The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 369: The Bow

“There’s that saying – imitation is the best form of flattery. That’s real cute.” – Kyle Busch

Tuesday, May 26 – Charlotte Motor Speedway

“Appreciate the effort boys, thank ya – appreciate it,” Chase says over the radio once the win was secured.

“10-4 Great job Chase,” Charles Denike replies. “We put this together three weeks ago to go to Atlanta, and it’s nice to come here and do this. Let’s do this again.” Chase wasn’t about to deny that thought, as he’d be all for scoring another win together.

“10-4, appreciate it.”

Everybody watched as Chase got out of the truck, doing his interview before picking up the checkered flag. Chuckles then filled the room in watching the events transpire afterwards.

“Did he just do what I think he did?” Lindsay questions as she watches the scene before her, earning a nod and chuckle from Sarina in response.

“Pure savage,” Ryan comments as he breaks into his own series of chuckles.

“That was perfect – I don’t care what Kyle says,” Sarina offers as she just smiles in response. She could only hope Kyle wasn’t too upset, given the circumstances.

Amazement could only be felt in watching the post-race scene as Chase went through the motions of taking the winning photos, followed by his media availability. Of course, just as she would usually, she tuned in to see what he had to say. She also was curious as to Kyle’s reaction to the bow.

“There’s that saying – imitation is the best form of flattery,” Kyle comments when asked. “That’s real cute.” Sarina could only smile, knowing Kyle got where Chase was coming from in doing it, knowing there’d be some fun teasing back and forth.

Charlotte Tues 02

Tuesday, May 26 – Charlotte, North Carolina

Chase makes his way out to the porch, smiling as he sees Sarina relaxing back comfortably. It was certainly a different feeling than returning home as they’d been the past couple of weeks, but he also enjoyed being able to catch up with Ryan and Lindsay a bit.

“Did you like my post-race celebration?” He questions as he sits down alongside her, knowing that relaxation himself would be a good idea with another race to go tomorrow. He knew running three events in four days wasn’t going to be easy, but it was a challenge he was ready to handle.

“I thought that was perfect given the situation,” she offers to which he just smirks back in response. “Hopefully Kyle gets where you’re coming from.” Chase nods his head, having already heard the post-race media center comments.

“I’m sure he will once he lets go of his frustration with the team over what happened tonight. Truthfully, I don’t blame him one bit as for them to not be prepared is a shock.” Sarina wasn’t about to deny that, knowing the work that went in behind the scenes at KBM from her couple of years spent there.

“He almost still got you, too. I mean that just proves right there what everybody is saying.” Chase nods his head, as he rethought back to the bow.

“Sort of like the bow, to where most will say I’m mocking him. Instead, I’m in one way staking my claim on the bounty, but also still bowing down as he is the king of the trucks. I mean, I would not be surprised if he kicked my ass the next two races.” Sarina chuckles, knowing that wasn’t out the whelm of possibility.

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. GMS has a stout program so I’m sure they’ll have something for him.” Chase wasn’t going to deny that as he was ready to give it his all. He then glances towards her phone, seeing another notification. “Don’t as-”

“If somebody is bugging you, you know I’m going to ask because I want to take care of them for you.” Sarina smiles as she was honored that Chase was willing to do whatever it took for her, still.

“It’s just Christopher, okay? He’s sending over the midget schedule once again, offering great date options that would work within our schedules, tempting and teasing me about running the midget.” Chase wasn’t surprised as he remembered all the excitement that was shed about the opportunity following how strongly the test went. Of course, things had hit some bumps since then.

“You told me him you were really excited about doing it, and I remember how impressed he was with how quickly you adapted. The excitement is contagious…” Sarina nods her head, knowing that and understanding the reasons. Under different circumstances, she would’ve probably jumped on the opportunity.

“But Chase, let’s face it, our schedule is chaos. We are busy one way or another racing a ton every day of the week while trying to balance raising our daugh-”

“When are our lives not chaos?” She chuckles, knowing that was something they established a long time ago.

“But there’s also other stuff going on. I don’t want to take chances with the pandemic going on, no offense. There’s also the concerns surrounding my health as you’re well aware. Combined with working through an adoption process, and the other drama we can’t ignore, do I really need to add more to my plate?” Chase shakes his head no, wishing himself their lives could get much simpler and easier. But for them, it always seemed like one thing after another.

“So why don’t you tell him that?” Sarina lets out a sigh, having almost done so a couple text messages ago.

“I told him about my schedule and pandemic concerns. He quickly reminded me about the same things you said, along with the fact that they’re taking precautions. I also don’t really want to mention the other details yet, either.” Chase takes a deep breath, knowing they were both doing whatever they could to keep both Andrew and her prolapsed bladder on the down low. As of right now, only Lindsay knew about the prolapsed bladder and nobody knew about Andrew.

“I know we talked about that, and I still say we’re doing the right thing as no need to blow this up if there’s nothing to it – even if the conversations connect some dots. That said, Christopher and Morgan were there that night when we came across Carter for the first time. Without them, I don’t know if we’d be here where we are today. Morgan saved my life, and Christopher helped you through that night with the pregna-”

“So are you saying that they deserve to know the truth?” Chase lets out a sigh, as that was certainly a theory on his mind. However, he also remembered why they were keeping it quiet. Otherwise, Alan would’ve known already.

“If we tell them, they’re going to constantly worry and wonder. They’ll probably want to tell other people the truth, as well. That’s why we wanted to keep this quiet. But I also feel it’s a disservice considering they went through that with us. I almost wanted to blurt it out to Alan when he had a keen eye on me. Truthfully, I don’t know what to do….” Sarina reaches over, clinching his hand with hers.

“If you’re worried, you can tell me. If you’re scared, you can tell me. Share your feelings as I understand where you’re coming from.” Chase glances over at her, taking a deep breath.

“I can’t deny that I am not nervous because nobody wants to go down that path again. But I promised myself that I would do whatever it took to protect you and Abigail, and we’re not repeating past mistakes. Just because she has this great theory and it connects with my conversation with Carter, it doesn’t mean that I am letting her control my life. I am going to run each day like I would without the thought. If he shows up, though, I cannot make any promises.”

“I love you, forever and always.” Sarina then leans over, giving him a kiss.

Wednesday, May 27 – Charlotte Motor Speedway

Chase glances out the window, letting out a sigh as it seemed there was no stopping the rain no matter what. What else was new with the schedule lately?

He then sees a message on his phone, catching his attention. He lets out a sigh, having known to expect it sooner than later with what Sarina had told him last night.

“You know I’d never stop her from doing something that she wants,” he replies back to the text from Christopher Bell. He was actually surprised that he’d assume that.

“It just seems that she’s dodging me a bit right now, though,” Christopher sends back. “I mean, I know things are tough with the schedule and pandemic for you both, but we also know that she’s ready to rip it no matter where and when, as long as it has wheels.” Chase chuckles as that was actually a good way to describe Sarina.

“She’s a mother now, too, so she isn’t just looking out for herself, but for Abigail and our potential addition as well. Hence why trying to keep chances of exposure down.” It was certainly a good excuse to use, without telling the full truth.

“10-4 I understand. Hence why the team has asked me to be careful in what I choose to run, but you know there’s no stopping me. I just wish she wouldn’t dodge me so much.” Chase takes a deep breath, remembering the conversation that he and Sarina had last night on the very topic. It was called she’d ran out of reasons as to what to say without the truth.

“She’s just got some stuff going on, man. It’ll work out and be fine and you’ll get to play with her in the dirt.” Chase had crossed her own fingers, and said his own prayers in that regard, hoping the next doctor’s appointment showed progress. He also knew there was nothing to worry about Andrew right now, even if the thought was in the back of his mind, given that he hadn’t seen any signs of him despite the conversations. What if this was Alison and Carter trying to weave their way in again?

“Do I want to know what’s going on, Chase? Anytime ya’ll say something, ya’ll scare me now.” Chase takes a deep breath, as it brought him back to what he and Sarina had talked about in Christopher and Morgan being there. Did they have a right to know right now?

“Just a little health scare, nothing serious as of right now. We’re just watching some things and as long as they improve, she’ll be fine – hence why I said don’t worry.” He could already feel that he’d said too much as he knew Christopher would probably bug from here on out.

“Let me know if ya’ll need anything, and I’ll lay off a little.” Chase smiles as he knew that’d make Sarina feel better. He just hoped that he didn’t get a slew of messages wondering how things were from here on out.

“Thanks.” Another glance at the window, seeing the monsoon that was coming down, the next message he received was no surprise as he’d be racing tomorrow with Sarina’s Xfinity race now pushed back to Monday.

Wednesday, May 27 – Charlotte, North Carolina

“You know it’s all your fault that I need to wait two extra days to go racing,” Chase hears as he walks into the bedsroom, stopping and chuckling a little.

“Do you really think I asked to sit around and stare at rain clouds all day?” He questions, in which she just shrugs her shoulders. “Relax, it just means you’ll have the opportunity to watch the master and how it’s done before you go to work.”

“Oh really?” He nods his head as he crawls up in the bed alongside her.

“What are you working on?” He tries to reach over and glance through the pages, but his hand is immediately swatted away. “Sarina…”

“My book, for your information. I am going through editing it before sending the draft into the publisher.” He looks over slightly surprised as he hadn’t expected her to be that far along already in the writing process.

“So when do I get to read this book?” She smiles back in response, knowing how badly he wanted to read it. On one hand, she wanted to allow him to do that as she wanted his feedback. On the other hand, it was also nerve wracking in wondering what he’d say.

“After all the edits are done and it’s re-typed, I will allow you to read it. I told you that you get to read it once it is done, remember?” Chase nods his head, as he had pushed to read sooner without avail.

“Can I read what you’ve edited so far? I may be able to help type the edits for yo-”

“Chase, I appreciate the offer and I know how badly you want to read it. But sorry hun, you’re going to have to wait.” He then wraps his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close. “No matter what type of stunt you pull.”

“Really? No matter what, huh?” She just rolls her eyes, slowly unclawing his arms from her as she focuses on the paper before her.

“I would appreciate no distractions. I want to make sure this is perfect. I want to do this right..” Chase smiles as he watches her closely, withstanding the pressure of just reading what’s on the pages before her.

