15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

TUCKER

I was riding the biggest high. Sure, I was stuck in class right now, but it was Friday, and the Ridgeside U coach had just been to my house the night before. I was now just waiting on my National Letter of Intent, and I'd be signed with a full ride to the school I'd been hoping to get into for months, ever since Jet signed his.

Which was a relief. I'd been holding off on so many of my other offers for so long that some of them weren't even on the table anymore. My parents had been worried, and I'd be the first to admit that I was starting to sweat, too. But holding out paid off. As soon as I signed that baby, I was securing that the four of us were all going to the same university. Well, except for maybe Izzy. She'd applied and gotten in, just in case, but I knew she was still aiming for Baste Academy.

At least, it's only a forty-minute drive between schools if she gets in.

It was the nights I didn't know how we would manage.

I tapped my pencil against my desk, anxious. Dying to see her. Hoping she was okay. She'd slipped out of our bed sometime early this morning, and I'd found her fully immersed with dancing in her studio when I got up. I'd watched her for a while before she even noticed I was there, and then we'd hurried to get dressed and make it to school on time. She swore she was okay, but she was quiet.

She was quiet too often now.

As soon as the bell rang, I was off, eager to see my friends and my girl for lunch, but I stopped by my locker to dump my stuff first. I pulled my phone from my back pocket when I felt a buzz and nearly did a double-take when I saw the email waiting for me. My stomach leapt to my throat, and I slammed my locker shut, running down the hall, excitement literally buzzing through me.

I found Annie and Jet already at our table under the oak and dropped my bag to the bench, a massive grin splitting my face. They looked up, and while Annie looked at me like I was nuts, Jet immediately knew.

"You got it."

"Just got the fucking email," I declared proudly.

"You did?" Annie's face lit up, and she gestured for me to sit. "Then sign it. Like now. Let's get it in!" She practically bounced in her seat.

"Get what in?" Izzy questioned as she walked up, a salad in hand. She looked at the empty table in front of me. "You didn't want anything?"

"He'll get something in a minute." Annie waved her over. "He just got his NLI."

"What? You did?" Izzy's tone immediately changed, and she rushed over, grabbing my wrist to look at my phone. "Oh, my God, Tucker. This is amazing. Yes, sign it." She wrapped herself around my arm, hugging herself to me, and for a moment it felt like the old her beside me with her excitement shining through.

Best fucking day.

"On it." A few quick swipes and my signature, and I sent that fucker off, a weight I didn't even realize I was holding releasing from my chest. I sent a screenshot of it to my parents, knowing they'd be going nuts, too.

"Oh, my God. This calls for a celebration." Annie slapped her hands to her legs. "What should we do?"

"There's a race tonight?" Jet quickly piped up, hope in his expression hiding behind the apprehension I saw when he glanced at Izzy and I.

I looked down at my girl as she glanced up, the two of us silently checking with each other. The last one she'd been to had not gone well, but a small spark was lit inside the depths of mossy emerald green at that moment, giving me hope, and she gave me a tiny nod.

"Yeah, we're in." I held her gaze, not wanting to miss a moment of the small glimpse of life there in her eyes, and she reached up to grab my hair, pulling me down in a kiss that made my heart jump in my chest. A sliver of that hope beating through it that maybe I could get her back.

JET

"I feel like I'm getting a glimpse at a whole new side of your group," Nic commented, his eyes assessing, taking everything in as we pulled up to the races that evening. The street and muscle cars, the rougher crowd, and the casual use of alcohol and drugs around the scene.

Not that the latter was something we did. We had too many goals with sports and our careers to mess with our bodies that way, but it wasn't something we judged others for.

"It's more Jet's and my scene than Izzy and Tucker's," Annie said from the front seat. "But yeah, we started coming here about a year ago. Jet's pretty good." She squeezed my thigh with a smile, and a wave of pride went through me that she called this ours. She'd embraced it with me. For me. The fact that Izzy and Tucker were finally joining us again tonight was a bonus.

I gripped her chin between my thumb and index finger, locking her gaze with mine. " Pretty good? I think you mean damn good, sweetheart. And I'm going to dominate out there tonight after the upgrades you got for me."

Desire flashed in her eyes, a moment passing between us, but before I could lean in to claim her mouth with mine, Nic cleared his throat from the backseat. Annie's face dropped as I smirked. "Sorry, man."

Tucker's Chevy pulled up with the tailgate first next to us as I threw my car door open, and we all got out, taking our places on the back of his truck. He pulled Izzy into his lap, and Annie perched herself between my legs. Nic stood off to my side, leaning against the edge of the tailgate, his arms over his chest as his eyes still traveled around the scene.

"So, what do y'all do here exactly?"

"Watch the races and make friendly bets on who's going to win," Izzy said, her eyes bright as she took in the cars lining up. "I'm gonna say the blue one. "

Annie smirked. "The Charger? Maybe, but I think the Firebird may take this one."

