Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
I still haven’t told him. I’m waiting for the perfect moment.
The cars come flying around the track again and I cheer as loudly as I can as Dillon’s red car shoots by. He’s increased his lead.
“Marcus is in second,” I say to Tina with a smile.
She looks relieved. We all know that when Dillon is on the course, everyone else is racing for second place.
I’ll be done with school next month and I’m going to start applying at some libraries. I can’t wait to start work surrounded by books and enthusiastic readers. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.
The future is looking bright.
A buzz of excitement takes over the crowd as the cars make their way to the finish line.
I stand up along with everyone else, cheering and calling out to my future husband.
The first car around the corner is Dillon’s.
I take a deep breath of relief and then quickly start shouting again. “Go, Dillon!!! Come on, baby!!”
His engine roars like an angry beast as he rockets down the stretch. I scream in excitement as he rips past the finish line in first place.
“Yes!”
He did it. I’m so proud of him!
Next week, he’ll be trying out to be a professional racer. A real, legit, well-paid racer. He’s going to be thrilled.
Marcus finishes in second. Tina is hollering in happiness, but I’m already racing down the steps to the track, unable to hold in my excitement.
I sprint to where Dillon is parking his car. I arrive just as he gets out. He barely sees me coming before I leap into his arms and wrap my arms around him.
“Whoa!” he shouts in surprise as I cover his face in kisses.
“You did it, baby! You won!”
“I won when you came into my life, angel. This is all just bonus stuff.”
I kiss him hard on the lips and when I pull away, I can’t hold it in anymore.
“I’m pregnant!”
His eyes go wide as he stares at me in shock. “What?”
“I’m pregnant,” I say again. “We’re going to have a baby.”
“A baby?”
Oh my god, I wish I had a picture of his face. He looks so… stunned, thrilled, terrified, happy… all of it. It seems like every emotion is running behind those shocked green eyes.
He wraps his arms around me and spins me as we both squeal in delight.
“A baby,” he keeps repeating as he holds me up like I’m the real trophy in his life.
He finally puts me down and kisses me lovingly on the lips.
“I’ll be a great father,” he promises. “Don’t worry about a thing.”
If he’s half as great at being a father as he is at being a partner, then I have nothing to worry about.
“I know,” I whisper. “It’s going to be amazing.”
He picks me up and spins me around as he hollers in excitement.
I smile and laugh, feeling utterly perfect in the strong arms of the man who loves me.
EPILOGUE
Dillon
Twelve years later…
I grit my teeth as I come racing around the corner. My heart is pumping when I see the finish line up ahead.
The racer on my left catches up.
“Daddy,” Nika whines. “You’re going too fast.”
I look over my left shoulder at her, pedalling as fast as she can on her pink and purple Big Wheel. She’s a spitting image of her mother. It’s like looking at Lara as a child.
“We’re in a race,” I tell her as I pedal my Big Wheel. “You’re supposed to go fast.”
“Not that fast,” she complains.
I turn away from her, leaving her in the dust. Racing is a heartless sport and I can’t let her brother win.
Scott, our first child, is pulling ahead of me, pedalling his Big Wheel like the world is about to end. He’s eleven years old now.
Candice came next and is nine years old. She’s at dance class with her mom, but should be coming home any minute.
And then came Nika. Six years old, adorable, light of my life. They all are.
I adore my little family and would do anything for them.
Except let them win.
I pump my legs and try to pedal faster, but these little Big Wheels weren’t made for six-foot tall, muscular men, and my knees keep smashing into the handlebars, making it difficult to move.
Scott flies forward, pedalling easily. He crosses the chalk line we drew on the street and throws his arms in the air, already gloating as I approach.
Oh shit… Might as well let them all win.
I swallow my competitive spirit and pedal slowly while Nika struggles to catch up. It takes a while, but she crosses the finish line seconds before me.
Oh well, I’ll just have to make up for this embarrassing loss at my race on Sunday. I’m a Nascar driver now and ranked in the top ten. By the end of the season, I hope to be first.
Lara’s car appears on the street and we all ride to the side as she arrives and pulls into the driveway.