She laughs. “Once he got his butt changed and some chicken in his belly, he was fine.”
My eyebrows pitch upward. “Chicken?”
She giggles. “Sorry, you called it steak and potatoes once, and it stuck. Besides, chicken sounds yummy. You know, so he’ll think he’s getting the good stuff too.”
I find myself just staring at her, smiling. She’s cute as hell, especially when it involves my son. It’s crazy how fast I can feel so completely comfortable and at ease with someone, especially Lena. We didn’t part on bad terms, but it was painful for both of us, and it feels damn good to smile again as easily and naturally as I always did with her.
“Cruz,” Coop hollers, worming his way through the crowd with Colton behind him.
“Great race,” Colton says, extending his hand my way.
I go to shake it, but realize I have Oliver tucked in my right arm, so it’s awkward as fuck to shake his hand. “Sorry.”
He waves a hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve been there,” he says, looking down at Oliver, who’s taking in everyone around us. “It takes some getting used to.”
“That’s for sure,” I tell my boss.
As the guys pack up our equipment and get ready to take the car back to the hauler, Coop goes over the race details with Colton listening on. He throws out the occasional comment, but lets Coop do all the talking. We usually do a quick rundown of the major race particulars, but the big team meeting will be Tuesday morning. As a group, we’ll go over everything from today’s race and prepare for the next one.
“We’ll see you at the hotel lobby. Wheels up at seven,” he adds before they go off to help make sure our equipment is loaded up. Some races will have sponsor promotions or meetings mixed in, but not this one. I’m grateful not to have whatever activities PR feels are relevant this weekend, and we can get home quicker.
And hopefully, not think about how damn badly I wanted to kiss Lena after the race.
***
The guys are getting everything loaded up and making sure their campsite is clean. I spy Tyson hanging around and realize I haven’t had a chance to thank him for watching out for Lena and Oliver earlier. Not that I expected any trouble, but I knew the only way I was going to be able to focus was to make sure the two people I care about the most were taken care of.
“Hey, Tyson,” I say as I approach. He’s an older gentleman in his sixties, recently widowed with grown adult children.
“Mack, good race,” he says as I reach his side.
“Thank you. Also, I just wanted to say thanks for keeping Lena company earlier.”
I can tell something’s up by the look that crosses his face. “We had a thing happen.”
My eyebrows draw together. “What kinda thing?”
“A Lindsay thing.”
I exhale. Of course, Lindsay would cause problems. She’s pretty much done just that since I met her more than a year ago. “What happened?”
“Lena and the baby were walking toward me when Lindsay cut her off. I’m not sure what all she said to her, but by the time I realized what was going on and took off toward them, Lindsay was pretty much gone. Lena looked a little shaken up at first, but insisted she was fine. I kept an eye on her, and we never saw Lindsay again.”
Sighing, I run my hand through my hair. “Thanks, Tyson. I owe ya.”
“Don’t worry about it, kid. I’m happy to do it. You and these yahoos are family to me.”
I give him a friendly slap on the back then head over to where the guys are packing the rest of their stuff in the hauler. Oliver fell back sleep watching the action, and as much as I insisted we put him in the motorhome to sleep, Lena argued that she enjoyed holding him while he slept. They’re sitting together in the last remaining folding chair to be put away.
He’s sleeping, and yet somehow, she’s able to hold him and her cell phone. She’s snapping pictures of the guys as they laugh and work. I’ve even seen her point her digital one my way a handful of times. Not just today, but in the last week too. I’ve caught her snapping photos when she thinks I’m not paying attention. Only, I’m always paying attention to Lena, even if I’m not focusing on her.
Once everything is in place, I turn to the woman who’s quickly becoming very important to me once more and give her a smile. I grab the carrier and head her way so we can get Oliver settled into his seat before the SUV gets here.
“Ready?” I ask, helping to fasten his seat harness. Oliver lets out an unhappy little holler, and before I can even try to sooth his irritation, Lena pulls a pacifier out of her bag. He only uses it when he’s really tired or trying to return to sleep after being woken up.
“All set,” she confirms, her full, pink lips grinning my way.
I can’t stop staring at them.
Or wanting to kiss them.
Something starts to happen in my pants because the moment I picture kissing her, I start to imagine taking it further. My hands on her body, and hers on mine. I see her lying on a bed—my bed, actually. It’s pretty fucking glorious, if you ask me, and probably the last thing I should be picturing right now, yet here I am, sporting a semi amongst my team and my son. Not my finest moment.
We’re fairly quiet as we get into the SUV to head back to the hotel. I know I need to bring up the whole Lindsay thing and see what happened, but I’d rather not do it now with a small audience. So I keep my mouth shut and watch her instead. She’s taking a few photos from the vehicle of the landscape, the softest smile on her lips.
