Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
“Miss Collins, your friend Kailyn awaits you in the car,” he said with practiced courtesy.
“Cliff isn’t coming?” Laney’s voice wavered slightly.
“Mr. Hopkins sends his regrets. He’s detained with urgent matters and arranged for me to escort you to the track.”
Reality settled in-Cliff wouldn’t be joining her.
“I see,” she murmured, unable to mask the dejection in her voice.
A fine mist hung in the air, matching Laney’s dampened spirits.
“Good heavens!” Kailyn exclaimed as Laney slid into the car.
“You’re practically dressed for summer!”
Concern etched on her face, Kailyn clasped Laney’s cold hands between her own.
“It’s barely fifty degrees out here. What possessed you to wear such a short skirt?”
Laney glanced down at her bare legs, letting out a resigned sigh.
“I hardly noticed the cold.”
Her mind had been elsewhere, clouded by disappointment.
Kailyn asked, “What’s wrong? Did Cliff upset you again?”
Laney shook her head, though her heart felt like lead.
“He promised to watch the race with me, but work got in the way.”
“For heaven’s sake, it’s just a race!” Kailyn threw up her hands.
“It won’t take all day-you’ll see him after. Look at you, though, ready to burst into tears.”
Laney’s lower lip protruded in a sulk.
Kailyn teased, “Who was it that told me she wouldn’t like Cliff anymore?”
Kailyn mimicked Laney’s tone.
“I can’t stand Cliff. He’s the absolute worst!”
A blush crept across Laney’s cheeks.
“You’re making that up.”
At the racetrack, Laney and Kailyn found Merrick already suited up in his gear, striking poses like a peacock in full display.
“How do I look?” he preened.
“Amazing,” Laney mumbled, her attention fixed on her phone screen.
“You didn’t even look!” Merrick huffed.
Laney’s fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed a message to Cliff.
“Are you on your way?”
Silence greeted her message. Anxiety gnawed at her insides. The familiar fear that he was deceiving her again took root, much like before when he’d gotten what he wanted and cast her aside. That fear soon morphed into anger, coursing through her veins until she switched off her phone in frustration.
As Merrick continued his theatrical display of charm, Laney’s gaze drifted past him, her eyes catching a figure in the crowd. A man stood there, his eyes locked on them-no, more specifically on Merrick. And there was nothing friendly about that stare.
The mysterious man vanished into the crowd the moment he locked eyes with Laney.
Before Laney could process what she’d just witnessed, a ripple of excitement spread through the spectators. Her attention snapped to its source-a sleek black sports car, with Cliff at the wheel. Through the lowered windows, his sculpted features were outlined sharply against the overcast sky. Her heart pounded in her chest, threatening to burst.
Cliff’s mere presence shifted the atmosphere. His magnetic appeal and aristocratic bearing drew all eyes, yet he remained perfectly composed, his intense gaze seeking out only Laney in the crowd.
“Since when does Cliff race?” Merrick’s jaw dropped.
“This is news to me.”
Kailyn jabbed Laney’s ribs playfully.
“Look who showed up for you.”
Jolted from her trance, Laney felt heat creep up her neck.
“I noticed,” she said, her voice soft.
“Oh, really?” Kailyn teased.
“He hasn’t taken his eyes off you since he arrived.”
“Stop it,” Laney whispered shyly.
“There are too many people around. It’s embarrassing.”
“Oh, come on! You’re beaming like a lighthouse.”
As they bantered, Cliff had already emerged from his car and was walking toward them. The racing suit he wore only emphasized his commanding presence, every inch the professional driver.
Unable to contain herself any longer, Laney crossed the distance between them.
Cliff drew her into his arms.
Ignoring the onlookers, Laney buried her face in his chest.
“I thought you’d abandoned me today,” she whispered.
“You never answered my messages.”
A tender smile played across Cliff’s lips.
“You must have missed me terribly.”
Indeed, from the moment Cliff appeared, Laney’s eyes had been drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Her feelings for him had always been transparent, as clear as glass.
Nestled against him, Laney tilted her face upward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Are you joining the race?”
Cliff’s gaze drifted to her lips as she spoke, finding them irresistible. Without warning, he claimed them with his own.
Caught in the moment, Laney instinctively deepened the kiss, her tongue meeting his. Reality crashed back just seconds later, and she pulled away, her cheeks blazing scarlet.
Cliff’s lips curved into a satisfied smile as he drew back.
“I used to race in my younger days, though I’m not certain I’ve kept my edge.”
The air around them buzzed with whispers and gasps from the crowd at the pair’s intimacy.
Though Laney and Cliff had shared countless private moments, they had never displayed their relationship so openly.
Laney wasn’t ready for this. The thought made her stomach flutter with uncertainty.
“Everyone still believes we’re just cousins,” she murmured anxiously.
Cliff’s throat worked as he swallowed, his voice dropping to a husky whisper.
“Let them think what they will. Isn’t it a cousin’s duty to cherish his younger relative?”
As the dust settled at the starting line, Laney made her way back to Kailyn, her cheeks still flushed with excitement.
“Cliff’s kissing technique is absolutely mind-blowing! I could see from here how he-” Kailyn bubbled with enthusiasm before Laney’s hand shot out to silence her.
“Just focus on the race,” Laney muttered, her eyes fixed on the track ahead.
The racing circuit stretched before them like a serpentine path, with sharp turns and treacherous bends promising both glory and danger. As the vehicles vanished around the first bend, an inexplicable knot formed in Laney’s stomach.
“Cliff hasn’t raced in ages. What if something goes wrong?”
“Worried he won’t take the crown?” Kailyn teased.
“The trophy means nothing to me,” Laney’s voice softened.
“I just need him to come back in one piece.”
The truth hung heavy in the air-Cliff wasn’t racing for glory, but for Laney’s heart.
When Cliff had shown up earlier, pure joy had coursed through Laney’s veins. Now, watching the fierce determination etched on every competitor’s face, that joy had turned into genuine fear.
Minutes crawled by like hours until, finally, Laney rose to her feet, squinting at two distant shapes emerging from the bend-Cliff and Merrick, neck and neck.
“They’re coming back!” Relief flooded her voice. Cliff’s masterful handling had left the pack eating dust, with only Merrick able to match his pace.
In racing circles, Merrick was a force to be reckoned with, and today, he’d wagered more than money-his reputation hung in the balance. A loss here would shatter his dreams of making it big in the racing world.
Yet, Cliff showed no mercy, pushing his machine to its limits. Merrick’s composure began to crack as victory slipped through his fingers, his attention divided between the road and his rival.
Then, without warning, Cliff’s car lost momentum.