The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 319: Chili Bowl Nationals

Friday, January 17

Sarina takes a deep breath, trying to stay as calm as possible – if that was even possible.

She debated closing her eyes. She would prefer to not see the sight before her right now. Although, the thought of closing her eyes brought forth more fear. She knew that her mind would dream up all the scenarios of what was happening before her, thinking worse is possible, when that was not the case.

She almost wanted to speak, ask for assurance from the pilot in control. However, she was afraid of saying something. What if she broke his concentration and something happened? She could only imagine what was going through his mind right now.

Perhaps a glance over at him would at least calm her nerves. It’d certainly be better than the sight out of the windows around her.

She finally lets her eyes glance towards the left of her, and a smile forms on her face immediately. It didn’t matter what he was doing, a simple glance at him and she was totally smitten. How did she get so lucky to have this man in her life?

Her eyes focus towards his hands, seeing them gripped on the steering wheel, fully in control of the situation. How was that even possible? She then glanced up into his brown eyes, seeing the laser focus that she had grown used to in situations like this. It didn’t seem as though they were fazed by the sight before them, totally focused on the everything, with only a glimpse away from the sight every little bit to check the control panel.

She then feels the plane begin to descend, feeling an instant urge to scream – but she bit her tongue instead. She still didn’t want to risk ruining his concentration, and knew that it had be a fine scenario given that he had twitched a little. She just tried to focus on deep breathes, trying to remove the lump in her throat, just praying that the wheels would touch the ground sooner than later.

It might have seemed like forever – but it was rather a matter of minutes, before she felt the familiar landing that she had grown used to in their previous flights. She could only look around in utter amazement at the fact that nothing bad had happened, and they were safely on the ground without a single thing to worry about.

Why was she freaking out to begin with?

“We’ve made it to Oklahoma,” he simply comments with a glance over at her, to which she nods her head. It was a trip that she was looking forward to, as she’d always been a big fan of the Chili Bowl – but never gotten to attend in person. Now they were both take in the event together in person for the first time.

“Was the weather supposed to be this bad?” She questions, knowing that he was normally good at making sure to avoid getting into situations like this.

“I knew there was snow coming when I was looking at the models, but both Kevin (Coleman) and I figured that it was coming later based on the speed the system was moving in. I’m sorry that we got it wrong…” He then reaches over, taking her hand and placing a kiss on top of it. “I’m surprised you didn’t freak out actually.”

“Oh trust me, every single inch of my being was freaking out to the point that I wanted to scream. I was just scared that I would ruin your concentration.” He shakes his head, not surprised by her confession as he knew she was not a big fan of flying.

“You know that I’d always keep you safe, as I never want anything to happen to you…” She nods her head, as she looks over into his brown eyes once again.

“That’s why you’re practically the only pilot – other than your father – that I feel totally comfortable flying with.” He smiles as he appreciated the compliment, and glad that they had turned her total fear of flying into that at least.

“How are you feeling, by the way?” She then lets out a sigh, as it seemed to the question that slipped out of his mouth every couple hours. She didn’t mind, as she appreciated the concern and understood the recently being just three weeks removed from surgery. However, she wasn’t one to have someone worry over her all the time.

“I am doing okay, actually. I’m sore still – more than I would like to be sometimes, but I’m doing okay. I told you that I would  be fine to do this trip, and I meant that Chase.” Chase lets out a sigh, as he could hear the defiance in her voice about his worry. However, you could never be too careful.

“I just don’t want there to be any complications or issues. I don’t want something to happen this weekend that prolongs your recovery and you don’t end up going to Daytona.” She looks over with a little surprise laced over her voice. If she could go racing just a couple weeks after delivering a baby last year, what was stopping her this year?

“We both know there’s no way that I am missing Daytona this year…” He smiles as it was nice to hear the determination laced in her voice, even if he had concern on his mind. “If I’m being totally honest, the only thing that bugs me is the fact that it feels like numb around the area of incision.”

“Is that a normal response?” Chase wished that he could remember all of Dr. Grayson’s notes and warnings for them, but seemed to be drawing a blank right now.

“I brought it up to her when we saw her last week, and she said it’s totally normal. It’s part of the healing in giving off the feeling, and it’ll simply come back as the incision sight and I internally heal.” Chase felt comfort in hearing that she had told Dr. Grayson, and the fact that it was nothing to panic about.

“Okay, that’s a good thing. But if it does start to bother you more, don’t hesitate to let me know. I mean, we could always just get it checked out qui-”

“Chase, take a deep breath. I’m fine, and trust me when I say this – I will tell you if something doesn’t feel right. That’s why I am allowing you to know this detail. I trust you, okay?” Chase nods his head, though feels a lump in his throat upon hearing those last four words. He trusted as well, but yet couldn’t bring up those pesky letters.

Saturday, January 18 – Chili Bowl Nationals

It seemed that their first experience at the Chili Bowl was a major success thus far. The pair were able to make their way through the pits, embracing themselves into everything that they could. They stopped and checked in with Karysn wishing her luck, before making the trip down to check-in with Justin Allgaier, followed by Alex Bowman.

“I am going to laugh if CJ beats you tonight,” Chase teased as Alex just rolls his eyes back in response.

“I’m not letting that happen man,” he replies as CJ just nods his head behind them, earning chuckles from both Chase and Sarina.

“I still say that you should convince Rick to let your teammates try your ride,” Sarina starts up, catching both Chase and Alex by surprise. “There was the joke on New Years that Chase and I should race each other in midgets, but it obviously just got scuffed off due to the boss’ restrictions. But if you think about it, maybe he’s just scared of getting beat.”

“And who won most of the late model races again there sweetheart?” Chase questions in response, earning a glance from Sarina. There was no secret where the numbers lied between them.

“Perhaps I let you win so that way you could think you were better than me, so it’d be easier to approach me.” Alex laughs giving her a high-five as Chase just rolls his eyes back in response.

“I heard that he was so scared to talk to you, that he brought Bubba and Ryan to the track with him,” Alex comments, to which Sarina nods her head in response, remembering that fateful meeting that certainly helped to begin turning their friendship into more. “I bet you wear the firesuit in the family, too.”

“She tries but it doesn’t always work out in her favor,” Chase replies to which Sarina gives him a glance.

“I know that glance from a woman – and that usually means she’s going to kick your ass. So with that, I am just going to get back to work.”

The pair obviously made their way down to the Tucker-Boat Motorsports pits, with Christopher introducing both Chase and Sarina to Chad Boat and the rest of the crew. The meeting brought forth an up-close tour of the cars, with Chad detailing some of the things that he believed made his team stand out compared to others.

“I know I told Christopher to tell you, but I want to tell you myself – I’m still interested in working with you for some races next year if you wish,” Chad offers to which Sarina nods her head, remembering those words from Christopher. “I was absolutely hoping that you would’ve accepted to run the Chili Bowl as it’d  be fun to see you both as teammates.”

“It was certainly a tough decision for me to not do it this year,” Sarina comments as Chase wraps an arm around her shoulders. Other than close friends, family, and their bosses, they had revealed her off-season hysterectomy. “But after a hectic year, I just wanted to take that time with Chase and Abigail.”

“I don’t blame you one bit as family is everything, right?” She nods her head, smiling in agreement, glad there was an understanding without further explanation. “Take all the time you want, but always know the door is open.”

“I’ll remember that for sure.”

While the tour of the pits was fun as it was great to see the cars up close and catch-up with their friends, being up-close to the action on-track was even more fun. There was nothing like seeing the pros slide their midgets completely sideways around the corner – looking as though they were out of control but totally having the hang of it.

It was fun watching their friends compete, even though they wished that things would have gone better at times. Chase was impressed by Karsyn’s progress from last year to this year behind the wheel of her midget, though was disappointed to see her Chili Bowl chances end early.

They both cheered in watching Alex transfer through the C-Main, though groaned at watching him miss transferring to the A-main by five positions; at least CJ made it through. It was also awesome watching Justin transfer to the main event, too, as they knew that was a sense of accomplishment for him after missing out last year.

As the driver introductions get set to get underway, Sarina goes to walk away from Chase, to which he looks at her slightly confused.

“Justin offered me the role of driving the midget out,” she comments, to which Chase glances at her a little confused. “While he gets introduced across the stage, someone steers the car out as it’s pushed out by a four-wheeler. He offered me the role this year.”

“Look at you finding your way behind the wheel of something early,” he replies, to which she just smirks back in response. They make their way back through the pits, stopping at Justin’s car with Sarina climbing in comfortably.

“I could certainly get used to this…” Chase chuckles as he kneels down alongside her.

“You heard what Chad said – it just takes a phone call. I would support you fully.” She glances over, a smirk forming on her face.

“Look at you becoming the dirt track boy quickly.” He just offers her a wink before standing up.

“I was looking  for you…” They hear as Christopher runs up behind Chase, glancing in the car at Sarina. “I was going to offer you a special position, but I see Justin beat me to the punch.”

“You snooze, you lose,” Sarina replies, sticking her tongue out. Truthfully, she would prefer the switch to Christopher’s car, but wasn’t about to just turn her back on Justin as that wasn’t fair.

“It’s okay, I can get some help from a superstar.” Christopher then looks over at Chase. “What do you say?” Chase couldn’t help but look on surprised in response.

“Doesn’t Morgan normally drive yours out?” Christopher glances back towards Sarina, simply nodding his head in response.

“She said that she wanted to pass this year, focused on hanging out with friends during the introductions. Her loss…” Sarina chuckles back in response as Christopher’s eyes land back on Chase. “I’m waiting for an answer. I don’t have long..”

“I can’t let her steal all the glory, right?” Chase questions back in response, before following Christopher back through the line to where the car sat.

Through the event, the pair were on the edge of their feet watching the action take place before them.

Neither was surprised in the early laps, watching Christopher break out into the early lead ahead of the field. Normally he wouldn’t lead until later, but him dominating and winning was nothing new.

“Same story, another year…” Sarina comments, smirking in total delight as seeing her best friend win the Chili Bowl would certainly be a great way to cap off this trip.

Though a mid-race restart changed the game as Kyle Larson pulled the perfect move, getting alongside Christopher, before sliding up and pulling the crossover. He then managed to stretch it out to a decent size lead, keeping that all the way to the checkered to win his first Chili Bowl.

“Finally!!” Chase lets out, as his delight for Kyle shined through immediately. He had been wanting to see Kyle accomplish it for awhile – despite being friends with Christopher – in knowing how much it meant to him, combined with all the hard work put in.

“That was awesome!” Sarina lets out, as she couldn’t deny the great racing that she had witnessed that night – despite being disappointed for Christopher.

The smiles continued through the night, as it was magical watching Kyle and Kaitlyn celebrate in victory lane with the kids. Chase couldn’t help but smile, knowing that he and Sarina had several moments like those to come as Abigail got older.

Even though the look of defeat was there for Christopher, a smile could also be seen as they walked over to see him afterwards. Even in coming up one spot short, everybody had fun that night.

“He finally figured out the trick to beat me,” Christopher comments as he leans back against the midget. “I found that bit of grip just a little too late as he was already gone.”

“You two certainly put on one helluva show though,” Chase replies as he shows Christopher one of the photos that he had taken through the night.

“I want a copy of that!” Chase nods his head, accepting. “Sarina wasn’t kidding when she said that you were good at photos…”

“I learned from the best.” Christopher glances at him a little confused. “My mom. That’s actually how she met my dad.”

“Well when you’re at the wedding, make sure to snap a couple because if they look that amazing, I may want to talk to you about them,” Morgan offers as she walks over to join the group. “I mean, you both are coming to the wedding, right?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Sarina comments, as Chase nods his head in agreement.

“You were both there for us on our wedding night when we needed you the most,” Chase adds, which brings forth mixes of sighs and flashbacks around the circle standing there together.

“I’m just glad that we could be there, and help you both through that,” Christopher comments to which Morgan nods her head in agreement. She still looked back on that night in amazement of how well they handled it, from Christopher finding the cabin and putting the plan in motion, to her removing the bullet from Chase’s shoulder with precision.

“I told Christopher the other day that I still don’t know how we made it through those two days,” Morgan offers, catching everyone’s attention. “Every time I think of a similar scenario, I can just freak inside and wonder what would happen. But yet it just seemed that faced with that right before me, everything just happened as it should.”

“It’s amazing what happens when your natural instructs to survive and protect those you love take over,” Chase replies, to which Morgan nods her head in agreement. “You surprise yourself in what you’ll do. You may regret those decisions later, but in the end, you know you did the right thing because you did it to protect those you love..” He then takes a deep breath, knowing every thought of Alison entered his mind upon the comment. “When it comes to Sarina and Abigail, I will do whatever it takes.”

“I love you,” Sarina says, leaning in to kiss his lips as she pulls him closer. No words needed to be said as she could already see where this conversation was going in his mind. “That’s never going to change, and the same goes in response – I will do whatever it takes for you and Abigail.”

“I don’t like the sounds of this….” Christopher starts, taking a glance between them.

“You sound exactly like Alan when I get sentimental,” Chase comments as Sarina chuckles, nodding her head in agreement. “You don’t have to worry. There’s nothing going on that’s going to ruin our happiness, or anything at that. Everything is behind us now, and forever.”

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 318: An Alison Visitation

Tuesday, January 14 – Phoenix, Arizona

The pair climb into the rental car as Chase just lets out a sigh as he types the address into the GPS. He already knew where he was going, having unthankfully been there before, but figured it’d make it easier for his co-pilot.

After spending the past couple weeks in Georgia, the pair had made the trip up to Colorado as per their usual off-season plans. Sarina was still focused on full relaxation, but wanted Chase to not give up his usual winter fun activities; she forced him to make it work, in saying that his parents could help her out while he was off with friends.

Ultimately, it had worked to his benefit in allowing him to formulate a plan for another problem.

“Does Sarina know that we’re going here?” Kevin Coleman finally breaks the silence as they pull out of the parking lot together. Chase shakes his head no with a sigh, as he knew that probably wouldn’t go over well. He had thought about going alone, but knew that’d make a harder cover to Sarina.

“I told her that we were going to be doing some flying together, followed by some snowboarding,” Chase confesses as Kevin feels like breaking out into a lecture immediately. However, he wasn’t about to go there at this exact moment.

“Well, it wasn’t a total lie as we flew up here from Colorado. But Chase, why didn’t you tell her the truth?” Chase glances down, hating that he was saying the words out loud. It seemed to sting even more than when he told Alan.

“She doesn’t know about the letters from Alison. I’ve kept them hidden from her, and I would prefer to do that.” Kevin could only roll his eyes once again, as the lecture seemed to lure even more.

“Why haven’t you told her?” Kevin figured he’d at least give Chase a chance to explain himself.