“I believe in you. I know that you’re going to do an awesome job because you’re amazing. This book will be amazing. People will love it.” She smiles as she glances over, placing a light kiss across his lips.

“Thank you.”

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 324: The Night Owl

Friday, January 31 – Hooters – Atlanta, Georgia

Chase lets out a sigh as he follows the familiar drive to Hooters that he had done plenty of times before, between getting him and Sarina some chicken wings, or doing appearances for Hooters.

It was set to be another fun day with production for another sponsor fully in the books, as Hooters would be revealing his 2020 paint scheme and doing all of the video and photos to go with it. The only thing that sucked right now was the rain.

“Is there a chance that they will reschedule due to the weather?” Sarina questions as she glances out the window, seeing the rain pouring down.

“They can’t due to promoting the reveal, and it’d be a logistics nightmare in getting everybody there once again,” he replies as they pull into the parking lot. “It sucks, honestly.”

“Unfortunately you cannot control the weather.” Chase nods his head accepting as they both climb out, with her grabbing Abigail out of the car seat as Chase grabs his bag with everything in it accordingly. “So I have a feeling based on the firesuit that you know the paint scheme we’re revealing. Want to share the secret just for your wife?”

“I love your pleading, but I actually don’t know.” She glances over at him a little confused, thinking he would due to having the firesuit, gloves and shoes. “I went back with them on design for all four potential firesuits and such, approving one for each. I then got Morgan to e-mail them what paint scheme won so they knew what firesuit I needed. I haven’t opened the box yet.”

“Seriously?” He sets the bag down once inside, opening it to reveal that accordingly.

“You know me, I can’t keep a secret well. I would’ve told a couple people already, especially if it’s the one that I want. I wanted to genuinely be surprised.” Sarina crosses her arms, glancing towards the group that was coming out from the back.

“And what happens if the firesuit doesn’t fit later?” He pauses, feeling a tinge of fear on that notion entering his mind, though shakes it off immediately.

“It’s the same size as the NAPA firesuit and that fit perfectly, as I caught you admiring.” He then gives her a kiss on the cheek before walking over to where Morgan was standing with a couple Hooters representatives.

Sarina couldn’t help but smile as she watched the cover come off the car, revealing the Night Owl paint scheme. She had voted herself, and personally chose that scheme out of the four options. It was nice to see the one that both her and Chase preferred be chosen for the car, as it certainly looked sweet in person – despite the rain.

She watches the girls run inside after the reveal, obviously looking to get warm and stay dry with the weather.

“You’d think they’d let you girls wear some pants at least,” she comments as Jennifer stops beside her. Out of the girls that were there, Jennifer was the only one that she knew and recognized from previous appearances. Certainly, she had mixed emotions about getting to know a new batch of girls after past incidents.

“It’s all about keeping up a certain image for the fans, right?” Jennifer questions as she slips a coat over her shoulders. “I honestly feel bad for everybody as all of us stuck under a small tent and umbrella doesn’t let the car’s beauty really shine. I mean, poor Chase trying to do this video….” Sarina glances out, watching as he was trying to film a video for Hendrick Motorsports to send out on their social channel.

“You’d think given the rain that they’d just send out the file images of the car and be done.” Jennifer nods her head, accepting, as she continues to watch Chase accordingly.

“I see the princess is growing quickly. Are you ready for her to be a one-year-old?” Sarina shakes her head no with a chuckle, still not believing her first birthday was on Monday. “Oh, and per Hooters custom, she will be having an outfit at our first race matching the colors once again.”

“I absolutely look forward to that as your gifts are always adorable.” Jennifer knew that she couldn’t take credit for that, as Laiken had started the tradition and picked out the first gift. However, she wasn’t about to break that as it was nice connection between herself, the girls, and Sarina.

“I was actually surprised that you went to the Chili Bowl – both of you, and neither of you got behind the wheel.” Sarina lets out a sigh, as she was grown used to the comment. It didn’t surprise her considering that everybody knew she loved to be behind the wheel more than anything, and it was odd to think she had not driven anything since the season finale.

“I thought about it, even talked to a couple teams about putting a deal together. I even tested for Keith Kunz late last year, too. But to be honest, I just didn’t feel comfortable at the time in doing it. It’s not right to make your midget debut at the biggest event, right? Besides, it’s been nice savoring every moment with Chase and Abigail this winter.” She wasn’t about to admit the real reason, still focused on keeping that on the down low for now.

“I bet you’re excited to get back to racing, though….” A wide smile forms on Sarina’s face with a nod of approval. She couldn’t wait to be flying down to Daytona next week.

“Trust me, Thursday can’t come soon enough – and I am jealous that Chase will get behind the wheel before I do.”

Sarina glances up, watching as they continued to film various different spots for future commercials and promotions. She almost wanted to roll her eyes at the director’s comments throughout, shaking her head at some of his decisions. Everything looked fine from her vantage point; why did those little things that he mentioned matter?

“When you bring the food over, bring it in closer…” She overheard him saying about the latest round of filming.

“If she gets any closer, he’ll have a clear view right down her shirt,” Sarina comments quietly, earning a slight chuckle from Morgan. “Do we really need to inspect what size her boobs are?”

“I am surprised that they aren’t making her place the food awkwardly so they’re facing the camera at all times,” Morgan replies, to which Sarina just chuckles back in response.

Thankfully, she got a small distraction from the sight before her as her phone went off with a message from Christopher. He had sent her a copy of his midget schedule for the upcoming year, as per her request, so she could compare to her own schedule and see if she could squeak in a midget start on the same weekend he was racing.

“Shouldn’t you be focused on your wedding?” She texts back in response, excited about Sunday already.

“All the planning is done, rehearsal dinner is planned for tomorrow and everybody is set to be there,” he texts back in response. “Don’t worry – I have this handled. I won’t let Morgan down.”

“You better not or I’ll have to kick your ass.” She wasn’t joking either, as she wanted to see them not only happy, but Morgan have the day of her dreams with him.

“I should be kicking your husband’s ass for spending his entire day with other woman…” She had to laugh back in response as she glances up towards Chase and the girls for a moment.

“Don’t worry, he knows better to behave…”

Friday, January 31 – Dawsonville, Georgia

After thanking everybody for the fun day, Chase walks out and begins the simple drive home, with wife and child on-board. While it was always entertaining with Hooters as they were one of the most fun brands to work with for stuff, it was nice to be done and headed home for some quality family time.

“Alycia texted me while you were busy by the way,” Sarina starts as they begin the drive down the road. The comment did not surprise Chase considering the constant communication lately about the adoption process. “She said that she tried to call you but you did not ans-”

“My phone was turned off-” Chase interrupts, as he had turned it off before giving to Sarina to hold onto while busy through the day. Otherwise, he would’ve been distracted.

“I know, and I told her. She easily understood, before telling me why she called. Chase, why didn’t you tell me that she called her regarding a no contact order against Alison?” Chase bites his tongue immediately, wishing that it hadn’t come to this. He didn’t want to have this discussion with Sarina to begin with as he didn’t need her knowing, nor did he ever want to discuss anything related to Alison. Furthermore, he didn’t need her worry about anything. However, now it was just worse because he hadn’t brought it up first.

“She’s been sending me letters…” Sarina glances over, surprise immediately written over her face. “I haven’t opened any of them, but they’ve been showing up at both the house and the shop.”

“I thought we were done with her when we got her locked behind bars. How does she have a right to send you letters?” Chase chuckles slightly, having asked himself and others the exact same question.

“It is her constitutional right to be able to send mail from prison, and they cannot stop that. Everything is screened, though, so it doesn’t contain any threats or something to setup an esca-”

“Do they really think the person that she tortured for months will help her escape? I mean, I don’t get how she can send you letters when you were the victim.” Chase nods his head, remembering having asked the same very question to a couple different people. It was also the same thing that both Alan and Kevin told him.

“I don’t get it, either, but she has the right to do so, hence why I have been receiving them.” He then points to the glove box in the dashboard, which Sarina opens to watch a series of them fall out. “You can ask the warden to stop her from sending letters, so I went on a Tuesday last month. Do you remember when I told you that Kevin and I were going flying?” Sarina slowly nods her head, remembering that day exactly as part of their trip to Colorado. “Well, we flew down to where they are keeping her, in hopes of speaking with the warden. I didn’t get to talk to him as he didn’t want to see me, but I got her psychiatrist instead. He told me that he’d suggest for her to stop sending them, but I have received some since.”

“So you got a hold of Alycia….” Chase nods his head, remembering that conversation as it was shortly after going over something in regards to the adoption process.

“I have the right to file for a no-contact restraining order, which stops her from being able to see me, or send me any letters. It also stops her from communicating with anybody within my family that is included. I asked Alycia to draw up the paperwork so we could file it.” Sarina nods her head, as it made sense with Alycia having handled everything to date and the fact she knew what she was doing.

“So what happens after it’s drawn up and filed?” Chase thinks it over, remembering the full discussion with Alycia about the process broke down.

“If it is deemed an emergency – which it is not due to her being locked behind bars, it would go in effect immediately for 10 days until it was heard. Though not being an emergency, there will be a hearing to where I explain why I don’t want to receive any letters and set the lines. The judge approves, and we’re done.”  He takes a deep breath, surprised to not hear any frustration or anger in Sarina’s voice thus far. “I should have told you from the beginning, and I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to worry, or dredge up memories of what happened as I know it was hard for us both. I thought I’d just handle it and be done with it.”

“How are you feeling about it, truthfully?” That brought another deep breath from Chase as he pulled into their driveway at the house.

“She gets under my skin; I can’t deny that. The thought of her makes my stomach turn, and brings up reminders of all the pain we endured. But I am okay…” He then looks over at her, reaching out to grab her hand. “I have moved past the bulk of what happened, and I can look back at that without getting all upset. I can handle the thought of her and the letters. They’re not making me upset, scared or anything – but rather just annoying.”

“Just remember that you can come to me no matter what, okay?” He nods his head, accepting, before leaning in to kiss her lips.

Sunday, February 2 – North Carolina

Following the ceremony – which was amazing and adorable as you would have hoped, it was time for the Bell wedding reception. It brought forth laughs from the various speeches, along with a great meal. Though the most fun part was spending time with friends, lighting up with the dance floor with some fun moves.

