Page 141 of Until The Lights Go Out

“Oh my God.” I blushed even harder, wiping at my eyes, reaching out my free hand off camera and squeezing Theo’s hand three times before righting myself and getting the show back on track. “Alright back to business… We have some questions about Valora Racing! Serena, do you want to tell us about your new team?”

“Valora Racing is the first of its kind! A woman-led and -focused Formula One team that’s about to give these boys a run for their money.” She smirked. “Amber Hughes is our fearless leader. She has decades of experience on and off track and has worked her way up from pit crew to leading a team.”

“And Valora is working closely with Kaz Energy Racing?”

“Yes! We are an unofficial junior team under the same umbrella, but we are still entirely our own team.”

“Any news about a teammate yet?”

“Valora is in chats with some very impressive candidates at the moment, but that’s all I can say,” Serena replied.

“Well overdue for some kickass ladies trackside.” Austin said, then nodded alongside Theo, who went on to explain some of the connections between Kaz and Valora.

“Oh, can we do this one too?” Austin asked, pointing to another fan question a few minutes later.

I squinted at it and read it out loud. “‘Maisey, do you have any connections with your old team, Tenner Sports?’”

“I don’t at the moment, but they are really amazing!” I replied.

‘Any response to the rumors that Theo Bauer is a backer for Tenner?’ popped up on the screen. I paused, shooting Theo a look. Austin read aloud the comment for everyone.

We all stared at Theo in question.

He cleared his throat and shrugged. “Yes, I am a main sponsor for the team.”

“You sponsor Maisey’s old F2 team?” Serena asked what we were all wondering.

“Yeah,” Theo answered casually, like this wasn’t a huge revelation.

“For how long?” I asked slowly, my heart beating loudly in my ears.

“A few years into my F1 career.”

“Fuck,” Austin whispered before clapping a hand over his mouth. Serena was just as bug-eyed next to him.

“You…what? Why?”

“Because it’s your team,” he replied again in a calm manner. I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t make my mouth move to form any words at all. Theo had been backing my team for years. Years! My mind was going a million miles a minute.

“This one says, ‘NEW LORE DROPPING!’ in all caps then a lot of emojis,” Austin said. “Guys slow down!” He groaned as comments flooded in.

My producer cleared his throat, trying to get me to come back.

“Sorry, wow. Okay. This is news to me just like all of you!” I gasped out once the words started working again. We continued on with the interview, but my mind kept snagging on Theo, on the fact that no matter the distance and all the reasons it took a decade to see each other again, he was still showing up in ways he could. In ways he would allow himself to, he was still supporting me for all those years. The minute the interview was over, I made excuses and pulled him away from the others.

“Damn, Red,” Theo laughed as I shoved him through the door of his driver room. “If you needed my attention that badly, all you had to do was ask.” The door clicked shut behind us. I twisted the lock before spinning back toward him.

“You are unbelievable.”

His grin only widened. “I’ve heard.”

“No.” I pointed a finger at his chest as he leaned lazily against the wall. “You don’t get to stand there looking all smug.”

“Oh?”

“You do not.”

“I feel like I absolutely do.”