Racing Back To Love

By Natalie Arthur

Aiden

Motorcycle racing has been my life since I could walk and talk. It was all I ever needed. Or so I thought. Then I met the one woman that made me want more. One day, the unthinkable happens—a racing accident causes me to lose all my memories of her. But I still feel her in my soul, even if my brain can't remember her.

 

Élodie

I wanted a knight in shining armor, but what I got was a wolf in disguise. After escaping from him, I met a man willing to give me everything I ever wanted. Then in a split second, he was taken from me. Not physically, but mentally. The man I love doesn't remember who I am, but I'm determined to get him back.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Natalie Arthur
• Release date: Jan 8, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224391790

Book preview

Chapter One

Aiden

All my life, all I wanted to do was race motorcycles. I’m pretty sure my first word was ‘motorcycle’. Lucky for me, my parents, Liam and Ríoghnach O’Connor, were all for it. I was barely two years old. They started me on what’s called a ‘mini motorcycle.’ It was a 50cc motorcycle with training wheels. When I was three, my baby sister, Gráinne, was born. My parents never stopped supporting my love of riding. When my sister turned two, she wanted to ride like me. I was five at the time. So, my parents had two of us to train. I loved going to the track and watching all the ‘big boys’ train, riding their bikes and going so fast!

My parents were loving and kind, always doing things for others. Not just Graínne and me, they did a lot in our community. They even opened a race track for little ones like me. It’s still up and running to this day.

We went to every race that was within driving distance. Those were the highlights of my year. Watching the champions ride and win. That’s what I wanted to do when I grew up. Race motorcycles and be a champion.

When I was thirteen, I was given the opportunity to be trained by one of the best MotoGP (Motorcycle Grand Prix) trainers, Julio Martin. The only part I hated was leaving my family. I had to live with him full time, so that my training would be consistent. I had to eat right, get enough sleep, and I was riding my bike everyday. l was allowed to go home and see my family one weekend a month. I learned to cherish those weekends with them. I loved seeing how much my sister was progressing in her own training. Although when we talked, she said she didn’t want to ride motorcycles the way I did. She only did it for fun, and I loved seeing how much fun she was having. Because no matter how much I wanted to be a champion, there were days I wished I could still just ride for fun.

Being with Julio, I not only learned to take care of my physical self, I learned to take care of myself mentally. You have to have discipline and fortitude to ride. Without them, you’ll fail.

I had a daily routine. I would get up and work out. Then it was study time with my tutor. Then back to training. I had to build up my endurance—the most important attribute in a good rider. Can’t cross that finish line without it.

That first year I went to live with Julio, I came in third in the European Talent Cup. I entered again the next year. I was fourteen, and I won. Then at fifteen, I won the Rookie’s Cup. I won my first Junior World Champion Cup at sixteen. Because of my winning record, there was an exception made for me to start racing in the World Championship that same year. Usually, riders had to wait till they were seventeen.

It was an exciting time in my racing career. I started in the lowest class for MotoGP, called Moto 3. We are the youngest on the grid, but we’re still part of the championship. In MotoGP, there are three classes—Moto 3, Moto 2 and MotoGP. With each class, you move up. Well, you can move up—if you win races and ultimately the championship. My dream has always been to make it to the top. MotoGP champion.

Unfortunately, I didn’t win the Moto 3 championship in my first or second year. But I did come in fifth the first year and placed second, the second year. As a result, I was offered a new contract when I was eighteen to stay in Moto 3 for two more years. After my first year, my da worked with Julio to hire me a manager. Marcus Morales came in to take care of any contract negotiations and sponsorships that came my way. He was also responsible for finding me sponsors. When I would get a sponsor, their name would go onto my bike. It made me proud to have so many want to help me in my career.

My da is part of the Mancini mafia. He had met Pietro Mancini while on vacation in Italy. They struck up a friendship and decided to go into business together. When I was fifteen, my da finally told me what he really did. Up until then, I thought he was a businessman. But that day, I learned he was the consigliere for Pietro Mancini. Holy fuck. Knowing what my da really did for a living never really changed what I thought of him, or how he treated Graínne and me. In fact when I think back, after he went into business with Pietro, he became even more involved in whatever we did. More protective of all of us. When Graínne turned sixteen, Arturo Moretti became her bodyguard, and he is still her bodyguard to this day. He’s also a valued member of our family.

When I was eighteen, my parents and Graínne moved to Chicago, Illinois. I missed them like always, but I was already used to living away from them, so it wasn’t as bad this time. I also learned that Graínne had found her true love, Enea Mancini. He’s Pietro’s middle son and the one set to take over the Mancini empire. During my summer break, I went to Chicago to spend time with my family and to met Enea. He’s a good man and I’m glad my sister has found someone to love. That’s something I’ve secretly wanted for myself.

Élodie

My parents never fought in front of me. Not even once. The fairytale they wove for me as I grew up became what I expected from my own life. Throughout high school I only had two boyfriends and they were each kind and loving. But the timing just wasn’t right. To this day, we’re all still friends and keep in touch. I even went to both of their weddings.

When I met Chad Hammond, I was eighteen and thought he was my knight in shining armor. He promised me the world and I believed him. My parents loved him, my friends loved him, everyone I met that knew him, loved him. After two years of being together, he proposed to me and of course I accepted. I was finally going to get my happily-ever-after.

I was a waitress at the time, and we had a really late rush come in. I was so tired after they left, I forgot to call him to tell him that I was on my way home. When I got there, he was livid. I had never seen him so angry before. I just assumed it was because he was so worried about me. That was the first time he hit me. The next day he told me he had been freaking out and thought something had happened to me. That he would never touch me again. I told myself it had to be an accident, and he really was sorry. So I forgave him and we continued on with our lives.

Six months later, I lost my parents in a car accident. They were headed home after spending the holidays with Chad and me. Getting that call from the state trooper was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. They were the only blood family I had, and now they were gone. But I still had Chad, and he promised me that he would be all the family I ever needed. That we would have babies and they would help fill our home with love.

A few months after I lost my parents, Chad said we should get married. That we don’t know what life will hand us and he wanted me to be his wife. So a month later, we were married. A few of my friends showed up, and the ones who didn’t said it was too short notice. When I look back now, I can see where Chad started to isolate me from my friends. It was easier for him to do since my parents were gone. He couldn’t do that when they were alive, we talked daily and they would’ve never let him take me from them.

The last time I saw my friends was about two months after the wedding. They told me how much they missed me and I told them how much I