Chapter 32

“Hey, Kai,” Nessa says as Evie and I jog up to the house after our early morning run. This lady can go a good distance, so I feel exhausted as my feet hit the front step.

“Yeah?” I ask. She grabs her keys, standing in the open doorway, before walking out with a smile on her face.

“Do you have time for me to show you something?”

I smile because I will always have time for my new mom.

“Always.” I grin at her before eyeing the keys in her hand. “I mean, as long as it doesn’t involve more running because I think Evie just killed me.”

My breaths come in short pants as I try to regain my composure.

“No running, but I make no promises about your heart rate.”

She looks so playful and mischievous, something I’m not used to seeing on her face. She looks different today, and I can’t wait to figure out why that is.

Evie tosses me a water bottle before I walk with stiff legs to meet Nessa at the side of a very purple mustang.

“You can stretch while I check her over. I haven’t driven her in a bit, so she might need some attention.”

My brows furrow as I look at the car.

“Are you calling the Mustang her ?” I question, bending down to stretch my hamstrings.

She gives me the most ‘well duh’ face as she gestures to the muscle car. “What else would you refer to her as?”

I shrug, standing to loosen up my shoulders and back. “Maybe an it, or a him. These muscle cars are usually built for guys, right?”

Now she just looks offended, but I have no idea why.

“I am going to give you a free pass because clearly no one ever taught you about vehicles. This is Flair, and the proper response would be ‘nice to meet you’.”

I stare at her in disbelief. My mother is crazy.

Nessa pops the hood, moving around to look at things, giving nods of approval as she goes and no shit actually pets the metal at a few points. Her fingers graze the tires almost lovingly as she inspects them and I watch nervously because I have no idea what to do right now.

Is this normal?

“She looks good,” Nessa finally says, gesturing to the passenger door. “Get in.”

Pulling open the door, I find a seat that looks like something I swear I’ve seen in a racing movie.

“Is this a race car?” I ask, dragging a harness over my head to fasten it between my legs.

She laughs. “Something like that. You ready to see one of the things I love?”

I can’t help but nod. Seeing her so happy is incredible; I never want it to end. The engine roars to life, the seat under me vibrating in a way that has me startling over the power.

“Flair isn’t any normal car,” Nessa says, taking off down the road while shifting gears and picking up speed. The long driveway is eaten up in seconds. She doesn’t slow down when we get to the turn, at least not enough that I notice.

Grabbing onto the handle next to me, I gasp as the car’s front somehow stays where it is, and the back is drifting, putting us perfectly onto the road before shifting to pick up even more speed.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” I’m quite literally shaking in my seat.

When she throws her head back with a bark of laughter, I can’t help but look over. Nessa has one hand on the steering wheel, her hair thrown back from the force of our speed, and the smile of pure freedom on her face.

If flying were possible, that’s what Nessa is doing. It’s like she’s caught the drift of the wind and nothing can stop her.

“Trust me, Kai. If I know anything, it’s how to handle my car.”

She weaves around traffic before pulling off to a side road with a blockade at the front.

“I’m not reckless, and I would never risk your life,” she says. A man moves in front of us, removing the red and white stand from the road.

Nessa brings the car forward, waving at him before he places it back in its place behind us.

“When we were looking for you guys,” she starts, her two hands are on the wheel now as she stares ahead, “I would come here often. It was a road that didn’t ice much and was well-maintained. Not many people use it anymore since the town on the other side of here has grown. The highway is the main way to travel, so I don’t feel bad when I need to ask Boris to close it down for me to blow off some steam and get my head right.”

Timid eyes connect with mine. “I want to show you this part of me, but not if you don’t feel safe. Do you feel safe, Kai?”

Glancing to the road, then back at her, my white knuckled hand leaves the handle, and I take a deep breath. “You always make me feel safe. I trust you. I want to see this part of you.”

Her shoulders sag as if she needed to hear those words. “I know you call Alexi Batman and that you love his car. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great car, but it can’t do what Flair can.”

She places her hand on the stick between us, then grins widely as she looks at the road ahead. When I face forward, it feels as if we’re taking off on a rocket ship headed for the moon. It’s when we approach the first turn that my stomach sinks. Our wheels graze the edge of a drop before sliding back onto the road.

“Radioactive” by Pentatonix and Lindsey Sterling reaches the crescendo in the speakers surrounding us. The violin building with the beat as my heart seems to accept the adrenaline high, and I start to sing along with the music. Nessa does the same, turning up the volume as we belt out the lyrics.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like this before. The music creates an electricity under my skin that the thunder of the engine seems to meet with fervor. I’m still shaking, but for an all new reason now.

It’s like the feeling of freedom and the high of life have combined to create something akin to a reawakening. And that’s how I feel right now. Like this is a new beginning. It may be scary, and none of us know what will happen next, but we have each other.

We have together.

Hope fills me as I look over at my new mom. A real life, one with the promise of a future of my choosing. And I can’t help but be incredibly thankful for everything I now have because of her .