Smokin' & Spinnin' (41 page)

The air rushes out of my lungs, and I feel like I am going to throw up as the world around me stops. Very slowly, I look down, trying to make sense of what is happening in the midst of all this commotion.
Could he be serious? Did I hear him right
?

I look down at Ryan as he slowly opens the pale blue Tiffany box. Then, in front of God and everybody, he says, “Marry me!”

Another loud round of cheers goes up from the crowd around us and from the grandstands. I hear the snap of cameras and commentary from journalists crackling in the background. I look around, stunned, trying to assimilate the situation.

Ryan takes my hand to garner my attention. “Whitney, you know that I love you, and I never want to be away from you again!”

Suddenly, tears flood my eyes unexpectedly. I never want to be away from him either, but this means I must make another choice. I quickly think back through the last three months, which is a very short amount of time to be with someone, especially after we spent six weeks apart. I made some bad decisions trying to do the right thing, trying to get my life back on track; however, all those decisions led me to Ryan, to this moment. I love him. I would do anything for him—not only him, but for this sport, which is now my life. The adrenaline, the addiction, it all flows through my veins. This dangerous combination of Ryan and racing is what I need, and I never want to be without either one of them. Suddenly, this decision seems not so hard after all.

I look into Ryan’s eyes, which causes a look of sheer panic to come across his face, no doubt because I have yet to give him an answer. I nod and smile through my tears.

Ryan’s lips quirk up in a half smile. “Say it then!”

“Yes!” I exclaim as another loud roar goes up from the crowd.

“No,” Ryan chastises me. “Yes, what?”

I throw my head back laughing. “Yes, I will marry you!”

Ryan leaps from the ground and sweeps me off my feet, cradling me in his arms. He twirls me around the infield as I become insanely aware of the media speculation we are causing. I hear the audacious and prying cameras snap and pop.
Oh, who cares
?

Ryan sets me down to the ground and slides an incredibly gorgeous and large diamond ring on my left hand. After he secures the sparkler on my finger, he runs his hand up my neck and into my hair, in his way, then softly places his lips against mine.

Despite the thousands of people in attendance, and millions most likely watching on television, I feel like Ryan and I are the only two people on this planet. He pulls back all too soon and slowly turns me around to face the crowd that stands behind us. I am dazed, but I manage to look out and into the eyes of my parents, Laura, and Brooke, who are huddled together!

“Oh!” I gasp, and the tears flow again. I look back to Ryan and instantly put everything together. This is the reason he was so quiet and troubled. He pulls me into his chest, embracing me from behind and nuzzles my neck, “Surprise.”

He smiles and whispers, “I love you,” into my ear. I know that whatever consequences this decision may lead to will be worth every second that I spend wrapped up in Ryan and the adrenaline and excitement that is NASCAR. I will gladly slam into the wall, smoking and spinning, if it means spending the rest of my life with him.