Page 77 of Home: Posy 5

"Good idea." Ash nodded and helped me put the clip in place. "Wyatt, send me a text to remember to order enough to include that."

"Sure, dude," Wyatt said and, seconds later, Ash's phone binged. "Now, cutie, when you're driving, one thing you absolutelyhaveto do is pay attention. You can't let yourself get distracted by the radio or your phone or someone standing in their yard."

"Think of it this way," Ash chimed in, "you're aiming a two-thousand-pound missile. One wrong move, and bam! Death and destruction."

I jumped when he shouted the bam! part. Wide-eyed with anxiety now, I reached down and turned the ignition off.

"I think I'd better just let other people drive me around," I murmured and reached for my door handle.

"Hey, hey, hey! I didn't mean to scare you!" He quickly unbuckled and leaned over to cup my face - well, my whole head - in his enormous hands. "I'm sorry, princess. Please don't quit yet. I won't tell any more bad jokes or scare you, I promise."

"But what if Idohurt someone?" I frowned and dropped my eyes to the keys clenched in my fist. "You're right. One mistake and I could hit someone. Or crash into them. If it's a human, it could kill them. I don't want that kind of weight on my shoulders."

"Baby, you won't be driving alone any time soon, or even on real roads. We'll practice up and down our driveway, then in a big parking lot somewhere. Stuff like that. No one will be nearby, okay?"

"And you don't everhaveto drive anywhere alone unless you want to and only after you're confident in your abilities," Wyatt pointed out as he leaned up to poke his head between us. "Just give it a try here with us. We won't leave the driveway. One of us will turn the car around when we get down to the main road. How does that sound?"

They not going to let you get above five miles an hour, Lark teased.What could go wrong?

Don't say such things, wolfie! Especially when I'm with these two!

Theyismagnets for trouble, Wyatt especially,she agreed.

Taking a deep breath, I told myself to be brave. And if we were only staying in the driveway, no one could get hurt. Well, except for us, and our wolves could heal us in a heartbeat.

"All right," I said at last. "I'll try."

Do it trembling if you must, but do it, I thought.I can't give that advice to others and not follow it myself.

"Our brave girl." Ash pecked my forehead, then sank back in his seat. "Go ahead and turn the car back on, okay?"

Nodding, I unclenched my fingers from around the key and did as he said.

"Every time you put the car in gear, you step on the brake. Remember what all the letters on the gear shifter are for?" he asked.

"P for park, R for reverse, D for drive. Don't worry about the N. It means neutral and I'll only use it if I need to be towed or pushed. Don't worry about the M because I'm not going to do any manual shifting," I recited dutifully.

"Very good, cupcake!" Ash crowed. "Now put it in reverse and back up until you see grass in your rear-view mirror, okay?"

Nodding, I put my foot on the brake, pushed the button on the gear shifter, and moved it to the R.

Nothing happened.

"But I did everything you told me to do!" I pouted.

"Cutie, you need to take your foot off the brake and step on the accelerator to make the car move. But slowly!" Wyatt hurried to add. "Don't push the gas pedal down very far or fast. Got it?"

"Got it."

Hesitantly, I followed his directions and the car began to move backwards. My eyes flicked up to the rear-view mirror and I gently pushed down on the gas until I saw the blacktop change to grass. Then I shifted my foot to the brake, but I pressed it too hard and we jerked to a sharp stop.

"Owie," Ash grunted and rubbed his head.

"Seat belt, idiot," Wyatt snorted. "You forgot to put it back on."

"Are you hurt?" Worried, I reached over to hug him. "Ash, are you okay?"

"Posy, put your foot on the brake," Wyatt said in a very calm voice. "We're drifting backwards."

---