Page 70 of Not So Fast
Next came Xander…and all hell broke loose. The crowd whooped and hollered in deafening fashion—a British driver on the podium at Silverstone was a very important point of national pride. Clearly. Xander walked out and waved at theadoring masses, looking like he was twenty feet tall, and Mia felt like she would burst.
It was so obvious he’d been crying. His eyes were ringed in pink. But his smile was wide and effortless. He was beaming. Like he was carrying around the whole goddamn sun inside him. She couldn’t wait to see him. Touch him. Kiss him and congratulate him and tell him he was brilliant. The anticipation bubbled under her skin. It wound its way around her heart, along with a thought, one that had been floating around in her head for days as a very vague idea, fueled by sex and stolen kisses and furtive glances. Now that idea was a full-blown thesis, with citations and empirical evidence and footnotes.
She loved Xander. She loved him. That was it. Game over.
Also, she was leaving tomorrow.Fuck.
Emilio took his place on the top step and the band played the Spanish national anthem, followed by the Italian anthem for Vermillion. Trophies were handed out and again the crowd lost it, this time when Xander triumphantly hoisted his over his head. The “Toreador March” blared from the loudspeakers, sprays of champagne began to rain and Mia wondered what was going through Xander’s head right now. Relief? Jubilation? Or more of his yearning for something better? He was the guy who would always be looking for more. But that hunger was part of what made him an elite competitor. That desire for more had put him on the podium today. It had given him a taste of what he’d been chasing all season.
Mia felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Isabel.
“I can get you a sliver of time with Xander before he heads to the media pen. It’ll only be a minute, but I’m sure you don’t want to wait. And he really wants to see you. He told me.”
Mia turned to Freya and Oscar. “You guys should come with me.”
Freya slung her arm over Oscar’s shoulder and shook her head. “Oh, rubbish. You go on. We’ll see him later.”
“Are you sure?”
Oscar smiled and nodded. “Let me put it this way. We’ll never hear the end of it from Xander if we crash his moment with you.”
Mia wound her way through the crowd with Isabel then down a corridor and into a covered breezeway between two of the paddock buildings. Like magic, Xander emerged from a door.
“There you are,” he said, smiling wide.
“Oh, my God, I’m so proud of you,” was all Mia could manage before Xander had her wrapped in a sweaty champagne-soaked embrace. Her feet left the ground and he swung her around as she rested her arms on his broad shoulders and dug her fingers into his hair and delivered a kiss that made a tear run down her cheek.
Fuck. She loved him.
And she couldn’t bear to think this might be all there ever was between them.
“I wish we could do that forever, but I have to go do media.” He put her back down on the ground and peered into her eyes, then wiped her cheek with his thumb. “It’s okay to cry. I cried like a baby in my car after I crossed the finish line.”
Mia smiled, scanning his face and committing every detail to memory. She needed to hold on to these small moments with him. Even though they might break her heart later, after she left, when the reality sank in.
“I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
“I’ll see you in a bit, darling.” Xander turned.
Mia grasped his arm. “Xander. Wait.”
“Yes?”
All Mia could think about was how she’d spent her whole life scared of taking a relationship too fast, but that this was the one moment where she wanted to set that aside. She was leaving England tomorrow, and the future? Well, absolutely none of it was certain.
“I love you, Xander. I know that’s a lot to hear right now and it’s your big day, but I didn’t want you to walk away without knowing… I love you.”
He peered down at her and for a moment, she could’ve sworn his lower lip trembled.
“You are full of surprises, Mia Neal.”
“Well, that’s one way to respond.”
“I love you, too.” He reached down and squeezed her hand. “Had you not figured that out yet? I was just waiting for you to come around. I didn’t want to go too fast.”
“But you’re so good at going fast. I mean, they gave you a trophy for it today.”
“Xander,” Isabel called from a few feet away. “The media pen is buzzing. Everyone is waiting for you.”