"You know, you were right that first night we were here, Izzy." I looked over at her. "Monty does run actual bets on the races, too."

Her eyes widened, and she smacked Tucker on the thigh. "See! And y'all made fun of me. I knew what I was talking about."

Tucker chuckled and snuck an arm around her waist as he leaned in to nuzzle her neck. Her breath hitched, her body stiffening, and he murmured in her ear just loud enough for us to hear. "Sure, princess. But I think it was more of a lucky guess."

She raised a single brow, shooting him a look, and I couldn't help but grin watching them. If I'd known getting them here would bring back some of their old spark, I would have dragged them out here with me sooner. Annie turned back to look at me, and I knew she was thinking the same thing. Her hands squeezed my arms that I'd wrapped around her waist, and I nibbled behind her ear.

"Who's that guy?" Nic jerked his chin, and I followed his gaze over to Monty.

"The guy who runs the races. Hey, Monty!" I held up my hand as he looked over, and he nodded, running a hand over the tattoos on his shaved head before walking over.

"Good to see you, Jet. It's been a few weeks."

"I was out of the country for a while and then just busy. Got any room in the lineup tonight?" I jerked my head at his clipboard.

He held it up, checking over the list. "Yeah, I can fit you in, easy. We've got quite a few racers out here tonight. I take it you still don't want Hernandez, though." He eyed Tucker.

He just stared back, his voice going hard. "That wasn't about this. He had it coming."

"Not my business. I just don't want the drama if I can cut it back." Monty looked back at me. "No Hernandez?"

"Yeah. No. Guess that means he's here, then."

"On the other side." He gestured across the crowd, and I looked over to spot the sleek black Mustang I'd lost against last fall parked next to David's Firebird.

The mood was tense when Monty walked away, Izzy staring down at her feet as Tucker glared over at Zane. Nic just looked confused.

"I'm missing something."

"The last time I raced Zane, Tucker knocked him out with a single punch."

"He'd fucking left bruises on Izzy. He had it coming."

I shot him a look to cool it. The mood had been good before, and the more worked up he got, the worse Izzy was going to be.

"Let's not worry about him," Annie chimed in, sensing what I had. "He's way over there, and we're over here, having a great time. You still calling the Charger, sis?"

A small, appreciative grin crossed Izzy's face as she looked up. "I'll take your advice. Let's go Firebird."

"Good. Just in time for the race to start." I directed their focus back to the track. The countdown started, and the cloth fell. "Just wait ‘til you see them." I grinned at Nic.

As soon as the cars took off, Annie stood straight, pulling from my lap but still in my arms. She grabbed Izzy's hand as she screamed when the Firebird took the lead around the second corner, and like it was the cue Izzy needed, she joined in, cheering, the two of them calling out and yelling the rest of the race until the Firebird took a three second lead over the finish line.

"Yes!" Annie turned in my arms, wrapping her hands around my neck to pull me into a kiss. I pressed my hands to her back, one dipping down to her ass to clutch her and pull her close. I was fucking beaming and hard as a rock when she finally pulled away to breathe. Our brows pressed together before she turned in my arms, and her ass rubbed against my erection. I held in a hiss as she grinned. "I'm telling y'all. I'm getting really freaking good at calling these things. I oughta start placing actual bets."

"Annie, really?" Izzy admonished.

She just shrugged. "Can't hurt."

It was a few races later that Tucker followed the twins over to the port-a-potty, and I didn't blame him one second for not wanting them out of his sight. We weren't making that mistake again. Especially knowing Zane was here.

I sat back, watching the next race, and with the others gone, Nic finally hopped up on the tailgate beside me.

"So, you've done this a lot before?"

"Not a ton. We didn't come out here much in the fall after some shit went down, but I've been racing more since January. Enough that I'm becoming a regular." I shrugged.

Nic nodded, the wheels in his head turning. I just couldn't read with what. "It's good that you have something. You're into football, too, right?"

"Cars, football, surfing, racing…Annie." Nic grimaced, and I frowned. "What are you into? I know the car stuff is new for you. "

"Not completely. Well, I suppose the mechanic aspect of them is, but I used to have a motorcycle. It's not quite the same, but that feeling of freedom out on the road? I can relate to this, in a way." He gestured out to the track. "But I'm more into the computer and software design game. I work IT at my firm and started working remotely a few months back."

"Which explains why you're able to stay here so long." I nodded, a piece of the puzzle finally falling into place. "Have you decided when you're heading back yet?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

I almost took the defensive, he sounded so sarcastic, but when I glanced over, there was a hint of a smirk on his lips. Well, shit. He does have a sense of humor.

My own mouth tilted in a grin. "Not really. It was just confusing how you were able to stay so long when I knew you had a job back home."

"Like I said. Remote worker now. And no, I haven't really decided when I'll head back. When I checked, I can stay up to ninety days."

