The Legend (67 page)

“That
you’re now a grandpa?”

“What?” I
jumped up and then regretted it when I smacked my shoulder against the wall
trying to move too quickly.

“Settle
down there old timer. You’ll break a hip.” I reached for my phone while Casten
followed me outside the hauler.

“Why
didn’t they call?”

“It
happened quickly, I guess. I didn’t ask for details. Child birth isn’t
something I’m real interested in,” he admitted. “Now the making process—”

“Do you
remember when you were ten and told me you were never having sex?”

“Oh
please…I was ten.” He looked at me like I was stupid. “That’s just obscene to
think I would tell you the truth.”

Sway was
beaming when I finally found her inside my motor coach. “How come they didn’t
call us?”

She had
the phone to her ear but moved it aside to speak. “Lily went into labor and the
baby was born within an hour. They didn’t have time.”

“I’d want
out if I was him too.” Casten added as we stepped inside the motor coach. “Did
you see that shit she eats? Who eats broccoli anyway? Unless you’re a turtle,”

“Turtles
don’t eat broccoli
...
” I gave Casten a
strange look, as did
Sway
.

“Well
then, what do they eat?”

“Fuck if I
know, does it matter?”

“Apparently,
you think you know what they eat.”

“Boys,
stop it.” Sway interrupted us. “Let’s go see the baby.”

I sighed
hanging my head and she knew. “I can’t honey. I have an interview with ESPN in
an hour and then I have a signing at the dealership.”

She seemed
sad for a moment but quickly shifted her expression change. “Well, we can go
tomorrow then, after happy hour.”

It was
times like this that really made the decision to retire final for me.

I wanted
to be able to just go somewhere if I wanted and not have to worry about
obligations. If I wanted to race, I raced. If I wanted to take my wife to Costa
Rico tomorrow, I could. I didn’t have to worry about what my sponsor would
think or if me getting injured would hurt my chances at the chase.

Simplex
wasn’t happy about the race in Knoxville that nearly killed the driver that
made their companies millions over the years. But I was close enough with
Marcus and Melissa that they understood why I raced sprint cars still. It
didn’t stop them from asking that I not race anything other than the cup car
until the season was out, but they did understand me.

To me,
sprint car racing was who I was. And that’s when I understood completely that
what happened in Knoxville had nothing to do with me. Regardless of the whole
Grady
issue, my dad died doing what he loved. Not many
people can say that happened to them. He didn’t suffer months of battling an
aggressive cancer or die in a car accident going to a shit job he hated.

He was
doing what made him Jimi Riley.

Me
, Sway, Casten,
and Arie took off to Mooresville from Michigan to see Axel and Lily in the
hospital, oh and the new addition.

Lily
looked exhausted as did Axel. He’d been up all night making sure she and the
baby had everything they needed and then he had to leave for the start of the
Great Northern Tour in Grand Forks Michigan.

Justin was
there in the room holding the baby when we got there. He wasn’t giving him up
until Sway pouted and basically stole him.

“What’s
his name?” I asked peeking over my wife’s shoulder at him. He looked just like
Axel did when he was born—even had the signature rusty mess of hair.

Axel and Lily
looked over at Justin leaning against the far wall. Justin smiled. “Jack
Anthony Riley.” Lily said softly.

Not many
people knew this but Justin had a twin brother when he was born but he died
when they were just a few months old. And his name was Jack.

“That’s
beautiful you guys.” Arie gushed when she walked in the room. “He’s adorable!”

“You look
like shit.” Casten told Axel who really did look exhausted. “But you look
beautiful.” He leaned down and kissed the top of Lily head.

“Thanks
Casten.” Lily said smiling up at him.

“Stop
that—don’t touch my wife.” Axel said pushing Lily and Casten apart.

I was sure
I was going to separate the boys when Sway motioned for me to come over and
then handed the baby over to me. Since our kids were little, I hadn’t held a
baby.

Nervously,
I reached out and cradled my arms as she placed him gently in my arms. I looked
down at him and he looked up at me. “I’m your grandpa.” I told him softly and
kissed his forehead.

Ugh,
that sounds so old.

“How about
we just are his aunt and uncle?” Sway whispered in my ear.

He
sneezed.

Sway,
being the witty shit I’d always known my wife to be, said, “
Aw
...
can you believe it baby, he sneezes and
blinks.”

I just
laughed and held Jack close to my chest. He whimpered the same way Axel did and
snuggled into my embrace.

Axel
looked between me and Sway. “Huh?”

Sway and
Justin started laughing before Sway
ratted
me out.
“When you were born Axel
...
your dad
was utterly amazed that you were real.”

“What did
he think I’d be?”

Casten
began to answer with, “He probably—”

“All
right,” I spoke up before he’d say something inappropriate. “I knew he was
real. I just didn’t expect him to be so
...
active
...
I guess.”

I lost track
of what they were saying when Jack followed me with his gray glassy eyes. He
watched every movement I made like I was a shiny toy he’d never seen before. To
be fair, I stared at him just as closely, remembering my kids when they were
this small. It felt like it was just yesterday.

It’s a
different feeling when you see one of your grandchildren. I understood why my
parents and Charlie looked at Axel the way they did when he was born or any of
the grandchildren.

You watch
your children from the very beginning. Wondering all along what they’ll be like
when they’re older. Then they have children. I don’t know that I can express
the feeling I had but it was intense.

