Meet Wesley Joel Webb

Today, I want to introduce you to Wesley, my hero in HOLDING FAST. I didn’t use a photo to inspire his creation, only the image from my own mind. I wish I could draw, I’d draw him out for you because I think he’s very handsome.

6’2”, 178 pounds, piercing green eyes, dark brown hair, athletic body. Edgy and competitive, but humble. Witty but aggressive. Loves the spotlight, but hates it. Caitlyn, the heroine who I’ll tell you more about in my next post, thinks of him as “an elusive racecar driver with a shaded past that some people could only speculate. Except for her, because she had been there.”

Wesley’s biggest fear is that his past will be discovered. He’s at the top of his game. “Although at times Wesley resented the media, it was because of them some fans were able to see their favorite drivers. He owed it to his sponsors and to his fans to grant media interviews. The crowd cheering for him when he was carried from his vehicle was overwhelming and filled him with fierce pride. No matter who he really was, no matter what made up his life, no matter what happened in his life, his fans rooted for him.”

When Caitlyn enters his life, he’s afraid she’s out to destroy him. His main rival has just been murdered, and the police are looking at him. He doesn’t take her reappearance in his life well, especially hearing that she’s a journalist.

“I’m a journalist now, Wesley.”

What a way to make a man come to grip with reality. Any thoughts of tasting her lips vanished. He turned away, not granting her a chance to further explain.

Later, when he tries to push her away:

“I didn’t come here to start where we left off, you egotistical jerk,” Caitlyn said as she pulled her bag away from him.

Caitlyn and Wesley were the best of friends and did everything together–making mud pies, going to their first movie, playing Barbies and GI Joe together. When they were fifteen, sexual tension and romance got in the way. He started dating other girls, which she didn’t like, and she dated guys, which dumbstruck him. They quickly became involved, and were each other’s first sexual encounter. He honestly thought they’d be married, until he learned life couldn’t be planned or bargained with. Their relationship didn’t end on good terms, and he’s afraid she’s out to air his dirty laundry in public.

They hadn't seen each other in ten years. Now, it isn’t only his past he has to worry about being exposed.

Some things the other characters tell Wesley:

Tim—his uncle and team owner: “…let go of that damn guilt you’re holding inside. It’s tearing away at you.”

Tim tells Caitlyn: “What happened that night screwed up his head…when he goes out to race he goes back to that night and tries to correct the mistakes he made.”

Wanna know more about Wesley? Pick up a copy of HOLDING FAST, available at The Wild Rose Press.