Page 139 of Love Collided

“It has your name on it.”

“It does,” he said, and I could still hear the uncertainty in his tone.

“Is this some type of proposal?”

He laughed. “Not quite. I’d like to do that the traditional way, with a ring, not a racing suit. I didn’t think you would love me asking you to marry me quite yet, but there’s no doubt in my mind that I want to. I don’t think either of our last names brings the best family history, but I was thinking that maybe we could start over and try to make this one better. My sister has done alot of good with it. Maybe we could, too. Like I said, though, you don’t have to wear it unless it’s something you want.”

He looked at me with a soft smile, and I knew he meant it. He wouldn’t push me if I wasn’t ready, just like he hadn’t when we were thinking about moving in together. He was always there to remind me that he wanted to, though, and I appreciated every reassuring comment.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I traced the name on the back. It wasn’t my name, but the last name attached to me felt gross now. It felt full of betrayal and deceit. It felt like a brand of every terrible thing my father did that I now had to carry, and the weight of it was too much. Allen was my last name, but I wanted a new one. I wanted a fresh start and a life that matched it. Scout Allen was the little girl who grew up in that terrible place with a father who hated her. Now, I could be Scout Parker. A professional driver, a girl who had a family that loved her, and a guy who seemed willing to do anything for her.

That’s who I wanted to be.

I grabbed the suit from him and headed inside the trailer to change. Maybe it was a little soon since we weren’t married, but for once, I was willing to take that chance on someone.

When I stepped out, Chase’s smile grew, and when I spun around, he picked me up.

“You made a good choice showing up with a racing suit and not a ring,” I said, laughing.

“Oh yeah? Was I right about it being a little too soon?”

“A little, but I want you to know that I definitely want that.”

His face broke into a wide grin, relief flooding his features as he kissed me.

“I like this, though. It kind of makes me feel like we’re in this together,” I said.

“We are in this together,” he said. “I like knowing we have each other. Hell, I even like knowing we have the whole crewwith us. It’s nice not feeling like you have to face everything alone.”

Without another word, I wrapped myself around him, kissing him hard as he walked us towards the trailer. He deepened the kiss, his mouth growing demanding as his hands slid over my ass to hold me up.

“You know, I have to go race. I don’t think we have enough time for this.”

He laughed and turned. “I really want to convince you that we do have enough time, but I think watching you race and then getting you all to myself tonight sounds better.”

I groaned as he set me down and almost changed my mind until the crew started yelling for us.

Just like every race, everything turned to chaos, with people running in every direction and yelling out things that needed done. For once, though, I stopped and looked around, Chase coming to my side and grabbing my hand.

It had been hard getting to this point, but we were here now. And now I knew no matter what the future held, we would face it together. With Chase and the crew by my side, there was nothing we couldn’t overcome.

And I had been right that night I met Chase. He was perfect, just not in any of the ways I first thought.

“Chase?”

“Yes, Hellcat.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too. With every damn part of me, I love you, too.”

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