“I don’t want her to worry, or bring up everything again. I want her to focus on getting better, relaxing, herself, Abigail – I’d rather not bring up this to her right now, Kevin. We both know there’s a lot of ill-fee-”

“That goes for both of you, though. Let’s not forget that Alison manipulated and played you for a whole year, Chase.” Chase always hated these discussions with Alan or Kevin as they were quick to remind him of the facts laid on the table. “I think it’d be a benefit if you had her to lean on.”

“She has so many regrets over what happened – believing that she brought all of this into my life with her past. She believed that nothing would happen without her being involved, or Chris beginning what is the trail that it is. That, combined with her pain over Carter, I don’t want to bring back up to her.” Kevin understood, but also didn’t want to be there when everything fell apart.

“And what happens when she does find out? You both should know by now that lying doesn’t help you.” Chase nods his head, having been through that enough times. However, he didn’t think that’d come up this time as this would be done and dealt with. “Also, by avoiding discussion, you’re giving into those thoughts of allowing that to take control, not giving her the benefit of the added strength that she has now. I think you should say something, Chase.”

“I’ll think about it, okay? Let’s just first deal with this…” Kevin nods his head as they pull into the parking lot together.

The pair climb out of the car, heading for the front door as Chase takes a nervous deep breath. After the incident that occurred with Allison in the spring, he swore to never step foot in one of these places ever again for chance of re-occurrence. However, here he was today.

“May I help you?” The secretary asks as she looks up from her desk in seeing the pair of individuals before her.

“I would like to speak to the warden,” Chase answers, as that was the plan for the day. He was going to try and see if the simpler approach to dealing with the letters would work.

“Do you have an appointment?” Chase shakes his head no, wondering if he should have called ahead. “Is he expecting you?” Chase once again shakes his head no. “I’m sorry, but you cannot simply just come here and expect to see him.”

“I’ve been receiving letters from one of his inma-” He then takes a couple out of his pocket, placing them on the counter before him. He hated to even touch them or think of the contents inside, not wanting to think about her at all, but he figured he better bring evidence.

“It is a inmate’s constitutional right to be able to send and receive letters.” Chase rolls his eyes, having read that very thing when he looked into the situation himself.

“With all due respect, Alison Reynolds went after me as I am the reason that she is currently in this facility. She tormented me, assaulted me, she…” He takes a deep breath, still unable to say the words clearly. “I would like to stop receiving letters from her and have no contact at all.”

“Have you filed for a restraining order?” Chase bites his tongue, not wanting to go forth with that as it involved conversation with Alycia – and he didn’t want to reveal what was going on to someone else. It would also involve court appointments, which would force him to have to explain things to Sarina and his team.

“I have certainly looked into the possibility and am still considering that, but those can sometimes take time. I was hoping a discussion with the warden would bring forth a quicker result.” Kevin felt the lecture that he had been holding back on, just touching upon earlier, surfacing again. He knew the quicker resolve was a good avoidance tactic.

“I can certainly tell him that you’re here to see him, and offer as to why. He does not have to accept your appearance, but he can if he would please. What is your name?” Chase was hopeful about his chances.

“Chase Elliott.” He watches the secretary pick up the phone, obviously calling down to the office, and detailing the information as specified. He watches the reaction on the secretary’s face, curious as to her answer, as she hung up the phone.

“The warden has stated that he cannot see you today as specified. However, he is fully open in allowing you to speak to Alison’s psychatri-”

“I don’t care about the progress that she is making, nor do I want to divulge into her details. I am just here about the letters.” Chase had learned quite already that opening any doors of opportunity for Alison was never a good thing.

“I understand, but the warden feels the psychiatrist may be able to explain the letters, and perhaps help solve your problem as warranted.” Chase looks on a little confused, apprehensive, as he takes a glance back at Kevin. He had back-up with him; everything was going to turn out fine.

“Alright, fine….”

It didn’t take long before he was let into the facility, taking a short walk down the hallway and into one of the first offices. As the door closes behind him, he could only take a deep breath, feeling relief in not having to relive a tour of the whole facility. No reminders of Alison’s antics – combined with a solution, were the goal today.

“Ms. Reid tells me that you are here in regards to receiving letters from Ms. Alison Reynolds,” the psychiatrist begins to which Chase nods his head, once again laying down the couple of letters before the psychiatrist. “I want you to know that you should not feel threatened by the contents as all letters are screened at the facility by an officer before being sent out to not contain any plans of escape, threats, or anything of a harming nature.”

“To be honest, I could care less what she wrote in these letters,” Chase confesses, almost wishing that he had burned them already. However, he knew with any of these cases that evidence seemed to be the name of the game so there they laid instead. “Given that you’re handling Ms. Reynolds, you understand my connection to her and why I would absolutely not want any contact with her.”

“Part of therapy is admitting your faults, and realizing that you were wrong. We like to work with our clients to help them realize the mental problems that they’re facing, finding the right treatment to help those, and then realizing that the actions they committed during that time are their fault, and they should be held accountable for them. It is why we strive that our clients should realize they were wrong, take accountability, and apologize for their actions. That is actually why I encouraged Ms. Reynolds to reach out to yo-”

“After everything that she put me through, you thought that I’d want to hear from her?” Chase felt like a ticking time bomb was about to go off in response to this explanation. Perhaps he should have just called Alycia.

“Ms. Reynolds realizes now with the right treatment that her actions were wrong, and the things that she perceived were not true. These letters are simply her reaching out to say that she was sorry, and understands that now.”

“So it takes multiple letters to say I am sorry?” Kevin questions, also caught off-guard by the explanation laid before them.

“Given a lack of response or acceptance, perhaps she felt the need to reach out and see if another approach would work,” the psychiatrist explains. “Or perhaps she came to another realization and felt that it was necessary to apologize on  that level. I do not read her letters so I don’t know exactly what they contain. Have you read them?” Chase shakes his head no. “Perhaps I would recomm-”

“I told you – I don’t care about what she has to say,” Chase starts, feeling the anger rising. “That’s why I am here. I do not want to receive a single letter from her again. I do not need reminders of what happened. I am ready to move forward with my life, focused on my family and my career. I do not want to think about her. That’s why I made certain to work with my lawyers so her case was air tight.”

“I understand your frustration, Mr. Elliott. I can certainly speak with Ms. Reynolds and encourage her to not write these letters, saying that you are not interested in her apology or explanation, and rather allow her to focus herself in other avenues and directions to help her.” Chase wasn’t content with that, as it still left the door open for another letter.

“And what if she does not accept your suggestion? I would rather prefer that you permanently stop her from sending letters.” It seemed simple enough, right?

“I cannot do that as I am not legally allowed to do so, per the inmate rights. The only ones that can do that are the warden, or a court order. If this is such a big deal to you, I would suggest pursu-”

“I came here to speak to the warden, actually.” The psychiatrist nods his head, having heard that already.

“I can put a suggestion into him to set up a meeting with you to hear you out on the topic. That’s the only thing that I can do beyond making the suggestion to Ms. Reynolds.”  Chase could only do a mixture of rolling his eyes and a chuckle.

“It doesn’t surprise me. Please pass along your suggestion to the warden…” He then stands up and leaves the room, with Kevin following directly in toe. There was no sense in staying any longer if they weren’t going to accomplish anything.

Tuesday, January 14 – Colorado

After the unsuccessful meeting, the pair flew back up to Colorado.

Chase didn’t want to think about the conversation anymore – wanting to wipe away any thought of Alison from his mind, to which Kevin easily accepted in helping with the distraction.

They then proceeded to follow their proper afternoon plans, having fun on the hills of Colorado with several trips up and down, including a couple tricks in the process. To be honest, Chase felt that it probably would’ve been a better idea to do this all day than even had make the trip at all – considering it was picture perfect, and the snow was the perfect consistency.

As he finished up one of his last runs of the day, taking a deep breath, it was becoming more clear what everybody had been trying to tell him – he needed to stop giving Alison the power. He needed to stop caring and wondering about any little thing that she did. That began now by beginning her last round of ways to reach out.

“Thank you for coming with me – and covering my ass,” Chase comments as they head back to the cabin together.

“It hurts me to lie to Sarina,” Kevin starts, to which Chase takes a deep breath. This reminded him of a conversation around this very time last year with Christopher. Why were they always in these situations? Perhaps he should just come out and tell her the truth – it’d be a step in not allowing Alison to control each of his thoughts. “But I wouldn’t allow my best friend to go through something like that by himself. You know I always have your back, right?” Chase glances over with a nod. “What are you going to do now?”

“Nothing.” Kevin looks over a little scared by that reaction. “I’ve wasted too much of my time thinking about her, and allowing her to run my life. If I am thinking about her, I am letting every bit of pain that she caused come right back in. I have a beautiful wife, a beautiful daughter, getting ready to let my family grow more, and some of the best friends surrounding me. It’s time that I focus on that and nothing else.”

“What if she writes you another letter?” Chase just shrugs his shoulders, as he pulls out the couple letters that still remained in his pocket from earlier in the day. He walks over to the closest garbage bin, ripping them into a couple of pieces, before tossing them in. “And what about Sarina?”

“I am still thinking about what you told me, and everything in my perspective. I may just go ahead and tell her. I may just forget this even happened, Kevin.” Kevin nods his head, just hoping this didn’t come back to bite him later on.

“I’d rather see your ass move forward without a single regret – but if something does come up, I do have your back like nobody else.”

Chase walks into the cabin, placing his snowboard back in its spot, before slipping off both his coat and boots. A smile could already be seen on his face as he saw Abigail sitting on the couch beside Sarina.

“Did you have fun today?” Sarina questions as Chase walks over, sitting alongside them.

“You may have been right about taking this trip after all,” he replies, leaning in to lay a kiss on her cheek. “I love you, forever and always.”

“I know, you don’t need to tell me every time that you see me, but it doesn’t get old hearing that slip from your lips.” He smiles, glad that she thought back, as it was obviously another reason why the comment had slipped from him.

“Then I’ll keep telling you both, over and over…”

“Oh I’m so glad that you’re back,” they hear from the kitchen as Chase glances that way, seeing his mother standing there. “The next poopy diaper from Abigail is yours to change.” Chase glances between his mother and Sarina with a bit of confusion.

“Are you causing problems today?” He questions as he picks up Abigail in his arms.

“Let’s just say that she’s been very stinky..” Sarina could only nod her head in agreement. “But your wife has been a good girl, in making sure to not pick her up or do anything over what she’s allowed.”

“That’s because I have an amazing helper,” Sarina comments, blowing a kiss in Cindy’s direction.

Chase could only look between them, before looking at the little girl in his lap with a smile. It was an amazing feeling to see all the special ladies in his life fully getting along and having fun together – certainly much better than the fights before.

Taking a deep breath, that brought forth a reminder of one of the fights between Sarina and Cindy about dishonesty that was served. He swallows the lump in his throat, knowing that he was back there again himself.

Was this secret really worth keeping?

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 317: Cheers to the New Year

Tuesday, December 31 – Dawsonville, Georgia

Chase and Sarina glanced towards each other, both smiling, before their eyes focused back forward at the face in front of them. Sarina’s eyes couldn’t also help but glance down at the papers that laid before her.

“Are you both absolutely certain with your decision?” Alycia asks once again for what seemed like the hundredth time. How many times they did have to confirm this?

“Based on your recommendations, and what we both thought of their included package, I wouldn’t want to go any other direction,” Sarina answers as Chase nods his head in agreement.

“Then with your names both signed on those dotted lines, let the application process begin.” Alycia takes the pieces of paper, and puts them inside a folder, setting them to the left of her. “I will make sure to have these sent off to their offices as soon possible, so that way we can get it approved and take the next step.”

“How long does it take for them to review everything?” Alycia only shrugged her shoulders in return, to which Sarina wasn’t enjoying too much as that could mean anywhere from a day, to a week, to a couple months. She knew through that whole time that she’d probably be impatient.

“It all depends on how many applications that they’ve received, and how long it takes for them to review each one.” Sarina swallows the lump that was beginning to form in her throat, already worrying about the review process. The actual application didn’t seem to be worrisome and she knew their references had spoken highly of them. However, she couldn’t help but worry about the criminal background check as that’d been on her mind from the beginning. What if the situation with Carter was held against them, still?

“Obviously you included the criminal background check,” Chase starts, reading Sarina’s mind already. “What if they question the dropped charges?” Sarina remembered Alycia’s original words – they could discuss and fight against it, or look at another avenue. However, it didn’t help to get another round of clarification.

“I don’t foresee that being a prob-” Alycia starts, as she had been doing each time the couple brought the topic up.

“But what if it is?”  Sarina was glad for Chase’s persistence as she wanted the answers as well.

“It depends on how they send back their response. A clear dismissal means that we have no chance of arguing, and have to take a different route. They may come back and ask for clarification or a chance to ask you about the situation; we can then explain what happened and why it should not be a factor. Those are the options, but as I’ve told you both several times, I don’t forsee it being a problem.” Sarina takes a deep breath, trying to repeat those words over in her head as the worry continued to creep in.

“I believe you, but it seems that if we can find any loophole or problem, we find it.” Sarina’s eyes immediately glance down to the ground, as regret begins to form back in her mind as well. She was the one who had brought the reign of terror and issues to begin with, that ultimately led to everything else that followed. It wasn’t fair to watch Chase get stuck in the middle of that.

“Once they accept the initial application, we will then begin to schedule the following appointments – medical examination, sit down interview, house examination, and the required parenting classes. Given the hectic schedules that you both have, we will do our best to make sense of everything.” Sarina could already see the person on the other end of the process arguing about the schedule and not caring enough – just because that was the usual course of action. “Do either of you have any questions for me?”

“I think you’ve covered everything.” Alycia smiles as it was nice to have reassurance from her clients.

“Well then I look forward to our next meeting in discussing the next steps that we take along this process. Here’s to you both having a great, spectacular and healthy new year full of new blessings.”

With a trade of goodbyes, Chase and Sarina headed out of her office, trading smiles as they did so. They walked outside, with Chase buckling Abigail’s car seat in snuggly, before getting in the Tahoe with Sarina.

“The first step is complete,” Chase comments as he reaches over and squeezes Sarina’s hand. She could only look over and smile. “I say we are ending off this year on a high, hopefully leading to plenty of good things to come in 2020.”

“I like the way you’re thinking, but we know that I am spoiled just by having you and Abigail,” she replies, before leaning in to accept a kiss. “After everything that we’ve been through, I could not think of a better way to begin the new year.”

Wednesday, January 1 – Dawsonville, Georgia

In keeping with the promise of being as relaxed as possible and not doing much, the couple had elected to do a quiet new years at the house in Georgia. That didn’t mean that they couldn’t be without friends, as they had invited some of their closest to join them at the house.

“It seems that since you’ve become Ms. Superstar we don’t spend anytime together,” Bubba Pollard comments as he sits down on the couch beside Sarina. She could only chuckle back in response.

