33. Piper
33
PIPER
I ’d insisted to Chloe that she didn’t need to go through the trouble of hosting an actual party to celebrate our engagement, but she wanted to do something to thank us for our help with the wedding and beyond. And that was why we found ourselves the center of attention in an intimate yet opulent gathering.
She and Paul had rented out a gorgeous British-garden-inspired restaurant. They had leaned hard into the garden party aspect, suggesting that men wear morning jackets and top hats and the ladies wear pretty floral dresses and fascinators. The result was a hilarious take on British royal traditions that had everyone assuming fake accents throughout the day.
My heart swelled as I looked at everyone gathered in the room together. The Lost Boys were in full effect with Nana Dee holding court near them. Mercedes had even shown up, festive in a cherry blossom print dress and bright pink fascinator.
Darcy drifted over to me looking like a dream in a floaty, sky blue confection. “Did you see Lorenzo in a top hat? I mean…it’s taking all my willpower to keep from dragging him into a closet.”
I laughed as she stared across the room at her latest conquest, who’d flown in from Italy to be a part of the celebration. “Who’s stopping you? Vincent and I have found our way around more than a few closets.”
“Is it bad form to want to fuck your translator at an upscale event? Do we have a company policy against fraternization?”
We both knew she was joking, since I’d made a point to exclude that aspect in our company handbook. I knew firsthand that falling in love at work could be magical. Plus, Lorenzo wasn’t even an official Strapped employee. Our freelance translator for our Italy team was fluent in Italian, English, and, as Darcy was discovering, the international language of love.
I watched as the handsome, dark haired man caught Darcy’s eye and turned on the smolder, like there was no one in the room but the two of them.
“Darcy, that’s basically an engraved invitation to get laid,” I whispered to her. “Go get your man.”
“On it.” She paused to take me in, then reached for my hand. “You okay? Feeling good?”
“Feeling amazing ,” I replied, as a warmth spread through me.
She gave my hand a squeeze and headed for Lorenzo, leaving me a few seconds to drink in the moment.
“Hey,” Vincent whispered in my ear from behind. His delicious scent unfurled all around me. “How’s my gorgeous fiancée doing?”
I turned to face him. “So perfect.”
“You look absolutely stunning,” he smiled at me, and I felt a little shimmer of pleasure, just from the way he was looking at me. “Have I told you that yet? Pink suits you. But then again, everything does.”
I blushed and smoothed down the tiered ruffle dress. “This old thing?”
It was an inside joke, because when I’d bought it, I’d felt like I needed to confess how much I’d paid for the dress and fascinator with a swoopy feather. Vincent had laughed at me, explaining that he’d had bottles of wine that cost more.
“Look at you ,” I continued. “I think we might need to make top hats for dudes a requirement at the wedding.”
“Don’t you dare,” he glowered. “The only reason I’m wearing this ridiculous thing,” he swept it off and bowed in front of me, “is because Chloe insisted.”
“Well, you look devastating. Like you stepped out of a romance novel.”
He slid his finger under my chin and lifted it, staring at my face. He frowned. “And you look a little pale. Did you eat? I know parties like this can get overwhelming, and you forget to do anything but down champagne.” He glanced down at my hands. “Hold on, you don’t even have a drink!”
I slid my arms around him and hugged him close, pressing my cheek against his chest. “I feel like I’m already drunk.”
He didn’t know how real the sensation was for me. I was a little fuzzy-headed and unsteady in my strappy silver Louboutins, but it wasn’t due to a lack of food.
A few people around us applauded as we embraced, and Vincent took advantage of the moment and danced me in a circle in time to the Sinatra soundtrack.
It was yet another change in him. Vincent Forde, dancing!
He took my hand to pirouette me, and the fast movement made me clutch my fingers against my lips. When he looked down at me, he furrowed with worry. “Are you sick? What’s wrong?”
“Can we talk for a second?” I asked.
Vincent’s frown intensified. “What’s going on?”
“Just come with me,” I said as I pulled him out of the grand space and into the butler’s pantry by the kitchen.
Vincent watched me skeptically. “You’ve got me very freaked out, Piper.”
My heart thudded in my chest, because this moment was about to change everything between us.
“I know you like a plan,” I began slowly. “No, you need a plan. It’s part of the reason why you’re so successful. You map out a strategy and follow it to a tee. But sometimes…” I smiled at him, “sometimes life has other ideas.”
He was shaking his head as I spoke. “I don’t like the sound of this. At all. What’s going on?”
“Vincent…” I moved forward to take his hands in mine. “I know we said we needed to wait to start a family, but…” I let go of one of his hands and ran it down my stomach.
His mouth dropped open, and he froze.
“ Piper .”
I nodded, relieved that I didn’t have to hide it from him any longer.
I’d found out the day before the party, and I’d planned to tell him once it was over, when we had time to ourselves again. But the combination of his questions and my increasing symptoms made it an impossible secret to keep.
“I’m about eight weeks along,” I said.
Vincent shook his head like he still couldn’t quite process the news. “But…how did you not know sooner?”
“I’ve always been irregular, so I didn’t question when I was late. And we’ve been careful.”
“Except that one time,” he said with awe in his voice. “Oh my god, Piper, we’re pregnant!”
He swept me into his arms and spun me around, realizing during the second turn it might not be the best idea to pirouette a woman who got seasick walking across the room. He placed me back on the floor then kissed me.
My heart was exploding into a thousand joyful fragments. How did I get so lucky?
Vincent cupped my cheek in his hand and stared into my eyes.
“Oh, my sweet Piper,” he murmured. “I’m in shock. And I’m just so damn happy.”
“Me too,” I replied. “I know it wasn’t in our plans, and we’re both super busy?—”
“Hey,” he cut me off with a frown. “ Nothing is more important than this.”
