Page 66 of The Champion

There was no way you were going to tell Jameson Riley hewas doing too much. Yes he was doing too much between racing sprint cars, theCup series, running a track and a three-man sprint car team but like I said,you couldn’t tell him that. He was doing what he loved.

Jameson was forced by the track officials to visit theinfield care center along with a handful of other drivers but his thoughts wereonce again focused on the race and what he could have done for a better finish,despite his lethargic demeanor.

“Man,” he wiped a cold rag across his forehead and overthe back of his neck. His matted sweaty hair stood in odd directions. His face,flushed from the hours of exertion portrayed his thoughts clearly to those whoknew him well. “I must have slid through that pit box five times onto the airhose.” He looked at Spencer who sat beside him being treated for the burns tohis hands and forearms when the overspray from the radiator had scorched him.“Sorry guys. It just wasn’t my night.”

They understood though. Everyone had bad nights. Justlook at last year when this very same race was almost lost because of his pitcrew.

Later that night when we got to the hotel, the same onewe stayed at a year ago, I watched him sleep wondering how I got so lucky tohave him.

I can’t say everything in our live was easy but I can saythat we worked well through it.

Sometime in the night, Jameson’s fingers slid around myneck and then into my hair to cradle the back of my head. I could feel hisbreath on my face and then his nose at my temple. We exhaled together and then hemoved to rest his forehead against mine.

His body trembled from exhaustion as he smiled. “I can’tbelieve it’s been a year.”

“Me either.” I smiled knowing despite the complicationsfrom the race, he remembered the night and what tonight meant.

That’s when the prenup ideas came back to me and I voicedmy concern.

“Should we have signed a prenup?”

I was immediately turned in his arms. “No.”

It was a prompt answer. One that you know he didn’t haveto think about.

“But what about, I don’t know, all they money you had andall your shit. Wouldn’t you want your shit protected?”

“What is this all about?” he finally asked sitting up onhis elbow to look down at me.

“Paul’s girlfriend asked me if we signed one. Ijust thought, maybe with the whole Darrin thing, and being pregnant, you mayhave forgotten about one.”

His eyes scowled even in the poorly lit room.

“No, I didn’t forget. Phillip asked and I said no. If youwere to ever leave me, you might as well take everything I have. To me, I wouldhave nothing left if you were gone. Besides that,” he continued. “It’s not likeyou were in it for the money. I knew that.” He laughed leaning back on the bedbeside me. His hand moved over the sheets to find mine. “You were in it for thesex.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m in it for the sex.”

The topic of the prenup was never brought up again. Hesaid his part on it and I never questioned his intentions. He knew what hewanted.

I’d taken a vow to myself that I’d never hide anythingfrom Axel or Jameson.

If something was wrong, I would tell them.

I understood why people put things off. Fear of theunknown. To me, as I’ve said many times, not knowing was worse than the fear ofkeeping the secret.

What if I hadn’t stayed that night in Charlotte withJameson?

We wouldn’t have experienced some of the best times ofour lives. In those three weeks I learned more about myself and him than theprevious eleven years. I also got knocked up, but I learned a lot.

If I wouldn’t have listened to myself that night inCharlotte I wouldn’t be looking down on the most beautiful little boy.

Currently stealing flowers from grave sites he wasbeautiful and had brought so much joy to our lives. Being a mother to a childwhere your husband was constantly on the road was difficult at times, but Iwouldn’t change anything about our lives. Well maybe some of the late nightcrying sessions or the teething. Those weren’t fun. I knew the fast passedlifestyle Jameson lived racing on the edge and I knew what we had, wouldn’t beany different.

Four months had passed since Charlie passed away and wewere now having our memorial race weekend for him, on what would have been hisforty third birthday.

In those four months, life had changed as it always didwith time.

We moved back to Mooresville because of Dana and Cooper.

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