“Are you sure that you’re allowed to be dancing?” Sarina hears, catching her by surprise as she watches Christopher walk over. She immediately hugs both him and Morgan, smiling as she glances between the freshly married couple. “I thought you were supposed to be taking it easy.”

“For your information, I’ve been deemed fully healed and ready to drive at Daytona,” she comments, bringing a smile to both faces before her. “Thankfully, there’s been no complications. But who cares about me right now – you are the pair that matter right now. Congratulations!”

“Thankfully, we left the dramatics out of our wedding reception…” She then lets out a sigh, as that wasn’t the most memorable moment to have from a wedding as she thought back to the days in the cabin.

“I thank my lucky stars every day that you both were there.” The comment brings forth another round of hugs between the three of them. “By the way, I am absolutely glad that you went with that dress as you look stunning. I can’t wait to see the photos as you are just so beautiful.”

“If there’s anything close to your wedding photos, I think I’ll be fine…” Sarina puts her hand over her heart in a flattering motion as Morgan just smiles back in response. “So what’s this that I hear you’re ditching my reception early? After hearing the stories from Las Vegas, I was hoping you’d be up for the fun with me and Casey later.”

“Considering how I felt the next morning, I may not want to relive that experience.” The comment brought a chuckle from both Christopher and Morgan, as they had heard about her drunken party fun with friends. “Actually, Chase has to do a fortnite live stream tonight to help promote the Daytona 500. I was literally begging him to reschedule or see if someone else could, but they wouldn’t budge.”

“Well, at least you got to come today.” Sarina nods her head, as she wraps an arm around each of their backs.

“I wouldn’t have missed watching my best friends get married for anything.”

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 322: Teammate Bonding Part 2

Tuesday, January 28 – Charlotte Motor Speedway

“Alright, whose ready for Round 2?” Jeff says with anticipation as he glances over at the group of drivers and crew chiefs.

Taking a deep breath, Chase knew that he had to redeem himself for the sloppy start that he offered in the first round.

He then watches as his teammates tackle the course, following the reverse format that Jeff had instructed for them, shaking his head at some of the driving that he was witnessing. It seemed that Alex had a love affair for cones, but it’d be Jimmie as his biggest competition today.

The crew chief portion was just as entertaining, as laughs certainly were to be had at their abilities behind the wheel. Everybody was picking on Chad’s ability behind the wheel, but it was Alan laying down the most embarrassing run of the afternoon – backing the Camaro in the wall following his run.

“Only six men over the wall!” Greg Ives comments as everybody walks towards to survey the damage. Thankfully, it wasn’t that bad, with just a minor crack in the bumper.

“You have to sign that so Rick knows who did it,” Alex Bowman offers, as he hands the crew chief a marker.

“And you thought you were going to beat me?” Chase questions as Alan just rolls his eyes.

“Let’s see what you got, superstar,” Alan replies, trying to keep a poker face the entire time.

Knowing that he had to lay down a good time if he wanted a hope at winning the driver’s round, Chase pushed it to the limit – almost costing himself as he felt the car start to slide sideways. However, he managed to keep it within the cones and straight, finding his way to the finish line. A glance over the times laid down, he had certainly done his part.

Tuesday, January 28 – NASCAR Hall of Fame

“Hands on your hips,” the photographer states, to which Sarina follows the request as she was supposed to.

It was great to have a fun winter spending time with Chase and Abigail. It was great to be feeling better and not sore after the surgery last month. Though more importantly, it was nice to know that she’d be behind the wheel in a matter of weeks at Daytona, ready to start her second season of NASCAR Xfinity Series competition.

Normally not one to care about doing the production days, it was nice to be back in familiar territory with a helmet and firesuit adorning her body. Thankfully, the sizing was all to correct as it seemed to fit everywhere in the right places.

“These are looking good,” the photographer comments as they continue to go through the mix of poses that they had on the docket for her to follow.

Everything would go smoothly, with her blasting through the requested poses and the photographers happy with everything they had. She was given the nod of approval, and allowed to leave for the day.

“I was surprised that you and Chase did not take a vacation this off-season,” her PR rep KC comments as they walk out of the NASCAR Hall of Fame together.

“I was focused on spending time with him and Abigail as let’s face it – the summer is busy so we need to take every opportunity that we can,” Sarina replies, which had been the reason that she had been telling everybody. She wasn’t about to spell out the surgery if not necessary.

“To be honest, I don’t blame you. I just half-expected to hear about you running a midget somewhere after all that the smiles over the test and Christopher bugging you.” Sarina chuckles, as that certainly was part of the off-season discussions. It also hadn’t disappeared, as she remembered the offer still on the table from Chad Boat.

“Don’t worry – that’s still happening at some point. I just have to work out schedule-wise what works for me, Chase, and the Tucker-Boat Motorsports squad. And don’t worry, I’ll be sure to give you a heads-up before I go down that route.” KC nodded her head in approval, appreciating the ease of working with Sarina.

“All I have to say is keep doing what you’re doing. It’s nice to see you happy, and having everything in order right now.” Sarina glances over with a smile, as it was certainly a great feeling. However, she couldn’t help but wonder when the next domino was going to fall.

“Trust me, I don’t want to give up this feeling for anything.”

Tuesday, January 28 – Charlotte Motor Speedway

After a successful second round, it was just about repeating the success once again in the final challenge and he would be victorious on the day. Taking a deep breath, he wasn’t too worried – already knowing the skills were there to make it happen.

The same couldn’t be said for his teammates, as Alex’s attempt at the course saw him spin the car around while doing the reverse slalom.

“Damn it!” He lets out, visibly frustrated considering it was his second mistake of the day.

“Do we need to send you back to driving school?” Jimmie teases, earning a flip of the bird from his teammate.

“Let’s be thankful that there’s no reverse challenges in NASCAR or we’d be screwed,” Greg adds, to which Alex just rolls his eyes.

Surprisingly, everybody was caught off-guard by Chad Knaus’ ability to reverse, as he got very close to the pylon – perhaps barely touching it, without knocking the egg off and cracking it. His driver, William, was able to put together a memorable performance of his own.

With having witnessed the others, Chase knew that there was no room for error and he had to make sure the perfect performance was laid down on the table. He succeeded in his task, backing the Camaro right up to the pylon – mere inches away from it, without knocking off the egg. His distance to the pylon, combined with the time laid down, gave him the most points for that round.

“Maybe you should teach Alex how to drive in reverse,” Jimmie comments, causing another eye-roll from Alex as Chase just chuckles.

“He just wanted to show off with a couple donuts,” Chase replies as they await for the scores to be tallied together.

Chase glances over the trophy, admitting that it was quite unique in being a gear shift knob with the Hendrick ‘H’ embedded into it.

he then walks over to where Alan stood leaning against one of the cars, just flashing a familiar smirk.

“I think you owe me something,” he comments as Alan lets out a sigh. He knew that a bet was a bet, no matter what.

“I’m glad that you beat me, though, as it proves we’re doing things right,” Alan starts as he reaches into his pocket. “If I would’ve beaten you, I would’ve had a right to question your ability as a driver…” Chase just rolls his eyes, knowing Alan wasn’t ready to admit this defeat too easily.

“Now when I say that I can get the job done, you can believe me.” Alan looks over with a smile as he hands him a $50 bill. “Seriously?”

“The bet was that I would buy you and Sarina dinner. Now you can go wherever you wan tonight.” Chase smiles as he wasn’t going to deny the offer from the crew chief, though wondered what she had in mind as Sarina was just as busy today as he was. “Oh, and make sure that Abigail gets something too.”

“Trust me – she almost reminds me of Fletcher when we go out sometimes. She’s always wanting to reach over and try stuff off of our plates.” Alan chuckles, though honestly wasn’t surprised.

“Curiosity is a good thing. The more food that you can get her to try is always better, as you know kids can be fussy at some points in what they want.” Chase lets out a sigh, not looking forward to those days down the road. “Is she still in love with watching herself in the mirror?”

“When she’s in my bedsroom, she goes straight for the wall-size mirror that Sarina has on the back of the door. She then just sits there, clapping and singing as she watches herself in pure amazement.” Alan smiles, remembering those adorable days with his kids.

“Perhaps she’s going to be an entertainer when she gets older, although racecar driver seems more likely.” Chase couldn’t deny that, given how well she behaved at the race track and the fact she’d be growing up right around it.

“No matter what she decides she wants to do is fine by me as she’ll have my support.”

Tuesday, January 28 – Dawsonville, GA

Chase walks into the front room, placing the bag before them on the table. He then reaches inside, pulling out a pair of boxes.

“One order of Honey Garlic wings for the lady,” he comments, setting the box before her with some napkins. “And a box of Carribean jerk for myself.” Sarina  glances over, shaking her head as he opens the box.

“Please try to not make the bedsroom too stinky tonight,” she teases as he just rolls his eyes in response. “So am I supposed to let you drive everywhere now that you’ve proven your skills?”

“I still can’t believe how close I got to the pylon. I thought at first I was screwed.” She just chuckles, having reviewed some of the images from his day of fun with his teammates. “I like how Alan gets to treat us to dinner tonight, and we go with the sponsor’s product.”

“They can’t say that you don’t like your sponsors and you’re false endorsing.” Chase nods his head in agreement, as he takes a bite of his wing.

“With how late we got back, I didn’t want to make anything, and I really didn’t want to go out to eat. You can never go wrong with wings.” Sarina couldn’t argue as she wiped a bit of the honey garlic sauce off the corner of her mouth.

“It’s all about getting back into the swing of things…” Chase knew for certain that was the case, as the rest of the week endured a busy schedule for both of them, resulting in plenty of flights to North Carolina. “Have you heard anything from Alycia yet?”

“I have not actually. I was going to text her and see if maybe she had an update or something, but recall that she did say it was going to take awhile.” Sarina nods her head, remembering that meeting in her office.

“I didn’t think of it until Samantha asked me today.” She then takes a deep breath, trying to divulge through everything the ladies discussed. “Kyle and her haven’t quite decided the exact direction that they want to go, who they want to use for the surrogacy – really anything yet. She said that they’re still trying to digest the news, and figure out how they want to move forward. But, it was nice to hear her thoughts about surrogacy and share my thoughts, and really get someone else’s opinion on the situation.”

“Have your thoughts changed from what we discussed?” Sarina takes a deep breath, as that was a big debate in her mind right now.

