23. Daisy

TWENTY-THREE

DAISY

His hand stayed wrapped in mine the entire walk, and he didn't seem to mind. He even tightened his grip as the crowd thickened.

We made it to the pit area where they let us by and Kye continued on, heading towards the only building on this side. The entire wall facing the track was glass, giving anyone inside the perfect view of everything happening below.

"We need to go up and find Holt first, then we can come back down and hang out before I do a few laps."

"A few laps doing what, exactly?"

"Showing Holt that I will be the best damn driver on his racing team. I would do any type of racing if he wanted me to. Rally, drift, stunt. I want to do it all."

"Those all sound…dangerous," I said, my hand tightening.

"It is, but I'm good at it, so no worries."

"No worries? I have all the worries, all the time. This will just add to my endless pile of worries," I said, talking faster now.

"Why would you worry about me?"

I thought it over, but couldn't respond. How could I tell him that I would worry because I actually cared about him? Not in a pretending fake boyfriend way, but in a very real, very scary way.

We made it to the room overlooking the track. Holt was sitting at a bar top area with Ash and Fox next to him. Scout, Chase, Jax, and Carly were lounging on some of the chairs in front of the glass windows. Ransom and Quinn cut us off immediately.

"You're late," Ransom said.

"By, like, five minutes."

"Well, Holt noticed," Quinn said. "You better have a reasonable excuse because he is watching you like a damn hawk today, and already asked if you were going to flake."

Kye huffed and pulled me along with him towards Holt.

Honestly, I'd known Holt most of my life. He was always nice to me. I knew that he and my dad were close enough that we went to a lot of his parties and events, but my dad always tried to stay away from the bigger ones. The track party was one that Holt threw every year, though, and my dad never missed it. Fast cars, food, all the new announcements of racers, cars, events, and anything else outlandish that Holt could tell people. It had always been fun when I came with my dad, but I never imagined I would be here with someone who was going to be racing for him. I couldn't help the pride that grew in my chest when I looked over at Kye.

My life was beginning to feel surreal, and it was strange how much I liked it all.

I liked waking up with Kye, hanging out, and driving here. I was even excited to watch him race, even if it made me worried. I liked every second with Kye.

I slid my hand around until it rested on his lower back. He seemed confused when he looked down at me, but he threw his arm over my shoulders and started talking to Holt.

"You made it," Holt said, shaking his hand.

"You know I wasn't going to miss it."

Holt shrugged. "Never know with guys like you."

"I forgot something at home. I had to make a stop," I said, the anger in my chest flaring. I hated the way people talked to Kye, as if anything was wrong with him. As if he hadn't been doing everything to show Holt he could handle this career.

Ash beamed at me. "Better stop asking interrogating questions about what Daisy needed to turn back for now, Dad, or you might have a full meltdown like you did when you found out I actually have to go out and buy tampons sometimes."

"Oh, come on, Ashton, I wasn't going to ask more," Holt said, his face immediately turning red.

"Well, you were interrogating Kye. Just wanted to remind you that you don't need to interrogate Daisy, too."

The heat crept up my neck, but I knew Ash was helping.

"I wasn't going to ask her, Ashton. You are a menace to me," Holt said, laughing as she smiled at him. "Let me intimidate Kye in peace, so he knows how serious this is."

The tightness in my chest eased as I realized Holt wasn't going to be more of a dick to Kye.

"No intimidating necessary," Kye said. "I'm already taking this seriously."

Holt made a huffing noise as the door slammed open, an old man stepping inside looking very pissed off.

"Did no one tell you to install a damn elevator in this building, Holt? Do you not care about the elderly?"

Carly got up, running over to the door and grabbing the guy's arm. "What are you doing, Grandpa? I told you that we would meet you downstairs."

"And then they told me that you have food and air conditioning up here, so I didn't want to wait."

Carly walked him over to us as he looked me over. "Daisy, this is my grandpa. Grandpa, this is Daisy, Kye's…girlfriend," she said, her lips pursing together to stifle a laugh.

"Oh, no," Kye said, stepping a little closer to me.

"Girlfriend?" Grandpa asked, his eyes going wide and a frown deepening on his face. Everyone had yelled hello to him, but I wasn't sure why. He didn't look friendly at all."You mean to tell me this guy finally found a girlfriend?"

"I did," Kye said. "But there is no finally, Grandpa, I wasn't looking."

He frowned harder at Kye before turning back to me. Shock reverberated through me when he grinned, the wide smile softening his face. "None of us ever are," he said. "You beauties just seem to find us, and what's a man supposed to do other than fall in love?"

I laughed as Carly pointed him at the table of food next to Holt.

They immediately started bickering over the elevator situation, with Holt accusing Grandpa of being blind because the elevator was right outside the door and in full operation. Grandpa continued the argument back and forth until Holt was the one apologizing.

The rest of the crew was gathered around talking about cars and the races today. Scout, Kye, and Ash would be doing some form of racing today with Ransom, Quinn, Fox, and Chase helping them. Jax and Carly apparently helped run a charity side of Holt's business, and they would be doing different demonstrations and games for younger races.

No one seemed to mind that I would be lingering around, and Quinn even told me a few things I could do to help Kye before his race. It was all simple things—getting helmets, and running things back and forth—but they didn't hesitate to include me, even if I knew nothing about cars.

It was easy, fun, and more relaxing than I anticipated.

My chest ached. The never-ending reminder that none of this was real was like a knife in my heart.

Kye leaned into me until his lips were at my ear. "Ready to go watch some races?"

Heat ran down my spine until my thighs clenched. "No. I'm ready to go do other things, though."

He grinned, but pulled me up with him as he stood. "Maybe later. For now, I have some work to do."

Later.

The word echoed in my mind because I wasn't sure what later meant for us now.

