Pedal to the Metal

Prologue

5 years ago

It was getting late and I knew I needed to get home. Harlyn would be worried if she didn't at least hear from me soon. Plus, I figured she was dying for one of those Dairy Queen blizzards. Her cravings had become constant at this point. Only two more months left until we got to meet our little girl. Sometimes I still found it hard to believe that I was going to be a father but at least I'd had a hell of a role model growing up.

Sliding out from underneath the car I thought back to the first day I saw Harlyn Bexton in seventh grade. She was a new student and even though she was trying not to draw attention to herself she was hard to miss with that medium brown hair, pale skin, rosy cheeks, gray eyes and full lips. I felt every nerve in my body stand on end when she looked at me. It had taken me a whole month just to speak to her. Axell and Bowie still give me hell over that.

That memory seems like yesterday yet it was seven years ago. We survived middle school, high school and Harlyn has managed two years of college. We're happily engaged and expecting, living in a small two bedroom apartment but its home. I could live anywhere and it would be home as long as I had Harlyn. Sure, it had been hard since we found out she was pregnant. I was working at my family's body shop and bar while trying to save everything I could since Harlyn had to quit working but we were making it. We were going to be okay because we always were, as long as we had each other we'd be okay.

No one plans on being a parent at 20 but I didn't worry because Harlyn was going to be a natural. Bowie popped his head inside the door "Jagger!" he called out.

I sat up and looked at him "Yeah?"

"It's getting pretty late. You might want to call it a night." He said before turning to head back over to the bar which was directly behind the body shop. I heard the door open again before Bowie's head reappeared "Oh, and your phone has been going off like crazy. I keep hearing 'I'll Be There for You' by Bon Jovi every few minutes." He said tossing my phone to me.

Shoot! It was almost midnight, no wonder Harlyn was blowing my phone up. I bet she was worried sick. We didn't exactly live in the safest neighborhood but most people knew not to mess with any of the James boys. I dashed to the sink to wash my hands then grabbed my keys. Once I was in my car I dialed Harlyn back to let her know I was on my way home.

"Jagger, I was so worried." I heard Harlyn sigh into the phone. My girl had a voice of an angel.

"Sorry angel, I got busy working on this 1967 Ford Eleanor GT and lost track of time. I'm heading to get your blizzard now then I'll be home."

"Don't worry about the blizzard I'm almost to the DQ now. I just couldn't wait any longer." She said sounding apologetic but she had nothing to apologize for. I however, owed her an apology she shouldn't be out this time of night, alone and pregnant in the neighborhood. I had to start paying better attention. "Jagger, wherever your mind is reel it back in. I'm fine, Harper is fine, we both just need our ice cream. We'll meet you back at home."

"Are you sure Harlyn?" I asked but I never got a response. Instead I heard a scream, tires screeching, metal bowing and glass shattering before the phone went dead. My heart was in my throat as I sped up to get to where I thought Harlyn might be and sure enough there was her car, or what was left of it. A jacked up Ford truck was laying on its side but I didn't bother to even stop as I ran towards Harlyn but as approached I noticed she wasn't in the car.

I screamed her name over and over as I ran along the darkened side of the road. This curve had always been deadly but I never feared it, not until tonight, not until I saw Harlyn lying about five feet out from the car, not moving, her body lying in an impossible position. Blood was everywhere, as I collapsed next to her I felt her tiny neck for a pulse but got nothing. In that moment my entire world stopped spinning, that Jagger stopped existing. My heart shattered like that windshield, my mind bent like that metal and suddenly my voice was screeching like those tires. My whole life had just been taken in an instant. By the time the paramedics and cops arrived I was numb. As they zipped Harlyn and Harper up in that black body bag I felt the last part of me die. It went with them, my brothers had showed up by that time but I wanted nothing from them, I wanted no one. The only one I wanted was gone.

That night had changed everything. I had fled from Los Angeles after the funeral and I hadn't returned, that was five years ago but my family needed me now. I was 25 now and it was time for me to grow up and be a man. That night, the loss of the two who meant the most to me, this world the last five years, had changed me. I was no longer the naive man that believed that love would make everything better. I no longer believed that one person could make everything okay.