“I remember I told you that it’d be hard for me to do it, because it’s so hard for me to trust other people. How do I trust that this person will make the right decisions for our baby? However, Samantha helped put it into perspective. You have someone that is willing to for nine months, give up a lot of their own activities and things for someone else to reach their dream. So here is a very selfish person who wants to do what they can to help somebody. Would a selfish person be someone that would purposely compromise the situation?” Chase thinks it over, as certainly Samantha had a point.

“The only reason I could see you being wrong with that is if you found someone who was just doing it for profit or to make a name for themselves, because we know there’s big money involved in this with the little research that we’ve done.” Sarina nods her head, as she was surprised as the price some woman wanted to be paid to carry another person’s baby. “So it goes back to what you were saying in finding that right trusting person, and being able to know that they’re doing it for the right reasons. That’s why it’s not a decision you can just jump into and do. I’m glad that Samantha and Kyle are being patient.”

“I just hope that it works out for them as Chase, they deserve to be happy…” Chase glances over, nodding his head in agreement after witnessing a lot of their emotional up and downs firsthand.

“Samantha is smart, and she’s determined. If she wants something, she will do whatever it takes to make it happen. I have no doubt in my mind that she will be getting her daughter one day.”

Wednesday, January 29 – NASCAR Hall  of Fame

Chase walks in through the doors, smiling as he waves at a couple different people standing around.

The new season was officially beginning, as the first step was ready to begin.

“Are you ready for the fun they have for us today?” He hears from behind and glances back with a slight chuckle. It was always nice to see fellow drivers and catch-up, and Christopher Bell was no different.

“The real question is whether you’re ready,” Chase replies as he lets Christopher catch up with him. “I’ve been here before.”

“Photos, do some different emoji faces, answer some questions, take some video – all in a day’s work, right?” Chase chuckles as that was a simple way to sum things up. “By the way, how is Sarina doing?”

“Other than a little bit of soreness – like bits of tenderness, she’s pretty much back to herself. The doctor gave her clearance for Daytona so she’s in a good mood.” Christopher nods his head in approval, as he always believed she’d get that but knew the tinge of nerves that she had.

“Glad she’s feeling better. Hopefully she can score her first win….”

“Wait, did I hear you right? Are you going against your own teammates?” Christopher just offers a wink before walking away.

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 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 306: Xfinity Series Banquet

Friday, November 22 – Charlotte, North Carolina

Chase and Sarina walk onto the red carpet, with him taking a pause to let her walk ahead. She then stops and glances back at him.

“Aren’t you coming?” She questions and he nods his head, glancing at the various cameras.

“I thought I’d give you a chance to enjoy the spotlight as this is your banquet and night to celebrate your season,” he comments with a smirk. “Besides, I want some of these photos of you looking stunning for myself.” She gives him a glance, though easily accepts the request in posing for a couple photos for the cameras. She then reaches her hand out, tugging on his and pulling him close to her.

“Sweet and charming, but I would like some of us together as you look quite stunning as my escort tonight.” He easily accepts, wrapping an arm around her waist as they pose for a couple photos together.

“And that shade of blue certainly looks good on you…” A comment catches their attention, as they both smile in watching Kyle and Samantha begin the walk down the red carpet together. “She had the right taste in choosing the shirt for you to wear.”

“How do you know that she dressed me?” Chase questions, to which Samantha just gives Kyle a glance.

“Because let’s face it – Samantha dressed me tonight,” Kyle comments, to which brings smile around the entire group, before a round of hugs. “You look absolutely amazing in that dress. I heard from Samantha that she was adoring the dress you chose, and I must agree. Secretly, I like it better than Sam’s.” Samantha looks at him with a touch of shock in return.

“Well for the record, Samantha’s dress is lovely as well,” Sarina comments as she gives her the glance over. She wasn’t a big fan of how the dress was at the top with the neckline and such, but she absolutely adored the fringe at the bottom. “But we both know that she always dresses stunning for events like these.”

“I got to make sure that I’m in fashion if I want to sell clothes,” Samantha offers, to which Sarina offers her nod of approval. She admittedly had some of the outfits from Murph in her closet at home.

“So I hear there’s a chance that you may be playing with Christopher and Karsyn this off-season…” Kyle starts, catching Sarina off-guard. She was aware there were some rumors, but how had they reached her previous employer? “I’m surprised that Kelley signed off on it.”

“She told me the decision was fully up to me to decide what I wanted to do,” Sarina replies, recalling the exact conversation. It hadn’t gone totally smoothly, but she had gotten the answer she wanted. “If other things don’t come into play this off-season, I’m really considering running the Chili Bowl with them.” Chase glances over as this was the first time that he had gotten word of a decision being made.

“Did I hear that you’re really considering it?” Another voice chimes in, to which everybody recognized immediately as Christopher joined the party.

“If other plans aren’t made, then yes, Christopher, I will be your teammate for the Chili Bowl.” He lets out a fist pump in response, to which brought mixed feelings from Chase after their conversation.

“Should I be concerned about these other things?” Samantha wonders, to which Chase and Sarina immediately trade a glance. They both knew what it meant, as they hadn’t been planning any vacations. Though at this moment, Sarina wasn’t ready to bring it up to Samantha and others.

“Don’t worry – there’s nothing bad that’s going on or going to happen,” Sarina covers her tracks immediately. “I haven’t totally decided if I’m running it as we may be away in Colorado or just enjoying family time, or maybe something else, but if I do, it will be for Tucker-Boat Motorsports.”

“Are you sure that you can handle Karsyn and Sarina both as your teammates?” Kyle questions Christopher with a slight chuckle.

“I handled you as a boss so I think I can handle whatever comes my way,” Christopher comments with a wink, having seen the various comments from others. “For the record, you should let people know the sweet side of you instead of this mean ass very badass boss. You may be able to finally beat this Georgia guy for Most Popular Driver.” Kyle could only shake his head as he glanced back over towards Sarina and Chase.

“I’m actually surprised that Mrs. Elliott did not get the award this year,” he reasons, to which Sarina just shrugs her shoulders. It didn’t matter to her at the end of the day, as she knew the fans that she had reached and Justin wasn’t a bad guy after all.

“Where is Justin anyway?” Sarina questions as she begins to look for her teammate. Chase goes to follow her, though his path is blocked by an arm.

“Is everything truly okay like she said?” Samantha questions once again, catching his attention. “I know she’s partially maybe trying to protect me because of everything I’m dealing with and not wanting to cause me more issues, but Chase, I’d hate to watch you guys lie to me for that reason. I can handle it. I can be there for you guys if you need someone…” Chase takes a deep breath, having heard the details of the rough times for Samantha and Kyle this summer. It was why he and Sarina offered to watch Brexton a couple nights.

“You can trust and believe her Samantha,” Chase starts, respecting Sarina’s wishes for the time being. “Nothing is going on. All the trouble that we had before is in the past. We’re set on the future together with our daughter. You don’t need to worry and Samantha…” He places his hand on top of hers, looking into her eyes. “I know things haven’t gone as you wanted, but no matter what happens, it is going to work out as it should for you and Kyle.”

“Thank you.” She then offers him a hug, before watching as he hurries off to catch up with Sarina.

Sarina walks out onto the balcony after the after-party, slipping the door closed behind her. She then walks over to the railing, noticing the bottle that was in his hand as he stood there.

“I’m sorry….” She comments quietly, catching Chase totally off-guard by her words as he looks over at her.

“Excuse me?” He questions as she lets out a sigh, leaning on the railing. He had chosen a nice spot to come and stand, as it was a nice overview of the city of Charlotte.

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier. Obviously I screwed up…” He shakes his head no as he takes a long sip of his drink.

“I’m not out here because of what you said. I’m not upset or mad with you, either. I just came out here to get some fresh air for a bit.” She nods her head accepting, though wondered if that was a lie.

“But you were surprised when I made the comment about the Chili Bowl. It was written all over your face.” He then takes a deep breath, knowing that had shown through more than he wanted. it was why they were having this discussion now, and why Samantha approached him afterwards.

“It was the first mention that you made about that decision. I was surprised to hear you say it out loud first rather than to me privately. It doesn’t matter, though, as I’m not mad or upset either way. I told you that if you wanted to run the Chili Bowl, you had my full support.” Sarina remembered that conversation, hoping that’d be the saving grace right now. “I also caught how you mentioned the other decisions that we have to make. Obviously, you haven’t decided about that.”

“My mind still keeps outweighing both sides as I discussed with you, whether it’s the adoption, surrogacy, or the hysterectomy. I can’t fully slap down what I want to do and I don’t want to say something and then regret it partially through the process. Is that fair?” Chase nods his head with a sly smile. He was glad that he saw the reasons why he didn’t want to make any quick haste decisions.

“I’m glad that you’re taking the time to weigh out things. No matter what you decide, it’s going to be a big decisi-”

“Chase, do you think that I should get a hysterectomy?” He then glances at her with a bit of surprise. He hadn’t expected the question to be asked so bluntly.

“It’s your bod-”

“I want your opin-”

“You have to deal with what comes from it, and it’s your body. I feel that the decision should be yours to make.” She shakes her head with a sigh. She wished that these discussions would go simpler with them.

“I appreciate you giving me the freedom to do what I want, but I want your opinion in what I should do, Chase.” He takes a deep breath, remembering his initial thought process, as well as the discussions he had since with both Jimmie and Alan.

“I hate seeing you in pain. I hate watching you in agony every single month. I also remember Dr. Grayson’s words about another pregnancy, the risks that were involved, and why you would not want to repeat the experience – despite everything going fine with Abigail. I remember us both saying in the weeks that followed that we would not be risking it again, but rather focusing on the other options – hence those discu-”

“So are you saying that I should do it?” He looks over at her, taking another deep breath, debating how to say this. He didn’t want to make her feel bad in any way.

“Since we’re not planning on having another baby, obviously you do not need your uterus. So why not kill two birds in one stone, preventing the chance of getting pregnant and handling the pain so you do not have to face it? If it was my decision, then yes, I think you should do it – that is solely my opinion. But it is your body, so it’s your decision as to how you handle things moving forward. That’s why no matter what I believe, I want you to make the decision for yourself.” She glances out over the city, letting out a sigh. She appreciated his opinion as he certainly had several good arguments in relation to everything.