“That’s something that’s gotta change as I hate not getting the chance to talk with you,” Sarina replies as Bubba wraps an arm around her shoulders.

“Now tell me princess, is it the fault of your husband over there? I heard he’s a little jealous…” She just chuckles back in response as Chase quickly flips Bubba the bird. “You behave over there, or I’ll have to come whip you into the shape.”

“Didn’t you get in enough trouble last year?” Chase questions back in response as Bubba just rolls his eyes. Certainly the fight with Matt Craig’s dad wasn’t his brightest moment of 2019.

“If there’s anybody that makes Chase jealous, then it’s gotta be Christopher,” Ryan comments from the island in the kitchen. The comment immediately brought forth a couple shocked expressions, but also a couple nods of approval from others. “It’s pretty bad when the fans start doing twitter polls – Charina or Sarell.”

“I’m sure Chase could tell quite the stories about some of your dates back in the day,” Christopher teases, to which Chase nods his head in approval.

“I may want to hear about these,” Lindsay comments as she returns to the room after putting Carrie-Ann back down following a feeding. “Can I just say that I cannot wait until that girl can sleep through the night with her sister?”

“I certainly don’t miss those long nights of waking up every four hours,” Sarina replies, to which Lindsay just rolls her eyes. It was certainly not a fun experience no matter the time.

“Alright, with the new year’s bubbly drank and the countdown complete, there’s only one thing left on the table – New Year’s Resolutions,” Ryan changes the topic, as he would prefer to avoid the discussion as it reminded him that it’d be nice to be sleeping right now. However, he didn’t want to pass up spending time with friends and family.

“Who makes those anyway?” Bubba questions, earning a couple nods of agreement.

“I think I have one,” Sarina starts, catching everyone’s attention. “To run a midget race this season. I know I turned down the Chili Bowl because of wanting my off-season with my family, and having the hysterectomy, but I cannot get out of my mind how much fun it was to sling around that track that day. So Christopher, you may tell the powers that be that I will be doing a race this year.” Christopher could only smirk back in response as that was music to his ears.

“I’m surprised you aren’t going to drive one of Alex’s,” Ryan comments, as he thought that’d be set in place with the Hendrick and JRM connections all lining up there.

“We should get Chase in one of his and do a husband-wife match race,” Morgan offers, to which brings a bunch of chuckles around the room.

“Are you sure you’re prepared for the chaos that would ensue?” Morgan laughs, but with a glance at the pair, she knew it’d probably go smoother than thought of.

“Answer me this – when are you getting back in a late model?” Bubba questions, which caught a couple people off-guard. “I do recall both of you saying that you really missed it.”

“I told you that I was only going to do in the right situ-” Chase recalls, to which Bubba could only smirk back in response.

“Then you went and did that one-off with KBM and won the Snowball Derby. You can give me the she was pregnant and this and that, but we both know that Kyle could have found someone else if absolutely necessary.” Sarina had to smile as she certainly did a good job in convincing everything to come in line for that weekend to happen.

“My late model days are far from over,” Sarina starts as she thinks things through. “We both know that short track racing is where it’s at and those late models put on some of the best shows in the country. I also can say that some of my fondest memories are still from those days, and that includes kicking your ass a couple times.” Chase had to chuckle at the dig thrown in there. “I can promise you that I will get back behind the wheel of a late model again. Maybe not this year, but definitely in the future.”

“I look forward to kicking your ass again,” Bubba replies to which Sarina just rolls her eyes.

“Dream on boy, dream on…”

“My New Year’s Resolution – to make the most of the opportunities that lie before me, whether in the Cup Series or at the Chili Bowl,” Christopher throws in his thoughts with the period of silence falling over the group. “I also plan on making everything about this wedding this year come true for the bride.”

“I absolutely cannot wait for your wedding,” Sarina comments as she looks over towards Morgan. “You are going to look absolutely wonderful on your wedding day. I can already tell you that Christopher will probably be staring at you, loss for words, after seeing the dress you picked out.”  Morgan could only smile back, as she was certainly getting more excited as the day loomed closer.

“I wouldn’t mind hoisting up another Golden Driller before that day though,” Morgan offers, to which Christopher could only smile in response. There were no complaints about watching him win the Chili Bowl for a third year in a row.

“Chad Boat was saying that even though you aren’t running, you should come,” Christopher offers as he looks towards Sarina. “He wanted to offer you a behind the scenes glance at everything, meet you, and just see where things stand.” Sarina never complained about spending a day at the race track.

“With all due respect, we are focused on relaxation after surgery right now,” Chase reminds him, which should be evident by how they planned the new years get together.

“Just because I am supposed to be relaxing does not mean that I cannot go on a field trip,” Sarina comments, catching Chase off-guard. “Depending how I am feeling, as that’ll be another couple weeks removed, I will definitely consider the trip to Oklahoma. But like Chase said, the number one focus is getting healed up so I’ll be ready for Daytona.”

“If you’re not ready for February, can I drive your car?” Bubba questions, as it was now Sarina’s turn to be caught off-guard.

“I’m sorry, but I do not share my rides. Come hell or high water, I will be at Daytona this February.” That was something that was stuck on as she would be seven weeks removed from the surgery – which was more than enough time per the normal healing time table. Besides, she was only one week removed as of this point and the pain was less than last week. It was just being careful to not overstress the area right now.

“I wouldn’t expect otherwise.” She just rolls her eyes, having grown use to his little comments here and there.

“Aren’t you going to have your hands full anyway?” Chase questions, in reference to Bubba making his modified debut driving for Ryan Preece at New Smyrna.

“You can never have enough racecars in one week,” Bubba replies, to which Chase just rolls his eyes. The response did not surprise him as he knew the man that sat before him right now.

Monday, January 6 – Dawsonville, Georgia

Sarina curls up closer to Chase, laying her head against him as they relax together in the bed. It was nice to be able to move a little easier this week, which had allotted her to finally abandon the couch downstairs and sleep in her own bed. It was only made sweeter in knowing what day it was.

“We should be doing something more special than just cuddling,” she comments, which results in Chase pulling her in a little tighter.

“What’s wrong with just cuddling?” He questions as she easily accepts the embrace.

“I can never complain about being in your arms. But first wedding anniversaries are supposed to be a big deal for couples with elaborate trips, surprises, and dinners. But yet, here we are, just laying in bed as if it’s another usual night.” Chase wasn’t about to complain, as he’d rather this than any of that right now as he always cherished the small moments that they got together.

“And what’s wrong with that?” She just rolls her eyes, knowing that he was trying to brush it off as if it was nothing.

“I just wish that I could’ve made this more special for you. I mean, you’ve done elaborate surprises for me – from the rose petal proposal, to the gifts at Chris-”

“What do you call the birthday party that you threw me in Las Vegas? What do you call the guitar that you managed to get me from Eric Church? What do you call the scrapbook that you made me by hand with those love notes?” She lets out a sigh, as she knew there was no getting anywhere with him. “Sure, we’ve been married for 365 days – and it feels absolutely awesome in knowing the time that we’ve spent together. We’ve watched our love and trust grow, we fought through everything together, and we’re probably closer more than ever. We’ve also watched our family grow, as Abigail continues to hit new milestones everyda-”

“I can’t believe that she’s going to be a one-year-old by month’s end.” Chase nods his head in agreement as it was still a surprise to him. it seemed like time was flying by when it came to her.

“Just because we’re not doing the elaborate dinner or surprises or whatever, it doesn’t matter to me. All that matters to me is you – that I have you in my arms, that we can share our love together, and you’re continuing to feel better each day. As long as you are okay, that’s all that matters to me.” He then reaches behind his back pulling out a small box. “But I did get you a gift.”

“Chase, you didn’t need to do this….” He knew that, but it still felt right as soon as he laid his eyes on the charm. He wasn’t really looking to buy one, but it caught his eye while walking past the store in the mall and he had to stop. “I didn’t get you anythi-”

“Don’t worry – I accept rain checks as you have a pretty good reason why.” He then kisses her cheek as she slowly opens the box. “The heart stands for the one year that we’ve been together. no matter what the world threw at us, we weathered that storm together – and fought through it all and are still in love stronger than ever. The infinity symbol is for the fact that will never ever change, because you my dear, will always have my heart.”

“You’re truly an absolutely sap of a romantic, but I love it…” She then looks back at him, kissing his lips. She then takes her bracelet, slipping the heart on there, beside the other heart that hung on there with the pink flip flop. “It looks perfect on there….”

“The other two mean so much more, especially this one…” Sarina smiles as he wraps his fingers around the other heart, to which she knew the key to unlock that locket still remained on his key ring.

“But my favorite piece of jewelry forever will be this…”  She then clutches the snowball that hung around her neck, to which Chase nods his head in agreement. “Although let’s face it, the wedding ring was pretty spectacular. Thank you, Chase.”

“I love you, forever and always…”

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 316: A Friend’s Worry

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=616209145883153

Thursday, December 26 – Dawsonville, Georgia

Chase comes into the room, kneeling before her level as he catches her attention immediately.

“May I help you, Mr. Elliott?” Sarina questions as he just looks at her square in the eyes in response.

“I just wanted to come make sure that you were comfortable and had everything that you need,” he answers, to which she nods her head accepting.

Thankfully, she had been able to follow enough of the doctor’s orders that they allowed her to leave the hospital early that morning and continue healing at home. Now it was just relaxing as much as possible – restricting herself from much physical activity including picking up Abigail – and letting her body heal accordingly over the next series of weeks. She just crossed her own fingers that it went smoothly for good news by the time they reached February.

“Are you going to join me tonight?” She asks, as she had loaded the broadcast from New Zealand, wanting to see how Christopher (Bell) and Kyle (Larson) both made out.

“I am going to go put this laundry in, and then I have no issues with some cuddles and racing,” Chase replies, to which she simply offers a smile in return. She could never turn down spending time with Chase. “If she stirs at all, call me okay? I don’t want you taking a single chance and lifting her before you’re ready.”

“Yes sir.” He then leaves the room, as Sarina glances over at the playpen, seeing Abigail passed out as she had been for the past half hour.

Although they’d normally prefer putting to her bed up in her crib, there was an exception made so that way mommy could spend more time around her, and make things easier on Chase as he watched over both of them.

Chase was sure to not waste any time in his trip down the hall to put the laundry in, not wanting to take a chance of being away from Sarina or Abigail and them needing his help. He made his way back, set to get comfortable with Sarina on the couch, as the qualifying races continued on.

“Kyle wrecked while you were gone,” Sarina comments, catching Chase’s attention by surprise. It wasn’t like Kyle to make mistakes in the midgets. “He jumped the cushion and got into the wall, tumbling over. He seemed alright, but the car is destroyed.”

“That’s certainly not how you want to begin your week down there,” Chase replies, to which Sarina nods her head in agreement. “How’s Christopher doing?”

“Under caution now, he’s trying to get himself up further enough to transfer to the main…” Chase glances over the scoreboard, seeing that he looked to be in decent shape – as long as he did not lose ground. “Arguably, Tyler (Courtney) is doing the best of the three of them.”

“Does that really surprise you after last year?” Sarina looks over with a grin, shaking her head no. However, she was more so impressed with how much Chase had continued to learn about the midgets so the conversations watching together went smoothly.

They both then focus back on the broadcast, as the green flag was back out with everybody set to make their move. Coming off of turn four, Christopher would go slightly wide, catching the outside berm. The move would cause the midget to get up into the outside wall, bouncing off and catching a bit of air, before going end over end a couple of times.

“Fuck!” Sarina lets out as she watches the incident spell out before her, with Chase sitting beside her just shaking his head in disbelief. He also took his eyes off on for a split second to make sure Abigail hadn’t been woken up by Sarina’s outburst.

“That sucks,” Chase comments, watching the replay and cringing a little more in watching the scene before him. He could easily understand the worries that people had about these cars.

“Is he okay?” The question caught Chase off-guard a little, but understood why it was being asked as the camera showed Christopher sitting on the ground, speaking with a couple of the medical officials. “Chase, he’s got to be ok-”

“It’s track policy for them to get a driver who just flipped to sit down and let them catch their breath and make sure they’re alright before moving forward.” She looks at him a little puzzled, unaware of the policy herself, and almost feeling that he was feeding her bullshit. Besides, she had watched more of these events herself. “They made Kyle do the same thing when he flipped. I saw that on the replay I saw on my phone.”

“Are you sure?” Chase nods his head, as he points to the screen as Christopher stands up and begins to walk away with the officials.

“He’s standing up, walking around, moving – he’s fine, Sarina. You can breathe.” Sarina tried to follow the request, but couldn’t help but reach out for her phone and text Morgan. “Sari-”

“I heard you, I believe you, but it doesn’t hurt to double check. Morgan will let me know for certain when she knows.” Chase was about to say something, but bit his tongue as he knew there was no use in arguing. “Fingers crossed Sunshine (Tyler Courtney) pulls it off now.”

Friday, December 27 – Dawsonville, GA

Another day removed from the surgery meant another day of trying to relax as much as possible. Sarina had to admit the pain wasn’t dulling away as much as she would’ve hoped by now, but at least she was able to get comfy thanks to a nice pair of pink silk pajamas that Chase had gotten her for Christmas.

Now she laid on the couch, trying to stay as relaxed as possible in hopes that it’d help the pain disappear, but couldn’t help but glance at the floor in seeing the sea of toys that surrounded her. No matter how much pain she felt, there was always a smile on her face in hearing the familiar giggle.

Actually, no matter what it seemed Abigail was doing, it brought smiles to Sarina’s face. She couldn’t believe how much her baby girl was growing each month.

“Can you believe that she’s going to be a year soon?” Sarina questions, referring to Abigail’s birthday at the beginning of February.

“I don’t even want to think about it,” Chase admits as he hands her one of the baby soft crackers. She holds firmly in her little fingers, before stuffing it in her mouth. With a couple teeth coming in, combined with coordination becoming a thing, she was becoming a pro at helping to feed herself now. “Is it wrong to complain that she’s growing too quickly?”

“Nope, not at all. I mean, it’s great on one hand in seeing her explore new things and able to do more on her own. But I want to savor these little moments forever…”  Chase nods his head in agreement as he hands her another cookie.

They then hear a knock on the door, looking at each other a little surprised. They hadn’t been expecting any guests today, except his parents who offered to come over later and help with anything but Chase had assured them that they were fine for now.

Chase makes his way to the door, almost wanting to scream a little in return as he was enjoying the quiet time as just the three of them. Though as he opened the door, he couldn’t help but smile in the sight before him.

“I heard someone was worried about me so I thought I’d stop by before heading home,” Christopher comments as Chase moves back, immediately letting both Christopher and Morgan inside.

“I’m surprised that you’re home so quickly,” Chase replies, to which brought a pair of eye rolls in response. It seemed to be the response that they had been getting from everyone.

