Free The Champion (Racing on the Edge) by Shey Stahl Page A

would
have left the room. You’d think at some point logic should have set in and I
would have recognized a pattern but no, I chose to ignore it. Ignorance is
bliss at times.
    “Is everything okay?” Sway asked carrying Axel into the
family room, amused I’m sure.
    I shot Lucas a warning glare.
    “Yes, everything is fine,” I told her, feeling as though
I had finally gotten the situation under control, and not wanting to miss any
more of the Deadliest Catch.
    The minute she walked in the kitchen, Lucas started
whining again that the tape was hurting his arm. I hadn’t had much experience
with sugar-mania before, but was intuitive enough to know things were not going
well.
    I was blissfully engrossed in my show while
simultaneously contemplating a career choice into the crab fisherman shit and
pretending Lucas wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary besides jumping on
the couch and looking for some sort of attention. I ignored him. He wasn’t
going to get attention from me. I was trying to watch a goddamn show and not
think about Speedweek fast approaching.
    Then he jumped off the couch, untied himself, and tossed
the remotes directly at me. One hit me in the forehead, and the other hit the
wall behind me, knocking over a glass on the end table.
    Once I got hit in the face, I lost my composure.
    “I warned you once.” I told him carrying him kicking and
screaming up the stairs. I set him on the bed where they were going to be
sleeping in. “Now ... go to sleep.”
    “I’m not tired.” He countered and sprung to his feet.
    “Well I suggest you get tired.” I closed the door behind
me praying that Axel never acted like them. If he did, I would be sending the
little asshole to boarding school as soon as permitted.
    When I finally made it to bed that night, Sway was fast
asleep with Axel. He was snuggled up against her chest in our bed, nuzzling his
foodbags. I couldn’t blame him. I wished I was doing the same.
    Mentally I was preparing myself for racing again but
emotionally I wanted to be here, with my family. This off-season had brought
with it another reason for me wanting to be home with my family. Axel.
    I laid there awake, watching my son and wife sleep
remembering these last few weeks with them. Between testing and being pulled in
every direction possible by my sponsor, I was still able to find time here and
there to be with Sway and him.
    I couldn’t tell you how attached I was to them now. Not a
minute went by that they weren’t both in the back of my mind.
    As careful as I could, I wrapped both arms around them
and was asleep before I knew it.
     
     
    There was the most annoying sound in the world
infiltrating my sleep and it wasn’t stopping.
    I opened my eyes and blinked steadily into the darkness
of the motor coach only to see my phone was blinking on the nightstand.
    Back to reality.
    Once I arrived in Daytona, I was in race form once again.
Though I missed my family, I loved racing and there was no denying that when I
was at the track. It was in my blood and would be forever.
    What I didn’t love was the newfound fascination everyone
had with my personal life and me.
    It seemed everywhere I turned people were asking how my
married life was, or how my son was. I wouldn’t mind telling them but I also
knew my words were never my words. Everything I said these days was
misconstrued into something else entirely. So I kept my mouth shut.
    I was always in a shitty mood when I had to get up early
but when I was away from my family, it was worse.
    Once I was surrounded by the obligations of the day, I
was grumpy and that was never a good thing. Just ask Emma who was currently
shoving posters in my face while I glared at her.
    “How many more these do you have?”
    “Just sign them asshole.” She replied with a smile
handing over another.
    Standing outside my hauler, I looked down the row of
eighteen-wheelers lined up along the paddock. It was nice not to have to walk
as far this year.
    All the