Rush: Part One & Two (The Pitstop Series Book 3)

“Guillaume, look at our son! He looks so professional,” my mom says as I settle down in my F4 car, getting ready for the first race of the season.

This is an important day in my career, but I’m not as nervous as I thought I’d be. My parents have a way of calming me. They say it’s magic, but I know better. I know it’s love.

“Take a picture. No, take a dozen. I always want to remember this moment,” she adds, and my father stands in front of me, pulling out his little camera to do as she wants.

“How many is enough?” he asks her with a grin, and she pinches him in the arm. He laughs at her, pulling her close to press a kiss on her lips.

“Ewww,” Jean says from next to me, and I shake my head in amusement. He thinks they’re disgusting, but I can’t wait for the day I have that with someone.

“Yeah, yeah, come here,” Mom says, holding her hands out for Jean and lifting him into the air to attack his face with kisses.

I smile at them before my team pulls my attention to them, reminding me of everything I have to do for the start.

“Don’t forget to breathe,” Maxime chimes in, and I look up at my godfather, whose brown eyes stare into mine. “Your power lies in your breath, Gabri. Focus on it, control it, use it,” he says, and I give him a nod to let him know I’m paying attention to his words. “Don’t get distracted. It can be deadly,” he warns, and I let out a deep breath.

“Don’t scare him,” my father scolds, but Maxime is right to remind me. It’s important. “We have to go now, Gabriel, but you got this, son. We’re proud of you, no matter what,” my father tells me, tapping the front of my car and grabbing Jean by the hand.

“We love you, Gabriel,” Mom adds, blowing me a kiss for good luck like she always does. I ‘catch’ it, placing it on top of my helmet so it stays with me for the duration of the race.

“Don’t crash,” Jean reminds me, and I assure him I will do my best to stay away from the other drivers and the barriers. He gives me a thumbs up with his stubby, short finger, and I can’t help but smile. Maxime gives me a wink and walks away with them.

Man, I have the best family in the world.

I stare at the photograph of my mom, the one I keep in my wallet along with the ones of my father, grandparents, and Maxime. Today is the last day Valentina and I get to be together before I have to fly back to Monaco. It’s also one of the hardest days of the year, but I’m not planning on telling her. We should be enjoying our time with each other, and I have to stop looking at my mom’s photo. It won’t bring her back, nothing will, and studying the picture will only make me sadder. I was hoping it would make me feel connected to her, but it’s only ripped open old wounds so far.

Val’s hands slip over my shoulders before she starts massaging my sore neck. I don’t remember a time in my life when it hasn’t been, which she knows. It’s also why she always tries to knead out the knots there.

“She’s beautiful,” Valentina says, rubbing them out one at a time.

“She was.” I turn to hand her the photo, and she takes it from me, settling down on the bed to study it.

“You have her eyes,” she points out and looks at me to reveal she’s smiling.

I reach out to touch her cheek, running my thumb over her soft skin. Her light eyes watch me as she lifts her hand to cover mine. A tsunami of comfort collides with the pain in my chest, easing the hurt inside of me.

“I miss her more than anyone. We had a special bond, and I’d give anything to feel close to her again,” I admit to someone else for the first time in my life.

I pull Val onto my lap when a sad look spreads over her features, and she places her palms on each side of my neck.

“Don’t worry, chérie, I’m fine. I just miss her, that’s all,” I assure her to wipe the concern off her face, but she frowns even more.

“I don’t like it when you lie to me about your feelings. It’s okay not to be okay, Gabriel, don’t hide from me,” she says, leaning her forehead against mine.

“Okay, I won’t hide. It hurts, especially today because it would have been her fiftieth birthday,” I say, and Valentina’s eyes go wide from surprise. She leans away, her hands remaining on my throat, sending a warmth through me.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have prepared something to celebrate her life,” she states, and a genuine smile creeps onto my face as I guide her against me by her hips.

“Do you do that for your late family?” I ask, and she wiggles from side to side, a shy look in her eyes.

“No,” she lies, her voice cracking from deceit. “Okay, yes, I do, but I’ve never told anyone, not even Adrian, so you need to keep this to yourself, which I know you will because I trust you, but—” Val cuts off when she realizes she hasn’t stopped to end that sentence. “Sorry,” she mumbles, embarrassment turning her cheeks a wonderful shade of red.

“What do you do to celebrate their lives?” I ask to shift her attention away from her rant and back to the sweet thing she was trying to tell me about before.

“I buy their favorite flowers, food, drink, and then watch the sun set while eating and listening to music that reminds me of them,” she explains while her thumb trails over my bottom lip, watching my reaction to see what I think of her tradition.

“Just when I thought you couldn’t get more beautiful, here you are, showing me another piece of you to fall in love with,” I say, and she places her lips on mine, smiling against me.

“Alright, let’s go get her favorite things,” Val announces, trying to move off my lap, but I hold her in place for a moment, not ready to let go when I’m mesmerized by her big heart for the millionth time since I’ve met her.

“Kiss me,” I beg, but she tilts her head with a curious smile.

“I thought we were past asking each other that,” she says, and I lick my lips, bitting down on the bottom one to keep from smiling.

“I plan on those two words to be the last I’ll ever say, right after ‘I love you’,” I reply, and she gives me the small eye-roll that always comes with my cheesy words. I squeeze her perfectly round ass, forcing her to focus on me. “Kiss me,” I repeat, and Valentina lowers her mouth to mine, our breaths intertwining.

“Always,” she whispers before kissing me, the watermelon taste from her lip balm making me groan against her. She always tastes too good. “Let’s go,” she says against my mouth and slides off my lap to grab her purse.

We go to a local supermarket to buy two bottles of lemon iced tea, some bread with mortadella, and a bouquet of tulips, all of Mom’s favorites. Valentina holds my hand as we make our way through the store, finding new ways to bring a smile to my face.

I miss Mom and everyone else I’ve lost, but this woman, this perfect human I get to call mine, eases all the pain I’ve ever felt and still endure. Val makes life worth living, and I don’t ever want to lose her, I can’t.

I drive us back to the headquarters where we walk toward the track, sitting down on one of the grandstands just in time to watch the sunset. Valentina hands me a sandwich and bottle, grabbing the others for herself. She takes a big bite, and, for a moment, I’m too lost in her to start eating myself.

“Here, you can play her favorite songs, if you’d like,” she says with a full mouth, which she’s covering with one hand as the other gives me her phone.

I notice a playlist named ‘Gabriel’s favorites’, bringing a smile to my face. My fingers tap on the screen, searching for a few songs to play that remind me of my mom.

“I’m going to miss you a lot when I go back tomorrow,” I say after a while of silence between us. The music in the background is quiet so I can still have a conversation with her.

Val turns to me, a forced smile on her lips.

“I know, and I’ll miss you, but we’ll see each other soon, mon soleil. We always do,” she promises, and I move toward her, pulling her between my legs and kissing her cheek. “I love you,” Val says, leaning into me so I can completely wrap my arms around her.

“I love you, mon tournesol,” I reply, nuzzling my face in the crook of her neck to inhale her sweet scent. “More than I’ll ever understand.”