“Can we please not talk about that?” Morgan questions, to which Chase puts his hands up defensively. He then watches as Christopher and Morgan walk into the room, with Christopher walking over to Sarina and offering her a bouquet of flowers. “Surprise!”

“I figured I’d come check on you after the surgery,” Christopher comments, as he easily accepts the hug from Sarina. “How are you feeling?” She then glances up into his eyes.

“I should be asking you that after you scared the fucking crap out of me and Morgan last night,” she replies, to which he just lets out a sigh. it certainly wasn’t his most fun moment behind the wheel.

“Morgan told you the full truth, not hiding a single thing – I am totally fine. A little sore, a little stiff – but nothing that you wouldn’t expect or serious from what happened. Relax, I’m fine…” Sarina gives him the once over, before offering a nod of approval.

“I’m glad to see that, and I’m doing alright, thank you very much. A little sore – actually pretty sore, and it’s hard to move around a whole lot. But, I’m doing okay all things considered and have no worries as I have a great nurse to take care of me.” Christopher glances over at Chase with a smile.

“That doesn’t surprise me…” He then looks over at Abigail sitting in her high chair, babbling away. “I know I haven’t seen her a couple weeks, but damn is it just me or is she growing like a weed?” Sarina and Chase both laugh, having just had a similar discussion.

“But she’s still adorable as ever,” Morgan comments as she sits on the couch.

“So, if you’re fine, why are you home already?” Sarina questions, causing Morgan to roll her eyes. She would prefer to be avoiding this discussion right now.

“I wanted to chec-” Christopher starts, only to earn a death stare in response from Sarina. “I have a wedding to plan and other things to consider. The incident took me out of the points, so I might as well use my time more wisely. It allows Morgan and I have to finalize plans for the wedding, do a little more Chili Bowl focus, and continue getting ready for the new Cup Series season. Isn’t a guy entitled to some time to relax?”

“Christopher and relaxing? I’m sorry, but that doesn’t go in the same sentence.” Chase had to nod his head in agreement, having watched Christopher’s schedule over the past couple of years.

“You can save the bullshit and tell us the truth,” Chase adds, to which Morgan rolled her eyes. This was certainly a discussion that she wanted to avoid. “I know you said that the reports were wrong in LFR asking you to come back to the States following the wreck, but we also know that you love racing no matter what when you can.”

“Is it that obvious?” Christopher questions, to which both Sarina and Chase nod their heads in agreement. “So I was thinking of leaving and they called to see how I was doing. They then suggested that if the conditions were going to be on the dangerous side, perhaps I take a step back and just focus on my US midget racing. I discussed it over with Morgan and we flew back.”

“I think without the phone call and we still would’ve been there,” Morgan offers her opinion, catching Christopher’s attention. “Sorry, but I know you as well as they do – if not better, and I haven’t watched you turn down an event in a long time.”

“Is it wrong to want to enjoy some time with you before the season and our wedding?” She shakes her head no, though offers a wink to Sarina. “I saw that!”

“Do you think that they’re going to present a problem moving forward?” Chase wonders, to which Christopher shakes his head no.

“Toyota has always assured me that I can run the midget events – to an certain extent – as much as I want, as long as I have 100% focus on the NASCAR problem when it matters,” Christopher explains. “I don’t see that changing.” That brought smiles around the room as there was nothing better than watching Christopher do his thing behind the wheel of a midget.

“So that means we should expect another golden driller in your collection?” Sarina questions, to which Christopher looks over with a big smile on his face.

“Chad and I are bringing our A-game to that event. I have no doubt about our chances.”

Monday, December 30 – Dawsonville, GA

“I just got your photo – she’s so adorable,” Chase hears as he rinses off a couple dishes in the kitchen. He could tell that Sarina was talking to Lindsay immediately by the conversation.

“Let’s face it sweetheart, we make cute adorable babies,” Lindsay replies, to which Sarina couldn’t help but smile. She never denied Abigail’s cuteness, and it seemed to be the case for Lindsay with both Evelyn and Carrie Ann.

“How is Carrie Ann doing anyway?” Being as close as they were, and married to best friends, Sarina had expected to be getting to spend more time with Lindsay – back to the way things always were. However, that didn’t seem to be the case and she hadn’t gotten to spend much time since Carrie Ann was born in November.

“She’s finally getting into a decent route, which makes things so much easier for Ryan and I. I just hope that continues once we get to February with all the traveling. We all know how tough it was getting Evelyn to adapt.” Sarina lets out a sigh, remembering the long conversations at the track together about that. It was just another reason why she was ready for race season to get here already.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, as Carrie Ann has a great big sister to look up in teaching her the ropes. I don’t want to take up your time as I know you’ve got guests and things, but I wanted to call and say Happy Birthday to the princess. I hope Evelyn absolutely has the best birthday party ever.” She then glances at the bag that sat in the corner of the room, containing the present that she was to have given by now.

“Oh, don’t worry – she’s enjoying all the family as both Emma and Erin fuss over her. by the way, I have to show you the photo of this outfit Erin found for her. She’s going to look absolutely stunning come February at Daytona in it.” Sarina could only chuckle, in hearing the fact that outfits were already being planned for the season.

“If Samantha is the most fashionable wife on pit road, then I’d say that Evelyn is the most fashionable baby considering you’re always putting on the best outfits possible.” Meanwhile, Sarina’s only focus right now was making sure that she, herself, was healed and ready for the season to come.

“Hey now, your outfit for Abigail for Christmas rivals a bunch of the clothes that I have in this closet. I mean, damn girl…” Sarina could only nod her head in agreement as those Christmas photos had turned out perfectly.

“We better make sure to get together soon – as soon as I ca-”

“Hey now, don’t you worry about that. Just focus on your health, relaxing, and taking care of yourself so you heal fully from everything. We’ll have tons of time to hang out in the months and years to come.” The sentiment brought a smile to Sarina’s face, as there was a time she never thought this would be possible. It also eased the pain of not being there today.

“I look forward to taking full advantage of all those days together.”

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 315: A Hysterectomy for Christmas

Thursday, December 19 – Charlotte, North Carolina

Ryan brings over a pair of drinks, setting one in front of Chase.

“When you told me that you were coming, I was honestly surprised at first,” he comments, catching Chase’s attention. “I thought you’d be going to the Atlanta show.”

“I thought about it – but this worked out better,” he replies as he takes a long sip. “We get to spend time together, catch up, and see a great show – while the girls spend some time doing the same.” Ryan smiles as he could only wonder the conversations that Sarina and Lindsay were having right now, spending time with the kids.

“We both know that they won’t pass up spending a night together.” Chase nods his head, but it was nice to see Sarina have those friends that she could turn to with no matter what was on her mind.

“I think she needed this a little…” Ryan catches Chase’s drift immediately, as he watches his best friend’s reaction.

“Are you ready for Monday, honestly?” Chase takes a deep breath, knowing the mixed thoughts that flooded through his mind.

“If she’s comfortable with the decision, then I fully supp-”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. What are you feeling yourself, Chase Elliott?” That only brought another deep breath from the young man before him.

“I think it’s the right decision as she couldn’t keep dealing with the pain that she was enduring every month. It also solves the other questions that we’ve been faced with as you know the risks associated if she was to get pregnant again.” Ryan nods his head, remembering that conversation. “Any surgery brings a little fear because let’s face it, no matter how safe they say it is, there is always a chance of something going wrong. But I believe in the doctors, and I believe in her strength, and I don’t see there being any problems.”

“They’ll just be some extra cuddles for the next month.” Chase looks over with a smile, as he never complained about spending time with his girls.

“I don’t have a single problem with that, Ryan. I’m just glad that your ass is back already.” Ryan just laughs as they both focus forward on the show before them.

Monday, December 23 – Northeast Georgia Medical Center

Chase lets out a sigh as he glances towards the doors, half-expecting someone to come walking through them. A glance at his phone once again and he had hoped for an update on how Sarina was doing by now – that’s at least what they had told him when discussing original procedural length.

Running his hands through his hair, he could only hope that things were going smoothly behind the doors inside the room, as he just wanted Sarina to pull through without any issues – that’s all that mattered at the end of the day for him. The more minutes, seconds that he was left without a single update, it left him worried.

Perhaps it would’ve been a good idea to accept some company for the wait. He had offers from all directions, with his dad even asking him that morning; but he turned him down as he believed that he could handle it without issues. It was just a simple procedure, right?

He remembered the offers from Samantha and Morgan, as both ladies were worried about their friend, but he told them to focus on Christmas shopping (for separate reasons) and he would update as soon as he heard something. There was even the offer from Lindsay, but he told her to focus on spending time with the kiddies – with an update to come as soon as he had one, as well. He had sent them an update when she went in for the procedure, stating that he’d send something once he heard something else.

He tried to even distract himself right now, thinking through the original Christmas list that he had. Were all the gifts bought? Had he wrapped everything? Did he forget anybody? He also tried to distract himself with thoughts of Abigail, remembering the weeks that he spent in the same hospital watching her continue to grow. It was crazy to think how much things had changed over the past 10 months.

“Chase?” He hears, catching his attention immediately, as he looks up at the doctor before him. He had a smile a little in recognizing Dr. Grayson; she had told him that she’d be looking on the procedure with the surgeon.

“Is she okay?” He questions, as he watches her carefully sit beside him. From everything that he heard in the past, it was never good if a doctor wanted to take their time in explaining something to you.

“I have it on good authority that everything should turn out fine, but I just wanted to give you an update on why things are taking longer than perhaps warranted.” Chase takes a deep breath, realizing that he wasn’t crazy to think something was going on based on the time that he had spent waiting for an update.

“Okay…” It may have been seconds since the comments, but the whole list of complications possible – from the very minor to the most serious – flooded through with his mind right now.

“Everything procedural-wise was followed accordingly – from the cuts, to what we needed to do. However, there was more bleeding than we should expect from this procedure.” Chase felt his nerves peg in hearing those words, now really wishing he had accepted the offer for someone to sit with him.

“Is there any particular reason why?” He just wanted assurance that she’d be okay, but couldn’t help but curious along the way.

“Dr. Clark attributes it to her having a low blood count, as we’ve discussed before about being anemic.” Chase nods his head, remembering the discussions that came up through her pregnancy, and other incidents. “So we had to give her a blood transfusion as a result to therefore replace the blood loss and get her count to a decent amount.”

“But you said that you have good authority that everything should turn out fine….” Chase had kept repeating those words in his head, no matter what had followed from Dr. Grayson. It was the one thing keeping him grounded right now.

“It seems that the blood transfusion is doing what we wanted in improving her count, and everything else looks fine as far as breathing, and the surgical site. Dr. Clark was able to perform the procedure without any further issues, and there should be no more complications – as long as she takes care of herself in the weeks that follo-”

“You don’t have a single thing to worry about as trust me, I’m ready to do whatever she needs.” The comment wasn’t needed as Dr. Grayson has gotten to know them enough to know that already.

“She’s currently in recovery as we continue to monitor her blood count and everything else. Once she wakes up, we’ll let you come in and say hello.” Chase nods his head, easily accepting the doctor’s words. He could only hope that was sooner than later to calm his worry.

“Okay. Thank you for the update.” He watches as Dr. Grayson goes back through the doors, passing along her words to the list of those he was supposed to let know. Hopefully discussions with them would pass the time quicker so he could go see her.

It took an hour – perhaps a little longer, but Dr. Grayson thankfully returned to allow him to come in and see her. It was an offer that he immediately accepted, following her into the room as he sat down in the chair by her head.

“Hey princess,” he says, immediately placing a kiss on her hand as she just looks at him with a smile.

“Are you trying to make me feel better already?” She questions to which he just offers a smile in response. If she was being sassy then she was certainly going to be okay.

“Is it working?” She offers a shrug as he gets comfortable, keeping hold of her hand with his. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty sore, actually…” She then rubs her stomach with her other hand as she takes a deep breath. “I mean, I know they just took a bunch of my insides away, but I didn’t think I’d be this sore. Thankfully they’ve got some decent pain killers to take the edge off.”

“Well just to make you feel better, I am not going anywhere as I’m here to sit and take care of you.” He then stands up, leaning in to kiss her lips, before sitting back down. “Just promise me that you’re going to follow orders and take care of yourself.”

“I don’t know if I can trust you to clean the house this long…” He gives her a ‘really’ glance as she just chuckles. “Actually, the fact that I can’t pick up Abigail for awhile will probably pain me even more.”

“Don’t worry – I’ll make sure that’s taken care of as she can always lay in the bed with you, as long as she behaves.” Sarina smiles as it was nice to hear that Chase was going to make things work for them.

“Is she behaving for your parents?” Chase nods his head, loading a video that Cindy sent him of her and Abigial clapping together. “She’s so adorable.”

“If you’re feeling up to it, my mom said that she’d bring her by tomorrow for you to see her.” Sarina smiles as it was also nice to have the corporation with his parents to watch her as needed. However, that should be a given as she knew how much Cindy and Bill loved their granddaughter.

“You know that I’m always up to seeing my baby girl…” She then takes a deep breath. “It just sucks that we can’t spend our first Christmas a family together at home.”

“Don’t worry about it as it’s a special family time, no matter where we are, as long as we’re together. That’s the main thing.” Sarina nods her head, absolutely in agreement, as she knew to take peace in the small things after everything that they’d been through.

“Thank you for being here by my si-”

“You don’t need to than-”

“Chase, I absolutely need to thank you as you’re absolutely amazing. I mean, no matter what it is, you’re here for me, and I appreciate that more than anything. I love you, forever and always.” He smiles as he kisses her hand once again.

“Right back at you for life.”

Wednesday, December 25 – Northeast Georgia Medical Center

Sarina shifts in the bed a little, dropping her feet over the edge as she lets out a sigh. Considering the pain that she was experiencing, she just wanted to curl back up in the bed and stay that way until it all disappeared.

Wasn’t she supposed to be resting and focused on healing?

“Dr. Grayson says you just need to take a short stroll down the hall – just like yesterday,” Chase comments as he stands by the edge of the bed, ready to help her as needed. “I know you’re sore, but it’s part of the healing process…”

“Can’t I just curl up please?” Sarina questions as she looks at him, pouting slightly, hoping to get her way. “That’s my Christmas wish. That’s the only present that I want this year.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to be home, cuddled up in your own bed, nice and comfortable with your pillows healing?” She then gives him a frustrated glance, wishing that he wouldn’t paint that image in her head. “They told you that you could go home two or three days after, as long as you were eating and moving around. Now if you do this, perhaps you could get that special Christmas wish.”

“You really drive a hard bargain there, Mr. Elliott.” She then takes a deep breath, slowly standing up, holding onto the IV stand as she does to give herself some balance. As he had done before, Chase keeps his arms out around her, ready to catch her if she started to fall.