There’s
something beautiful about the beginning of life. They’ve done nothing wrong,
never lied, never had their heart broken. They haven’t had to deal with death,
or the pressures of life, they’re just new—new to the world.

They make
everything in the world seem so minuscule compared to their precious existence.

I watched
my mom carefully when she came by the hospital to visit with Emma and Lexi.

They
brought a shit load of baby stuff but I was more distracted by the pure joy on
my mother’s face. I hadn’t seen her happier than the last time I saw her with
my dad.

She saw me
holding Jack, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and she was beside me in an
instant. “Oh Jameson
...
” she gasped covering
her mouth with her hand. “He’s so beautiful.”

Looking at
him now, I could see some of Lily’s features in his chin and nose but the rest
was identical to Axel.

The girls
were beginning to hover imperiously so I gave Jack to my mom. They shifted
their hovering to her.

Mom was
hesitant in her movements for a moment. Maybe she was afraid he’d cry. But he
didn’t.

Mom had a
way with babies and her first great grandchild wasn’t any different. Though she
liked to say Logan’s daughter, Madison, was her great grandchild, Jack was
technically the first by blood.

My mom
looked at me again. “I watched Axel win the other night and he did the same
wing dance Jimi used to where he bowed to the crowd then rested his head on the
wing for a moment.”

Nodding, I
remember watching him on SPEED the other night and witnessing that myself. The
World of Outlaws was doing a lot to keep Jimi’s memory alive with reverting to
a 3-wide salute as opposed to the standard 4-wide salute prior to the feature.
But it was things like Axel imitating dad’s wing dance that provided us the
best comfort that he would forever be remembered for his contributions to the
series.

I found a
place in the corner, next to Casten and watched the girls coo over the new
baby.

Casten
chuckled wrinkling his nose a little. “How pathetic,” and then his once
disgusted face turned amused and mischievous. “I wonder if they’ll let me
borrow him.”

“No!” Axel
barked from his place beside Lily. “You are not using him like you do to
Madison.”

“You
didn’t use Logan’s daughter as bait, did you?” I asked my overly confident son.

“
Pleeeeease
,” he rolled his eyes. “Like I need to use
a baby to get girls,”

Sway
stepped beside me wrapping her arms around my waist. She had tears in her eyes
and whispered. “She’s so happy.”

I glanced
over toward my mom sitting in a chair holding Jack with Emma and Alley standing
over her looking down at him. She really is happy.

Kissing my
wife’s forehead I whispered back with, “I wish they were here to see this.”

And I said
they because not only was my dad not here but hers wasn’t either.

A new life
was added but we still felt the void of the ones that were gone.

I bowed my
head, looking at the tile floor beneath us as Sway ran her hand up and down my
back in an attempt to comfort. Nothing would bring them back but the memories
were good ones. That we had, we had the memories.

And now,
new ones were being created. Like watching my first born son, hold his.

Axel was
beaming with delight when I said goodbye as we headed back to the track for the
race tomorrow. I threw an arm around him and pulled him into a tight hug. “I
love you buddy. I’m proud of you.” I whispered so only he would hear.

He had to
know that I wasn’t talking about him becoming a father. I was talking about him
in general and everything he had accomplished.

I felt him
chuckle softly before his breath caught in his throat and I was sure he was on
the verge of tears. “I love you too, dad.”

29.
          
Inside Line – Axel

Inside
Line – The shortest line around the track. Also, the part of the track that is
closest to the infield. On some tracks, depending on the grooves, this may be
the ideal line in a race.

Becoming a
dad was strange. Becoming a husband and having someone rely on me was strange
too but then you add another human being depending on you, its nerve wracking.

I found
myself calling and texting Lily multiple times a day just to make sure they
were all right and didn’t need anything. Thankfully Lexi and Arie were doting
Aunts and spent as much time with her as they could. I also tend to believe it
had something to do with Jack. He was the sweetest little boy.

I never
imagined I would love him so much but when I heard his first cry and then he
looked up at me, I was hooked. I was now one of those dad’s that carried
pictures in his wallet, bragged and had tons of videos on my phone of him just
breathing.

Casten
called me a pussy and asked if I still had balls but I think deep down he
showed tact. I frequently noticed him holding him as well when he had the
chance. And yes, there were the occasions when he used my new born son for the
sake of getting a woman’s attention.

My grandma
seemed to be the most affected by Jack’s presence. She spent hours holding him,
making blankets and watching his every movement. It was nice to see her so
happy again. I worried that after grandpa’s passing she would just give up like
my great grandmother did but she didn’t. She still traveled around with us,
helped with fan clubs, made sure all of her kids were taking care of themselves
— just being the mother she always was to everyone.

She really
was the racers tape that held our families together.

The months
went by and soon Lily and Jack were traveling with me just as I did with my
parents.

Willie and
Tommy worked together as the crew chief and the combination was exactly what we
needed that year. I questioned their sanity more times than not but somehow the
combination of their brains worked wonders on the setups and adjustments. By
the time the World Finals rolled around in November, I had no doubts I’d won
the championship.

I would
like to say I never second guessed myself but I did. I wasn’t Jameson Riley.

I was Axel
Charles Riley. The kid that occasionally questioned his skills but I knew I had
them. That championship proved that. I may not drive like he did or push the
car to the limits the way he could and hang on to it but I did it.