Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73568 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73568 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
“But it doesn’t sound like you’re ready to let her go. You can’t fake this, mate. If you like her, you’ve got to figure out what you want.”
He’s right. I’ve been coasting through this thing with Posey, telling myself it’s just temporary. But there’s a part of me that wants more, that doesn’t want this to end when she flies home. The realization is like a punch to the gut.
“You ever think about what it would be like to be with someone… properly?” I ask, the question sounding foreign to my ears. “Like, for real?”
Ronan blinks, clearly not expecting the question. “Me? Nah, mate. That’s not my scene. You know that. But you? If anyone could pull off being with someone, it’d be you. You just have to figure out if it’s worth it, but if that’s what you want, you should go for what makes you happy.”
As soon as he says those words, I realize I needed to hear them. I needed to be able to voice this weird feeling rising inside me and his openness, without giving me grief, loosens the knot in my chest.
I hesitate, glancing around the gym. There’s no one else here. Just us. And something inside me says this is the moment I should tell him. Trust him.
“Look,” I say quietly, lowering my voice. “There’s something you need to know about Posey, but you have to promise to keep it to yourself.”
Ronan leans toward me, arms crossed over his chest. “I promise. What is it?”
“She’s not… what she seems. She’s not really a journalist.” It feels strange coming out of my mouth, but there’s a relief in putting it out there so maybe he can help me through my dilemma. “She’s a romance author. She’s here to research for a book she’s writing, and she didn’t think anyone would take her seriously if she told the truth, so she faked being a journalist to get access to the team.”
Ronan’s eyes widen, and for a second, I worry he’s going to laugh or make a joke. But he doesn’t. Instead, he nods slowly, processing the information. “A romance author? That’s… unexpected.”
“Yeah,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “I know. But she’s good at it. She’s been writing like mad since she got here. I just… I didn’t want her to get into trouble, so I’ve been keeping her secret. And if she leaves after the Bahrain race, then her secret will stay safe. But if I try to make something of this, and we somehow figure out how to make a relationship work, well… the truth will come out.”
Ronan studies me for a moment, his expression clearly worried. “Maybe you should go to Harley now and confess it all. There’s a chance she might find this amusing rather than being pissed, and you can use your clout as top driver to protect Posey.”
I shake my head. “No, I can’t do that behind Posey’s back and she’d never agree to it. Maybe it’s stupid to try to make this work.”
“I don’t know that it’s stupid to want something, but yeah… you’re in a pickle all right.” He claps me on the shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“Thanks, mate. Just… keep it between us, yeah?”
“Of course,” he says with a wink. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
We return to our workout, the subject of Posey tabled for now. We discuss the race and speculate how the other teams are coming along in their preparations. Everything is so secretive in this industry, you never know who’s going to start the year with the best modifications and upgrades. We leave day after tomorrow for Bahrain, which gives us a few days to settle in before practice starts on Thursday.
Regardless, I can’t help but feel a little lighter. For once, Ronan’s not giving me shit. Instead, he’s actually being… supportive.
For that matter, my parents were absolutely delighted to have met Posey. Subsequent texts from both my mum and dad after we left confirmed they found her “absolutely delightful” and they invited her to come back and visit again. My mom even went as far as to say that this looks like a fated “coming together of two people.”
It seems that all signs are encouraging me to try to make a go of things with Posey. I’ve never wanted or considered a long-term, stable relationship, and yet I find myself bristling at the thought of this just being a fling. Maybe this isn’t as complicated as I’m making it out to be.
Maybe, just maybe, it’s something real.
And for the first time, I realize I might want to fight for it.
“I’ve got to get going,” I say to Ronan, who is moving over to the bikes for a cool-down ride.
“All okay?” he asks.
“Yeah… just something I have to do before dinner tonight.”