“Everything,” she said.

“Seriously,” Ransom said. “Are we just drag racing or the circle track or dirt, what?”

“Everything,” she said with a grin. “We haven’t been here together in months and it will be a few more months until we are again. Carly ordered tons of food from the diner that Daisy and her already set upstairs. Kye brought drinks. We are set for the rest of the day.”

“And,” Chase added, grabbing her hand to pull her around the back of the nearest garage. “I have a surprise for you.”

We followed, and I was surprised to see a bunch of oversized chairs facing the garage wall.

“You got me…outdoor seating?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowed hard.

He rolled his eyes. “I mean, kind of, but I thought you might like a movie night out here with everyone instead of all of us trying to pack into an apartment tonight. I have a projector we can set up later.”

Her bottom lip pouted out as she smiled at him. “I thought I was marrying you for your money, but here you go, being all sweet again.”

They both laughed, lost to their own world with their own jokes. It was something Scout always joked about, only to remember that Chase literally gave up everything to be with her. He worked hard now, running half the business side of Carly’s diner, and being Scout’s manager basically, which only made her career take off even more.

I was lost in thought and didn’t notice Daisy heading my way until she was right in front of me.

“If me being here is a problem, we can go,” Daisy said. I looked down over the dress again, the slit up the side showing off all of one leg, and I struggled to look away.

“Why would it be a problem?”

“Because you keep giving me that look and I’m assuming you don’t want me hanging around your friends when you are home.”

My hand twitched, wanting so badly to reach up and run her hair through my fingers. “The look is probably my resting bitch face problem. I’m glad you’re here. A little surprised you want to be within five feet of me, but glad. And they are your friends, too.”

“But you get first dibs on hanging out with them.”

My smile grew and I stepped a little closer. “Is this split custody? Do I get weekends or weekdays?”

She fought the smile that was threatening to take over, but looked at me with those bright hazel eyes. She didn’t step back, and I wanted to pretend that was a good thing, but I was pretty sure it had less to do with me and more her need to always stand strong.

“Well, I’m pretty busy during the week, so weekends are better for me, but that would mean I have to leave because it is Tuesday.”

“I’m kidding, Daze. Stay. Please stay.”

“Are you sure? I–”

“Want to go for a ride?” I asked, interrupting her. She wasn’t going to stop trying to people please, so cutting her off seemed like the quickest way.

“With you?”

“Yeah. Just around the track. Unless you’d rather ride with someone else.”

“Should I want to ride with anyone? I was planning on sitting here with Carly the entire time.”

“You’re about to spend your entire day at a racetrack with professional drivers. You have a herd of people to watch Bailey, and I know for a fact you have been fine riding with me before. Why not go for one ride?”

“I’m sure you can only go faster now.”

“Maybe, but I’m also about ten times better of a driver, so my skill matches my speed.”

“And I won’t get hurt?”

“I wouldn’t ask you if I thought there was any chance of that.”

“Then fine. Take me for a ride, Kye.” It wasn’t like it was anything different. It was my name, one I had heard a thousand times, but it never sounded the same as when she said it.

I headed back to the cars, grabbing two helmets and beckoning for her to follow me to one of the cars set up for this track. It was beat up. Any logos or markings had long been painted over or broken off, but it still ran great. It didn’t really matter what they looked like when they were built to do this.

She looked as skeptical as I would have guessed her to be, but she grabbed the helmet and got in.

“What am I supposed to do?”

It took me a second to take it all in. Daisy was sitting in my passenger seat, her long blonde hair pulled over her shoulder as she looked over the helmet. The fear and memories kept slamming back into me, each one hitting me harder, and now was one of the worst. It was like a day had gone by, like she was still mine and I could lean over and pull her close, like I could kiss her until I couldn’t breathe.

I tried to shake it off, waiting until she had her helmet on before peeling out and onto the track. I didn’t check on her at first, didn’t look over as I hit the first three turns. The car ran flawlessly, the back letting go the second I wanted it to so the car could drift around the curve.

The back end swung, drifting around the last one as she yelled out something. She grabbed my arm, holding onto me tight.

“Do not do that again,” she said, her fingers digging into my forearm.

I adjusted my hand on the shifter and slowed more, motioning that she could take off the helmet.

“You okay?”

She pulled the helmet off with a gasp and looked over at me with wide eyes. “I can’t believe you do this all the time.”

I laughed, leaning back into the seat as the car rumbled around us. “The most fun I can have doing something legal.”

She shot me a look, and for one beat of my heart, I thought I knew what she was thinking. Daisy had always been thinking something dirty, and right now, I was pretty sure there was something like that on her mind.

There was on mine, at least. Because no matter what type of fun I could have, I could always have even more fun with her. I would give up any car or race for the rest of my life to have a fraction of the fun I could have with her.

Her eyes wandered down to my hand, looking at her name so clearly stamped on my fingers.

I never regretted it. I had wanted to, plenty of days I had wished I did regret it, but it kept me sane. If I had to go back, I would only get it tattooed there sooner.

Her hand slid along my forearm, her fingers trailing down until she reached my hand, where she stopped to trace the letters.

A shiver of need came over me, wishing I could have more. I wanted to take more, but she pulled back.

“Sorry,” she said, panting now. “I’m sorry. I just still can’t believe you did that.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s your name, I would think you’re allowed to touch it.”

“But I know you hate being touched. I just–I wasn’t thinking. Sorry.”