41. Spielberg, Austria

41

Spielberg, Austria

Will sat in the back of the black sedan, watching through the tinted glass as the teams set up their race bays on the track. A day before practice, thing were relatively quiet, just team workers and press. His eyes scanned endlessly for a glimpse of Mira. Tae had told him she hadn’t gone home, which was a huge relief, even though it didn’t change anything between them. Still, she was here somewhere. That’s all that mattered. She wasn’t gone forever. Not yet.

He hadn’t seen or heard from her since that night at the hospital. No phone calls, no texts. Done meant done. At least he still had racing. His thumb had healed fast, in time for him to make it to Austria. His massive points lead had evaporated when he missed Monza, but there were still enough races in the season for the championship to be within reach if everything fell perfectly into place. He could still win it all.

That didn’t set his blood pumping the way it would have three months ago. Who knew falling in love would color everything else in your life this way? When he’d been with her, every victory had tasted sweeter. Now a world championship would be, at best, a consolation prize, since what he really wanted was out of his reach.

The last morning they’d spent together—the one he hadn’t realized would be the last—he’d kissed her goodbye as she’d slipped out of his room, and the words had been right there on the tip of his tongue. I love you.

He hadn’t said it. Now he supposed he never would. It didn’t matter that he’d never told her, though. His heart was still hers, no matter that she’d left him. He hadn’t expected that. Seems that once you fell in love, you stayed there, even when the other person was gone.

A security agent in a dark suit rapped on his window and opened his door.

“This way to the press conference, Mr. Hawley.”

Team press conferences were mandatory before every race. Facing this one felt like facing a firing squad. In there, he wouldn’t be able to outrun the media shitstorm he’d so steadfastly avoided for the past week. Simone would instruct the media to stick to racing, but inevitably someone would ask about Brody—about Mira. He sighed, willing the patience, the energy, the smile, to come from somewhere. One press conference and then he could hide out again until practice tomorrow.

When he stepped out of the car, Violet was waiting, wearing a solid black suit and looking as severe as a head of state in mourning. “Have you been online since you got here?” she asked, with no preamble. Before he’d left for London, Simone had recommended staying away from news sites and social media while things were, in her words, “at their most volatile.” He’d been happy to oblige. Instead he’d spent the last week working out in his home gym and watching old races online.

“‘Hi, Will. Welcome back. How are you feeling?’ ” he asked sarcastically. “I’m fine, Violet. And how are you today?”

Violet rolled her eyes and handed him her iPad. “You need to read this before you go in there.”

“I really don’t need to read yet another story about how I’m a hotheaded wanker, thanks.”

She pushed the iPad into his chest. “Read it.”

Sighing, he took it and began to skim the article she had open. His heart stopped. He didn’t read it all. He didn’t need to. The important parts leapt right off the screen at him.

… one of us was sixteen and one of us was thirty. I would ask yourself, who should have known better? I can tell you for a fact, it wasn’t me …

… my father was the one who ended up being sanctioned. I’ll never forgive myself for that, but I don’t blame him for going after Brody …

Mira had talked to the press. Oh, god. She hadn’t just talked, she’d dredged up that entire ugly spectacle from seven years ago and told them everything . She’d poured out her secrets, her past, her heart and soul, to this reporter for the whole world to see.

Then he got to the final passage.

… this time, Brody’s actions affected the man I love, so I’m telling my side of the story …

Stunned, he read and reread it until the words blurred together on the screen as his eyes burned with tears.

“Why did she do this?”

“I don’t know, maybe because she was tired of being called a whore in the press? Or maybe because she’s still being all noble and trying to clear your name. Maybe it was some of both. Either way, this dropped this morning, so as you can imagine, that pack of wolves inside is in a frenzy, and—”

“Where is she?”

“Avoiding that pack of wolves, no doubt.”

“ Violet .”

“I think she’s in the garage, but—”

“I have to go.”

“But you have a press conference!”

“I can’t. Tell them to read this and go ask Brody some fucking questions, for once.”

“Will!”