He placed his hand on my stomach.
“We’ll make it work,” he continued. “You’ve got a few months to get everything situated with Strapped, and then Darcy and the rest of your team can step in to cover for you. Knowing the way your mind works, I’m sure you’ll push yourself until the very last second.”
I laughed. “Maybe. But I love it, you know that.”
“I do,” he said, touching his forehead to mine and resting his hand on the back of my neck, like we were teammates in a huddle.
Which we sort of were.
“Then once our beautiful baby is here, you can go back to work whenever you’re ready, and I’ll take over,” he said, pulling away slightly so he could watch my face.
I frowned at him. “Take over? What do you mean?”
His jaw clenched for a moment before he spoke, like he was working up the courage to say what was on his mind.
“I’ve been considering something I think is the right move for us.” Vincent paused a beat. “I’m going to take a leave of absence from Summit and be a full-time father for the first few years.”
It was my turn to freeze and stare at him with my mouth hanging open.
“Vincent, no! Are you crazy? You can’t. You are Summit?—”
He placed his finger against my lips to get me to shut up.
“I was Summit. Now, I’m something else entirely. A husband-to-be. A father-to-be. Those are the most important jobs in the world. Summit will be fine without me. I’ve hired the best of the best—you know that firsthand. I trust my team. I’ve got time to get everyone up to speed before I bow out.”
I felt a clammy mix of excitement and nerves, because I wasn’t at all sure he was making the right decision.
“But,” I whispered, “I don’t want you to regret it. What if you hate it? Being a stay-at-home parent is a ton of work.”
“You’re right, it is a lot of work, but why is it preordained that you have to be the one to take it on? I know it won’t be easy, but this is the path I’m choosing.” His expression darkened for a moment. “I’ve seen what life is like with a father who puts work first. He missed so much of my early life. Yeah, he’s clearly making up for it now, but the man has regrets, and I’m not willing to let the same thing happen to me. I know this is right for us. For our family.”
My eyes welled as he spoke—for what he grew up missing and for the sacrifice he was willing to make for our child to make sure history didn’t repeat itself.
“Are you sure?” I asked quietly.
“One hundred percent, without any reservations.”
He dropped to his knees in front of me and pressed a kiss to my stomach, which made the tears pooling in my eyes spill down my cheeks.
“I love you so much,” he said in a strained voice, his cheeks pressed against me. “I love you both so much. And I’m so fucking happy.”
“You don’t even know.”
He kissed my stomach again, then stood up to give me a tender kiss on the lips. “We should probably get back out there.”
“No,” I pouted. “I want to stay in this moment with you forever.”
He drew away from me. “But don’t you get it? We’re going to have so many moments like this, Piper. It’s just the beginning. Of us .”
He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me. I breathed him in, and as usual, I felt like I was home.
I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye and spotted Chloe taking a picture of us.
“Sorry!” she said. “I was passing by, and I couldn’t resist capturing the cuteness. Carry on!”
Vincent and I looked at each other wearing secret smiles. How were we going to keep this to ourselves?
Chloe was still watching us, frowning slightly. “What’s going on? You two look guilty.”
“Nope,” I giggled. “Definitely not guilty.”
Vincent pressed his lips to my ear. “Can we tell everyone? Please?”
“It’s still early, though…” I whispered.
But then I realized every single person who had come here today for us had been a part of our journey. They were my closest friends, family, and colleagues.
It was the perfect time to share the wonderful news.
Chloe was still waiting for an explanation from us.
“Okay, let’s do it,” I said to Vincent. I turned to Chloe. “You’re going to want to hear this. Paul too.”
I smiled to myself, thinking how over the moon he was going to be when he found out he was about to be an uncle.
Vincent gave me a confident nod, and we walked out into the main room with his arm slung around my shoulder.
He grabbed a water glass from a nearby table and held it over his head as he banged against it with a spoon.
“Hi everyone,” he said as the noise died down. “I just wanted to say a couple of things before we sit down for lunch. First, Piper and I want to thank all of you for being here today. It means so much to celebrate with you. Second, we want to give a huge thank you to our hosts, Chloe and Paul. We love you guys.”
Paul beamed and raised his glass to us as people applauded. Chloe blew kisses, and I could tell by her expression that she was waiting for us to reveal what she’d caught us celebrating.
“I want to leave the most important announcement of the day to my beautiful bride-to-be,” Vincent said. He gave me an encouraging nod.
I cupped my hands around my mouth. “I’m pregnant !” I shouted without a preamble.
The room went silent for a beat, then exploded into cheers and applause. Everyone rushed closer and closed in around us, offering congratulations and hugs.
It was a beautiful moment of connection with the people I loved, and it filled me with a joy I’d never known before. I glanced over at Vincent in between hugs.
“I love you,” he mouthed to me. “We’ve got this.”
I nodded at him as I was swept into yet another hug.
Finally, finally, we were able to make our way back to one another. Vincent took my hand like he was worried I might slip away.
“I think this is my favorite day,” I said to him, my eyes welling up yet again.
He shook his head. “Nope. Can’t be.”
I pursed my lips in mock frustration. “And why is that?”
“Because this is just the beginning of us. How can you pick a favorite already? We have a wedding, honeymoon, and birth ahead of us. Plenty more opportunities for magical moments.”
“You’re right,” I leaned against him and squeezed his arm. “And you know what’s the best part of all of those moments to come?”
“We’ll be sharing them?”
“Exactly. You, and me, forever.” My eyes went wide at my oversight. I clutched my stomach. “Oh my gosh, and this little one, too!”
“A family,” Vincent sighed. “Forever.”
We kissed again, and I knew without a doubt that I had a billion more favorite moments waiting for me.