“Do you remember how we both felt when we initially learned that we could not carry a baby full term?” Chase nods his head, as there was no way he could forget the wave of emotions they both experienced in the months that followed. “Then we beat the odds, and we had Abigail. We both said everything happens for a reason and she came to us, Chase. She taught us so much about each other and ourselves, but showed determination pays off. I remember that same very conversation with Dr. Grayson, and I know it didn’t bother me at the time because I have Abigai-”

“We got lucky in many ways that things worked out….” Sarina takes a deep breath, knowing that as they certainly pulled the risks with those nine months.

“I’ve been thinking since, though. They’re always making advances in modern medicine, coming up with ways to do things better and differently. What if somewhere down the road, even five years, we’re able to make it so we can have that second baby without any risks? By having a hysterectomy, we totally close off that opportunity. I’m struggling with doing that – even knowing how much it’ll help me each month.” Chase reaches out and places her hand on top of hers.

“I respect, and understand that, as you could certainly be right about your predictions. I’m glad that you’re weighing that as much as the other side. That’s also why, no matter what decision you choose to make, I will be here for you. I’ll help you through whatever path you choose to go down. I married you because I loved you, and wanted to be with you forever, supporting you through whatever came our way. That hasn’t changed. I love you, Sarina.” He then leans in, and lightly kisses her lips.

“I love you, too, and thank you…” She then moves a little closer so he can wrap both of his arms around her. “I just wish everything could be so much simpler and easier. Oh, and I’m sorry I made you lie to Samantha. I just wasn’t ready to say something right yet.”

“It’s okay, I understand. You can tell her when the time is right, or never tell her at all.”

Thursday, November 28 – Dawsonville, Georgia

Chase and Sarina walk in the front door of his parent’s house, freezing immediately as a smile forms on his face. You could always tell when it was his birthday at their house.

“Is that German Chocolate cake I smell?” He questions once slipping his shoes and jacket off, and making his way to the kitchen. He then walks up behind his mother, taking a swipe of the icing with his finger.

“Chase!!” Cindy immediately lets out, giving him a smack as he laughs. “I just about had this perfect and you ruined it.” He then licks his finger, the smile widening.

“It’s my birthday, so it’s okay, right?” She then gives him a glance.

“Just because it’s your birthday, you’re not getting away with that. Keep your hands to yourself!” Chase looks on a little shocked as she fixes the spot that he messed up before putting the cake in the fridge.

“It’s my birthday, momma. Can’t I have an early taste?” She then shakes her head no. “Not even if I offer cuddle time with your granddaughter?”

“While I will never deny time with Abigail, it’s not happening…” Cindy then easily accepts Abigail from Sarina’s arms. “And you, my dear, are adorable as ever. I hope you’re not learning these ways from your daddy.” She then walks out of the kitchen as Chase stays by the fridge door. “If I hear that door open, even just a crack, I will kick your ass.”

“I think you should cite his full name so he remembers who’s in charge,” Brittany then comments with a smirk as Chase just rolls his eyes. He then offers her a hug, followed by another for Starr. “How’s our favourite superstar keeping?”

“Things are going okay, enjoying a nice quiet break for a change,” he replies back as he watches Cindy and Bill fuss over Abigail. “How did that flight go, by the way?”

“I have so much that I want to tell you from that….” She then pulls up a couple photos on her phone, before detailing some of the highlights.

“Wasn’t she trying to kick your ass last Thanksgiving?” Starr questions as she takes a glance at Sarina, who watches the siblings trade stories together.

“That was the Thanksgiving the year before actually,” Sarina recalls, taking a deep breath. She remembered the events of last year’s thanksgiving, knowing the multiple emotions on the table in relation to Alison and her letters. It was why the siblings had spent time together then. It was a nice change of pace to be able to smile, and not have a single worry over her shoulder.

“This is certainly a much better way to be spending family time…” Sarina smiles, nodding her head in agreement. “Although, if something was to come up, don’t think she’d let you off the hook easily. I’m sure she can go back into badass sister mode in the flip of a switch.”

“I actually don’t mind that side of her now that I’ve gotten to know her…” Starr looks on slightly surprised as she returns her eyes back to the pair.

“She still scares the crap out of me sometimes, even though I love her a bunch. Meanwhile, I don’t think we’re going to get dad and Cindy away from Abigail….” That just made the smile wider on her face as she glanced over in seeing Bill and Cindy spend time with both their granddaughters.

“But isn’t that what Thanksgiving memories are supposed to be about? Spending time with family…” Starr smiles, nodding her head.

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 301: “I feel like we’re that long range missile now.”

“If we had to count every single point, I’d feel like we’re in the trenches. But I feel like we’re a long range missile. We’re still in it, but we’re not hostile.” – Alan Gustafson, November 8

Friday, November 8 –ISM Raceway

Sarina glances over the data from practice, having a small smile on her face. The handling felt good and they had wound up seventh. There had to be something good to come of everything, right?

She then takes a deep breath, hearing a knock on the door. She could only hope this went as smoothly as she envisioned in her mind as she opened the door.

“Hey,” she says, before backing away from the door to allow Christopher to come inside. “Thank you for agreeing to meet me here, by the way.” Christopher slips his shoes off, before sitting down on the couch in the motorcoach. He could only smile as he glanced over to the playpen seeing Abigail passed out.

“Anything that makes a busy weekend like this easier on you and Abigail is fine by me,” Christopher comments, actually not minding her request. It would allow them to talk without being surrounded by a bunch of distractions in other people, or the busyness of the garage area. That was something that they had been missing lately.

“I just wish that my weekend was going as well as yours is going so far. Want to share your speed secrets?” He chuckles, having led the practice session.

“I could, but I kind of want to take the win for myself tomorrow.” She lets out a sigh as she reaches in the fridge, grabbing them both a drink. There was no sense asking as she already knew what Christopher liked when he came over.

“Haven’t you won enough already this year? I mean, you could share…” He shakes his head no as he easily accepts the drink from her.

“Two more wins would just be the perfect send-off before next year.” She wasn’t about to argue about that, having learned a couple weeks ago that he would be racing in the Cup Series for Leavine Family Racing. “Are you going to get mad at me if I beat your hubby next year?”

“You’re dreaming if you think that’s happening, rookie…” He looks over a little surprised as she finally sits down across from him. “So I know that we wanted to have a decision by now as to what I wanted to do this winter, and whether that included some midget racing. But if I’m being honest – I haven’t quite come to a final decision yet.”

“I can respect that, given everything else going on in your life right now. Besides, it doesn’t take long to put an effort together.” She nods her head, already having heard the details behind that in previous stories. “For the record, I am still finalizing my schedule myself anyway. It’s a debate whether I can make some of the races in New Zeala-”

“Christopher Bell, let me remind you that you’re getting married this off-season. Please don’t be putting your racing plans before that wedding. Morgan puts up with a lot from you, but I don’t think she’d let that slide.” He nods his head in agreement as a smile forms on his face. As much as he loved racing, he couldn’t wait until that day.

“Don’t worry – I won’t mess that up. I love Morgan too much to do that to her.” Sarina lets out a sigh, glad that crisis was avoided. “I just hope that you’ll be at the wedding.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything…” Christopher gives her a curious glance, as if he wants to challenge her comment, but bites the tongue for now.

“I can also share with you why Keith is so badly hoping that you will join the squad, though. It seems that his heard is thinning out quicker than he thought. He was ready to make Kyle (Larson) his primary threat for the Chili Bowl, but I don’t know if you have heard but Kyle built his own midget now.” Sarina wasn’t surprised by the news, knowing that Kyle wanted to have more freedom over his own schedule.

“Same as you did with the sprint car….” Christopher nods his head, remembering what all went through his mind before deciding upon that.

“By the way, I still need to get you behind the wheel of that thing.” She looks at him a little surprised as a devious grin forms on his face.

“You know that I won’t turn down anything that has wheels, a steering wheel, and goes fast. You just need to convince my bosses that would be an okay option.” Christopher rubs his hands together, already thinking of offers that he could share with Kelley and Dale.

“That can be arranged, if you would so desire…” She wasn’t about to argue, knowing that he could be persuasive if warranted. “But also, Logan Seavy has now left the team, too. He partnered with Swindell as he felt it was a better fit.”

“Seriously?” Christopher nods his head, having heard the news at the last event that he attended. “Out of everybody, Logan was the last person that I thought would leave Keith – or Keith would let go. Hello potential on a full-time basis!”

“Trust me, I was shocked when Chad (Boat) shared with me that he heard the news. Now, I don’t doubt that Keith will be strong as he always is strong. I mean, you can’t go wrong with Rico Abreu leading your squad into the Chilli Bowl. Michael Kofoid also shows a lot of potential from what I’ve heard with Toyota. But I figured it was fair to lay the ground work before you decide what you’re doing…” Sarina nods her head accepting, as she takes a deep breath.

“First I need to decide if I want to really go racing this off-season, or if I want to savor the time with Chase and Abigail. Perhaps it’d be a good reset and break to think about everything and figure the direction that I want to move forw-”

“Is everything okay?” She nods her head, knowing where his mind went immediately. It seemed everybody still went there when they heard anything about them.

“It’s more so deciding whether I want to adopt or not, surrogate or not, plus a couple other possible things that are related.” She almost wanted to spit out the hysterectomy idea, but didn’t want to divulge into those details right now with Christopher.  She knew that would certainly dictate her decision more than anything else. “But I also love the opportunity to do this, and appreciate both Keith and Chad offering that to me. I also had a lot of fun testing for Keith that day. That’s why it’s such a tough decision to make and I can’t figure what I want to do yet.”

“Well, don’t rush to anything as you deserve the time to think about it. We both know that there’s still time before the Chili Bowl in January, and you don’t necessarily need to run a bunch of events before then. So don’t feel pressured – or allow anyone – to pressure you into deciding sooner. I have faith that you will do what’s right for you, and your family, as you’ve always done that.” Sarina knew that was debatable given her family’s history and her track record, but appreciated the vote of confidence. “But just make sure that I am the first person you call once you decide.”

“How about I make you the second person – right after I tell Chase?” He nods his head, accepting, knowing that was a reasonable compromise.

With the focus on race trim runs for the first session and having decent success there, Alan switched to qualifying trim in the second session.

