Page 117 of Hot Lap
Mai reaches for his hand. He grasps her fingers and lets her pulls him into bed beside her. She snuggles against him. “Your mom might be my new favorite person.”
He chuckles and kisses the top of her head as she nestles in. “You haven’t even met her yet.”
“Don’t need to. She gets it.”
“Yeah.” He tightens his arms around her. “Unfortunately, she does.”
They lie there for a moment.
“Today’s a long one,” she murmurs.
“True, but we’ll face it together.”
Maiken lifts her head and looks into his eyes. “Promise?”
“Side-by-side, Maiken. I promise.” He leans in and kisses her, slow and sure.
She stretches with a groan and sits up, sheet falling to her waist. “Okay. I’m awake. I’m up. I’m a functioning adult.”
Reece chuckles and climbs from the bed. “Your hair says otherwise.”
She flips him off without looking. “Bite me.”
He grins, pulling on a fresh team polo and a pair of trackies. “Don’t give me ideas. I’ve got time to kill.”
She eyes him with a lazy smirk. “Don’t you have, like, a million race things to do?”
“Later.” He tosses her one of the Nitro hoodies from the dresser. “Put that on and come eat.”
She tugs it over her head and follows him to the suite’s dining area, where breakfast has been set: fruit, sliced tomatoes, strong coffee, eggs, toast, and a little handwritten note from the hotel staff that reads:Good luck, Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard.
Maiken sips her coffee and eyes the spread. “So your mom called just to give Junior the middle finger?”
“Not just.” He sips his coffee and glances at her over the rim of his cup. “She also asked for your mum’s number.”
Maiken pauses mid-bite. “Frankie?”
He nods. “She said she wants to connect with the only other woman who’s successfully raised a functional adult Graham couldn’t fuck up.”
Maiken barks a laugh. “Oh my God, yes. That is the friendship I never knew I needed.”
“I asked if she planned to team up and take over the world.”
“And what did she say?”
“‘Absolutely.’”
They grin at each other, and for the first time in what feels like days, Maiken looks relaxed. She sets down her coffee.
“Tell her I’ll text her Frankie’s number.”
“Done.”
There’s a stretch of comfortable quiet as they eat. Then Reece sits back in his chair. “Are you coming with me today?”
Maiken lifts a brow. “You’re asking me if I want to stand in a room full of giant screens, over-caffeinated engineers, and enough high-octane fumes to give me a contact high?”
He just looks at her.
