Fast Track

Chapter Fifteen

Jeb's POV

My head was still spinning from today's events. Anger at Christopher and his actions today still tugged at my temper, making me want to hunt him down and continue the beating that he deserved. But mostly, I just felt as if I was dreaming. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would walk out of JGR today with more than a contract as a temp driver for the team. Never did I think that today would lead to me signing page after page of new driver contracts and working with the media coordinator on the image that JGR wanted to portray of me. The upside of all of it was that the media coordinator and my girlfriend were one in the same.

Addie and I had worked on scheduling all the new promo photos, contacting all of the 20's sponsors and telling them about the change in driver. We'd even found the time to talk about how we were going to combat the issue of the rumors that were bound to fly once she and I came out as a couple, finally agreeing that the sooner we came out, the better. Much to my surprise, Joe had agreed, saying that it was best for my image and that of Addie's to get ahead of anything before the press had a chance to spin things in their favor.

Which leads me to now, Addie and I sitting on the couch in her grandfather's office scrolling through our phones looking for the perfect photo to share on our various social media accounts. She had come on her phone that was more candid than other, some of us wrapped in each other's arms from her time at my place. I had a couple from the day she first met my parents and some that weren't suitable for social media. Ultimately, it was a photo that Addie had snagged from a photographer from the banquet where she and I had met that we ended up choosing. In the photo, Addie and I had been caught out on the balcony, her back pressed against the stucco of the building while I stood close, my arm over her head as I leaned in. There weren't many details from that night that I didn't remember but this was one of them. I remembered pressing her against the stucco but I don't remember standing like this over her. The pose spoke volumes of us. It showed the chemistry that had been there from the beginning. And even from a distance, I could see the evidence of my lust for her and her's for me in the way we held ourselves.

"It was just before you leaned in and kissed me. Just before you and I decided to head up to your room." explained Addie, keeping her voice low on the last part as she snuggled tighter into my side.

"So much happened that night that led to all the changes in my life. I meant it when I said earlier that meeting you was the best thing to ever happen to me." I said, placing a kiss on the top of her head as I wrapped an arm around her protectively.. I chanced a glance over at Joe who was sitting at his desk and noticed a smile on his face. I'd thought that I'd kept my voice low enough for only Addie to hear but apparently the older man's sense of hearing hadn't been one of the things that had been dulled in the slightest because of his age. Which only made me wonder if he had heard what Addie said prior.

"Gibbs women are known for that." he said as he glanced at a photo on his desk. "They are known to knock you off your feet when you least expect it. They are known to make you want to do things that you never considered before. They love hard and unconditionally, making you fall even harder than you ever thought possible. Hope you're ready for this ride, son. Because now that you know what it's like to have a Gibbs girl in your life, you will forever wonder how you ever thought you were in love with anyone else."

Joe's words were nothing but the truth. Since meeting Addie, I can't count the times that I have compared the feelings that I have for her –even before I was even ready to admit them to myself– to every other woman that had been in my life. Mama had said something a long time ago that I'd ignored but now her words popped back into my mind as fresh as if she had just spoken them, reminding me that no matter what, mama was the wisest of all. "People have three big loves in their life. The first one is usually that first love, the one that opened them up to what it feels like to love someone for the first time. That first love is hard but not as hard as the second. The second almost always ended up changing you as a person because as much as you thought you felt, it wasn't true love. It made you put walls up around your heart and made you wary of those that you allowed to get close. But that third love? That's the love that you know from the minute that you meet that person that your life is forever changed. That's the can't eat, can't' sleep, shoot-for-the-stars type of love that some never get the chance to experience. Which is sad because everyone should know how great it feels to have met the other half of your soul."

At the time, mama had simply been trying to comfort me after the nasty breakup with Brandy that had then flowed into an even nastier divorce –at least in the beginning– but looking back now, I couldn't help but wonder if mama had channeled her inner Yoda ways and saw what my future had in store. Even if that was the case, there was no way that she had been able to predict what all was about to happen for me. There was no way that she could have predicted that I would meet a woman that I couldn't stand to be without. There is no way that she saw the opportunities that I was given since meeting Addie.

"I'm more than ready, sir." I said, giving Joe a look, silently telling him that if things worked out like I wanted them to, Addie would be in my life for the duration.

"Glad to hear it." said Joe, a soft smile coming to his face just before he turned serious again. "I know that it goes without being said but you should know that Coy would be so proud to know that there was a man in Addie's life that loved her and cared about her. What you did today, defending the honor of my son and that of my granddaughter speaks volumes for the upbringing that Ward and Tabitha gave you. You should both be proud of the man that they raised. Not because of the talent he has behind the wheel of a car but because of the heart and the morals that he has."

"I'll be sure to tell them." I said, my voice cracking at the high praise from Joe.

"You can tell them at the press release in a few days. They need to be there to see you officially step into the spot as the lead driver for the 20, as does Jeff, Kim, and anyone else that you want to invite." Joe said.

Addie's POV

With the press release scheduled for a couple of days away and all my work caught up, I had some time to just spend with Jeb. While we both could have gone back to my place and been happy just spending time with one another, I missed Brownie and I knew that Jeb missed home. So after leaving JGR, we went back to my place long enough for me to grab some clothes and then headed to Virginia.