Page 29 of Driving Wild

“Bug, you will never disappoint us. We just want to be a part of your world, even if it’s a few states away is all. And I’m sorry for the rough call. I know I didn’t give you much room to talk that day and explain yourself. Looking back now, I shouldn’t have told you not to embarrass the Miller name. Hell, your cousin, Cortney, has done that enough for the whole lot of you,” Dad says, laughing as he joins our embrace.

“Now, let’s all sit down, and you can tell us about Matt McCall because the way you just spoke it seems like he may be more than just a right-now,” Mom says as I follow her to the small kitchen table sitting off to the side of the living room.

“I know you have your views of Matt, but honestly, I had those same ones until I got to know him. He may be one of the most tender-hearted men I've been around. He cares for his family deeply, and he’s worked his way up through the ranks in NASCAR and made a name for himself that wasn't just given to him. The first night I came home to his place after the media article came out, he made dinner for me, and knowing that I have a gluten issue, he made me things that wouldn’t bother me. It may have been the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. At one time, he stopped what he was doing just to dance with me in the kitchen because I’d had a rough day.”

I watched as my parents listened to me talking about Matt, and my mom swooned at certain parts when I told them what he had done.

Looking over at me and placing her hand on top of mine, I saw my mother with tears in her eyes. “My darling daughter, you just spoke of this man as if he’s been in your life longer than a month. Those feelings that you are questioning inside yourself—you shouldn’t because they are real. You love this man. It may have only been a month, but the heart knows what it wants or needs, and if you listen very carefully, it will bring you to just the place you are to be,” Mom states.

I look over to my dad, waiting for him to say something like, your mother is crazy and doesn’t have a clue, but all he can do is nod along and lean over and kiss my mother’s cheek.

“Listen to Mom, bug. There was a time when your mother wouldn’t give this old dog the time of day. But I was persistent and finally, she gave in. I got that one date, and the rest is history. Sometimes the best things are when you find what you didn’t even know you needed.”

My head is spinning. Am I really falling in love? Could Matt be the one I’ve been looking for this whole time, and I had no idea? Had I loved Miles, or had we just been in the college-lust bubble? Getting up from the dinner table, I excuse myself and head toward my old bedroom. I need a little time by myself to figure out what the hell happened. I went from feeling like I was going to throw up all over the plane on the way here to now having the wind knocked out of me by how supportive my parents were about Matt. They saw the papers and knew that he had a playboy past. But they also knew my judgment, and if I was willing to give him a chance and knew that he could change, then they could too.

Lying across my bed, I dial the one person who will understand my spiral better than anyone.

FaceTime connects faster than I’m expecting, so when her face comes onto the screen, I’m pacing the floor.

“Hey, bestie. How’s Boston? It's hot as hell here in Texas. I really wish you’d come. I still don’t know a lot of the wives and girlfriends around here, so I’m spending most of my time reading in the hauler, which don’t get me wrong, I love. Grace, can you stop pacing around the room? I'm starting to get a little seasick watching you,” Tinley says.

“Sorry, yes. I’m just having a little freak out now and need to talk through it with someone who’s been in the same spot.”

Just as I start to tell her what’s going on, Ryan comes onto the screen too. Great, just what I need. He and Matt are very close, and I’m worried he’ll run back to him the second I hang up from Tinley.

“Well, if it isn’t the married woman. What can we do for you? You do know you called Tinley and not Matt, right?” Ryan says, laughing as he watches me pace the floor of my childhood bedroom.

“Thank you, captain. Obviously, I’m very aware of where Matt is. I don’t want to talk to him until I’ve had my freakout, and I thought that well, hell, since you and Tinley have faced the mountain, why not seek guidance from others? You’re his best friend, so you can give me some insight into what he might be thinking since you’re here now, I guess.”

“All right, lay it on me, Grace. What can we help you with?” Ryan asks.

“Grace, stop pacing and look at us,” Tinley calls.

Stopping my movement, I grab my phone. I take a deep breath and prepare myself to unload what I’m feeling.

“Grace, you're kind of freaking me out. What’s going on?” Tinley asks, looking at me with so much concern. She’s been with me since our freshman year of college, and she can honestly say she’s never seen me like this.

“I think I may be falling for my fake husband,” I mutter a little lower than necessary, but I’m having a hard time getting these words out.

“What was that, Grace?” I hear Ryan ask.

“I said, I think I’m falling for my fake husband.” They both pause. Great! I just dropped this bomb and now they have no idea what to do with it. Awesome, that’s just freaking awesome. I have lost my mind—completely. Have fallen for the one person whom I shouldn’t. Honestly, he may be the one person who could break my heart into a million pieces, and I’ll never recover from it. I think that’s what scares me the most.

“OKAY, let me make sure I heard what I thought you said, OKAY? You’re falling for Matt? Is that a bad thing? You guys are so cute together,” Tinley says.

I sit down on the bed and can’t help but feel utterly defeated. Matt was just supposed to be a two-month run. Yet here I sit one month into this “relationship,” and I have fallen.

“Grace, look at me,” I hear my best friend say.

Looking up at her, I see that Ryan has left the frame of the phone, and it’s just me and her.

“Sweetie, are you falling for Matt? Hell, I fell for Ryan hard and fast. I wasn't expecting it to happen, but when you find that person who makes you complete, it just happens. Is it just one of the scariest things I’ve done in hell? Yes. But it’s also one of the best because I’ve found my best friend and partner in him. Have we had our problems along the way? Yeah, but what relationship doesn’t? This life isn’t for the faint of heart with these men, and I’ve found that out. I also found myself in the process. So trust your gut and your heart. I know that you thought Miles was the end game, but he was just the layover before you got to your destination,” Tinley says.

“Tin, I just don’t know if I’m ready to jump in with both feet. Matt is a lot to take, and my family comes with expectations that I don’t know if I want him to have to meet.”

“Grace, Matt is a great guy. He was just a playboy. Oh, yes, but I’ve seen the way that man looks at you when you don’t even notice. It’s something. You should just let go a little bit and take the leap. You may just find what you need.”

Tinley is right; I can’t live my life scared of ruining the Miller name. Both my parents have seen that I’m falling, and now I just need to tell Matt. Guess when I get back from my trip, it’s time to lay it all on the line.

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