But he didn’t hear the rest of her screeched protest. He was already pushing through security personnel, dodging around satellite trucks, jumping over piles of cables, and climbing steel barricade fences to make it to the Lennox garage.

Crew members stopped to stare as he ran past. Some called out in concern, but he didn’t stop to explain himself. He couldn’t explain it yet, because he didn’t know exactly what was happening. But he was determined to find out.

In the garage, he found her, standing between the twin Lennox cars with Harry, scribbling something on her notepad as Harry rattled off instructions. Harry trailed off as he spotted Will coming to a stop, breathing hard.

“Will? Something wrong?”

Every mechanic in the garage stopped what they were doing to watch, too.

Mira whipped around, eyes going wide at the sight of him. Seeing her face again after this miserable week without her was like coming up for air after having been underwater for too long.

“Not sure yet,” he said to Harry without looking away from Mira’s face. “Can I get a minute, Harry?”

“Sure, Will. What’s the issue?”

Now he did look at Harry, shooting him a look he hoped the older man could interpret. “I meant a minute with Mira. Alone.”

Harry scowled, looking from Mira to Will as if he was considering arguing. Then he turned to address the mechanics. “Quit gawping and get back to work!” he barked at them, before stomping out of the garage.

Every pair of eyes immediately swiveled away from them.

“I read the interview,” he said with no preamble.

“Oh.”

“Mira, why did you do it?”

She sighed, dragging a hand through her loose hair. God, how he’d missed that hair. He’d missed every single thing about her, from her dimples to her ankles, from the way she chewed on her bottom lip when she was nervous to the way she whispered his name when she was close to coming.

“I got tired of hiding from it. So I put it all out there. If people are going to judge me, then at least it can be on the truth. My version of it, for once.”

His chest ached with a mix of pride and pain. What she’d done was brave. Reckless perhaps, but brave. “You know some people are still going to think the worst, no matter what you do. Trust me, I know.”

She let out a huff of laughter. “Oh, I know. Read the comments section if you want a little taste of the worst of humanity. But lots of people have been really kind, too. A few people have reached out to me, to make sure I’m all right, and plenty of people think Brody is a scumbag. Even more think you were totally justified in kicking his ass. So mission accomplished, I guess.”

He shook his head. “No, Mira. I would never want you to put yourself out there like this on my account. It’s not right.” In truth, it made him feel sick to think she’d done this for him. Ever since she’d told him the whole story in Austin, he’d wanted to protect her from getting any more hurt and now, because of him, she’d offered herself up as some sort of sacrifice.

“It wasn’t for you. Well, not just for you. At the end of the day, it was about me. I’ve been living my life like I was ashamed. Like everything they said about me seven years ago was true. But I’m done believing it or apologizing for something I didn’t do.”

“You never should have had to.”

She dropped her eyes to a patch of concrete just in front of her feet, and she hooked her hair behind her ear. “Did you read through to the end of the interview?”

“I did.”

“So you know what I said at the end. About you.”

His heart ached, but not in misery this time. Not so long ago, this feeling would have scared him, but not anymore. He’d learned that love was worth the risk—that she was worth the risk.

He moved forward, until his feet were inches from hers. “The part where you said you loved me?”

She looked up and nodded, eyes bright with tears. “I thought I was doing the right thing, to protect you. But now I know I was just running away, like I’ve always done. I’m sorry I left you.”

A hard lump formed in his throat. He didn’t realize until this moment how desperately he’d wanted to hear her say those words.

“I’m done being scared.” She blinked and a tear broke free from her damp lashes and slid down her face. He reached up to brush it away and spread his palm over her cheek.

“Good. Because I never got to tell you that I love you, too.” Cradling her face in his hands, he took another step, closing the small space between them. “I can’t seem to live without you anymore.”

Mira beamed up at him. He could look into those green eyes for the rest of her life. “God, if there’s one thing worse than you being an arrogant ass, it’s you being a hopeless romantic.”

He grinned. “You know you love it.”

“I do,” she murmured.

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

“We’re outside. Someone might see.”

He leaned in, until his lips were just a breath away from hers. “Who cares? Let them look. Because it’s going to be a really good one.”