“Balance is pretty decent,” Chase offered over the radio, pleased with how everything felt and knowing they had good potential based on that to contend for the pole.

The session overall went well, with both driver and crew chief, and the speed chart seemingly agreed for once as he led the session.

“I told you that we were heading in the right direction,” Alan comments, to which Chase nods his head in agreement following the session as they walk back to the trailer together. “Really, I feel good about our position this weekend. We’ve always ran good here. Out of all the tracks on the schedule, this is one of those that I believe is better to handle for a semi-final, than say Texas.”

“I’m not going argue,” Chase replies as they enter the trailer, remembering the struggles of last week. That just brought a sigh from him as he could only think back to the mistake. But he couldn’t think about that any longer – he needed to focus on the two days ahead of him.

“If we had to count every single point, I’d feel like we’re in the trenches. But I feel like we’re that long range missile now – we’re still in, but we’re not hostile. We can just focus on our task, not carrying about the little other wars that are going on.” Chase then sits down on the couch, as he thinks over the crew chief’s theory.

“In other words, you’d rather be in this position rather than Kansas?” Alan freezes, realizing where Chase was going with the question.

“Counting points can be so stressful and one minute you’re in, next minute you’re out. it’s just a mess of emotions. Now, we know what we need to do – win or bust. So we can focus on that, simply, whether it’s the handling of the car, or the strategy that we pull on Sunday.” Chase nods his head, easily willing to accept that. He knew by those words that they may be taking some chances late in the race if necessary.

“Let’s do what we need to do, take some chances if we must, but also play it smart. We have a really good car. We don’t need to do something stupid this week.” Alan sits down beside him, knowing that the comment easily took them both back through the past couple of weeks.

“I think we’ve used our tank of stupid things for the rest of the season…” Chase admittedly chuckles a little, even if it wasn’t the best thought to have. “So I think we’re going to go close to what you ran the second run, with a sprinkle of the adjustment that I gave you the last run.”

“That sounds fine by me, as long as the track conditions agree to that.” Alan points to the engineers, who already had their laptops out, analyzing data in relation to weather today and the predicted forecast tomorrow. “And we can make the necessary adjustments to be okay for the start of the race Sunday? I don’t want to qualify really well, and then fall back like a rock.”

“Everything is close together, adjustment-wise, when we compare both sessions together. it’s just about having the tape in certain spots, plus everything warmed up and the quick hit on the tires. I have no doubt that you will be able to maintain the pace.” Chase nods his head, glad that the crew chief and his team had thought of everything that was coming to his mind. It just gave him more confidence moving forward. “You know, if you want to head back, you can. I’ve gathered all of the information that I need from you.”

“I know….” Chase then picks up the tablet off of the table. “I just want to go over some data myself – see what lines everybody is running compared to what I am doing, perhaps see if I can improve even just a touch.” He checks who was quickest on the leaderboard in both sessions, whether qualifying trim or over a consistent race run, before beginning to load various videos to watch. “I also wanted to ask you a question, actually. I wanted your opinion on something.”

“You know that you can always talk to me about everything.” Chase takes a deep breath, remembering the conversation with Sarina.

“Sarina came to me the other night with an idea. She read Dale’s book, along with a couple others, and saw how they turned their stories into positives. She also enjoys inspiring people with her story from the events that she does with Samantha. She is thinking about writing a book.” The comment catches the attention of various people in the room.

“Like a tell-all book?” Chase nods his head, knowing that she had specified those words. “So she’d talk about the pregnancy, and everything that she went through to have Abigail.”

“She’d also talk about her family’s history, how she got to this point, and other things that we’ve been through. Basically, clear up any suspicions that people have while potentially inspiring others who may be going through similar circumstances. She’s gone so far to talk to Dale and get his thoughts on why he wrote his book, and what he thought about her own idea.” Alan was surprised to hear that Sarina would go that far, knowing that she normally wasn’t the type to share her inner feelings and emotions.

“Did Dale point her in any particular direction?” Chase thinks back to their conversation, trying to remember everything that Sarina told him.

“He shared some of his own experience, and really brought it more in the open for her. is she really willing to go back and relive everything? He then suggested to maybe start doing it in a notebook and see where it went, or perhaps talk it over with me or someone else to really explore the idea of doing it.” Alan nods his head, knowing that there was a reason why Chase was bringing everything up right now.

“I’m going to guess that you’re not so keen on the idea….” Chase bit his tongue, as he knew it put them in a tough spot. He wanted to support her dreams and endeavors, but also had his own reservations. Would that cause friction moving forward?

“I have no problem about her talking about the pregnancy struggles, Abigail, everything – we’ve already done that. I fully support her doing that as it’s been great to see the people that she and Samantha have inspired by sharing their journey. I also don’t have a problem with her sharing how she chose the road that she’s on, because that’s her story to tell; it doesn’t involve me. But when it comes to Alison and Carter, I would rather leave that alone.” Alan wasn’t about to argue with his driver, knowing how sensitive both of those topics were.

“Have you expressed those concerns with Sarina?” Chase glances down, to which Alan already knew the answer. “Ah, so that’s why you wanted to ask me. You wanted to see my opinion on the matter.”

“Is that okay?” Alan takes a deep breath, setting his laptop aside as he knew this piece of advice may critical moving forward.

“The way that I feel about those details being revealed, and the way you feel are totally two different things. Everybody’s opinion varies, and no opinion is more right than another. Though I can respect you having the opinion that you do based on what you’ve been through. That’s why I feel if you were to speak with Sarina about this, I think she would understand why you’d prefer her not to say anything, having witnessed firsthand what you’ve both been through. You both keep harping on trust and honesty from your sessions with Jane, and building upon that to finally get to where you want to be. There’s only one way to do that – by taking a step in that direction, and sharing your opinion with her, no matter how hard it may seem. You may argue a little, but I know how much you both love each other. I know she cares about your feelings just as much as her own, and I can see you both finding a common ground. However, if you don’t say anything, then you can’t yell or throw a fit later.”

“I feel like I’m taking a shot at her dream, though….” Alan places a hand on Chase’s leg.

“What’s worst? Taking a shot at her dream, or watching something get revealed that you don’t want to see revealed? That’s something to think about, too.”

Alan then turns back to his laptop, going through the notes. Though he couldn’t help but glance over at Chase a couple times to see if he was thinking through everything he was told today.

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 295: Kansas Lottery 300

Saturday, October 19 – Kansas Speedway

Sarina glances out towards the track, watching each of the Cup cars made their qualifying laps. Overall, she had a smile on her face as she had qualified 10^th – nothing too overly great, but she could work with that.

She then takes a deep breath, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to stay and watch Chase lay down his lap with having to attend the driver’s meeting ahead of that afternoon’s race. Shifting Abigail in her arms, she turns on her feet and heads towards the garage area.

“Beep beep…” She hears behind her, feeling a bump into the back of her legs. She then chuckles, as she glances back to see Christopher.

“Abigail, I think we should revoke his  driver’s license,” she comments to which Christopher now joins in the chuckling. “He don’t know how to drive.”

“I think the scoring pylon would differ madam.” She then rolls her eyes, knowing that he had started on the pole. “That’s actually why I came to see you. I thought maybe you could use a gift.”

“Nah, I think you should keep it as you look cute riding it around.” She gives him a wink as he just rolls his eyes in return. “Seriously, though, I kept the one that I got when I won the pole here so Abigail already has her own wheels.”

“I thought I saw Brexton riding that arou-”

“He rode it around that weekend, but we always kept it. He’d ride it when he came over to visit, but I always intended to keep it for my child when the time was right.” Christopher smiles as it was a touching story to hear.

“I’ve told you this before, but I’ll tell you again – I’m glad that everything worked out for you, from Chase to being able to have Abigail. You both deserve it – even if I wanted to kill him a couple times.” Sarina chuckles, remembering some of Christopher’s comments while they were teammates.

“Do you remember when you raided his hospital room with Kyle?” Christopher laughs, as he remembered the bickering through the group, combined with the shocked faces of Ricky and Chase.

“I think Ricky was ready to kill us.” Sarina laughs even more, nodding her head in agreement. “Are you sure you don’t want a spare?”

“No, because I think you should keep it. You never know. Maybe one day you’ll have a good use for it.” Christopher smiles as he caught the reference right away from her. To be honest, children wasn’t something that had crossed his mind much with his focus on racing right now.

“By the way, have you thought about Chad’s offer?” She then takes a deep breath, remembering their conversation in relation to the midget. She wished she had an answer as she hated to leave everyone in limbo, but what else was she supposed to say?

“I haven’t really had a chance to think about it with everything else going on. I also know that I don’t want to racing too much this winter as I want to take the time to enjoy with my daughter and Chase, relaxed.” Christopher nods his head, understanding. “But I do want to run a couple events, and I want to figure out the best way to do that. So I’ll give it some thought and let you know as soon as I know.”

“That’s a deal and Sarina, take your time. Chad will always have that ride for you whenever.”

Just as they had believed, the NAPA Chevrolet had decent speed in it and was going to give them a solid run. Nothing special, but certainly 14^th was something to work with in knowing the confidence they had in race conditions.

“So, do you want to give me an update on this past week?” Alan questions, catching Chase’s attention. He had already changed out of his firesuit, and was slipping his shoes on.

“Why is it every weekend you decide to have this conversation with me at this time?” Chase wonders to which Alan looks over with a small smile. Did there have to be a reason?

“Because I care about you, and I want the best for you, and I worry about you. Is that a crime?” Chase shakes his head no, as he appreciated the friendship they had together.

“With all due respect, Alan, you do not have to worry about me. I am okay. I will be fine.” Alan nods his head, as he believed in his driver’s words and had seen the progress thus far.

“So then how’s things going in that regard with Sarina and Jane?” Chase had hoped to escape conversation by erasing any reason for concerns.

“Things are going good. She knows everything about my feelings now – from the my darkest pain, to my regrets, to what I felt and saw. I have found a way to tell her absolutely everything that I’m dealing with. In return, she appreciated that as she said it was nice to hear the honesty in wanting to share, and she believes that it’ll be for the best because we can help each other. Jane also agreed with those sentiments.” Alan was glad to see the positive progress, rather than whines of being stuck somewhere like other weeks.

“So where do you and Sarina go from here?” Chase takes a deep breath, almost asking himself that question. He knew last night’s discussion probably took a couple steps in the opposite direction.

