Chapter Nine

“New leader, the twenty!” Digger’s voice in his ear gave Will a thrill. To be leading this race when he had never before done well here, was a dream come true. Now to keep that lead for three more laps. All of his concentration was focused on staying up front. He blocked everyone, including his teammates.

“White flag.”

One more. Will felt his heart rate increase as he sent up a silent prayer that no one would cause a caution. He knew there were three other drivers behind him who were close enough in the points standings to win the championship if he did not win the race. The pressure was great, but so was the adrenaline rush.

“Okay, Will, we got this. Hammer down, buddy. Don’t let them catch you.”

Will keyed his mic, which required only that he move his thumb a half-inch or so. “We’re good on fuel?”

“Oh, yeah. We could go into double overtime and never have to fill up.”

“Alrighty then. See you in Victory Lane.” Gripping his steering wheel a little more tightly, Will pressed the gas pedal, letting the car surge forward at over two hundred miles per hour. Weaving through the lap-down traffic took all his concentration, but soon he was flying through Turn Four and heading to the finish. He could see the official leaning out, green flag in hand. Just as it began to wave, Digger’s voice rang in his ear again.

“Wreckin’ behind you. Caution’s out. Congratulations on your win; you deserve it.”

Immediately, Will slowed, but his elation was not to be contained. Pressing his mic button again, he whooped at the top of his lungs. “Woooohoooooo! We did it, boys!”

“We did. Finally! Good job, guys. Will, most of the wreckage is past the start/finish line, but the nineteen is down on the apron about a car length in front of it.”

“Ten-four. Is Bingley okay?”

“Yeah, he climbed out on his own. He’s at the care center already. Car’s a mess, though, and they’re putting it on a flatbed to haul it back here.”

“Wow. As long as he’s okay. I’ll keep my burnout up high.” By keeping his car up high on the track, near the outside wall separating the racing surface from the grandstands and the area outside the track, he would avoid any debris from the wreck that was missed by the cleanup crew, at the same time keeping track workers safe from him and his car.

“Hopefully, they’ll be gone before you get there.”

Digger interrupted. “Race control has asked that you do one more cool down lap before approaching for your celebration.”

“Will do.” Slowly, he drove around the track one last time. As he approached Turn Four, Digger let him know that he should stop just as he was coming out of the turn, where the entrance to pit road was. After a few minutes, the tow truck began to move toward the exit of pit road, where it would make a sharp left turn and head to the garage.

“You’re on. Burn ‘em off, buddy!”

Will did just that, pulling forward to the near end of the grandstand, pushing in the clutch a bit and on the gas at the same time. The tires spun as he moved slowly forward, creating a plume of black smoke and making the car slide a little to the side. Screaming into the air, he maintained his burnout until he reached the far end of the stand, where he turned around and drove back to the start/finish line to lower his window net and grab the checkered flag from the official. Holding the black and white banner out the window, he sped past the fans and down to pit road. Within minutes, he was inching his way onto Victory Lane.

Unlike the first time Will had requested Liz be in the winner’s circle to meet him, this time he did not have to search for her. She was right there, inches from his car.

As usual, Will first turned to Steve for his interview. Steve asked the expected questions about how it felt to finally win at this particular track, and what he felt knowing he was the new champion. Then Steve, whom Will had spoken to the day before, went silent, though the camera remained trained on him and Will.

Will turned to Liz, who he had pulled to his side while answering questions, and dropped to one knee. Liz gasped, her free hand, the one Will was not holding, going over her mouth, as she realized what was happening.

“Liz, the day you walked into my life is the best day I can ever remember. I knew when I laid eyes on you that you were special, and time has proven me right. You are the most intelligent, spirited, beautiful woman I have ever seen, and you take my breath away. I love you, and I want to stand beside you, to wake up next to you, every day for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”

Tears streaming down her face, Liz nodded, gasping out, “Yes! I love you!” The camera crew’s microphone barely caught her answer, but everyone saw her head nod and her brilliant smile as she took her hand away from her mouth to hug Will, who had stood when he heard her response. The crowd, team, sponsors, media, and fans had all gone silent when they saw Will drop down, but now they erupted in cheers. Those cheers increased in direct proportion to the length of the kiss the newly engaged couple shared.

It was Coach who nudged the couple apart. “Don’t you have a ring to give her? We have a win to celebrate…let’s get on with it!”

Liz laughed as Will dug the ring out of his pocket, presenting it to her with a flourish and sliding it on her finger. It fit perfectly, as he knew it would. Pulling her in for another quick kiss, he whispered to her, “I love you.” Her reply was lost when his mouth covered hers.