“It’s for your health benefit, really. They want you moving around so you don’t get clots in your legs – or else there’s more issues and reasons for you to stay here longer. Besides, I told my mom that she couldn’t bring your princess if you didn’t listen.” Sarina gives him a shocked expression right away.

“That’s just mean…” He sticks his tongue out, willing to do whatever it took to take care of her.

“Merry Christmas. I love you.” He then leans in, snagging a kiss, before they begin to slowly make their way out of the room.

She was taking her time, one step at a time for that matter, slowly making her way to the doorway and beginning the trek down the short hall. It seemed to take forever compared to her normal speed, but she had to admit that it was nice to be up and moving around – despite the discomfort and pain.

“Woah girl….” They hear further up the hall, both chuckling a little as they noticed Abigail in Cindy’s arms, immediately trying to escape as she caught the sight of her parents together. “Easy princess…”

“She looks so adorable!” Sarina comments as she immediately smiles, seeing the red dress that she had picked out for Christmas adorned on her.

“You certainly have great taste as that fits her perfectly,” Chase comments as they reach his parents. “Merry Christmas.” He then hugs them both, before tickling Abigail’s cheeks a little.

“Merry Christmas,” Cindy replies, before offering them each a hug. “This is certainly not the way that I expected to be spending it, but it’s nice to see you moving around.”

“Perhaps I should have scheduled this differently,” Sarina admits, honestly missing the fun times that she knew that they’d probably be experiencing if they were home this morning.

“All that matters is everything went smoothly, and you’re healing accordingly,” Bill comments, before offering hugs of his own. “Merry Christmas, to both of you.” They could only all look at Abigail  as she squirmed in Cindy’s arms, babbling words of her own, which brought chuckles and smiles all the way around. “I think someone else wants to say Merry Christmas, too.”

“Would you believe that she fell asleep in your dad’s arms last night watching Santa Paws?” Cindy questions to which Chase could only smile in response. He had grown used to Abigail’s cuddles at night in his arms.

“I’m just glad that she’s behaving for you and I can’t thank yo-” Sarina starts, catching both Bill and Cindy’s attention.

“Sweetheart, we absolutely love spending time with our granddaughter and are willing to do whatever helps for you and Chase.”

Once she had completed the walk, they returned to the bedsroom, with Sarina once again get as comfy as she could in the hospital room. Chase then climbed up beside her, holding Abigail in his arms so that they could spend some time together.

“Hopefully the rest of your Christmases go much smoother,” Sarina comments, as she leans in for a kiss with Abigail.

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 314: Pregnancies, Surrogates, and Hysterectomies

https://twitter.com/Blaney/status/1206063451732414464

Saturday, December 14, 2019 – Dawsonville, GA

Chase glances over at Abigail, making a face, which immediately causes her to giggle back in response.

“You’re so adorable,” he comments as he scoops her up in his arms. “Did you know that your daddy’s little favourite princess?” The comment just causes her to giggle that much more. “Daddy loves you so much…”

He then places a kiss on her cheek, to which she tries to repeat doing in return to him. He takes her into living room, sitting down on the floor with her, as the toys are spread out all the way around them.

“It’s just me and you tonight baby girl,” he says as he hands her the teddy bear.

Letting out a sigh, it was actually a surprise to be home on a Saturday night with just his little girl in the house. He actually couldn’t remember the last time when there was nothing absolutely going on, and he had the whole house to himself. Usually, Sarina was at least home with him – but she had gone out that night with Samantha and Morgan.

Although he wished that he could be spending the night with both of his girls, he wasn’t about to complain. It was nice to get some extra quiet time with Abigail as he wanted to savor every moment possible. It was also nice that Sarina was getting to spend some girl time without any reservations as well.

Chase quickly checks his twitter feed once again, though can only laugh as he looks back up at Abigail. She had once again found the mirror on one of her toys, and was making faces, babbling to herself. Chase could only smile in response, taking a small video, as it was simply the most little adorable thing – and her latest craze it seemed.

“It seems that looking at herself is more better than company than me,” he sends back to Ryan with the video attached.

“Who can blame her?” Ryan responds shortly thereafter, causing Chase to just roll his eyes.

“I should send a text to Daniel and Bubba to both kick your ass. Miss you buddy.”

“Miss you, too, should’ve come.” Chase lets out a sigh, as he remembered when Ryan originally told him about the trip.

However, at that time, there were still a lot of decisions to be made – whether Sarina was running the chili bowl, going through with the hysterectomy which was still possible. He also knew the focus they wanted to begin taking on the adoption process, and on themselves as well as it was nice to finally get a break after everything they had been through.

Taking a deep breath, while he knew there could’ve been some fun memorable times with friends and the weather would’ve been nice, it was a good break right now doing things as he had chosen. Besides, another glance towards Abigail and he knew he wouldn’t give up this time for the world.

Saturday, December 14, 2019 – Charlotte, North Carolina

“We seriously need to do this more often,” Samantha comments as she sits down at the table, returning from a quick trip to the bathroom.

The girls had a fun day hanging out, doing some last minute shopping that Morgan wanted to do ahead of the wedding – in case she didn’t get a chance with the forth coming trip to New Zealand. She wasn’t the only one with bags, as Sarina and Samantha found some nice things as well.

They then headed to one of their favorite dinner spots in town, obviously indulging in some desert as well.

“I forgot how much fun we had together, if I’m being honest,” Morgan adds, to which Samantha nods her head in response.

“Let’s make a pack that we do this at least once a month – no matter what’s going on,” Samantha offers, to which both Morgan and Sarina nod their heads in agreement. “I actually really appreciate this, though….”

“You know we’re both here for you and Kyle no matter what happens,” Sarina comments, placing her hand on top of Samantha’s lightly, to which Samantha glances over with a sly smile.

Since the reveal to the world at the banquet about the multiple failed IVF attempts, it seemed that everybody had been reaching out to comfort Samantha and Kyle as they felt bad for what they were enduring. Sarina, already having known before others, had made sure to assure Samantha once again that she was there in case she needed someone else to talk to.

Though Samantha had also learned that with just one viable egg left, the doctor wanted her to proceed down the surrogacy route for the best chances possible.

“I appreciate that,” Samantha replies as she takes a deep breath. “I just never thought I’d be in this position. I want to believe that I can do this, Kyle and I can do this as we’ve fought through so much together – but it brings forth new unknowns. How do you trust someone with the last chance that you have?”  Sarina and Morgan both nod their heads, understandingly.

“I honestly don’t know if I could do that, actually,” Sarina admitted. “I thought about it – as you know, but can I trust someone that I don’t know to carry my child? I feel like I’d be over hovering, over worried, and just in secure about the whole process. It’s kind of why I steered away from that and Chase and I went down the adoption route.”

“Kyle and I have talked about that, too, as we’d love to have a sister for Brexton. For me, I want to try the options that we have together – do what we can, because I guess for me, it’d mean more if it’s truly a piece of us together. But certainly, adoption is an option – and actually, not a bad one.” Sarina smiles as it was nice to have a voice of confidence.

“Have you began the process?” Morgan wonders, to which Sarina nods her head.

“I met with Alycia and we went over everything that it entails,” she begins. “You wouldn’t believe some of the ridiculous things that you have to do and follow if you want to adopt a child. I mean, I was almost wanting to roll my eyes as she detailed everything for me. But I don’t see any problems forth coming…” She then takes a pause, though, not able to shake the small feelings about a couple tiny aspects in the back of her mind. “So she gave me some information about some adoption agencies – their fees, what they entail, and how they go about the process. It’s just choosing which we want to go with and beginning that process.”

“Have you made a decision yet?” Samantha wonders, to which Sarina shakes her head no. She knew that her and Chase needed to take the time to sit down and discuss that.

“And if I’m being honest, we haven’t totally closed off the door to surrogacy as well. I mean, as I told you the reasons that I stated were why I closed the option for now – but we haven’t totally wiped that off the table. I still have eggs frozen should we want to go down that route.”

“I remember that….”

“Have you tested the gender yet?” Morgan wonders, hoping that she wasn’t overstepping the boundaries.

“Since we haven’t decided to go down that route, I haven’t gone through because why bother?” Sarina responds, though had some curiosity about the findings. “If we were to go down that route, then I probably would want to do that because it’d be nice to know in case Chase and I want to decide either way. Actually, he kept talking before about having this dream – a little girl and a little boy. That’s why sometimes I envision the baby that we lost being that boy.” Sarina takes a deep breath, as she feels a couple tears come to her eyes, with Samantha reaching over to rub her back.

“It’s okay to be emotional,” she says quietly, knowing the feeling herself. “The pain doesn’t just go away as it’s always with you, just gets easier to handle over time.”

“There’s comfort, too, in knowing that Casey and Victor are with him, like he’s our guardian angel with a pair of angels to watch him.” She then rolls the sleeve of her t-shirt up a little, barely revealing the tattoo that adorned her shoulder. “Chase and I got matching shoulder tattoos earlier this year of the butterfly.”

“That butterfly is the sweetest thing,” Morgan comments with a smile. “I remember the first time that Christopher and I walked over to you and I noticed it on the racecar by your name. My heart swarmed a little…” Sarina couldn’t help but smile in return as the butterfly certainly was a nice touch to have there all season long.

“Chase designed it and he surprised me before the season with it there,” Sarina begins, chuckling a little as she thinks back to last February. “There was talk of a number change, which obviously we know the 9 now, so he turned that into a bit of a surprise with Dale – and then showed me the butterfly then, too…..”

Wednesday, December 18, 2019 – Charlotte, North Carolina

The entire day had been filled with a bunch of chuckles from one end of the JR Motorsports to the other. It seemed once again their Christmas Party had been a big hit with all of the employees.

As everybody shared drinks, the laughter and jokes couldn’t be contained as everyone scanned each other’s outfits. Sarina admittedly was impressed by plenty of choices as it seemed everybody had gotten creative. She admired a couple of the complete Christmas sweater suits, chuckled at one of the crew member’s making a joke at Dave with theirs, and laughed at the one to where the crew member wore simply a mirror with a caption below.

Though in return, she got some comments in return from her chosen outfit. Considering the crazy cat lady meme was the thing being shared from one end of the world to the other, why not include that?

“I am almost scared to make a comment to you in case that kitty yells back at me,” Kelley comments as she checks out the appearance before her, to which Sarina chuckles in return. “Please tell me that you don’t act like the cat with Dave.”

“I wanted to a couple times this year,” Sarina admits, causing a couple shocked expressions before her. “But somehow, someway, I think I’ve grown to love the guy.”

“She isn’t too shabby of a driver herself,” Dave comments, wrapping his arm around Sarina.

“I just want to say thank you for the chance to drive for you, and have this oppor-”

“Listen, you don’t need to thank me every time that you see me,” Kelley starts with a smile. “You’ve definitely earned your keep here as you had an incredible rookie season. I can’t wait to see what you have to come in year two.” They then watch as she walks away, ready to meet up with the next person.

“She isn’t the only one that can’t wait,” Dave comments, catching Sarina’s attention as she can only smile in response. “I can guarantee that we will be holding a checkered flag by season’s end.”

“I like your theory Dave,” she replies back in response, taking a long sip of her Caesar. Thanks to Erin convincing her to try one, it seemed that was her drink of choice now.

“I was actually surprised to see you here, and drinking for that matter.” Sarina then looks at Dave with a mix of confusion and shock.

“A girl can have a bit of fun….” Dave nods his head, not willing to argue that fact.

“I thought you’d either be bed ridden or a little sore, or at least off the alcohol due to pain killers…” She then lets out a sigh, knowing exactly what he was referring to. “I know you mentioned it to me in case it interfered with meetings and getting ready for next year, but I’d assume that either you chose to not do it, or it went surprisingly a lot better than you expected with a record recovery time.”

“Actually, you’re wrong on both accounts…” Dave then glances at her with a bit of confusion. “I’ve had a hard time deciding whether I want to do this or not. I’ve thought about the chances of perhaps getting pregnant down the road and trying again, or the chances improving based on research and studies. But on the flip side, I thought about what I wanted for my future and the pain that I’ve dealt with forever every month. Some days I’d say I absolutely want to do this, and other days I’d say I absolutely don’t; there were days that I couldn’t decide.”

“Did you ask Chase for his advice?” Sarina nods her head, remembering those discussions.

“He told me his opinion and what he felt that I should do, but then told me that at the end of the day, it’s my body so it’s my decision – even if it’s affects our future in regards to children. Just like he always does, he told me that he’d support me no matter what I decided.” She then takes a deep breath, remembering the phone call that she made, and the appointment that followed. “I’m done contemplating and wondering, as my mind kept bringing me back to one decision no matter how I looked at it or contemplated things. It’s why I told Christopher that I wasn’t running the chili bowl originally. I am going to do this, and go through with the hysterectomy. It’s actually scheduled for Monday. I was going to tell you so you’d understand if you don’t see me until late Janua-”

“Don’t even worry about that, Sarina. I don’t even care about that right now.” He then tightens his grip around her shoulders a little. “All that matters to me is you’re happy with your decisions, and getting to do what you want. All that matters to me is that you’re healthy and everything is going smoothly. So I want you to focus on that – focus on what happens Monday, focus on your recovery, building strength, and getting through that smoothly. Then we can worry about everything together. I can get things ready for Daytona without you having to be there every day. Just focus on yourself, okay?”

“Yes sir.”

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 313: Unwanted Letters

 

Thursday, December 12 – Hendrick Motorsports

Production week was always fun, right? Sometimes that was to be the case, but it was easy to tell that Chase wasn’t feeling being there today for the third day that week working on another series of production shoots, this time for Kelley Blue Book. Who would want to listen from a director for an entire day anyway?

However, even if it wasn’t his forte, you wouldn’t be able to tell watch as he kept a straight face through it all, following the instructions and giving them what they wanted. At the end of the day, it was all about keeping these people happy so he could have fun through the summer.

With a break in-between shoots, he was taking advantage of the break, enjoying a nice snack up in his office, while sending a couple text messages back and forth with Sarina. As he finishes up the snack, he glances over at some of the fan mail that he had received. Knowing that he always enjoyed the fan’s support, he figured perhaps a couple letters would heighten his mood.

The first couple letters did help, as there were a couple young fans who had sent along notes and drawings for him, saying how much they were a fan and couldn’t wait until February.

He rips the top of the next envelope open on the stack, sliding the piece of paper out. He unfolds, taking a deep breath as he begins to read the message.

“I just want to let you know that you are my favorite driver,” the letters begin, which was nothing strange that he had not seen before. “I tell all of my friends and family how much I admire you, and I make sure to not schedule any plans to interfere watching any of your races on television. But if I’m being honest, it goes beyond that for me a little. I mean, I know you’re married in all, but honesty says that I don’t feel that’s the right course. You see, I believe you’re the right person for me, that we should be together. I don’t know how to say this, except, I wish we could be together. I almost thought about changing my name…..”