“It’s all about working through our pain. It’s all about finding our own way, together and separately, to overcome what we’re going through. How do you ease that pain? How do you move forward? how do you get rid of the nightmares? How do you feel in total control, safe, and not tormented by memories anymore? It’s just like every other time that we’ve been throu-”

“But yet different, because something happened to both of you, something traumatic that should have never happened. It goes beyond what happened to Sarina before due to touching a whole new level. For you, it’s that combined with everything you knew from Alison and more. So therefore, it’s going to take more time than usual…” Chase hated to hear that, as he wanted to be over this already. It had been months already. Why were they still having these discussions?

“I just wish it was over already – but you’re probably right about that as much as I hate it. I’m doing what I can, trying to explore different ideas. I know Sarina is doing the same as she’s trying some of the strategies that Jane shared. We’re getting there, actually almost there. It’s just those little pieces that remain that you wish would go away.” Chase goes to stand up to leave, having fully gotten ready, when he’s stopped by a hand on his.

“You’re never fully going to forget what happened. whether you like it or not, that is with you forever. As Sarina has said so many times, the experiences she went through as a teenager, through those years, shaped who she is today. That’s the same with you in what you’ve been through these past couple years. it’s engrained in you. Sure, you’ll find a way to function and handle emotions – but it’s always part of you.” Chase nods his head, having heard that before.

“I know, hence possibly not trusting as easy and watching over my back more. I just want to reach that point where I can go through a day, then a week, then a month without it bothering me at all. That’s all I want, Alan…”

Through the beginning laps of the event, Sarina was able to keep herself in contention, running inside the top-10 solidly. A mid-stage restart worked to her advantage, as she’d make the right moves en route to finishing the stage third.

“The rear of the car was edgy at the start,” she comments under the yellow flag, which Chase could see based on her not immediately making up the ground. “I think I can handle it – just make whatever changes you feel we need to keep up with the track.”

“You also can’t be conservative because you know Cole and Christopher are going to keep up with their cars,” he says to himself, hoping their approach paid off.

Though things would hit a snag as she came down pit road, overshooting the entry to her stall. As a result, she lost the track position that she gained, coming off pit road in 11^th.

“My mistake there,” she immediately admits over the radio. “I was just trying to get all that I could get.”

Chase takes a deep breath, thinking back to the conversation that he and Alan had on Friday. You wanted to be aggressive in the playoffs, but not to where you got yourself in trouble. He just hoped that Sarina was smart in her approach moving forward to make up the lost ground.

She would begin to make up a little ground, barely squeezing by an incident between Austin Cindric and Harrison Burton with 20 laps to go in the stage.

“Did Austin just dump him for no reason?” Chase questions, immediate shock written over his face.

“Austin mentioned on his radio he was getting frustrated with Harrison running the middle of the track,” Cory Shea answers as he glances over his own notes on the pit box. “Guess he took care of that quickly.”

“Little extreme…..” Chase could only shake his head, as he hoped Harrison showed his displeasure with Austin knowing he deserved it. However, Harrison was the quiet kid so that was probably unlikely.

Sarina would continue to move her way forward through the rest of the stage, making her way back up to sixth by the end of stage two.

With a couple more adjustments, there was hope of returning to the top-five – however, she ultimately ended up stuck in sixth to start the last stage. Trying to push the envelope a little and gain some ground, it wouldn’t quite work out with her getting into the wall.

“Got to pit here,” she reports shortly thereafter on the radio. “Got a tire rub, probably going down soon.”

“Pit next time by,” Dave Elenz tells her without a drop of hesitation in his voice. What other choice did they have?

“I knew it…” He comments to himself, knowing that the overaggressive nature that she was taking today was going to get her in trouble. It had done that to her before, in both trucks and Xfinity; they even ran into that issue in late models. It seemed each person she worked with tried to advise her to do different, but yet here they were again. Why hadn’t she learned?

She would make her way down pit road on Lap 125, taking four tires, as they hoped the pit cycle would be able to be done fully so she’d cycle back on the lead lap. However, that wasn’t the case, with the caution coming out 20 laps later for Michael Annett getting into the wall.

“Going to take the wavearound here….” Dave tells her, knowing that was the only chance at making up any of the lost ground they had suffered.

The crew chief’s strategy would work as she was able to keep herself on the lead lap until the caution came out with 37 laps to go for John Hunter Nemechek going around. She would make her way down pit road, taking four tires, set to restart 10^th and make up the lost ground.

Shortly after the restart, she would begin to make her way forward, working her way up to fourth by the time the caution came out for Christopher and Chase Briscoe tangling up together with the lap car of Garrett Smithley.

“Are you serious?” Chase questions as he shakes his head in disbelief on the pit box. “Are you flipping kidding me? Stupid, stupid, holy stupid…”

“You’d think he would’ve learned by now,” Cory comments, in reference to Garrett’s incident earlier this season with Kyle Busch.

“He’s not just one lap down, but multiple laps down, and he’s running in the middle of the track, not even caring that he’s blocking and driving like an idiot around the leaders. Do you realize how frustrating that is as a driver?” Cory nods his head, having heard that a bunch of times with working in the business.

The ensuing restart would lead chaos, with Cole Custer and Tyler Reddick making contact, as both Brandon Jones and Sarina went for the lead at the same time to make the battle four-wide.

“Holy shit!” Chase lets out as he watches in pure amazement, as Brandon begins to surge ahead of the field. “Come on Sarina!!”

“Flat left rear…” She comments on the radio, which obviously probably came from the contact in the process of that. “Flat left rear…”

“Come to us if you need to, but try to hold on here…” Dave tells her, to which caused Chase’s nerves to peak immediately. He would rather them play it safe than sorry and her pit, rather than watching her take down a wall if that tire were to go out.

Thankfully, they’d catch a lucky break with the caution coming out, allowing Sarina to come down under the yellow flag for a tire change. Restarting tail of the lead lap, she would make her way back up to 13^th by the checkered flag.

“Good job fighting hard all day long,” Chase comments as he walks over, offering a hug as he saw the disappointment on her face. He wanted to go into scolding mode about being over aggressive, but felt bad by the sadness on her face that he kept his mouth shut. He could always make that suggestion later, right? “Despite everything thrown your way, you just kept fighting for every inch out there. You showed your strength behind the wheel. I’m proud of you.”

“It’s a lot better than throwing a tantrum or getting mad or giving up – as we’ve seen in the past,” Dave adds, to which Sarina had to smile a little. She was certainly making progress in the character department, even if she felt her racing pedigree lacked some.

“I know we have to get after it these couple of weeks if we want a chance at being in that Championship 4,” she starts. “I also knew starting up from there late that I had to do whatever possible – because damn it, I want to give this team the win they deserve. I also want to be part of the foursome. I went for a hole, and unfortunately it didn’t quite work out.” As Chase had thought, the focus on trying to do everything led to being overaggressive.

“Hey, if it would’ve worked out, you would’ve looked like a hero and we would’ve been golden. I give you all the credit for trying to make that move. Let’s take the positives from today, and focus on the next two weeks. They’re both good tracks for you. We can make this happen.” She nods her head in agreement, knowing that was going to be the number one focus.

“That’s the plan, sir….” She then glances down pit road, seeing the circle surrounding Tyler Reddick’s car. “Did something happen after their contact?”

“Cole went down to ask what happened, and as the drivers were discussing, an SHR crew member laid a hand on Tyler,” Chase starts, having watched the drama as Sarina and Dave were talking. “Let’s just say that it started a brawl with everybody in it.”

“Tyler may not be that big of a boy, but he’s damn feisty and can hold his own.” Chase couldn’t argue with her based on the action that he had just witnessed. “Besides, Cole deserves someone to give him a lesson or two.”

The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina’s Story – Chapter 293: 1001bulbs.com 500

Sunday, October 13 – Talladega Superspeedway

Starting up front, everything kicked off as warranted for Chase Elliott and team as he was able to keep himself in the thick of the battle for the lead, including pacing several laps before the field.

Though as the stage came to a conclusion, he would try to keep running the bottom with his train in tow, but it wouldn’t work out. The others were able to get a run, ultimately resulting in him fading back to finish 18^th at the end of the first stage.

With the game plan focused on the next stage, and now knowing the way the dynamics were going, they knew they were right capable of making their way back forward. However, the race would not go back green as a result of rain falling.

“Even though we did not get the finish we wanted, you’re still happy with the car?” Alan questions on pit road under the delay, to which he earns a nod of the head in return.

“I didn’t think the bottom was just going to fizzle out there,” he concludes to which Alan wasn’t about to argue in seeing how the lines were moving. “I thought we had something rolling good and were fine where we were.”

“I thought so, but then guys started messing around partially back and boom – you lose momentum. The Fords just got it rolling there with some Toyotas mixed in and whoops, there they go.” Chase crosses his arms, glancing up pit road as he watches the Team Penske teammates talk with each other.

“It’s going to be critical when we get up there to break them apart. They’re so strong together, I don’t even know how they are able to do it sometimes. I mean, we’ve been real strong at times – myself and Alex and Jimmie, and then when we worked with JGR the one season. But it just seems there’s magic there with those three.” Alan follows Chase’s lead in looking down pit road to where they stood together.

“When you put three of the best at drafting and creating runs together, you are going to get magic. Unfortunately, I would not put Alex and William in the same skill set. Sometimes I’d even say the same about Jimmie as he’s made critical mistakes.” Chase lets out a sigh, trying to form some sort of strategy moving forward. “We just need to stick to the plan – as annoying as that may be at times. It was working at Daytona, it worked at Talladega, and we made it work last year. We just need to do it again.”

“I believe in my team, and I believe in those who I am working with. We just need to also make sure we’re putting ourselves in the right place at the right time.” Chase takes a long sip of his Gatorade as he looks over at Alan. “Stage 1 lesson learned. We know what to watch for near the end here now.”

As the rain continued to fall outside, the pair cuddled up together lying in the bed. It was almost calming hearing the drops on the roof of the motorcoach.

“Has NASCAR said anything yet?” Sarina questions, to which Chase shakes his head no. He knew if there had been some sort of announcement, he would have been alerted on his phone by someone.

“She looks so cute when she’s sleeping,” Chase comments, in reference to Abigail who was sleeping in her crib. It was actually nice to have this break here in enjoying the afternoon nap time together.

