Page 62 of Prove Me Wrong
“I’m sure we’ll be okay here. But I know it’s hard for you to be away from her.”
My hand comes to settle on his shoulder, squeezing it gently, letting him know I’m here for him.
Something settles in his features, the shadow passing over them as his mouth forces out a smile that fails to reach his eyes.
“Noah, what is it? I can tell something is bothering you.”
He huffs out a laugh, scratching at his forehead before shaking it. “No, it’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“That doesn’t matter. If it’s affecting you, and you need to talk about it, then I’m here to listen.”
That loosens his smile, making my stomach flutter at the genuine sweep of his curved lips.
“Thank you, Mia, but I’ll be all right. I’m just tired.” He rubs at his eyes.
Nodding, I notice the dull blue colour beneath his lashes, and the exhaustion settling into the soft lines around his eyes. “Go shower. I’ll take care of Jade and then make you something before you need to leave.”
“Okay.”
Putting his phone down on the bench, his gaze moves over the paintings, dimples deepening as he looks through Jade’s colourful ones. When his hand moves to mine, it stops, holding the paper stiffly.
“Do you like it?”
Creases deepen between his brows when Noah’s face lifts to mine. He holds up the painting I made of him in his race suit, standing beside his car at the track. Orange, white and black strokes fill the paper, and he’scasually leaning against the bonnet, helmet in his hand. “I love it, Grey. It’s perfect.”
That pulls at my heart. “It’s for you to keep. Only if you want it.”
“Of course I want to keep it. This means so much to me.”
“You’re welcome. I didn’t really know what to paint, but I remember seeing you on TV in your race suit and thought you’d like to keep it as a memory.”
“I appreciate it a lot.”
Smiling, I readjust Jade on my hip, turning my face away so that Noah can’t see my blushing cheeks. “I should get her clean now before she gets hungry and snappy.”
“Ah yes, you really don’t want to see her gremlin side.” Noah chuckles, lightening the air between us. “I should get ready to go, too.”
Nodding, Noah is the first to leave, and the air thins once he’s disappeared upstairs. My lungs can finally breathe again. I inhale deeply before grinning at Jade, who is watching me with paint smeared cheeks. “I am starting to like your daddy a lot,” I whisper to her.
Jade giggles, unsure of what I’ve said, but to me, it makes my chest squeeze, and I can’t determine if it’s from fear or elation, but it’s a step closer to giving him more of me.
Chapter Twenty-Two
NOAH
“Glad you could make it,” Julian greets me as soon as I get out of the hire car the team ordered for me at the airport.
Huffing out a hollow breath, I sling my bag over my shoulder, staring across at my team manager. “I’m just happy I got more warning this time. If you’d have called me this morning, I probably would have ignored you.” I flick him a quick smile. “So, what’s the plan?”
Julian’s mouth ticks before diving into the schedule. “Practice is from one onwards today, and you’ll be out of here by five. I’ll take your bag if you want to get changed while we go over the car, make sure it's all fine. Tomorrow, practice is at ten, and qualifying is at one, then the race on Sunday is at two-thirty. But Adelaide is tough, so we are going to have to fight for a podium.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” Shrugging a shoulder, I follow Julian into the pits that smell of fumes and burnt coffee. Daniels is already standing in his gear, arms crossed as he watches the mechanics prep his car. I sidle him and pat his back. “Good seeing you again.”
He smiles and hugs me back. Daniels was my teammate when I was here full-time. He’s three years older, more mature and knowledgeable when it comes to driving. He took me under his wing when I started, andwe drive well together out on the track, unlike some other teammates that can’t stand each other.
Taller than me, his tawny hair falls into his amber eyes, burly arms uncross as he grins widely through his short beard. “Hey, man. How was the flight over?”
I give a small shrug. “Fine. Nothing special.”
