“There would be no bills to pay if you get rid of that house, so it doesn’t matter if what you do makes you money.”

“There are always bills to pay. Electricity, food, traveling, hotels, clothes. I can keep going. Do you know how expensive it is to raise a child?”

“No, not really, but I’m sure I have enough to cover it all.”

“No, Kye, I don’t think you understand. It’s thousands more a year in expenses. Whatever you are thinking it takes, times it by five. I learned the hard way.”

“By five?” he said in disbelief. “It takes almost a hundred grand a year to raise her? Damn, do you feed her gold flakes for breakfast? Do you waitress with your top off to make that type of money?”

I couldn’t stop my laugh, but I tried to hide it. “Okay, maybe not five times the amount, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was twenty grand a year to keep up with her.”

“And what about you? Are we talking twenty grand or a hundred?” he asked with a laugh. 

“A hundred. Look at this hair,” I said with a grin, pointing to my hair that I have religiously cut in my own bathroom, and then to my nails, which currently had chipping nail polish I bought at the dollar store. “These nails? Easily two dollars a month.”

He laughed harder. “Alright, so we have twenty and a hundred plus another thirty for basic living. Great, as of right now, we can easily live like that for a few years. Of course, we will have a few more kids, but I’ll have to make more money in the meantime, so yeah, I think we’re good.”

“Ha. Ha. Not so fun when you add it up, right?”

“No, it’s still pretty fun. I don’t mind giving up all my money to have you two in my life. Although, let’s factor out living expenses, I would love to see you spend eight grand a month. It’s surprisingly harder to spend money like that when you have lived on pennies at any point in life. I think you’ll find yourself scrambling to spend it.”

“Kye, I was kidding. I live off more like eight dollars a month after bills and Bailey. Getting a fancy coffee is like a spa day.”

“I feel like you aren’t catching on that I am not kidding. Between the success at the garage, my career, and investing, I have plenty, Daze. Hundreds of thousands that you can spend how you want. And I’m set to make more money this year if I win some races and show up for these events. All my driving started paying really well after people saw that I was sponsored by Holt Racing. It’s like that was a beam of light that I was worth a damn. All I’ve done for the last few years is drive professionally in some capacity, and people pay more and more for that each year. And there’s not much to spend money on when you own your apartment, and half of everything else is paid for. I don’t need much. I’ve gotten some sponsors for clothes, travel, cars, even ridiculous stuff like water. People will throw free stuff at rich people like they are poor. It’s crazy. I could barely get help when I was a literal child with nothing, but now I get money and stuff handed to me without question.”

“I’m sorry, hundreds of thousands?” I couldn’t even comprehend it. Even before Bailey, when I started my career, I was hoping for maybe sixty thousand a year. To make that much since we left each other couldn’t be real.

“Yes, last I checked. Although Holt is very good at managing money, so it could be millions now. I don’t know.”

“How is that possible?”

He shrugged. “Like I said, I just kept recklessly driving and people liked that I would do ridiculous stunts. My friends make their own money, so I don’t have to help them, and I have no other family. So the money has just been for me. I haven’t wanted to move away from everyone and don’t need much more than this place anyway, so I stay here. I don’t know, the money just sat there. Then Holt helped me invest it into things and it kept growing without me doing anything. I don’t need it all. I’d rather have you two around than a pile of money, so I don’t know. Just spend it how and when you want.”

“Kye, I can’t just quit my job and spend your money. You worked hard for that. It isn’t mine. We aren’t even married. And what if we broke up? Then I would have no money, no house, and no job? Do you know how irresponsible that is?”

He put his chin in his hand with a smile. “Damn, I love how smart you are, even when it’s working against me. If you’re worried about breaking up, then we can put money in your personal account that I have no access to. Plenty to give you a year of living without me. I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay with me just for money.” His face scrunched at the words. “And as for not being married, we could get that done today if you would rather do that than go for ice cream.”

“Can you please be serious?”

