Sunday proved to be a good day for Ryan. He showed that his win last year at the Charlotte Roval was not a fluke and that he was a very good road course racer, finishing a solid third place.

It had been a long, busy weekend, and Ryan and Olivia were looking forward to a couple of days of away from the track time, so she went back with Ryan to his house after the plane landed.

Remembering her vow to reach out to old friends, Olivia logged onto her seldom used Twitter account and looked up her old college roommate Carly Harris and sent a private message. Not surprisingly, Carly responded right away. She had always been a social butterfly who lived on Twitter and Instagram.

Carly: OMG!!!! Olivia!!! I thought you dropped off the face of the earth.

Carly was also a little melodramatic.

Olivia: Ha Ha. Still alive and kicking. Do you still keep in contact with Nicole? There are so many Nicole Pressly's on here, I don't know which one is her.

Carly: I talk to Nic almost daily. Just a second, and I'll add her to the chat.

Nicole: Olivia James!!! How the hell are you girl? What are you doing with yourself these days?"

Olivia: I'm doing great. I'm in Mooresville now. I'm in NASCAR. I work in PR for Team Penske.

Carly: No fucking way!!! I'm in Statesville. I'm a nurse practitioner for a pediatric clinic. Nic is a physical therapist in Charlotte.

Nicole: I can't believe you are working for a Nascar team. Quite a stretch from the medical field to PR. Which driver do you work for?

Olivia: You follow NASCAR? I work with Ryan Blaney.

Carly: ***scream***OMG!!! He is so hot. How on earth did that happen? I guess you know Chase freaking Elliott too!!!

Olivia: Ryan and I are old friends from high school. I needed a job, he needed a PR, so here I am.

Carly: Wait... Is Ryan Blaney the Ryan you always used to talk about? Your big crush from high school.

Olivia: One in the same

Nicole: I remember that. How awesome you get to work with him. Is he as cute in person as he is on TV and in pictures?

Olivia: Even cuter. And well, we don't just work together, we are seeing each other.

Carly: ****screaming again*** I am sooooo happy for you girl.

They chatted for a good while and Olivia couldn't stop laughing. It was like no time had passed between them. After another laughing fit, Ryan finally asked her what was so funny. Olivia explained she had reconnected with her college friends, that after seeing Ryan with his friends, it made her want to reach out to hers, and to her delight, they both lived in the area.

"We're going to have a little party here next week. You should invite them." Ryan suggested.

"A party for what?" Olivia asked.

"I hope you didn't think I forgot about your birthday. We'll be in Daytona for your actual birthday, but I thought we could do something when we get back."

"Just when were you planning on telling me about this?" She laughed.

"I just did. I'm thinking the Tuesday after we get back from Daytona. I thought of doing a surprise party, but I remembered you hate surprises, and I hate secrets."

After this weekend, she realized how much she hated secrets too, and she made a decision. She went back to her chat with Carly and Nicole.

Olivia: Party next week at Ryan's House. I'd love it if y'all can make it.

Nicole: Hell Yeah! I'm in. 🎉

Carly: Count me in too. Will Chase Elliott be there? 😍

Olivia: 😂 No clue. This is all Ryan's idea. He just sprung this on me. I don't have all the details yet. Looks like it will be next Tuesday, but I'll let y'all know more as soon as he lets me know.

Carly: Party for what? Just because?

Olivia: My birthday is this weekend. Ryan wants to have a party.

Nicole: 🥰 Isn't he sweet

Olivia: Very much so! 😍

Carly and Nicole exchanged phone numbers with Olivia, and she once again promised to get back with them with more info. She signed off, and smiled to herself. She was so glad she had reached out and was so excited to get to see her friends again. Ryan throwing a party gave the perfect excuse to get together. Now, she had something she needed to discuss with Ryan,

"Are they coming?" Ryan asked.

"Yes. They are very excited about it. My friend Carly wants to know if Chase will be there." She giggled.

"He's invited. Doesn't mean he'll show up though. Clyde never shows up to parties and always claims he wasn't invited to stuff." Ryan laughed.

"Tell him Carly is petite, blonde and looks like an NFL cheerleader. If that's not his type, Nicole is tall, brunette and looks like a supermodel. Maybe that will give him some incentive."

"Sounds Like both Bubba and Chase's type. In case you were wondering, I only invited family and close friends who know about us." Ryan said.

This was the perfect lead in for what she wanted to talk to him about.

"Yeah, about that. You mentioned how you hate secrets, and frankly, so do I. I've decided I don't want to hide us anymore. I know I had valid reasons for doing so, and I was so adamant about it, but it just don't matter anymore. I hated having to be around you, and not touch you, not stare at you. I don't want to do that anymore. Who cares what anyone thinks."

"You mean it? No more sneaking around?" He asked excitedly.

"Well, I'm not going to put out a press release about it or anything. I'm not looking to flaunt it, but I don't want to hide it anymore either." She said.

"So does that mean you will actually stand with me during prerace ceremonies next weekend?"

"Yes. That's a good start. I'll even hold your hand and kiss you before you get in the car. Let people draw their own conclusions and I will try not to care if anyone says anything negative."

"That sounds like a very good start. Have I mentioned I fucking love you?"

"Maybe once or twice, but you can show me instead."