Chapter 213 What's Yet to Come?
Holding her breath again, Andrea stood and watched Case’s car begin to slide. He was so close! All he had to do was get across the finish line before Stewart—or any of the other two cars he’d just passed! Surely, he could do that, couldn’t he?
His car was out of control for a second, sliding sideways, but then, Case managed to straighten it out. The nose came back around, and rather than spinning out of control, he steered his racecar across the finish line.
Stewart wasn’t so lucky. His “bump and run” attempt went horribly wrong from his perspective, and rather than spinning Case and finishing ahead of him, Stewart hit the outside wall, hard, and spun across oncoming traffic. Another car plowed into the side of him.
Andrea couldn’t help but think it served him right. She didn’t care at the moment, anyway. She was focused on her champion! Case had managed to finish the race in eighth place, which made him the NASCAR champion!
The winner of the race was Grant Hunter. He took the checkered flag and did a few burnouts, but then his team called over the radio that he wanted Case to have a chance to enjoy the moment, too, so Case also did a few burnouts and then did a backward-victory lap, where he drove around the lap going the wrong direction.
Andrea was so happy, her face hurt from smiling so much. Grant went to victory lane, and he had his moment in the spotlight for winning a hard-fought race, but Case was the man everyone really wanted to talk to. He had his own celebration waiting for him.
As soon as he got out of the car, the team sprayed him with all sorts of liquid—mostly beer—Case stood on the window ledge, his hands up, pumping his fists as the crowd went wild. He jumped down, and everyone rushed to congratulate him, but Andrea fought her way through.
He was searching for her face. She could see his eyes looking for hers. When they met, his smile widened, and he moved to her, pulling her close. She didn’t care that he was sweaty and covered in sticky liquid. She kissed like it was their wedding day. “You did it, babe! I’m so proud of you!” she said when they came up for air.
“I did this because of you,” he said in her ear. “You have been my inspiration this year, Andrea. Thank you so much for everything.”
She shook her head. “You did this because you’re the best driver to ever sit behind the wheel. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
Despite the throng of reporters shouting his name and thrusting microphones in his face, Case kissed her again, hugging her tightly before he finally let her go and turned his attention to the crowd of people who wanted to ask him how he felt.
He humbly thanked everyone on his team—the owner, the crew chief, spotter, pit crew, all of the sponsors, a whole list of people who had helped him throughout the year and throughout his career. Then, he thanked Andrea, saying, “None of this would’ve been possible without her faith in me and the support she gives me.” It brought tears to Andrea’s eyes. She didn’t feel that she deserved that accolade, but it was so loving of him to say so.
Later, Case was presented with the trophy for being the NASCAR champion. He and his team stood on stage and posed for a ton of pictures, and Andrea was asked to stand next to him. She felt unworthy of being there because Case had done all of the work, but just as she knew he was responsible for so many of her victories in life, his love and support the driving force behind her hard work, she was honored to stand next to him.
She knew the days and weeks that followed would be full of interviews and photoshoots for him. Most of them would be in New York, where she was still filming her movie. Some of them would be in LA. She didn’t know if she’d be able to go to those, but she was so excited for him. This was what he’d most wanted in his career as a driver, and she knew, if he ever thought it would be a good idea to retire, for safety reasons, it would be easier for him to do so since he’d won the championship. He could walk away without any regrets.
Between snaps of the camera, Case turned to Andrea and just smiled at her. She smiled back at him. This time last year, she’d watched the race on television and knew how close he’d come to winning the championship and thought it was too bad he’d lost. He’d been one of her favorite racers, but she didn’t know him. He hadn’t dated Sarah yet, so she didn’t hate him either. He had just been a driver who didn’t get what he deserved. Now, he was her everything, and no one deserved this victory more than he did.
Case leaned down and kissed her, and Andrea felt her heart racing in her chest. What would the next year bring? She didn’t know—but she couldn’t wait to find out.
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