He takes a deep breath as he sets the letter to the side of the desk, shaking his head immediately. He had heard about those being obsessed and dreaming up scenarios, and even some celebrities requiring protection – but never thought that would happen in his own life. However, here was someone that was seemingly completely obsessed with him in a creepy way.

He could immediately feel the shiver escape at the thought, knowing who exactly began in that way – creepier, but same regard – before going to the extremes that she did. A year and a half later, and she was able to have her way with his mind for months. Even though it had been months since they had last seen each other, and he knew she was safely locked away, she had not escaped his mind as her face came back right away upon finishing the letter.

Closing his eyes, he tries to block out every thought, remembering any trick that he had learned about moments of panic and thought, continuing to take deep breathes until he found his footing. A glance at the time, and he knew he couldn’t dwell on it any longer either, as they’d be calling for him to return to the production scene.

He goes to leave the office, though takes one final glance back at the letter, shaking his head. He walks over, and picks it up, folding it and carrying it out with him. He makes his way through the halls, his mind repeating the words in his head along the way, before heading to where everybody was meeting for production time.

“I was reading a couple fan letters – mostly cute, except for this,” he starts as he walks over to where his public relation representative Morgan stood. “I wanted you to see it – just in case we have something to worry about moving forward. It’s a little creepy.” He then slips her the letter, before taking a deep breath and walking over to where the crew was standing.

It may seem over cautious and unnecessary, but if Alison taught him anything, it was you could never be too careful or trusting. That was one thing about her that would probably stay with him forever on, no matter how much he tried to forget what happened.

Friday, December 13 – Hendrick Motorsports

Sarina stood back, watching as the crew members placed their different crafts that they had made on the table in the middle of the room. For a bunch of rough and tough guys, she had admit that there was some really cute creations made – from Ron Malec’s cute overly decorated tree, to the snowman that seemed to be perfectly shaped to a dime.

“They’re making this job tough on you this year,” she comments to which Chase chuckles back in response. Somehow, the drivers were supposed to look over the creations and judge what they felt was the best.

“If we pick the wrong winner, can I blame Willie B?” He replies, to which she just laughs in response. She watches as Chase and William make their way through the various creations, comparing some of them together.

“Um Mrs. Elliott, are you allowed to be on these premises?” She hears, immediately catching her off-guard. Though with a glance over her shoulder, she could only roll her eyes.

“I could say the same for you, Mr. Earnhardt,” she replies, easily playing off of Dale’s line  with ease. Given a whole season of driving for him, she had grown used to comments of the like.

“I came to see Rick about something, and I think I stumbled into Santa’s workshop in the process…” Sarina nods her head, as it certainly resembled that with the numerous tables lined through the middle for the crafting to happen. “I didn’t know that Rick was requiring dates for the Christmas party, though.”

“He’s not, but Alan mentioned to me that he wouldn’t mind my attendance as the guys love spending time with me. I mean, I kind of one in the team right now with how many Sundays we spend together.” She also didn’t mind in sharing with the jokes that she knew were to come with the party games that were planned.

“So what happens when you’re racing in the Cup Series one day? Are they going to pout?” She gives him an intrigued glance. For a long time, it was a big dream just to think of being a regular racecar driver. It was also a big thought in thinking how far she had come in such a short time. Though to think that one day she’d be racing against Chase and Ryan – among others for that matter, on every Sunday, brought forth a goal that she wanted to attain but also a whole new thought to itself.

“I’d hope that they don’t cry when they get beaten.” Dale gave her a small glance of surprise, though ultimately chuckled at the comment.

“I wanted to ask you actually. Have you thought anymore about the book and if so, how is it coming?” Sarina takes a deep breath, having wished that he had asked her the question earlier.

“It was coming along great, actually. I mean, the words were just coming to the page so quickly and easily for me. But admittedly, it’s gotten tougher a little lately. I read back what I wrote and it almost feels jumbled, like it doesn’t have a sense to it. I also don’t feel that it’s in a way that will draw the reader in. Also, some topics aren’t as easy as I thought they’d be.” Dale smiles as he remembered their initial conversation about the book.

“Do you remember what I told you when you asked for my opinion? It’s regarding in the end because you have this great product and it’s great to tell a story and help people – but it brings some of the toughest days in your life. it will be emotionally draining sometimes, to the point that you need a break, because nothing is easy to look back on. So it’s okay to admit that, and take a step back, and then dive in when you’re ready.” Sarina nods her head as she appreciated the sound advice, but it didn’t follow her normal technique for doing things.

“You know me well enough to know that isn’t my strong suit…” Dale chuckles, having seen her progress behind the wheel and the obvious stubbornness shining through.

“You have to find that balance, though, for your own sanity and mental health. The off-season isn’t long either, as Daytona will be here before you both know it. So why don’t you put the book up, and focus on some time with Chase and Abigail? How about doing things that you wish you could do during the summer when you’re so busy? Then once your heart comes around, you can go back to the project. I mean, because we also know that Abigail will be grow-”

“You don’t need to tell me, because trust me, I’m already seeing it in my own eyes. It seems like there’s a new first every single day right now with her. Would you believe that the other night, she held onto the coffee table, and stood up?” Dale smiles, nodding his head. “I mean before I know, that little girl will be walking, and then heading out of my lif-”

“Woah, woah, slow down there. You still have plenty of time. You still have to go through the terrible twos and the troublesome threes.” Sarina could only roll her eyes, having heard a couple stories already from Justin (Allgaier) and Kyle (Busch). “Like I told you, I appreciate your initiative and it’s nice to see you want to help people, but please remember what I said. I don’t want you to get discouraged because you tried too much at once.”

“I’ll try and remember what you’re telling me, okay?” Dale nods back in response.

There was laughter filling the shop, as the games had commenced. It was entertaining watching the guys try to walk from one end of the shop to the other, with a spoon sticking out of their mouth, trying not to drop an egg. It got even more comical when two members had to share a sweater, and do an activity together.

Everybody was focused on the scene before them, not catching the pair who had retreated back away from the fun together.

“So I heard Morgan make a comment when you got here today that she had made sure security was made aware of a letter,” Alan starts, to which Chase rolls his eyes and lets out a sigh. He wasn’t really wanting to touch this topic right now.

“I didn’t need to say anything to be honest,” he replies, trying to blow it off like it was no big deal. “It was a simple one of those crazy fans who dreams of something more than she can have letters, and yet I got spooked by it and handed it over to Morgan.”

“I’m guessing because of Alison, am I correct?” Chase nods his head, with a sigh. it seemed no matter what he did, she wouldn’t leave his life completely. “Hey, nobody can blame you considering everything that happened. I mean, I wouldn’t want to take chances of having that happen again.”

“I just keep wanting to make sure that she indeed stays locked away with no chance of escaping….” Alan wraps an arm around Chase’s shoulders for comfort, having had this discussion several times before and knowing the direction it was going.

“I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again – you don’t need to worry about that. She is out of your life forever, because considering her rap sheet, there is no chance in hell that they’d think of letting her loose on society ever again – no matter what the psychiatrist or whomever say otherwise. She erased all of her second chances when she escaped on not one occasion, but twic-”

“Thanks for the remin-”

“But that’s not going to happen, thanks to the fact that we’ve made sure she’s in the most secure facility in the country, and provisions have been made to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself. Chase, you can trust me completely this time.” Chase nods his head, taking a deep breath. He believed the crew chief’s words – it was the only thing that gave him comfort at a time like this. Perhaps that’s why he was moved to actually say the next words to come out of his mouth.

“Can I show you something?” Alan gives him a glance of confusion, but nods his head in return. The pair sneak out of the party unnoticed, retreating back up to Chase’s office. Once inside, he takes the key out, unlocking one of the drawers and slipping it open. He reaches inside, grabbing a series of envelopes, placing them on the desk.

“What are these?” Chase spreads them across the desk as he takes a deep breath, almost wishing that he had decided against doing this.

“Letters from Alison, from the facility that she is staying at, addressed to my home address.” Alan feels a mix of concern and fear wash over him in that moment as he begins to glance over the envelopes. “I have no ideas as to the content because I haven’t brought myself to ope-”

“No, don’t do that to yourself. We both know how easily she could twist you with the words that came from her mouth. Knowing that she can’t hurt you ever again, don’t give her the power to hurt you through words.”  Chase nods his head, having reached that very conclusion himself.

“Sarina doesn’t know about the letters as I’ve been the only one checking the mail, and hiding them as soon as I get them. They stay hidden at home until I make a trip down here, and I hide them in the des-”

“Has this been going on for months?” Chase slowly nods his head, remembering the first day that he had received one of her letters. He almost opened it in that moment, almost dialed the number of the investigator as it was still remained in his phone – though instead stashed it as he didn’t want to give her that power anymore to control his feelings and decisions.

“I haven’t said anything because I’m done with her controlling my thoughts and emoti-”

“But obviously you said something about the random fan letter so she still has an effect.” Chase closes his eyes, hating that but knowing the crew chief was right. “How is she even humanly allowed to send all of these to you?”

“Despite being a criminal and locked up in prison, prisoners can’t be refrained from their constitutional rights, which includes the right to send and receive mail. All of the letters are screened by staff to ensure no secrets, potential escapes or threats are contained – but other than that, they can send as they please.” Alan shakes his head as it didn’t make any sense to him at all. He was ready to move forward. He was ready to not have a single thought about Alison. However, there before him laid several reasons as to why that couldn’t happen.

“So she can torment you for months, sexually assault you, but yet the government and our country says that it’s okay for her to send you letters?” Chase nods his head, having done his research. Surprisingly, he was disappointed with the results. “I’m sorry, but how is that right? Isn’t there something about how we’re supposed to be protected, given peace of mind, able to esca-”

“I could possibly speak to the warden about stopping any mail from being sent out to me, or those close to me, for the reasons as you specified. I could also file for a restraining ‘no contact order’ which takes away her right to contact me and my immediate family.” Alan crosses his arms, as both of those seemed easily attainable given the circumstances.

“I assume that you’re in the process of doing one of these things…” Chase shakes his head no as Alan lets out a sigh. “Why not?”

“I told you – I’m done with her controlling my life, making me doings. I’m done with letting her affect me. I’m just ready to move on….” Alan takes a deep breath, wanting to see that happen just as much.

“This isn’t doing that, though. She’s still in your thoughts because you’re seeing her name show up in your mailbox. She’s still having an effect on you because you haven’t told Sarina, and you’ve kept these hidden away from everybody. It can be seen laced in your emotions as you talk about her.” Chase leans back against the wall, shaking his head.

“I just want to escape this….” Alan walks around the desk, standing alongside the young man.

“I know, and I understand fully why as nobody should have to endure what she has put you and Sarina through. However, the only way it ends is by cutting off all forms of communication and not giving her any power anyway. You have the ability by what you told me to take the power away from her, to take away her last way to get under your skin with these letters. You want your life back – you know what you need to do, Chase.”

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 312: Snowball Derby

Monday, December 9 –Dawsonville, GA

Chase walks back into the living room, checking a quick text message on his phone, before sending a message back in return. He then sets his phone down, walking over to where Sarina sat on the couch, rubbing her shoulders.

“What are you working on?” He questions, obviously intrigued given how quiet and concentrated she had been since the conclusion of the Snowball Derby.

“The beginning stages of my book actually,” she answers, to which he could tell based on the journal that sat in her hands. “I don’t care what anybody says, but it’s easier to write out your feelings by pen, then to type them out. It feels more personal. I know it’ll be more work later on, but I feel this is the better way.”

“You can edit the words as you type them, perhaps.” She smiles as it was nice to hear the words of encouragement, in comparison to their first conversation. “How is it coming along anyway?”

“Better than I expected, actually. I mean, there’s times where I can say that I land on a topic and it just pours out of me the way that I want to say it. I can just write out page, by page – perhaps 10 pages without stopping.” Chase looks at her a little surprised. “I mean, I thought it’d be hard to write some of this, but yet here it is, written out, quicker than I could imagine. Do you remember how Jane suggested writing each other notes may be a good way to get our feelings out?” Chase nods his head, with a smile. It had actually helped as the love notes back and forth certainly helped them towards last week’s events. “Well, you know difficult it has been for me to bring myself the words to say in relation to what happened. Every time we’d sit down and try and cover those emotions on my mind, it was hard for me to simply say this is how I felt. Would you believe that’s the past series of pages that I’ve written tonight so easily?”

“Really?” Sarina flips through the book, showcasing the work that she had accomplished. “And you’re okay with this?”

“I told you why I wanted to share this in the book if I went throu-”

“I know, I remember the conversation. But I am asking you the personal side – how are you feeling right now thinking about this?” She understood the concern, as she glanced back into his eyes.

“I thought I’d be an emotional wreck. I thought that it’d bring back every fear and tremble that I felt. But yet, I have a sort of satisfaction as I flip through these pages. It’s like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.” He was worried about her, but felt relief in her words. He only hoped that was something that continued down through the process.

“I’m proud of you, and it makes you feel better, I’m glad.” He then gives her a kiss on the cheek, before returning to his phone as it goes off once again.

“It seems like you’re Mr. Popular tonight, Chase.” Chase chuckles a little in response, but admittedly the appearance of shock was written all over his face. “You do realize that look scar-”

“Stephen Nasse has been disqualified, per Ricky.” Sarina’s expression now echoed his as she dropped her jaw in return.

“What did they find?” Chase glances back at his phone, typing back a message, as Sarina waits impatiently for a response.

“Titanium caps on the brake rotor, and you know the rule about titani-”

“Just like tungsten, it is not allowed at the Snowball Derby.” Chase gives her a glance as she just chuckles back in response. “You can’t tell me that it’s still too soon for that comment.”

“It still gets under my skin a little that we’d forget something stupid like that.” Chase could only let out a sigh as he reads the more messages from Ricky Turner. “Though the word around the garage is a rival brake company knew about it and give Ricky a heads-up, and that was the first thing that they checked in inspection.”

“Seriously?” Chase flips her phone around for her to view. “They didn’t check brakes last year, and let’s be honest – how much brakes do you go through at the Snowball Derby? I’m sorry but I call bullshit all over this.”

“A rule is a rule, unfortunately. I feel for Stephen having been there….” Chase texts back another message. “That said, Jake Garcia just proved himself that much more with a runner-up now.”

“Travis Braden pass inspection?” Chase nods his head, having received that confirmation. “Well, you know what Ricky can do with drivers.  I mean, he did a decent job with a certain lady driver in this room.”

“I heard that she came very talented and only needed a little bit of guidance to become awesome. I told Ricky to tell Jake that he did one helluva job.”

Wednesday, December 11 –Dawsonville, GA

Sarina takes a deep breath, glancing at her phone, smiling at the latest image from Chase. She could only wonder what Valvoline had in store for this year’s commercials, given the current set-up of the image.