“Can you please take me seriously? I would marry you today if you wanted. At any moment, since the moment I knew I loved you, if you asked if I would marry you, I would have immediately said yes. You could have shown up without another word at any point in the past six years and asked if I would, and we would have already been on the way to the courthouse. Even if you said hey, can we have another ‘fake’ relationship and get married because I now have a child and need help? I would have said yes. There was never a point in my life after I met you that loving you was called into question for me. I knew I was just too fucked up to deserve to be in your life. If you would rather wait and have a wedding, we could do that, too.” He sat back, the weight of his words making him take a deep breath. “For now, will you at least travel with me? I am booked a while out but can start turning things down before she starts school full-time next year. Then we’ll be home more. I’ll still have to leave sometimes to afford this apparent hundred thousand dollar a month lifestyle you live,” he said with a smirk, “but I could be home a lot more, and you two could still come for weekend events, which a lot of them are, anyway. I know it would suck when I have to go for a week or two, but I think we could manage.”

“You are serious?”

“Yes, one hundred percent serious. What part of this is the problem? Not working a job you hate, spending more time with Bailey, being with me?” It was like something clicked for him. “Wait, is that it? Are you doubting being with me?”

“No. No,” I said more firmly. “That’s not the problem. The problem is with me. That’s a lot of change to take in all at once, and what if it’s not the right thing for Bailey? What if she struggles without the structure we have now?”

“That child would thrive with no structure,” he said, laughing. “If she could live in the woods as a wild animal, she would be thrilled. Seriously, though, if you see her struggling at all, you can come back and get into your routine. You can live here and I will just fly back every second I can. Plus, you love the crew. You could have the entire support team right at home. But I really don’t think Bailey would struggle. There’s plenty to do, and you two could see all the new places when you want. And best of all, I get you with me every night.”

“And you just want a girlfriend and child all of a sudden? After years of bachelorhood, you’re ready to settle down and be a family man?”

“With you? Yes. No question that I am. I haven’t wanted to be alone, but when there is only one person you want to be with, it really makes your options limited.”

“Kye, I was forced into this life before I was ready, and I know how hard it is. I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“I’m literally begging you for it right now. You aren’t forcing anything on me, or asking it of me. I’m asking it of you. Anything, all of it.” He got up, coming around and lifting me onto the counter. “Give me all of it, Daze. Don’t make me have to live another six years without you, let alone six days. Don’t make me have to live another day without you.”

I chewed at my lip. There really was no one else I would want, and spending every day with Kye, traveling with him, felt like a dream come true. I could pursue my own dreams, Bailey could see more things and make friends. It was hard to think of the downsides, but I had to.

“Yes to the everyday with you, but you’re going to have to give me a little bit to decide on dropping everything to travel around and spend all your money.”

He grinned, kissing me once. “I really thought that would be the easy part, but okay. Fair enough, I did just drop a lot on you. Does this mean no to ice cream and bikes?”

“For me? Yes. You two can go, though.”

He groaned, but nodded. “Happy to, although I was pretty excited to have you pressed up against me on my bike all day.”

“As tempting as that sounds, I can’t leave Amber alone at the restaurant all night. Maybe you would be willing to do it twice in one week?”

“Whatever you want, Daze. Come on, we can at least give you a ride to work.”

He leaned down to kiss me, squeezing my hand once before he disappeared around the corner. 

It was hard to say no to all of it. Impossible even.

I had no reason to, and I realized fast that no part of me wanted to.

FIFTY-ONEDAISY

The next day after work, I got to the apartment to find the place empty.

Kye was supposed to be watching Bailey, and after my tires were slashed and the house broken into, my panic bubbled up immediately. I pulled out my phone, already hitting the button to FaceTime Kye. 

He picked up in two rings, his smiling face filling my screen.

“Hey,” he said, turning the phone down to Bailey quick and back onto him.

“Where are you?”

“Walking towards the apartments.”

“And where have you been?” I asked, already heading back downstairs to the sidewalk.

“The tattoo shop.”

My mouth fell open. “Excuse me?”

“We are right outside,” he said. “I’ll be inside in one minute.”