Though both wished they could remain connected like this forever, they knew they couldn’t, so far too soon for the liking of either, they pulled apart. Will kept his arm around Liz, though, and that evening, she was in every picture that was taken of the team during the Hat Dance.

Later, while they were out celebrating at a nice restaurant, Charles razzed Will. “There you go, Mr. Cool and Collected and propose in Victory Lane! How’s a guy supposed to top that?”

Will smirked. “You’re not.” With a wink at his fiancée, he continued. “I’m the best, didn’t you know that already?” He grinned when his companions burst into laughter.

~~~***~~~

Two weeks later, following a whirlwind week of traveling coast to coast for appearances on talk shows and at the White House, Will and his team, as well as the other eleven drivers who had been in competition for the championship, arrived in Las Vegas for the sport’s annual celebration. There was a week of fan interactions, mock game shows, and a burnout contest in the streets. Liz and Jane, there to support their drivers, were sure they had never had so much fun. At the end of the week would be an awards banquet, which was a serious event and required evening wear, but the rest of the week, the Bennet sisters and their men were cramming every activity in that they could.

For Liz and Will, that meant a wedding. They had decided, when they spent Thanksgiving weekend in North Carolina at Coach’s house, that they didn’t want to wait six months or a year to marry. It was impractical for Will to do so. The off-season for the sport was very short—just three months—and during the season, the longest in professional sports, Will was required to travel all over the country for appearances and races. Neither he nor Liz wanted to feel rushed by having a big wedding, and so they decided, the day before they were to leave, to marry while they were in Las Vegas.

To that end, they bought Liz a wedding gown off the rack to take West with them. Will’s banquet tuxedo would serve double duty as his wedding attire. They decided to share their news with Jane and Charles the next evening, when the four of them met at the apartment after flying in separately.

Later, after Will and Liz shared their news, the two couples were relaxing, watching movies and eating pizza. Jane and Liz were in the kitchen, pouring sodas and plating pizza slices while the guys rearranged the furniture for better viewing, when Jane asked Liz her reasons for marrying so far from their family. Liz gave her an honest answer. “If I married at home, Mom would be all over it. The ceremony would reflect her tastes, not mine, and my opinion would not matter. And you know how she would act with all those wealthy drivers and team owners that would attend. I have no desire to feed her dysfunctions, and I want my wedding done my way.”

“But…Las Vegas? Are you going to have Elvis marry you? Good heavens, Liz!”

“No, Elvis is not going to marry us! Geez, Louise, Sis! Las Vegas does have actual ministers, you know. Despite its nickname, God can be found there.” Liz rolled her eyes. “We are going to the Grand Canyon to get married, and a real minister will perform the ceremony. I will have a dress, and Will is going to wear a tux. Hopefully, you’ll be my bridesmaid? Will is asking Charles to stand up with him, which is perfect given how close you two have become.”

“Okay, okay, you’re going to have a real wedding. I’m sorry I doubted you. I didn’t think you’d do something so crazy, but when you told me where you’re marrying, I was shocked. Of course, I’ll be your bridesmaid. Didn’t we always say we’d do that for each other? Besides, I have always wanted to see the Grand Canyon; remember when we were kids and the Longs went there on vacation? And how I begged Daddy to take us for years?”

“We did say we’d stand up with each other; and yes, I do remember Melly’s description of the Canyon. Why do you think I chose that for the wedding site?” Liz laughed and then put her arms around Jane and pulled her in for a hug. “Thanks, Sis. I love you.”

“Love you, too, Lizzy. I’m proud of you, you know.” Jane looked into the living room where Will could be seen, a spot for him and his fiancée claimed on the couch. As Jane had suspected, his eyes were on Liz. He stared at her all the time, like he could not look at her enough. She sighed, and turned back to her sister. “You have finally managed to put Mr. Jerkface out of your mind and move on. Anyone with half an eye can see that Will adores you. You deserve every minute of it.”

“Thanks, Jane.” Pulling away, Liz looked out at Will and smiled. “I love him, too. He’s everything I ever wanted and more.”

~~~***~~~

The two couples flew out to Vegas the next morning, two days before the formal start of the SCRA festivities. They spent that day orienting themselves to the town and the locations of the events, both personal and public, that they were attending, and seeing to final wedding preparations.

Coach, not completely understanding Liz’s refusal to invite her parents to the ceremony, insisted on at least flying her younger sister, Mary, out to Las Vegas. He also worked with the wedding chapel’s planner to pay for the extra helicopters needed to bring all the guests to the Grand Canyon site. The planner didn’t blink an eye at the idea; she had frequently worked with celebrities before and understood that money was no object.

