Page 72 of Formula Chance

I sweep my hand toward the car. “Don’t you like it?”

She rolls her eyes before patting me on the chest. “Boys and their toys.”

“Want to drive?” I pull the key out and dangle it in front of her.

Her excitement is palpable because as much as she wants to try to be indifferent, she’s a car girl. But she shakes her head. “Maybe later. Now, where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” I say again, flashing her a grin as I open the passenger door for her.

She slides in, eyeing me warily as I jog around to the driver’s side. Once I’m in, the engine roars to life, a deep, guttural vibration. I glance at her as I shift into gear. “Ready?”

“I guess I don’t have much of a choice,” she mutters, clearly intrigued.

We pull out of the parking lot, and I take the long, winding road into Guildford. Bex fidgets beside me, sneaking glances my way, but I stay silent, letting the anticipation build.

“Nash,” she finally says, her tone exasperated. “Are you going to tell me where you’re taking me?”

“Nope.” I flash her a quick grin, then turn my attention back to the road.

The ride into town is quiet, save for the gentle hum of the engine. When I finally pull up to our destination, Bex’s eyes widen.

“A jewelry store?” she says, her voice tinged with disbelief and expectedly, wariness.

I park and turn to her, my heart pounding as I prepare to lay it all out. “I want to get engaged again, Bex. Let’s go pick out a ring.”

Her jaw drops, and for a moment, she just stares at me. “Engaged? Nash… it’s too fast.”

I reach for her hand, holding it tightly between both of mine. “No, it’s not. Listen to me, Bex. We’ve been here before. We were sure of each other then, and deep down, I’ve always been sure of you. We’ve acknowledged why we broke up. We’ve faced our demons, grown up and worked through things we never could’ve handled back then. We’re older, wiser, and we know what we want now.”

Her lips part to respond, but I press on. “You’re the love of my life, Bex. You’ve always been. And yeah, as of a couple of days ago, I was scared. But seeing you leave—seeing how close I came to losing you forever—it made me realize I don’t want to waste another second. Life is risky, and if anyone understands the reward of taking a risk, it’s you. I want us to take this leap together. I love you, and I don’t want to wait any longer to start our forever.”

Tears shimmer in her eyes, and she bites her lip, as if weighing her options. Finally, she nods, her voice barely above a whisper. “Okay.”

My heart feels like it might explode as I lean over to kiss her. “You won’t regret this. I promise.”

Hand in hand, we step into the store. The bright lights reflect off rows of dazzling diamonds, and a saleslady greets us with a warm smile. “Welcome! How can I help—” Recognition flaring, mouth hanging open momentarily before she says, “You’re Nash Sinclair.” She looks to Bex next. “And you’re Bex Toliver. I’m such a huge fan and all of us formula female followers are so excited to have a woman in your role.”

I’m used to getting recognized but fuck if it isn’t a thrill to witness Bex receiving that treatment. I hope it makes her truly understand how important she is to racing.

I glance down to the woman’s name tag. “Hi, Lydia. It’s nice to meet you.” Both Bex and I shake her hand. “We’re looking for an engagement ring and you look like just the person to help us.”

Lydia’s eyes light up and I don’t know if it’s because she sees a huge commission coming her way or she’s excited to be serving us. “Wonderful! Do you have something specific in mind?”

“Simple,” Bex says quickly, giving me a sideways glance. “Nothing too flashy.”

I smirk. “Ignore her. Show us the good stuff.”

Lydia chuckles and motions us into a private room. “I’ll be back with some selections.”

Bex nibbles on her nail, looking around nervously, but I have never felt more relaxed. It doesn’t take Lydia long and she’s back in the room with a large velvet tray, loaded with two rows of sparkling rings.

I lean forward in my chair to study them after she sets the tray on the table. Bex, on the other hand, shrinks back a little.

Christ, she’s adorable.

I choose a whopper of a rock that speaks to me and hold it up to study. I glance at Bex. “What do you think?”

“It’s ridiculous,” she says.

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