“So Chase called me to say that you’re both ready to start the process,” Alycia’s words break Sarina’s concentration as she looks up from her phone at the lawyer before her.

“He was supposed to be here-” Sarina starts, remembering the initial scheduling process that they had followed through with.

“He told me all about that, don’t worry – last minute scheduling change by the sponsor. I offered to reschedule, but he said to go through with it as you’re both certain. Besides, this is nothing that I absolutely need him to be here for yet.” Sarina takes a deep breath, as she would have preferred the company to ease some of her own personal nerves. “So before I begin, I do want to remind you of everything in the process. I’ve already forwarded him an e-mail with everything that the process entails, as well.”

“Did I mention how much I enjoy working with you already? I mean, my scattered-brain self may forget something…” She hoped that wasn’t the case, but it never hurt to have an extra copy incase.

“Am I sensing some nerves here?” She had hoped it wasn’t that obvious, but nothing seemed to go over Alycia’s head.

“Can you blame me considering your original warnings?” She could only see those repeating themselves in her mind, knowing that their luck every red flag would probably happen along the way.

“Do you also remember me adding that they all shouldn’t be a problem, considering that you both are well known, spoken highly of, and great parents? Sarina, take a deep breath and trust me; everything will be fine.” Sarina could only pray that those words were on target.

“I know, I remember that. it’s just….” Sarina takes a deep breath, really not wanting to divulge into personal details right now. “Let’s just get started, okay?”

“Absolutely…” Sarina watches carefully as Alycia opens the file before her on the desk. “So there are obviously certain requirements that you must meet to adopt a child. One of those is being 10 years older than the child that you are requesting to adopt, so therefore you must choose a child under the age of 12.” Sarina’s nods her head, as she knows that ruled out the option of a teenager – which she wasn’t considering anyway. “There will be a criminal record chec-”

“That will obviously bring up the dropped assault charges, correct?” Sarina could feel those nerves quickly returning.

“Absolutely. However, we can explain the fact of the situation at the time, from self-defense to the mental anguish and growth from then. As I’ve told you from the beginning, I don’t see it being a problem as any sensible person will understand everything and be able to move forward without worries.” Sarina nods her head, remembering that in Alycia’s initial list of warning flags for them.

“And what if you don’t find that rational person?” Sarina knew that she was probably asking too many questions, but she wanted to cover her basis. Perhaps it would ease the nerves that she was feeling.

“We can either fight them in court over it, or pursue a different direction. Don’t worry – it’ll work out.” Sarina nods her head, still praying that was the case. “There will be a home safety check and medical examinations required. Considering you’re both healthy, and the house has an alarm system and set up nice, no issues. You will also need to pass a drug screen – which you both have to for racing anyway and I haven’t heard of there being any issues with those yet.”

“Trust me, that’s certainly not something to worry about.” It felt nice to check some boxes on the list quickly.

“You will require references – which goes back to what I said in you both being respected and spoken highly of. There’s plenty of people that we know would do the job accordingly. It’s just finding the right people that will do the job.” Sarina could already think of a couple names off the top of her head in people to ask.

“Say our bosses?” It was a good start considering their high positions and respect offered.

“I’d also look at people outside of your industry, so they can’t accuse you of having people who kiss your ass.” Sarina could only roll her eyes, having heard similar comments anyway. “One of you must hold a driver’s license – which we know is taken care of. You must also a complete a two-hour information session, 23 pre-service training – essentially, parenting classes, and own your home. Those sessions – it’ll just be about scheduling them accordingly.”

“Chase and I can always make room for family matters in our schedule.” She just crossed her fingers that their bosses agreed, to which she believed they would in believing in this step for them.

“Of course, so I don’t see that being a problem. So simply we will begin by choosing the right adoption agency that we want to go through, and begin filling out their applications. Then we move forward to them checking through everything else in the requirement process. If you pass all the requirements, then you will choose what you want to adopt – infant, toddler, child. Then we begin to meet potential mothers and children – and follow the procedure depending on what’s set. Some of them require so many meetings, others require a number of overnight visits.” Sarina nods her head as it seemed easily understandable given what they were undertaking.

“I can handle that, I think – no, I can handle it.” Alycia could only chuckle a little. “Now we haven’t even began to look at adoption agenc-”

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t expecting you to come with that information.” Alycia turns back a couple pages in the files. “I am going to give you some pages and pamphlets. I want you to read through each of them and see what you like, what you don’t like, about each adoption agency. I have also included my notes in to what direction that I would go. once you decide which agency, you can let me know and I will get a copy of their application process.”

“Thank you…” Sarina easily accepts the stack of papers, taking a deep breath.

It was just another decision that she had to make, something that had been a difficult process at times lately.

Wednesday, December 11 –Hendrick Motorsports

Chase glances through the e-mail, letting out a long sigh as he begins to read through the details in the e-mail.

“Stick you in front of a camera, make you say a couple lines, and you look completely exhausted,” Alan comments as he walks over to Chase outside. Chase just rolls his eyes, knowing that the crew chief was trying to offer a light tease in light of the situation.

“I should be sitting in Alycia’s offic-” Chase starts, bringing immediate shock to Alan’s face.

“Do I want to know what’s going on?” Chase almost wanted to offer an eye roll. He understood that his history hadn’t been squeaky clean lately, but that did not always need to be the crew chief’s response.

“Sarina is there for a simple meeting about beginning the adoption process, you can relax.” The relief could be seen immediately on Alan. “I was supposed to be there today with her until this production day got rescheduled.”

“Why didn’t you say somethi-”

“Morgan wasn’t having any part of it. Alycia offered to reschedule, but I told Sarina that it’d be fine for the first step since it was just about alerting Alycia and getting some information.” Alan was understandable about that, but the expression on Chase’s face said otherwise.

“But now you are regretting the decision….” Chase nods his head as he brings up the e-mail once again.

“This is something that Sarina and I choosing to do together. I should be there supporting her, hearing out everything, offering any questions that I have. Instead, she’s facing the blunt of the discussion and I’m just smiling pretty for a camera.” Alan could understand the frustration that was laced in the young man’s voice.

“At least it’s not a totally boring production shoot…” Chase could honestly care less about that in the very moment. “You cannot change your decision this time, and I’m sure Alycia sent you every bit of information that you need to know. She’s also easy to contact, so you can still ask those questions. We cannot go back in time, so you might as well make best of this situation. Meanwhile, someone smart told me that he always goes back on his decisions and moments, even if they’re bad, so he can learn something so that way history doesn’t repeat itself in a bad way. Do you know that man?”

“Trust me, there’s no way that I am letting this happen once again because I can’t do this.” Alan smiles, glad that they had gotten to that point in the conversation. “Besides, everything sounds relatively simple – they check you out, they check your house out, and then let you go through the process. I don’t see anything that is going to cause an issue.”

“I know whoever you choose, that child will be blessed to have you and Sarina as his or her parents because you are both amazing. There’s a little girl that will testify to that fact already.” Chase’s eyes immediately lit up in the mere reference to his daughter.

“She just captured my heart from the moment that I laid eyes on her. I just knew that I loved her, wanted to be there, wanted to do anything and hold her. She’s my angel, you know?” Alan nods his head in agreement, having felt the same feeling when his boys were born. “I can’t believe how she’s growing already.”

“Just wait until she’s a teenager and bringing home her first boyfriend.” Chase looks over at Alan with a bit of horror on his face as the crew chief could only chuckle in response. “Just go easy on her, okay?”

“I know the type of guys that are out ther-”

“But don’t chase away one of the good guys in the process.” Chase wasn’t about to change his stance quite yet.

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 311: My First Everything

You were my first love
My first broken heart
That’s all you were to me
Just my first everything
You were my first everything
Just my first everything
My first everything

Friday, December 6 – Dawsonville, Georgia

It seemed that it was party week for Chase and Sarina, as immediately upon returning to Georgia, Chase laid another two bombs on her.

He had gotten them tickets to see Riley Green, followed by the SEC Championship game – which anybody who knew Chase, knew that wasn’t off the table for him. Sarina had complaints about either as she always enjoyed a good country music show, and Riley was certainly talented. She also never complained at any time spent with Chase, either. His parents also weren’t about to complain, either, as it gave them more time with Abigail.

“I thought the off-season was supposed to be for relaxing,” she comments as she pulls him close later that night after they’d gotten back to the house. “But I will let you know that I am not complaining one bit thus far, either.”

“Any quality time that I get to spend with you is very worthwhile,” Chase replies, before laying a kiss on her lips. “You looked quite good there shaking your hips tonight.”

“Well you look very sexy right now…” She then gives him a glance over, her tongue immediately licking her lips as she follows the jeans up and down. She wraps her arms around him, grabbing his ass.

“Are you trying to pull one over on me tonight?” She then smirks as she brings her hands slowly up his back.

“I don’t see you complaining…” She then brings her fingers to the curls, letting them intertwine immediately. “That first time loving feeling, midnight kiss I’m stealin’, pullin’ me in like we were there all along…”

“First-time tequila buzz, thinkin’ every song that played was us, singin’ all the wrong words all night long.” They then slowly make their way further into the bedsroom, with him pinned against the wall.

“You were my first love, my first broken heart – that’s all you were to me, just my first everything.” She then leans in, letting her lips lightly brush across his. “Luckily for me, you’ll always be my everything forever and always…”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way…” He then reaches around, resting each of his hands on her ass cheeks. “Are you sure about this?”

“As long as you’re sure about this, Chase. I told you from day one that we’d do this however you wanted, at the pace that you wa-”

“You also haven’t had it easy, either….” She then takes a deep breath, not wanting to reflect back to that time with Carter right now.

“I know, but we’ve always agreed that we’ll take this slowly, at the speed that we want, and do things as we want. If you want to tonight, then we will. Though at anytime if you feel uncomfortable, I’ll stop.”

“The same goes for you, too, but right now…” He then leans in, kissing her lips once again. “I can’t get enough of your lips.”

“The same can be said in return.” She then easily accepts the make-out session, fingers still lost in the curls of his hair. She only lets them separate to allow him to pull her top over her head, revealing the lace bra that she wore underneath. “You obviously showed up prepared.”

“I’ve watched the progress that we both made, and something told me that tonight alone was the right time.” She then slowly lifts his shirt over his head, running her fingers down his bare chest. She then gives him a kiss on his shoulder, as her fingers return back to his hair once again. “You are keeping your promise about the hair, right?”

“If it leads to nights like this, hell yeah!” As she keeps him pinned against the wall, lips pressed against his, his hands find the way to the edge of her jean waistline. He slowly reaches for the button, undoing it slowly, followed by the zipper. He then allows the pants to fall to the floor. “Damn girl….”

“You’re just saying that to flatter me.” He shakes his head no, as he leans in, kissing the top of one of her breasts.

“No, I mean every word when I say that you’re perfectly sexy just the way you are…” She then untangles one of her hands from his hair, placing it right above his crotch.

“It seems something else agrees, too…” she then strokes it lightly through his jeans, to which a light moan escapes his lips.

“Sarina….” She could only smirk knowing that she had him right where she wanted him. Though the same could be said in return as Chase instantly wrapped both arms around her, lifting her up, with her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist in return. He then carries her over to the bed, lying her down beneath him. “It’s rude to tease you know…”

“Oh really?” He nods his head as he once again kisses her breast, while reaching around her back to undo the clip that held her bra on. As it slid off her body, she reached for the button on his jeans, unfastening it. “I can’t help that you’re an easy turn on sometimes.”

“What can I say? You’re absolutely stunning just the way you are.” He then gives her a kiss on the lips, followed by a kiss across the shoulders, and down her breasts. He gives her belly button a kiss – which results in a couple ticklish giggles, before running his tongue right along the waistline of her underwear.

“Clyde….” He then glances up into her eyes with a smirk of his own.

“Payback is a bitch, isn’t it?” He then slowly pulls her underwear off, as she does the same in return to his. He then slides a finger up into slit, exploring a little, as she lets out a moan. “You’re very wet, Mrs. Elliott.”

“Fuck….” He then looks up into her eyes, the smirk just growing wider.

“Is there something that you want?” She nods her head as she grabs a handful of his hair, bringing his lips down to her level, brushing a kiss along his lips.

“I think we both know what we want and need, Chase….”

“Your wish is my command…”

Saturday, December 7 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia

The smirks on their faces could be seen from miles away as it was obvious they were both completely in love, and still in the glow of last night. Their reunited time together could only be described as perhaps their best sexual night together. Sarina was even shocked at the fact that they didn’t just once, but a couple more times simply due to being lost in each other’s love and affection.

Taking a deep breath, it felt good to be back to that place with him once again. She hadn’t realized how much she missed that intimacy, and ultimately was ready for another dosage – perhaps with a win later today.

She could only smile as she watched Chase interact with Ryan McGee and Marty Smith, sharing different stories and talking about the Georgia Bulldogs. No matter what that man did, it brought a smile to her face.

Though she also caught herself glancing towards her phone, reading the messages from Lindsay. She hoped that her bestie had the time of her life away with Ryan and other friends – almost wishing that she was partaking in the vacation herself with Chase. Though a selfish part of her wished that the vacation wasn’t happening as she could use her friend for support.

Another deep breath, and she was brought forth to some of the latest realities. She had decided to not partake in the Chili Bowl Nationals, ready to spend as much time with Chase in the next couple weeks as humanly possible. It wasn’t just last night that brought the decision to her mind, either, but rather thinking through the summer and the demands of the schedule. It’d be also nice to get away with just Chase and Abigail for a couple days, too.

However, the decision had other layers for her, too. With her and Chase set to begin the adoption process, she wanted to have full focus on what was to come – from meetings to papers to fill out, and more meetings. She wanted it to go smooth as possible, even with the warnings from Alyssa, as she was willing to do whatever it took for her family. They had fought through tooth and nail with everything that happened to get to this point – it was time to make things happen as they wanted.

There was also the topic of whether to have the hysterectomy, which was still a decision that she had been flip flopping back and forth on her mind. She knew the deadline this off-season was fast approaching if she wanted to be perfectly healed by the time Daytona rolled around in February – but she couldn’t bring herself to settle one way or another for various reasons. She thought the conversations with Erin and others would’ve have helped her decide a direction, but that seemed further from the truth.

Though as her eyes focused back on the man before her, she knew the decision could wait until the time was right. Today it was about having fun and enjoying a good football game together, with hopefully a good ending.

Leaving the stadium together following the game, the pair could only shake their heads. They were confident in the chances for the bulldogs entering the game, considering the solid season that they had put together. However, ultimately they fell short, and by a large margin at that, losing 37-10 to the LSU Tigers.

“It’ll happen, probably next year at that,” Sarina assures Chase, as they both knew that the loss meant the Bulldogs would not be playing for the national championship likely. “There’s no quit in the dawgs.” Chase nods his head in agreement as he wraps an arm around her.

