If You Could See Me Now

15

Ryan woke up to no one in the bed with him and no sound coming from anything. He got up slowly and noticed Luke's pack-and-play empty so he went out and looked into the living room to see Luke and Maddy sound asleep in one of the recliners.

He chuckled a little and shook his head, taking a quick picture before he got the dog and took him for a walk.

When Lukas woke up, Ryan was just getting back from the walk and let Sturgill off his leash.

"Dada," the little one mumbled, reaching up for him as he came over.

"Hey, little man. I think Chase is outside, wanna go say hi?" He asked, patting the boy's back as he snuggled up.

Lukas didn't give him an answer as he walked out of the bus to the already hot morning.

"Thought I saw you out here," Ryan said as he saw Chase and his girlfriend outside.

"Hey man," Chase said as he looked up to see Ryan.

"You guys hear that storm last night?"

"Yeah. Shook the bus a few times. Woke her up and she sleeps through everything," he chuckled.

"It woke him up a few times. He usually sleeps through everything too," he said as he pat Luke's back, "He must've woke Maddy up again. I found them asleep in the recliner this morning, not in bed,"

"It's very different in the bus," Chase's girlfriend, Bailey, told them all.

"I'll give you that," Ryan nodded, "He's not used to it. And if we end up together, we're gonna have to get a new bus. He needs his own area,"

"You think that's gonna happen?" Chase asked.

"I would propose to her right now. But after Derek, I don't know how she feels about marriage again," he said as he set Lukas down.

"That's something you'll have to ask her," he nodded, "it wouldn't necessarily be a bad conversation to have,"

"Dada," Lukas whined, wanting to just be held again.

"Okay buddy, I got ya," he said as he lifted him again, "I don't even know how to approach that conversation,"

"I mean you're basically a family already. Her kids calling you dad, she's already at every race she can be and with you as long as she can be. Have you guys talked about moving in together?" He asked as they all sat in the lawn chairs outside the number 9 drivers bus.

"Not yet, but any time we are together, I'm sleeping with her or she's sleeping with me. It's almost like it's normal and it's been like that since he got sick after Pocono,"

"Not to mention how fast you were out of here when he got sick again," he pointed out, "We had no clue where you were and you were already in Chicago,"

"She needed me. She wouldn't have told me if she didn't want me there," he nodded.

"Exactly. I'm convinced that you guys were made for each other,"

"Mama?" Lukas asked, looking at Ryan as he pointed to the bus.

"We'll be right back, someone wants to get Mama up,"

"Alright, we'll be out here," he nodded as Ryan took Lukas back into the bus.

Maddy was up and making some coffee for herself, smiling as Lukas came right to her.

"Hey, you go for a walk with Daddy?" She said as she set her coffee mug down to pick him up.

"Case!"

"We saw Chase outside. Figured we'd let you sleep," Ryan told her, kissing her cheek as he went to make his own coffee but took a sip of hers. "Got enough creamer in your coffee?"

"I like a little flavor,"

"You want some coffee with your creamer?" He asked, joking around as she stole her mug back from him.

"I like my flavors," she chuckled, "what time is your meeting?"

"Around 11:30,"

"It's only 10 if you wanna go hang out with Chase again," she smiled, "I'm gonna go get dressed,"

"Alright. You got an outfit ready for Luke?" He asked, following her into the bedroom where she handed him a new little shirt that she'd gotten custom-made for race day and a cute little pair of jeans. "When did you get this?"

"When you left last week, Luke helped," she smiled, pulling out two options for him to pick. A white lace dress or a blue t-shirt dress that was more the color of the hood of his car.

"I like the white one," he nodded.

"Perfect," she smiled, hanging the blue on back up. "I'm gonna do my makeup real quick and then I'll be out,"

"Alright sounds good," he nodded, taking Lukas to the front and getting his diaper changed as well as his outfit. The shirt was made with a picture of Ryan holding Lukas in front of the car in victory lane and it simply said 'Ryan Blaney's Biggest Fan'.

He just smiled at it before he took the little guy outside and went back over to Chase's bus.

"Where'd Bailey go?" He asked, letting go of Lukas' hand. "You can play but stay over here okay?"

"She went to get ready," he answered, "Maddy doing the same?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to go. So is he," he smiled, handing Lukas one of his cars. "You want 23 or 9?"

He giggled and grabbed both little diecasts of Chase and Bubba's cars.

"Good kid," he chuckled.

——————

Around 1:30 PM, they were all headed for pit road. Lukas was attached to Ryan's hip, still waking up a little from his nap.

Maddy took him once they got there so Ryan could sign autographs and talk to fans before everything started.

The race was starting at 3 so pit road was cleared of fans by 2:40 and all that was left were families and drivers. Ryan held Lukas in one arm and kept Maddy in the other through all of the opening ceremonies until it was time for him to climb into the car.

"You be safe," she told him as she took Lukas from him.

"I will be," he nodded, kissing her before he kissed Lukas's head. "I love you,"

"I love you too," she smiled, kissing him one more time before he put his hat on Lukas and handed his sunglasses to Maddy.

"Buh buh dada!" Lukas waved, watching as Ryan climbed into the car.

"I'll see you later little man," he beamed, waving back at the 2 of them.

Maddy handed Lukas up to his crew chief before she climbed up and took him again to sit in one of the seats.

She set Lukas' bag full of toys under the seat and hoped that Ryan would be able to get another win with them there.