
"It's cuz you spent all your time on that fucking phone, and I needed your help," Dad told him as he walked away.
"Oh, speaking of phones," Jules said, seemingly to herself.She pulled out her phone and started scrolling.I knew Jules followed Lacey.She knew all about the wedding weekend, and she knew about the wedding crash.I hadn't asked her about Lacey.I drank my beer and had a mind debate about whether I should ask Jules for an update.Did I really want to know?Did I want to hear about the expensive honeymoon or the incredible house they were now living in?Nope, I didn't want to know those things, but I asked anyway.
I leaned over so I could talk quietly, not that Dad would overhear me.Once his brothers had joined us at the booth, it was impossible to hear anything except the three of them debating who was the better pool player.
"Hey, Jules."I nudged her with my elbow.