The following morning, bright and early, Liz, her sisters, Will, and his friend met Coach, Georgie, and Mrs. Reynolds, the Darcy’s long-time housekeeper, in the lobby of the hotel in which they were staying. Though they quickly exited the building and ducked into a limo, dressed as they were in their finery, they attracted the interest of many of the tourists in the area, as well as a couple drivers and their families who were out and about. Even in Las Vegas, an entire group of people in formal dresses, including a wedding dress, in public in the early morning hours was a curiosity.

The group got into a limo in front of the hotel which drove them to the airport. There they boarded the helicopters, which took them to the Grand Canyon. Liz, Will, Jane, Charles, Coach, and the minister were in one copter and took off first, so they had a few minutes to prepare for the ceremony before the rest of the party joined them. Georgie, Mrs. Reynolds, Mary Bennet, Liz’s friend, Charlotte Lucas, and the Fitzwilliams—Audra, Henry, and their son Richard—filled the second helicopter after the first had taken off, soon joining the happy couple at their remote location.

The wedding itself proceeded in the manner that all weddings do. The most memorable part for Will was watching Liz walk toward him in her beautiful gown with the splendor of the Grand Canyon all around them. The love shining on her face, and that in her eyes, made everything else seem brighter.

As for Liz, she would never forget Will’s whispered words of love and admiration as she joined him at the end of her processional to the makeshift altar. All of her reservations had long been put to rest, and now, experiencing the feelings she had for him, she had to wonder how she ever thought she was in love before.

When the vows had been spoken, and the minister pronounced them man and wife, Will did not wait for permission to kiss his bride. Wrapping his arms around her, he bent her over his arm and applied his lips to hers. When Liz sighed and allowed her arms to creep up around his neck, he ran his tongue over her lips, seeking entrance and rejoicing inside when she opened for him. As the smooch grew longer, the small audience began to twitter, but Will and Liz never noticed. It was Will’s cousin who broke the spell and brought them back to reality when he began catcalling them, causing the rest of the party to laugh uncontrollably.

After the ceremony, everyone flew back to the airport. To celebrate, Will and Liz had invited the entire party to eat with them at a restaurant on The Strip. Though Will had reserved a private dining room, they were unable to avoid being seen entering, and word spread like wildfire. Most people, media included, left them alone while they ate, but a few felt comfortable enough with Will and his father to just drop on in and find out what was going on. Of course, everyone knew that Will and Liz were engaged, they simply had not expected a wedding so soon, and none of the racing community were invited except Will’s family. All the visitors seemed pleased, heartily congratulating the newly wedded couple.

All that week, at all the events and in all the interviews, Liz was at Will’s side. The media and fans went crazy over the couple’s “elopement,” leading to dozens of requests for interviews and autographs. Social media was buzzing with updates and announcements of Liz and Will sightings. Since they were never apart, someone tagged them with the nickname, “Wiz,” and it stuck, much to their chagrin. In the end, they decided to announce their own comings and goings, with Liz taking over the running of Will’s social media accounts and posting on both hers and his.

~~~***~~~

The following Monday found the entire SCRA community relaxing, either at home or at a vacation getaway. Will returned to Ohio with his new wife, to help her break the news to her parents and pack her things. She would be moving to North Carolina with Will. They had already begun to search for a new house, with several promising prospects lined up to be viewed.

To have a man sleeping with Liz in the apartment was strange at first for both her and Jane. They had not made a habit of having men overnight for any reason. However, there were definite advantages, especially when light bulbs needed changing or boxes needed to be brought down from high shelves.

“One of us should have married sooner, I think.”

“Oh, Lizzy,” Jane laughed.

“What are you going to do here alone? I know you don’t have to worry about the rent for the rest of the lease, but what about utilities? And companionship? I don’t want you to be alone.” Liz was concerned about her sister. Jane could not afford to keep the place alone, and she was more of an extrovert than Liz was, preferring to have someone at home to talk to.

“Actually, Lizzy, I have a bit of a confession to make.” She looked down, peeking up at her younger sister. “I won’t have to be here alone for long. Charles has proposed.”

Liz clapped her hands before clasping them and holding them to her chest. “Really? And? What did you say?”

“Yes, of course!” The two girls fell into a fit of giggles.

“That’s great! I’m so happy for you! Tell me all about it!” Liz led Jane to the couch, insisting that she relate every detail.

~~~***~~~

When the season began again, Liz Darcy sat atop her husband’s pit box, sending out social media updates as the first and biggest race of the year went green. She and Will had spent a glorious month traveling the world, before returning to North Carolina to choose and purchase a house. She had never been so joyful, and she knew her husband was equally so, because he told her every day that he was, in a hundred different ways.