Page 71 of Full Throttle 2
Physically, she just hadn’t been feeling her best but figured she’d keep that nugget of information to herself. Her family would go nuts and be overly concerned when her only illness was missing Liam. It had been almost two weeks, and she hadn’t heard a peep from him.
Maybe it really is over? Stop. Just stop. This is not the time for a love hangover.
Colby encouraged herself to focus on the task at hand, which was winning the Championship. Too bad she couldn’t shut off her thoughts.
Her mind was buzzing with activity. One side wanted to rationalize things.You are not a machine. You have feelings!The other was a bit more aggressive.Feelings? Who has time for feelings? Bury that shit. You’ve got a race to win.
Her mind was at war with itself.
After a brief battle, she sighed. The rational side won out. Colby would allow herself to wallow in her emotions for now. She still had a couple more hours before dinner. After that, she would shut out all distractions until after the race.
Just as she pulled the covers back and was about to slide underneath, there was a knock at her door.
Barefoot, she padded over to it and looked through the peephole.
It was Brian. Colby glanced down at herself. She looked like an absolute unkempt mess, but she didn’t care, wearing an old Chicago Bulls T-shirt and cotton pajama bottoms that should have been thrown out years ago. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t like Brian was Liam. Colby didn’t even bother to take off her bonnet.
She took a deep breath and opened the door.
Brian stepped forward, looking every bit like a younger, dashing version of Liam. “I didn’t get to personally tell you congratulations. Not just for today, but all you’ve done for Lockwood Racing.”
Colby was confused. “You know you don’t have to thank me for that.”
“I do. You and your family are the reason that I found my purpose.” He chuckled. “It’s been a crazy ride, and I’m going to miss you.”
“Miss me?” Colby slowly nodded her head in understanding. “Let’s not have this conversation in the hallway.” She stepped aside so that Brian could enter her room.
“Look, I know that you’ve been carrying Lockwood on your shoulders. So many things about this have been unfair to you, but I hope you also know that I care about you not just as my lead driver, but as a person. We’re family, and no matter where you go or what team you’re on, I’ll always be rooting for you.”
“I know.” Colby released a heavy sigh. “Honestly, I can’t imagine myself racing for any other team.”
Brian burst into laughter at the very thought. “It’s going to be weird, right? That first race? I’m not going to know what to do.”
The very thought was funny, and his laughter was infectious. Colby joined in. “Can you imagine?”
Their laughter grew louder.
“Just so you know, I’m keeping Cyrus and Ben. They stay with Lockwood!” Brian exclaimed, still chuckling.
“You can’t keep my daddy!” Colby said, wiping tears from her eyes.
“Oh,nowhe’s your daddy?!” Brian teased, and they both erupted into another fit of hysterical giggles, the kind that left you breathless and clutching your sides. Like brother and sister, their playful banter only fueled them, creating a moment of sheer, uncontainable joy.
After a brief silence, the weight of their situation hung heavily between them. Colby broke the stillness first. “Brian, I don’t want to leave Lockwood.”
“I know,” he replied softly.
Her gaze pleaded with his. “Then please help me find a way to stay.”
Brian gave a heavy sigh of resignation. “If I thought there was even a chance, I would have done that long ago. But here we are.”
“I just want to be treated like any other professional you’d hire. You wouldn’t discuss the personal lives of your other employees with their families. For my own sanity, I need to keep my personal life separate from my work.”
“I can do that.”
Colby wasn’t so sure but wanted to believe him. “Can you?”
“Yes, I can.”