Who I Am with You

And with that, she slipped through the opening before he was able to catch his breath. Before he even thought about chasing her down, she was jumping into her car and pulling from the driveway.

What could he do? What would he say if he did catch up to her?

He couldn’t accept her going back to racing, couldn’t take the chance that she would die right before his eyes. So what did they have left? Love just wasn’t going to be enough.

Wearing ruts in the large backyard by his frantic pacing, Travis ranted to Taylor’s brother. “She’s a fool and she’s going to get herself killed. That’s what she’s going to do!”

Bryson was just as upset about the situation. Hell, the doctor had told her that another head injury could leave her dead or, heaven forbid, a vegetable—to Bryson, a fate worse than death. But he wasn’t nearly as riled up as his friend.

“She’s an adult, Travis. I don’t like what she’s doing, either. But we’ve tried to get her to slow down. And it only made her push harder just to prove us all wrong.”

“What in the hell is she thinking? Martin agreed to sell her the property. She has sponsors lined up, everything ready to go, and she just drops it all and rushes on out of here faster than she arrived.”

Bryson sat back and took a sip of his beer. “What did you say to her exactly?”

“That she was going to get herself killed.” Travis suddenly felt exhaustion dragging him down. He joined his friend on the back deck, picked up his full bottle of beer, and took a long swallow.

Bryson chuckled. “Well, that was your first mistake.”

“How can you laugh about this? Don’t you care at all?” Travis rubbed his hand down his face.

“Of course I care, but I’ve learned that when it comes to Taylor, trying to strong-arm her is the absolute worst thing you can possibly do. She’s great at what she does and she doesn’t want to give it up, even if she is risking her life. You have to give her a reason not to do it anymore.”

“I did give her a reason. She actually came up with a reason on her own—the training track. It could help so many people, but as soon as her friend called her about the race, she forgot all about that.”

“Maybe the track isn’t good enough to keep her here.”

“Then what is?”

“Have you told her how you feel?”

“Yes!” Travis exclaimed, and then stopped. Had he really laid it all out there? Had he told her he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life no matter what choices she made? Yes, he’d told her he cared, but had he proposed? And if he wanted to marry her, shouldn’t he love her no matter what?

Bryson patted his friend’s shoulder. “Ahh. I see the old, rusty wheels starting to turn in your head.”

“I have to let her do this. If I love her, I love her absolutely,” Travis said with a defeated sigh.

“That’s the long and short of it, Travis. When you love someone, you don’t put limitations on who they are or conditions on your feelings for them. You accept everything about them, even if it frightens you, even if you’re terrified while you hold her close.”

“How in the hell did you become so smart?”

“Marriage, my friend, marriage,” Bryson said with another laugh.

“Now that’s a smart man,” Misty said as she came out to join them and sat on her husband’s lap.

Bryson wrapped his arms around her. “Yes, I am indeed.”

“So what are you going to do, Travis?” Misty asked. “Sit here and moon over her? Or are you going to go and get the girl?”

He sat there a moment longer, and then a wide grin spread across his face. “I’m outta here.”

Taylor had a good head start on him, but he’d catch up to her, and this time, he assured himself, no matter what he had to do, he wasn’t letting the girl get away.

After flying out early in the morning, Travis arrived in Idaho and, without much time to spare, made it to the track where Taylor was scheduled to race.

Cutting it close was fine, though. He was going to support her no matter what she did, and if that meant he had to sit there in the stands and pray the entire time that she’d come back to him, that’s what he’d do.

Because even if their time together was short, he’d rather be with her now than never be with her again. He made his way to the back of the stands, where the racers were gearing up to begin.

The large arena prep area was filled with both laughter and nerves, but none of the riders could possibly be more nervous than Travis. After a few minutes, when the announcer gave the racers the fifteen-minute warning, he scanned the group, needing to see Taylor before the race started.

What if something happened and her last memory was of them fighting? He couldn’t have that on his conscience. When he spotted her by a nice new bike, wearing a frown on her face, he let out a relieved breath and rushed to her.

“Taylor?”

She turned and smiled for a split second, seeming truly happy to see him. But just as quickly as the smile lit her beautiful face, her expression drooped and she cast her eyes down.

“What are you doing here, Travis? You aren’t going to stop me.” Her voice was almost a monotone.

“I’m not here to stop you, Taylor. I realized I was being unfair. I realized that this is the life you have built. And though it will terrify me each and every time you get on that track, I couldn’t be more proud of the woman you are, or of your accomplishments. I needed to come and tell you that, to let you know that I’m not letting us go, because I love you. I love you more than you could possibly imagine. I see us together today, tomorrow, and in fifty years. I want you by my side, and I want you to be happy. And if racing is what it takes to bring that look of joy to your face, I will support you in that. Please forgive me, Taylor. Please don’t hold my foolishness against me.” He paused for a second to catch his breath. “I want you to be my wife.”