Page 21 of Drive To Survive

He offered up a faltering smile, then turned on his side, facing away from me. His mood swings from happy and giggly to withdrawn and sullen happened so fast that my head spun. The thoughts running through his head, ones he refused to share with me, scared the hell out of me.

And it was all Paul’s fault.

There were times the rage festering beneath the surface rose up, surprising me with its strength. Right now was one of those times. I hated the misery Paul had heaped upon my life, but more especially on Rhett’s. Yet, as well as anger, there was an icy chill in my veins that any day Paul might turn up and demand access to Rhett. He’d already wreaked havoc, but he could so easily cause more pain and disappointment.

If he ever showed his face again, I’d fight him.

I’d fight tooth and nail to protect my son.

I stood outside the school gates with bated breath, waiting for Rhett to appear. There hadn’t been any more altercations with the students, including Brad, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen. If past experience was anything to go by, I expected it to happen and dreaded the fallout that would undoubtedly occur when it did.

I glanced at the other mothers and fathers waiting for their charges, all of them huddled in little groups, chattering away, laughing and smiling. I didn’t mix with the other parents. I was an outsider, a deliberate stance I took in case they judged me and Rhett adversely. I’d love to belong, to join in, to have a support network to lean on, but with friendship came questions, and I wasn’t prepared to provide the answers and risk scrutiny.

Rhett flew out of the building, surrounded by the other kids, his shirt hanging out of his trousers. I blew out a relieved breath, as I did on every school pickup when everything was fine. If there’d been another incident, the school would keep Rhett back until the other children had gone. The fact that he was here, running toward me without Miss Carmichael bringing up the rear, lifted my spirits.

I bent to hug him. “Good day, honey?” I asked, taking his hand.

He wrinkled his nose. “S’okay. I’m going racing now, though, Mommy, aren’t I?” He beamed at the latter comment. “I’ve waited all day, and it’s been so long.”

“You are.” I swallowed down the lump of fear that lodged in my throat at the thought of Rhett being let loose in a motorized vehicle that he might crash and potentially injure himself in. Deep down, I knew Nico and his team wouldn’t allow any harm to come to him or any of the other children in their charge, but asking me to stop worrying about Rhett was like asking the sun not to rise in the east.

The closer we got to the racing school, however, the more my nerves jangled, partly for Rhett and partly for myself. Every time I was due to see Nico, I found myself consumed with anxiety and trepidation. Never had a man made me feel so… off-balance. Whenever I was around him, I acted like a gawky teenager rather than a grown woman and a mother.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I spotted one of the other kids madly beckoning to his parents. Clearly, they weren’t walking fast enough for his liking. I smiled at the sheer excitement plastered all over his face, and weirdly, it calmed me down.

“Ready, soldier?” I asked, twisting in my seat so I could look at Rhett and pick up on any signs that he was feeling anxious or worried about the next couple of hours. The beaming grin that greeted me told me all I needed to know.

“Yes!” he exclaimed.

I unbuckled his seat belt and lifted him down. I managed to catch his hand before he went tearing off up the path. Walking with a child who insisted on bouncing and skipping the whole time wasn’t the easiest, but Rhett’s excitement was so infectious I joined in, and the two of us skipped to the entrance, laughing the whole way. It felt so damned good to see Rhett acting exactly as a carefree six-year-old should, without a worry in the world.

As we walked into the reception area, Nico was the first person I saw. He stood beside Patrick, their heads close together, poring over a sheet of paper attached to a clipboard. I’d hoped for a little time to compose myself before coming face-to-face with him, but fate had other heinous plans for me.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him, though, the pull of attraction making it impossible to look away. Rhett yanked his hand from mine and cried, “Nico,” then ran across and threw himself at the tall, impossibly good-looking man I wanted to climb like a tree.

For goodness’ sake, Everly. It’s not going to happen. Give it up.

“Hey, little man.” Nico tousled Rhett’s hair, then slid his gaze over to me. He smiled, and his dimple appeared. God, I loved that dimple, the rarity of it making it even more special. “Ready for your first outing?”

“Am I ever,” Rhett said, bouncing higher.

I chuckled at such a grown-up comment and made my way over. “He’s barely stopped talking about it the entire drive over,” I said.

Nico nodded, his smile tightening. “We’ll take good care of him. You’re more than welcome to watch him from the viewing platform. Adele will take you there.”

My eyes widened at his suggestion. “Wait, hang on. I’m not watching my son from some viewing platform. I’m coming with you. I want to be exactly where he is.”

Nico drew in a deep breath, then dropped to a crouch in front of Rhett. “Patrick will get you kitted up, little man. I’m right behind you. I’m just going to have a quick word with your mum first.”

“Okay,” Rhett said.

I listened for a tremor in his voice and looked for a lip wobble, but there were no signs of nerves as he happily went off with Patrick. I scanned the faces of the other parents as their precious charges were led away. Not one of them seemed the slightest bit worried.

I frowned, confused. Am I the only concerned parent here?

Nico strode in the direction of his office with me following behind. He opened the door and gestured for me to go in first. There wasn’t a lot of room to pass him, and my arm brushed his as I walked inside. Even that slight contact set off a delicious fluttering in my belly. Jesus. I had it bad. What was it about this dour, arrogant man that made all my lady bits tingle? I must be one of those weird women who were attracted to men who treated them badly. First Paul, with his quick temper and sharp tongue, and now Nico, who’d made it crystal clear he wasn’t interested in a woman like me, whatever the hell that meant.

He closed the door and walked around to his side of the desk as if he wanted to use it as a shield of some kind. He didn’t sit. Neither did I.

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