"Wow, you thinking you might stay that long?"

Nic's brow furrowed, and he seemed to think for several long seconds before he replied, "If things keep going like they are, then yes, probably. Being here is a bit of a relief, and my dad's been talking about coming over for your graduation. I could just fly back with him after that."

I'd been wondering about that. It'd been mentioned a few months ago that my uncle and Nic might finally make the trip over to Texas this summer, but I hadn't taken it too seriously. Other attempts had always been pushed back for one reason or another. Even when Aunt Sophie died, Dad was the only one who flew over to England, the rest of our house getting an ugly case of strep throat at the time.

My brow furrowed, thinking it over. "That's still a long time, man. You don't have anything you need to get back to? Just curious," I added when I saw Nic tense.

"No. I temporarily moved back in with my dad, and I have my computer, so I can get things done for work easily, and there's Zoom if they need to reach me. I've done a few meetings while you've been at school already. My friend Mark reaches out sometimes, too. We did some software design together while in Uni, even went into business together for a while. We sold a major project back in January, but I stepped back from it after that. He just reaches out for feedback sometimes now."

"Wait. So, you started a software business with this guy Mark, but it's not your current job?"

Nic smirked, something in his expression a cross between bitter and sad. "No. After I stepped back from the business with Mark, I started in the IT department at my Dad's architecture firm. It was remote. The timing worked out, and it gave me the space I needed."

From what? I pulled in a long breath before letting it go. There was definitely more to that statement, but I didn't want to push. Nic was so closed off. Getting him to open up was about timing.

"Sounds like we have something in common then, working for our dads."

"Seems so." Nic smiled absently. "I think the trip to Greece was good for my dad, though. It had to be his first time off in years. Since my mum died, I'd bet."

"I'm sorry we missed her funeral. "

He shrugged. "We missed a lot of each other's lives. But we're trying to fix that, right?" He clapped me on the back, and I had to catch myself from staring at him like he had two heads.

"Hey, Jet! You came!" My head popped up at the familiar voice to see a girl walking over in skin-tight jeans with slits down the thighs and knees and a tight-as-hell, bright red tube top. It took me a moment, but when she got closer, my jaw gaped.

"Ruby, hey."

She beamed, a can of beer in her hand as she came up to join us. "You didn't recognize me, huh?"

"Honestly, not at first."

"Yeah." She glanced down at herself. "I like to dress it up for the races. Fit the vibe here, you know? Who's this?"

"Nic." He tilted his head up in a nod. "I'm Jet's cousin."

"I figured y'all had to be related somehow. Jeez." She eyed him up and down. "Crazy how much y'all look alike."

"Our dad's look alike, too," I explained. "Are you here by yourself?" I looked past her, trying to see where she'd come from.

"Ah, no, my girls are back over there." She pointed to a Pontiac GTO about halfway down the side stretch, and a couple of girls and a guy waved from where they were seated in chairs around it.

"Damn." My brow raised. "Nice car. Sure you don't want to race?"

"Oh, God, no." She laughed. "It's my cousin Gio's car. He's dating my friend Shelby, and that's her sister. He'd kill me if I ever tried to drive his baby." She rolled her eyes. "Mine's still in major restoration mode. But you've done an awesome job with yours. God, I love your car." She came to lean against the tailgate beside me, her eyes raking over my Mustang. "You ever let Annie drive it?"

"Sometimes. I'm not a dick about it like some people. Shit, that sounded bad." I winced, and Ruby laughed, tossing her head back so her ponytail draped onto the bed of the truck.

"No, don't worry about it. Gio is a dick about his car. Like I'd do anything to hurt that fine piece of metal." She grinned over at me, and I smirked. "So, where's Annie?"

"At the loo with her sister. She'll be back any minute," Nic's tone cut in, dry and deep with an edge of warning. I gave him a curious look, and he gave me one back that I couldn't quite read. Which drove me crazy with him. He was un readable most of the time. Something I was usually good at doing with people.

"Awesome." Ruby ignored Nic's tone and placed her beer between her legs, reaching up to tighten her ponytail as she looked at me. "I haven't met her sister yet. Izzy, right? Is Tucker here, too?"

"Yep. You'll get to see the crew tonight."

"Thanos, pull up!" Monty called out, and I hopped off the tailgate.

"That's my cue."

"Oh, my God. We almost missed it." Annie ran from around the truck and threw herself into my arms. "Good luck." She pressed a kiss to my neck, and her hand drifted over my dick, giving it a firm squeeze before she pulled away.

I was instantly hard, and she smirked as I narrowed my eyes in a playful gaze.

"Get ‘em, babe." She smacked my ass .

"Watch it, sweetheart." I lunged to scoop her up and smacked her ass with a firm spank, gripping it firmly in my palm before letting go. She gasped, fire lighting in her eyes, and I knew what was waiting for me if I won. I set her down and brushed a kiss across her lips before running to my car.