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Valeria from the front desk skipped in. “We did! We’ve been planning it for weeks.” She grabbed Tally’s hand and dragged her further into the room, where everyone crowded around and congratulated her. Hayes and I stood back, watching her fight back tears as she hugged all the gruff mechanics, the slightly awkward Stephie, the PR girls, and Antony.
“She looks happy, right?” Hayes murmured. Honestly, she looked overwhelmed and like she was about to burst into tears, but the grin on her face made my chest feel all warm.
I slapped him on the back. “Yeah, I think she’s happy.” With this. With us. We were doing the right thing.
TWENTY-TWO
TALLY
Someone pulled up a chair and sat me in it. Valeria was handing out cake, and she seemed so excited about the party, I wondered if she’d missed her calling. Hayes was chatting to one of the engineers, while Jesse was talking to Trent, who was yet another one of Vanessa Sumich’s partners.
How they’d managed to remain together all this time was impressive, but when I saw Antony run a hand over Trent’s back in a way that could only be a caress, it made a little more sense.
Sometimes, I felt like the sun in our little solar system relationship, with Hayes and Jesse rotating around me, and I adored that. But it appeared with the VANT owners, they were all stars, each burning brightly together to make one beautiful galaxy.
Alphonso, one of the engineers, appeared in front of me, and in his hand was a wrapped package. Alphonso was easily in his sixties, and there was no one on the team who knew more about how to put cars together than him. Even Hayes looked up to him.
“For you,” he said, grinning broadly. “My wife wishes you the best with your baby, and said that while it seems like a lot, he will lose booties at an alarming rate.”
Inside the present was a little ribbon-wrapped package of hand-knitted baby booties. There was also a small knitted cardigan in a sage green, in the softest wool I’d ever felt. Beneath all that, was a sage and white baby blanket.
I swallowed down the emotions that had just swelled up in my throat. “Alphonso… this must have taken hours. Please thank your wife for me. This is so beautiful.”
Alphonso smiled toothily. “Ah, she loves to knit and crochet, and we were never blessed with children of our own. She enjoyed making them.”
I stood up and hugged the short man, and he patted my back awkwardly. Gah. I couldn’t cry. If I started, I wouldn’t stop. Clearing my throat, I stepped back. “Thank you.”
The older man flushed, and someone cleared their throat. “Stop. If you cry, the old man will cry too.” Behind Alphonso stood Rocco Passero, and he was throwing a teasing grin in Alphonso’s direction.
“Not too old to kick your ass, kid.”
Rocco threw back his head and laughed heartily. “I believe it, Fonzo. Now, out of the way. There’s a pretty girl, and I have a large package.”
Alphonso looked over his shoulder at me and lifted his eyes skyward. I smiled at his retreating form before switching back to Rocco. Damn, he was handsome. He was the kind of man that made your blood run a little hotter. Which made me feel guilty. But I was a woman with eyes; I could appreciate he was attractive without pursuing anything.
Beside him was indeed a large present, wrapped in racing car paper, which was kind of cute. “Thank you, Rocco. You didn’t need to get me anything.”
Honestly, I was wildly surprised he was even here. I mean, he barely came to press conferences and training days. A baby shower would’ve been the last place I’d expect to see him.
He shrugged. “This is a party. It is expected to give the mother a gift for the baby.” He pushed the box forward, and I took it hesitantly. It was half my size.
I opened it up, and inside was a car seat and stroller system. I’d eyed this one while researching, so I knew how much it cost, and there were four digits in its price tag. “Rocco… I can’t accept this.”
“Do you have one already?”
I shook my head. “Well, no. I haven’t gotten to that just yet.” I’d been buying things second-hand and online, but car seats were one of those things you needed to buy new, and I was still looking.
Rocco tilted his head. “Then what is the problem? Don’t you like it?”
I gaped up at him. “No, I love it. But it’s too expensive as a gift.”
He snorted, waving a hand. “I looked; it has the best safety ratings of any car seat on the market. I have more money than I can spend in a lifetime. Take the gift, Stellina.”
I chewed my lip. “Thank you, Rocco.” I stood, and he kissed both my cheeks. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness.” My brain couldn’t compute the idea of Rocco Passero Googling car seats himself.
He stepped back and winked. “You’re welcome.” Then he just turned and walked away.
Holy crap.
