Page 222 of Twisted Trails
Next to them, Jim has an arm wrapped around Élise, both of them beaming. Finn’s parents are there, too, flanking Kevin and Rachel, who are still in their kits, still dirty from the junior race. They both won the overall in their divisions today, and next year, they’re coming up to race elite with us. Maybe I won’t be the only woman racing the men’s field anymore. Rachel is a fast little witch, and I love her for it.
Then my eyes land on my dad, standing just beside the group, awkward as hell in the same team shirt as the rest, but two sizes too big, drowning in blue, black, and pink and wildflowers. It couldn’t be further from his usual suits and polished shoes.
But he’s here.
He came to every race he could this and last season, and the ones he missed, he called afterward to ask how it went. He still funds the team without us needing to look for other sponsors, granting us the freedom to lead it exactly as we want.
Hell, when Luc demanded we get a portable Kaiserschmarrn station becausehis soul cannot race without proper nourishment, Dad didn’t even blink and just ordered one for the bus.
He’s trying, and I think, slowly, I’m starting to forgive him. Not just for what he did or didn’t do, but for not being the family I needed back then. Because now, he’s the one makingthispossible.
This team.
These people.
Thisfamily.
The Rogue Riders.
The speaker barely manages to cut through the roar of cowbells, cheers, and what I’m pretty sure is someone sobbing into a vuvuzela.
“Alaina Crews wins the men’s elite overall in Snowshoe by two-tenths of a second for the Rogue Riders, followed by Luc Delacroix and Mason Payne in third!”
A fresh wave of sound crashes over us like a damn tsunami as the crowd erupts.
I gasp as my head snaps toward the big screen again to see the numbers confirm it.
0.2 seconds.That’s all it was.
But wait.
Mason is third?
He is, and also just 0.3 seconds behind Luc.
I throw my head back andhowlwith laughter, then glance down at Mason, who’s still gripping my thigh like it’s the only thing tethering him to this plane of existence. He’ssmiling,technically, but his eyes are pure panic, and he’s looking a little green around the nose. Luc, meanwhile, is losing his mind, laughing so hard I can feel him shaking under me.
“What’s so funny, Delacroix?” Finn calls over the noise of the crowd.
Luc doesn’t miss a beat. “Oh, you know,mon ami. Some people race for glory, some for pride, and some racevery hardto avoid losing their ass virginity.”
Mason lets out a wounded groan, burying his face in my leg, and I nearly collapse from laughing.
We’re soaked in sweat, champagne, and someone’s tears—possibly mine,definitelyMason’s—but none of that matters.
Thismatters.
This chaos.
This joy.
This win.
This life.
My lungs still forget how to breathe sometimes.
When the crowd roars.