“Do you want to take bets as to what she’s dreaming about?” Chase chuckles, shaking his head no. He could only imagine what went through her mind with the crazy world that they were dealt.

“All I know is that no matter what those dreams are, I am going to do whatever it takes to make them come true. She deserves it…” Sarina glances over with a smile, though immediately sees through the comment with a look into Chase’s eyes. She knew there was more on his mind. “Do you remember when she was born, how small she was, and all those days that we spent at the hospital?”

“Uh, how could I forget those days? It was torture just waiting for the time that I’d get to take her home, hold her in my arms, and take care of her. I was so worried about her.” Chase scoots a little closer to Sarina, if even possible, as he takes a deep breath. It would be better to just directly approach it, but he knew he could not do that.

“The first words out of my mouth were I would do anything to protect my girls – you, and her. I didn’t care what it took, but I swore to do that. I didn’t want her to go through everything that we’d been through, or for you to suffer any more pain. I wanted this chapter of your life to be perfect.” Sarina nods her head, remembering that very discussion in the hospital hallway. “I know you’ve told me this so many times that it’s like a broken record, but I feel that I let you down. I know what you’ve said – I couldn’t be there due to circumstances out of my control, it was the perfect set-up, it’s not your fault – but I can’t let go of that fact. It’s a regret that I can’t shake no matter what.”

“Chase…..” She then reaches over, brushing her fingers across his cheek. “I am going to be okay. We’re going to get through this. You don’t need to let yourself suffer more because of me….”

“I know, my brain knows what you’re saying – but my heart still feels broken and full of that regret. Every time I hear you talk about your feelings, every time I hear those tears or nightmares, it brings that feeling back to me. Now, that said, please do not stop sharing all that with me as I want to help you – as much as you want to help me because we do work better as a team.” She nods her head, easily understanding.

“You’ve been my hero through everything, even if you haven’t been as perfect as you would’ve hoped. You couldn’t be there, but you’ve been my hero in being here for me. You’ve helped me move forward from what happened, held me, understood me, been there as a comforting block. But beyond that, you’re my hero because you have helped me turn into the person that I am today with your love and understanding and compassion.” Chase smiles as he had heard the speech before, but it never got old. He could still remember some of the difficult beginnings.

“I always knew there was a shining star underneath everything…” He then brushes a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. “I love you, and it almost hurts me more sometimes to see you hurting than myself. I know what I can withstand and handle. I know I can get through that. But seeing you battle that, it hurts more because of how much I love and worry about you. Maybe that’s why I’ve been tender and light how I’ve handled this. Maybe that’s why I haven’t told you about this until now.”

“You realize that it means the world that you’re sharing this with me, right? It certainly helps me understand where you are coming from.” She then takes a deep breath. “That said, I don’t want you to think anything less of yourself because Chase, you are still the absolutely amazing great guy that I fell in love with. You’re also still the awesome guy that I was able to say that I’d love forever and marry – just a little stronger, perhaps. I guess what I’m saying goes back to what Jane said. I don’t want you to feel any less about us, yourself, or everything moving forward. I don’t want you to hold back because you don’t feel that you deserve this. Darling, you deserve every bit of it and more because of everything that you’ve done for me.” She then leans in, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. “I love you, I have always loved you, and I will always love you for as long as I am alive.”

“I love you, too…” He then reshares the kiss back to her, as their fingers intertwine together. “And I also promise to not back down on that promise. I mean it when I say that I am going to protect you and Abigail – no matter what.”

“I appreciate my knight in shining armor, but Chase, always know that I will try to do the same for you in return because I don’t want to lose this…” She then glances down at the bed, taking a deep breath. “I know that I can’t stand to lose this. I’ve ran, and it broke me more apart than I could imagine. No matter how much pain it can be sometimes together, I know it’s worse apart.”

“Well, I won’t go running if you don’t go running….” She looks back up at him with a smile on her face. “And I’ll keep reminding myself of what you’ve said, what Alan has said. I know it’s not my fault but…” He pauses, taking a long deep breath. “I just still totally hate that it happened. I know what the feeling close to it is like, and I wouldn’t wish that upon anybody. So for you to go through what you did, I can’t express what I feel about it in words. I just know that I want to be here for you, and help you…”

“Chase, you’re doing everything that you need to already – by being here, sharing your feelings, allowing me to lean on you when I need you, and helping us both take the necessary steps. We’re going to be okay.” They both then hear his phone go off as he picks it up, reading the message from Alan.

“We’re going racing tomorrow morning. She’s called.” Sarina takes his phone from his hand, placing it back on the table as she intertwines their fingers once again.

“Good, because I wouldn’t mind staying like this all afternoon long….” They then hear a small cry from the crib, both glancing that way immediately. “Or not, but I suppose we can allow her to cuddle with us, too.”

Monday, October 14 – Talladega Superspeedway

The second stage would start off as they hoped – all four Hendrick Motorsports cars up front, with Chase and Alex each having a turn at pacing the field as they tried to hold off the Team Penske trio.

As it got late in the second stage, the slicing and dicing just continued to grow, with Sarina’s tapping her foot even more as she watched Chase go from bottom leading to stuck in the middle with four laps to go.

As they came around for three to go, you could just see the anticipation growing as Alex charged by Chase on the bottom, with Joey getting a run on the top side. Both of them would get by coming off turn two, as Sarina tried to focus on a couple deep breathes to keep herself calm.

Then it happened – as she should have come to expect at these tracks.

“Fuck!” She lets out immediately, in watching Alex go spinning down the track, following the slightest contact from Joey in the rear bumper as they battled for the lead.

Chase, a couple car lengths behind, tried to go down to avoid in seeing what was happening up top – though Alex then came back sliding across the track. He would look to avoid, with a slight tap from Jimmie causing him to go sideways. He then slid towards the bottom, appearing to almost out of harm’s way – before late contact from Martin Truex Jr. damaged the right rear fender significantly.

“Are you kidding me?!?” Sarina questions, shaking her head immediately in seeing all the tore up metal, even more shocked with both Jimmie and Alex being done as a result. “Seriously? Are you kidding me? Fucking Logano!”

“Hit hard left rear, but don’t think it’s killed,” Chase reports back over the radio as he begins to make his way back to pit road.

“Get some hammers!” Alan yells down to the crew as he watches Chase make his way down pit road. “Let’s go!” As soon as the No. 9 Chevrolet rolls to a stop in the stall, the crew goes to work, knocking the right side fenders out, trying to reshape the rear of the car as Tyler Semke grabs the sheets of bare bond.

“Had the damn thing completely missed and it did a 360 on me. I was just trying to keep it down in the grass.” Sarina could only shake her head as she saw the damage.

“Copy, it’s not that terrible…” She then watches him roll off pit road, actually a little surprised. Perhaps they were going to be fine after all.

“That’ll be the next trivia,” Tyler Semke comments as he puts the tools away below them. “How much barebond is used?” She had to chuckle, though admired the effort by the team.

Despite concerns over the car, the crew was able to make enough repairs that Chase was able to keep up with the draft, even beginning to make up some ground. As he got through the traffic in the late stages, they’d begin to crash once again ahead of him – but this time, he was able to make it through.

“We’re all good my friend,” he reports back after getting by the wreck, to which Sarina let out a sigh. “We just need some tires.”

Chase would continue to make up ground in the late stages, ultimately crossing the finish line with a eighth-place finish.

“Way to keep fighting all day!” Alan says as he walks over, immediately offering a high-five to his driver. “It wasn’t the day that we initially wanted, but we salvaged a pretty good finish out of it.”

“Are we still okay in the playoffs?” Chase wonders, to which Alan lets out a sigh. He knew under his format, anything was possible – and the points gap didn’t have him totally comfortable.

“Listen, we came out of here much better than we both probably thought after that first wreck – so that’s progress. We can at least fight for something at Kansas, rather than being totally screwed. You’ve got about 22 points to find.” Chase thought it over, knowing that was easily possible, but of course would be a challenge as the competition would have to falter slightly.

“How about we just focus on winning and not having to do any math?” Alan smiles, nodding his head in return, as he knew that’d be less stressful and easier for everybody involved.

“We’ve gotten to this point. We just need to keep the momentum rolling. I believe in you, and this team. We can do this, Chase.”

Friday, October 18 – Kansas Superspeedway

Sarina climbs out of the car, glancing up at the scoreboard. Ninth quickest wasn’t too shabby considering that she wasn’t totally happy with the handling of the car yet. She knew a couple more adjustments in the second session and they’d be fine.

She then walks out of the garage stall, knowing that she had to meet up with Chase and get Abigail, before retreating back to the hauler for the post-practice debrief with her teammates, and then her team. While it had been considered an interesting process by many pre-season, it had simply become routine by this point in the year; it just happened like clockwork.

“Sarina!” She hears her name being called, smiling as she recognized the voice immediately. However, she didn’t need this distraction right now.

“Are you trying to distract me, Christopher?” She questions as he catches back up with her.

“I don’t think that I need to do that as I’m already quicker than you….” She then rolls her eyes, having seen that he led the session ahead of Tyler.

“Maybe you’re worried that I am going to get quicker than you.” He could only laugh back in response.

“Good try, but I actually have a serious question. Have you thought about Keith’s offer?” The fact they were having this discussion didn’t surprise her as it seems you could not keep secrets in racing.

“Now Christopher, you’re checking up on your competition….” He then lets out a sigh, knowing that she was making this more difficult than it needed to be. “Are you worried that I am going to beat you?”

“I think we both know who the master in the midget is.” She had to smile as she had always admired his talent behind the wheel.

“Perhaps that may change as I do recall being very impressive for being a beginn-”

“Can you just answer my question?” She then stops as she looks over at him, knowing that she did need to deal with this quickly.

“I spoke to Keith this past week about accepting the offer and possibly running some events through December and January, so I don’t get bored. He accepted and said that we would discuss the schedule come December.” Christopher could only laugh, as he knew that both her and Chase could not go a winter without some racing in their lives.

“Before you go making plans with him, I want you to come have a meeting with myself and Chad. I think it’d be in your benefit actually.” She then glances at him a little confused. Where was this coming from? “Karsyn, myself, and Chad under one boat. Doesn’t it sound perfect? I mean, after all, I do miss being teammates with you.”