Chapter 22
Someone pulledup 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.
Valeria appeared with a plate, some blue-tinted cake resting in the center, and handed it to me. Beside her was Stephie, and we all watched Rocco walk past Antony, saying something softly in his ear, then head out the door.
“I know we aren’t meant to say this about our coworkers, but that man went straight into my spank bank the moment I saw him,” Stephie said softly. Valeria made a hum of agreement.
If I was honest, I’d had more than one dirty dream about Rocco Passero, long before I met the man. He’d been in my fantasy arsenal when he first came onto the racing scene, back when I was sixteen.
I made a non-commital noise, which shook them from their drooling trance, and they both handed me small packages. “Our turn!” Valeria had bought me a onesie with a teddy bear on the front, as well as a giraffe teething ring. Stephie had bought a board book about Amelia Earhart and a nasal aspirator.
I thanked them both, and they sat around as more people came up to give me gifts. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of these people I had known just a few months. The gifts ranged from pacifiers to sleep sacks and everything in between. By the end, I’d had three slices of cake and was as close to being overwhelmed with emotion as I’d ever been.
Lastly, Vanessa and her partners appeared in front of me. I stood, shaking my head. “Thank you all so much. I can’t believe this.” I felt like I was living in a dream. I hadn’t had a party since… I couldn’t even remember when. Before my mother died, that was for sure.
Antony rested a hand on his shoulder. “You deserve it. You’re a valued member of this team.” He cleared his throat. “And on that note, follow us.” He led me through the crowd, out into the parking lot.
Sitting in front of us was a large Lexus SUV, and I looked over at them. “Mr. Barbieri…” I started, but he waved a hand.
“Don’t panic, Tally. This is a company car, on lease to you for a duration. At the end, we’ll trade it in. It’s a tax write-off, at best.” He said it all airily, but the lopsided smirk on his face told me that it might be a company car, but they’d bought it for me. “You need a way to get to and from work, and if two of my employees are using it for transportation, all the better.”
Hayes stood on one side of me, Jesse on the other. The shock on their faces told me that they hadn’t known this was going to happen either.
“It’s got one of the best safety ratings of the year,” Hayes murmured softly.
I’d had company cars before, especially back when I’d been driving professionally. The difference was that this felt like I didn’t really deserve it.
I looked between Vanessa and Antony. I felt like I should turn it down. “Are you sure?”
Vanessa nodded. “Absolutely. Look, we have company cars. We’ll write it into your contract, if that makes you feel better.”
The tears that I’d been holding back were now sliding down my cheeks. Antony pulled out the keys from his pocket and held them out to me. I hesitantly took them, while everyone clapped and cheered, like I’d just come in P1.
I hugged Antony, even though it was probably inappropriate, then I turned to his wife. Vanessa reached down and hugged me close. “You’re going to be a wonderful mother, Tally.”
The tears flooded up and poured down my cheeks as she held me. I’d needed to hear that, even though it probably wouldn’t be true. I’d be a fuckup, but it wouldn’t be because I didn’t love the hell out of this baby.
She continued to hug me like she knew how much I needed it, stroking my back in circles, until I finally pulled my shit together and stepped back. I gave a damp kiss to her other husbands, Trent and Nathan, and walked toward the car. It looked brand new, and smelled like they’d rolled it off the factory floor today.
I needed to find the words to say thank you to these people, who’d made me feel like I was part of a team once more. Several people were now chanting, “Speech, speech, speech!”
“Uh, first of all, thank you! Thank you to every single one of you for taking time out of your lives to attend this surprise for me. Thank you to everyone who organized this baby shower, to VANT Racing for letting me be part of the team.” I scrubbed the tears from my cheeks with the back of my arm. “Sorry, everything makes me cry right now.”
A little ripple of laughter moved through the crowd.
“Antony, Vanessa, Trent, and Nathan—thank you for seeing enough in me to take a chance, and for all your kindness since.” I looked at Hayes and Jesse, who were still standing over by the bosses. “A very special thank you to Hayes and Jesse, for everything.”
God, at that moment, I wanted to say the words. I wanted to tell them that I loved them, but it was too soon, not the right time.
I cleared the lump from my throat. “I appreciate you all, and I can’t wait to be back with the team, along with this bonus employee.” I rubbed my stomach. There was a smattering of applause, and we all headed back inside.
Lady Luck was on my side now, and happiness was within my grasp.