“Kirby has a great young team,” he starts. “They’re going to grow, and learn together, and will probably come back twice as strong next year – just like a little racecar driver that I know.” Sarina smirks at the comment, hoping that his words were true as she really badly wanted to secure her first Xfinity Series win next season.

“Perhaps we can make it happen right at Daytona.” Chase smiles in response, as he knew that she had the ability to get it done, having watched her drafting antics in the past.

“I wouldn’t bet against anybody else.” She just rolls her eyes, knowing that he was going for the flattery route right now more than anything. “So I was thinking that if you wanted, we could head down to Florida tomorrow morning.”

“Seriously?” He nods his head, almost hoping a little that she said yes as it was odd not being at the Snowball Derby.

“My parents wouldn’t mind another day with our princess.” Sarina takes a deep breath, as she knew that he was right. She also wouldn’t mind seeing the Snowball Derby live as that was always an exciting event and it’d be fun to catch up with different people. However, she had to admit that the past week had gone longer that she would’ve wanted in one aspect.

“Don’t get me wrong – I am having a ball enjoying this time with you as we always have fun exploring together. But I am also missing my baby girl. So if it’s okay with you, I’d rather stay hom-”

“Done.” She looks over, surprised by the quick and sudden response.

“Are you sure?” He nods his head, as he couldn’t argue with her reasons.

“As much as I hate missing the Snowball Derby, you are right – Abigail does come first, and I’ve been missing her a little, too. Besides, Speed51 has some of the best race coverage around.” Sarina smiles as she was glad that they had reached a compromise.”By the way, I think she’d enjoy that as well as mom says that she’s been a little cranky today.”

“Aww, she misses her mommy and daddy…” Chase nods his head as he sends his mom back a quick text message.

“I think she just wants daddy cuddles to make those teeth feel better. I think she’s getting ready to cut another tooth.” Sarina lets out a sigh, as it was just another step in the baby’s growth progress, meaning one thing.

“Chase, can you please tell her that she doesn’t need to grow up so quickly?” He chuckles a little, but had to agree, as he wanted to savor every single moment that he could with her.

Sunday, December 8 – Dawsonville, Georgia

“Aren’t you glad we didn’t go now?” Chase questions as he returns to the living room, placing a pair of drinks on the table. He then sits on the floor, alongside Sarina and Abigail. He could only smile as he watched Abigail chuckle as Sarina dumped the blocks around them once again.

“I’ve sat in enough rain delays there to not do another,” Sarina replies, as they glance at the coverage to see that it was still raining down in Florida. By all indications, it appeared that the race would be postponed to Monday. However, they knew the decision wouldn’t come quickly with how Kyle and Ricky ran the show. “I still remember the night that we started the race around midnight.”

“Uh, please don’t remind me of that…” She chuckles back in response, having heard some of the stories from Chase’s perspective of that event. “But I have to say that spending time with Abigail, while staying nice and warm and dry, is much better…”

“It seems that she has no complaints…” Sarina hands her a shape, watching as Abigail tries the different holes at the top of the bucket to shove it through. She then gives up after a couple seconds, shoving the block in her mouth instead. “I didn’t realize how good plastic tasted until I watched her just eat it up.”

“Who knew that she’d be more amused by a small triangle shape than a proper teething ring.” Sarina chuckles as she watches Abigail babble a series of random sounds.

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 310: Banquet Time

“He (Bowyer) said I know it’s going to happen, but yet I can’t avoid it. now in racing, you know something is going to happen, so you move to avoid it. But you guys keep going head on.” – Michael Waltrip

“Well, we know we’re going to wreck at Talladega and we still go back there every year, twice, knowing what’s going to happen.” – Chase Elliott

 

Thursday, December 5 – Nashville, Tennessee

Sarina emerges from the bathroom, dressed in her pajamas, finally changed out of her outfit. Chase could only roll his eyes and laugh as he glances over at her, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“What’s so funny?” She questions as he takes his eyes off of his phone to look at her. “You had just as much to drink as I did last night.”

“Either I’m not sure you’re correct, or perhaps I can handle my liquor better,” he replies, watching a confused glance form on her face in return. “Do you realize what time it is?”

“3, 4 – God knows how long you and those girls kept me ou-”

“How about you try 9 o’ clock in the morning?” An immediate glance of shock appears on her face as he begins chuckling once again. He then turns his phone around to show her the time to emphasize the point.

“You’re trick-”

“Look at the time on your phone, or better yet, how about you look out the window?” She then spins around slowly, making her way to the window as she pulls back the curtains. The bright light shines in immediately, to which she shuts them quickly back in return and spins around to face him. “You never came to bed last night.”

“I was just in there for five, 10 minutes max. I mean, I may have fallen asleep a little, but I woke up-”

“Yeah, six hours later. We got back and I went to the bathroom. You then grabbed your pajamas, told me that you were going to go and come out. I lost track of time and finally realized that you’d been in there for 15 minutes. I leaned up against the door, knocked but got no answer, tried the handle but it was locked. Then I heard you snoring so I just left you for the night. I went to bed and woke up an hour ago, surprised that you were still in ther-”

“And you never thought to maybe break in and check on me?” He lets out a sigh as he shrugs his shoulders.

“I figured if I could hear snoring that you were having quite the sleep. I didn’t want to disturb you.” She then lets out a sigh as she sits on the edge of the bed.

“Damn….” He then chuckles as he stands up, glancing straight into her eyes.

“Relax, don’t worry. That’s what this weekend is supposed to be about, right? Enjoying drinks with friends and partying.” He then leans in and snags a quick kiss, before heading into the bathroom to grab his own shower.

Sarina stands at the back of the room, glancing down at the latest message from Samantha. She could only chuckle at the image that she had been sent from Kyle and Samantha’s photo shoot around the city yesterday with the trophy.

“Brexton’s expression is everything,” she texts back in response.

She then glances up, watching at the line seems to go on forever in front of Chase. She knew it was part of the sponsor obligations, and keeping everybody happy was part of the game, but she would’ve preferred to not be at Hooters right now doing an autograph session. Perhaps she should’ve stayed back at the hotel and took that dip in the hot tub.

She then thinks back through the previous night, shaking her head. She knew once she began drinking with Erin and Kaitlyn, there was no turning back. Kaitlyn could certainly drink her share of beers, and it seemed Erin wasn’t too shabby herself. The encouragement around the room, combined with some of the drinks not being too bad, it seemed to explain how drunk she got last night. Or maybe it was the shots that she did on the encouragement of Clint and Jeff after she was already half-way there.

Either way, she knew there was probably no way living this down as she was certain that Chase would probably bring it up once again – even if he brushed it off that morning. She could only hope that the comments did not leave their own conversation, or else she knew the teasing from others would be ruthless.

She hears her phone go off, half-expecting it to be Samantha replying, though is surprised in seeing the message from Erin. Clearly somewhere during the night, the ladies had exchanged phone numbers.

“How are you feeling?” Erin sent her, to which Sarina could only roll her eyes in response.

“I’ve definitely been feeling better than this before,” she replies back.

Considering the amount of drinks consumed and the fact that she had slept on the toilet with her pajamas in her lap, she actually wasn’t feeling too bad. She had heard the horror stories of hangovers with vomit and headaches. Chase informed her that she did puke a little on the ride back to the hotel – to which she didn’t remember either, but there was nothing other than that. Perhaps she was lucky in that regard.

She then looks over at Chase, feeling her breath almost hitch in her throat as she thought she saw a familiar face. It almost grew in noticing his glass on the table.

Though a deep breath, shake of the head for clarity, and she knew that she was dreaming. Alison was locked away, nowhere in sight. There was also no other trouble lurking right now. She didn’t need to worry or be nervous in these situations as finally, things were alright.

“Are you okay?” Chase asks as he walks over once he’s done signing the last autograph.

“Yep,” she replies back with a smile, easily accepting the kiss. “But can you make me one promise? Don’t leave your drink unattended.” He then takes a deep breath, catching the reference immediately. He wasn’t about to forget that appearance, either.

“Just for you, I’ll keep that in mind – even if I trust all the ladies in this room.”

Chase and Sarina enter the room together, as he wraps an arm around her shoulders casually, pulling her close.

“You look absolutely amazing – sparkling if I may add,” he comments, before giving her a kiss as she just looks back at him with a smile.

“Do you really think so, or are you just saying that to flatter me, Mr. Elliott?” Sarina questions in response as he stops, turning to face her directly in the eye.

“We both know that no matter what you’re wearing, I love you and care about you. I also think you’re beautiful from head to toe, even if dressed in a paper bag. But trust me when I say this – the dress is perfect for you. You look amazing. I love you, Mrs. Elliott.” He then leans in, snagging another kiss.

“Look at the them,” they hear a voice in the distance, catching their attention. They could only smile in watching Kyle and Samantha enter together with Brexton. “Aren’t they just adorable together?”

“I don’t know how we’re going to top that,” Kyle adds as they walk over, trading hugs between each of them. “I have to agree with Chase, though. The dress looks absolutely amazing on you.”

“Well, thank you Kyle,” Sarina replies with a glance towards Samantha. Although the dress that Samantha had chosen wasn’t something that she’d personally prefer, she had to admit that it looked great on her. “Your wife is a great help when it comes to choosing a dress, which obviously anybody could figure out by how amazing she looks right now.”

“Are you sure it’s not too much?” Samantha questions, causing a couple shocked expressions all the way around.

“Um, tonight is your night. Kyle won the championship so you both deserve to be the top of the class, and this dress does exactly that.” She then scoops up Brexton in her arms, already excited for when Abigail was older so she could dress her up for these nights out. “And just for the record, I think you’re the cutest little man here tonight.”

“Really?” Brexton asks and Sarina nods her head as Chase crosses his arms.

“If she says that you’re the cutest man, then you must have done something special…” He muses, to which Sarina glances over at him with a wink.

“Someone is getting lucky tonight!” Kyle lets out, noticing it immediately, which earns him a small smack almost immediately from Samantha.

“Now promise me that you’ll behave, and I’ll have a surprise for you next week, okay?” Sarina offers to Brexton, to which he immediately nods his head in response. She then lets him down, watching him head off down the carpet with his parents. “They’re so adorable together….”

“Cutest little man, huh?” Chase questions, as Sarina glances back with a smile.

“You saw the wink…” She then closes the gap between them, looking straight into his eyes. “Don’t worry Clyde, nobody could ever replace you in my life as you’re stunning and perfect just the way you are.”

The pair continued down the walkway together, stopping when instructed for photos together. They then stopped for the NBC Sports interview, trading jokes with Rutledge Wood; Chase even gave Sarina a spin around, allowing her to fully showcase the dress. Sarina then stood back as Chase did a couple other interviews – radio, print, and video – chuckling along with some of the jokes.

She then takes a deep breath, knowing only one more remained before they could enter the ballroom together as Chase stopped to talk with Michael Waltrip and Kaitlyn Vincie.

“How has your week been?” Michael questions, to which Sarina could only smirk.

Truthfully, she had no complaints about how everything had gone and yes, that included the escapades last night. She wouldn’t trade in the time that she spent with the ladies. She also felt better at the burn-outs in Nashville than Las Vegas, simply based on the fact that it was a better atmosphere, more fans turning out, and everything is always better at night, right? Then combined with a solid fan reception at the autograph sessions, and there was no complaints right now.

Regardless, though, no matter how everything went, her response would’ve been positive but let’s face it – nobody can go to Nashville and not have a good time.

“Nashville has welcomed us with open arms,” Chase answers to the question, to which Sarina nods her head in agreement.

“Do you have a headache? A lot of guys have been telling us they don’t feel good.” Sarina could only chuckle, remembering the discussion as they were getting ready for the banquet. It seemed the week of partying was catching up with them slowly – but that didn’t mean that they were toning it down later tonight. They had all winter to recover, right?

“Yeah, I’m not feeling that well.” Sarina was actually surprised by his honesty, but knew it was to be expected as everybody knew about the driver’s adventures.

“You look great, it’s not showing Chase.” Sarina had to agree with Kaitlyn, but she always thought he looked great no matter what.

“I appreciate that. I’m not good.” Sarina just rolls her eyes, almost chuckling at the repetition in his words.

“I talked to Bowyer last night,” Michael starts, to which Sarina knew was trouble considering everything that happened between Blake’s place and Tootie’s. “He said I know it’s going to happen, but yet I can’t avoid it. now in racing, you know something is going to happen, so you move to avoid it. But you guys keep going head on.”

“Well, we know we’re going to wreck at Talladega and we still go back there every year, twice, knowing what’s going to happen,” Chase reasons, to which Sarina actually froze letting it digest at first. Perhaps he was on to something.

Sarina comes around the corner, stopping and smiling as she watches him pose for a series of photos.

The banquet had overall gone smoothly. It was fun watching Chase and Ryan get called up together for their season interviews in front of the crowd, as a chance to reflect. It was odd how the points standings ended up that way – even though if she would’ve preferred them to one and two instead of where they were.

There was also no surprise in hearing Chase’s name called out for the Most Popular Driver Award. She had felt the fan’s presence spending each week with him at the track, and knew that wasn’t going to falter anytime soon. She smiled at how gracefully he accepted the honors, and thanked the fans for their support.

The speeches through the night from other drivers weren’t bad, either. She even had a chuckle in watching Denny place the piece of tape across his own mouth.

Though of course the best moment of the night belonged to Kyle and Samantha – as it should with the night being to celebrate his championship. However, she couldn’t contain the tears that streamed down her face. It was beyond sweet in watching Kyle thank Samantha for being there for him before the entire crowd, and mentioning the multiple failed attempts at IVF and having their daughter. If there was anyone whoever questioned why those two belonged together, she hoped those doubts were dashed tonight as there were no words to describe the scene before her.

It was why before coming to find Chase, she had stopped by and offered Samantha hug in support, reminding her once again as she had done through the year that she was there whenever necessary if needed.

“I appreciate it more than you can understand sweetie,” Samantha told her afterwards.

“You were there for me and Chase, I want to return that favor to you 10 fold because I wouldn’t be where I am without you,” Sarina had emphasized at the time.

She takes a deep breath, letting the emotions from the night as a whole settle in, focusing once again on the sight before her. She knew that she’d never get old in seeing Chase dressed up as he certainly cleaned up very well. There was also something special in seeing grey on him as it just seemed to bring out every special feature.

“Is there a problem?” He questions as he walks over to her, having noticed her staring the entire time.

“Absolutely not one single damn problem dear,” she answers as she runs her fingers through his hair. She could couldn’t complain about the curls right now, either. “Have I told you lately how handsome you are?” He nods his head in response.

“Do I need to remind the lady how sexy she is sparkling like a diamond?” She shakes her head no as she wraps her arms around his waist.

“Please don’t cut your hair for the whole off-season. I want to take full advantage of these curls.” He looks at her a little intrigued, but simply nods his head in response accepting.