I leaned against the car Kye would be driving and watched as he checked over things under the hood.

"It's so weird that I am the first girlfriend you brought around. I'm so used to Dean's mom, who would constantly tell me how perfect his girlfriend before me was. They were friends from childhood and the family still loved her. Looking back now, though, I don't think I ever stood a chance for them to like me when they were still so obsessed with her."

"That's weird. I mean, I guess if any of the crew broke up, we would be screwed because we're all so close. I don't know how anyone new could make it in without us at least mentioning the ex. Lucky for you, you're the first girlfriend, and I think with what I have learned about relationships, you will be the last girlfriend I introduce, too."

I sucked in a breath, warmth spreading over me at the small sliver of hope that I would be the last because he couldn't want anyone else, but that died when I realized I was talking to Kye. The man who could go years without sex, and could probably make it another decade without a girlfriend, and not bat an eye. It had nothing to do with me and everything to do with his own preferences.

"Yeah," I echoed. "Lucky me."

"Ready to watch your fake boyfriend go those death speeds around a track?"

"No, not even a little."

He leaned down, kissing me hard, and I wrapped my arms around him. He lifted me up, my legs automatically wrapping around him.

"What are you doing? There is a crowd of people here."

"And?"

"And we don't have to fake date for them."

He gave an annoyed grunt before setting me down. "Holt is very much watching us from up there in his perch, right now. And I don't know a lot of things, but I do know that I would be kissing my girlfriend before I race. I've seen the guys do it a hundred times."

He hadn't let me go, so I leaned back in. "I guess that is true," I said, smiling as I kissed him again.

We stayed like that for a minute, his arms wrapped around me and expert lips kissing me. I was letting myself get caught up in the fantasy of this being real when the sound of my name cut through the noise of the crowd.

"Daisy?" my dad said. I could hear the disbelief in his voice. His face was white when I turned to him, his mouth still hanging open. I jumped back, but Kye grabbed my hand before I got too far.

"Daisy. What the hell are you doing?"

"Umm." I couldn't think of a single word as blood rushed to my ears, drowning out every sound besides my fast beating heart.

"Just a little luck before I go race," he said with a wide grin. "Great to see you, Sheriff."

"See me again ," my dad said. "You know I have you running from me earlier."

"That was you? Wow, I was just getting a little practice in. Honestly, you are a great opponent. Maybe you should get out on the track with me today."

"Kye," I hissed. He wasn't helping any of this.

"What the hell are you doing with my daughter?"

"Dating her?" Kye said, the pleased grin on his face making my dad's turn red.

"Daisy," my dad said, almost screaming now.

"Well, I have to go race. I'll talk to you later… sweetheart ," Kye said, smiling as he leaned down to me. He liked this too much, taking every opening he could to mess with my dad more.

Before my dad had any chance to respond, Kye was getting in the car, waving as he pulled away.

"Daisy," my dad said, stomping over as Kye peeled out to line up.

"Whatever lecture you have for me, can you not?"

"You just kissed Kye Baker. The guy I have arrested more times than I can count. The guy who just outran me when I was trying to pull him over." He ran a hand down his face and sighed. "Dammit, you were in the car, weren't you?"

"I'm the one who told him to go. I didn't want to deal with you. With this," I hissed.

"Maybe think about going out with a guy who wouldn't run from the police. One who doesn't love getting arrested and fucking up his life. Maybe one you are proud to date, not one you want to hide from me."

I met his eyes, my hands on my hips. "I was hiding it because of you, not because of him."

"I doubt that. You know, if he was a good guy, I would be fine with you two together."

"Then are you going to believe me if I tell you that he is a good guy?"

"There isn't a chance in hell I'm going to believe you. And based on what he just did and said, I'm going to tell you that he's using you and you need to break it off."

"And if I refuse?"

"You and I are going to have issues. A lot of issues."

"I don't live at home anymore. Why are you acting like I have to follow your rules?"

"Because I still pay for where you do live. And it isn't cheap. Have your grades gone down? Are you even still in school?"

"No, Dad, I started dating Kye and thought it would be better to drop out," I mocked. "Of course, I'm still in school. Stop being ridiculous."

"Ridiculous? That's the farthest thing from ridiculous. That's exactly what happens with guys like him. You need someone more mature, someone who has their life on track."

"I swear, if you tell me again that I should go on a date with your sheriff friend's son, I'm going to scream. I do not need to be set up on a blind date."

"It would make me pretty happy to see you give it a shot, at least. Maybe see the difference between boys like him compared to Kye. Maybe you would even be happy with what you learn."

I turned back to the track, watching as Kye lined up and then was off. His car veered around the track, sliding around the corners. My fist clenched into my dress at each curve, worry gnawing at me that he was about to run into a wall, but he didn't. He would make it around each curve with ease until he hit a straighter part of the track and would take off again. It looked like he was going full speed at a wall each time, and each second was making me realize how dangerous this career would be.

And how much I loved sitting here watching him.

He was amazing. I didn't know anything about racing, and it was clear that he was good at this. I couldn't imagine why Holt wouldn't be signing him on as a driver immediately. He moved past the other cars with ease and drifted around the last corner. It was apparently only one of a few race events that would be happening today, and Kye would be doing more of these drifting events along with one on a dirt track that Holt had. All of it was to show off, and Kye was doing amazing at showing off his skills. I thought back to the picture Kye sent me. The one that was currently the lock screen on my phone, and I nearly laughed. It was so dumb that we made each other's photos our lock screens like anyone would notice, but I noticed every time I opened my phone.

And I loved it.

I wanted to go down there and see him smile like that in person after winning a race.

But I could feel my dad's glare on me, and my heart sank more.

Between knowing this relationship was always fake, to my dad never letting it be real, I knew it was over.