Page 248 of Love Unwritten

“Who’s that?” Rafael squints at the tattooed man with light brown skin and curls cut close to his scalp.

“Jax Kingston!” Nico answers while wildly waving his hand, earning a few glances from those around us.

The retired driver turns, and his frown quickly transforms into a smile when he catches Nico bouncing up and down on the tips of his toes.

He may not be on the grid anymore, but everyone stops and stares as he strolls over to us with a confidence that can’t be faked.

“Oh my God.” My face heats.

Rafael’s gaze swings over to me. “Why are you blushing?”

“Because it’s Jax Kingston.” I choke on the words.

“So?”

“So, he’s…” I stop talking once Jax stops in front of us.

The British driver holds his hand out for Nico to grab. “And who are you?”

“Nico!” He shakes his hand hard enough to make me wince.

“Nice to meet you.” Jax returns the gesture with another dazzling smile.

“And this is Ellie,” Nico offers without Jax asking. “She had the biggest crush on you when you used to drive for McCoy.”

I could die of embarrassment as everyone’s eyes swing to me. Thankfully, Jax looks amused rather than horrified by Nico’s confession, although the same can’t be said for Rafael.

“Is that right?” Rafael spares me a raised brow.

The pink on my face only deepens under their stares. “It was a while ago.”

Jax’s smile grows. “I didn’t retire that long ago.”

Rafael’s glare makes my heart race. “And when was that exactly?”

“Long enough.” I tug on his arm to gain his attention.

“I thought I was your only crush.” His lips press into a thin line.

“You might have been my first—”

Jax covers his laugh with a cough, earning another death stare from Rafael.

“And I’ll be her last,” Rafael says to Jax rather than me.

Jax rubs his stubbled cheek with his left hand, showing off the gold wedding band on his ring finger.

I will not lie. The subtle reference to his wife is effortless, charming, and automatically makes me like him that much more.

“Papi.” Nico groans. “You’re so embarrassing.”

“Agreed.” I nudge his father in the ribs with my elbow.

“No worries. I get it. My wife acts the same way.” Jax’s eyes sparkle as he glances over his shoulder at the woman. Their eyes lock, and she waves at him with a beaming smile before returning to her conversation with Elías and his husband.

Elías pauses in the middle of what he was saying and calls out Jax’s name, who holds up his hand.

“Be there in a minute.”