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“Willy and Colin, who you met at the courthouse, are probably the closest thing to siblings I have. I love them like they’re my family, and they love me the same way.”
He huffed a laugh. “Indeed. Will, the big one? Threatened to castrate me in my sleep if I so much as thought about taking advantage of you.” He lifted Bobbi-June to his shoulder, and I leaned forward to kiss her chubby little cheeks.
“I just bet. Did I mention he’s protective?” I was still laughing as I looked up, suddenly realizing how close our bodies had become on the couch. He looked down with those dark, molten-amber eyes, his full lips only inches away. I could feel the soft gusts of his breaths on my cheeks.
Nope. No. Not happening.
I pulled away on a shaky breath. “I’m sure you’re completely safe.”
He gave a curt nod, a tight smile on his face as he handed a wiggling Bobbi-June over to me. “I’m not so sure I am,” he said lightly, then stood. “The caterer should be here soon with food for the week. I had her cater for the whole household until you four get settled in and decide how you want mealtimes to work.”
“Thanks, Rocco.”
He gave me another tight smile and left. I settled back on the couch, propping one of the decorative pillows on my lap so I could nurse Bobbi-June.
Rocco and I had more in common than I’d thought; we’d both thrown our careers away on a pretty face, though in different ways. I thought about Lucia Christian, and her choice to stay. I couldn’t judge another person, or their reasons for doing what they did, but what I’d seen in that video—the cold, almost evil look in Mattias’s eye as he’d whispered something to Rocco?
No amount of money and glamor would make me stay.
THIRTY-FOUR
HAYES
Going back to work had been interesting. The side-eyes. The way people watched us, like Rocco and I were about to start a brawl. The silence that descended on a room when Tally walked through. The only people who didn’t seem fazed by Tally’s new relationship status were Antony, because he knew the truth, and Stephie, who just figured we were all banging the whole time, so it was all good.
Stephie had been with VANT Enterprises for a long time before she came over to the racing side of the business. Apparently, the idea of her new co-worker having multiple partners was old news.
The hardest thing was watching the casual affection between Rocco and Tally at work, that we had all decided was necessary in public. Someone in the team had clearly gone running to Brick Willtot; otherwise, he never would have known Tally was pregnant, let alone shown up at the hospital after she’d given birth. It wasn’t like we were posting about it in the newspaper.
So to maintain the ruse, Rocco would sometimes wrap an arm around her waist, or kiss her head as he walked past. Small things that weren’t really that personal, but painted a certain picture among the team.
Luckily, we’d also decided that I didn’t have to hide my affection. That would have been hell. Again, given the owners of VANT, no one’s jaw dropped when Tally would kiss me, or when we’d go out to lunch.
Eventually, it stopped being quite so weird, but the tension was still there for the next few weeks. Simulations were almost done, and the car was almost constructed. We were getting ready to do physical testing on the cars, which meant soon Tally and Rocco would be driving it around the test track. It also meant that talks for a second driver were well under way, and I had a feeling we were going to get an announcement any day now.
Rumors were abound about who could drive with Rocco as a second seat, and while Tally’s name had been thrown about, I didn’t think she’d get the chance quite just yet. She definitely needed more experience driving in an open-wheeled car before they could send her out into professional racing. It had been a long time since karting, and there was a world of difference between a stock car and an IndyCar.
Still, the closer we got to testing day, the more excited Tally became. She was itching to be back behind the wheel of a race car, and I couldn’t blame her. She was born to drive.
She was sitting in the cockpit of one of the cars now, as I gave her the grand tour. The sims had much of the same controls by design, but it was different somehow, sitting in the actual car that would race around St. Petersburg in a few months.
“The brake bias is shifted over a little, but otherwise it’s pretty standard. Formula is where we get the chance to really experiment.”
She sighed, resting her head back in the cockpit. Holding the steering wheel, she made vrooming noises and pretended to drive a track. I had no doubt that it was an actual track in her mind, and not just random movements, which somehow made it more adorable.
“Fuck, you’re cute,” I whispered, kissing the top of her head.
The baby had stayed home with Jesse today, who was working on selling the house that he and Tally had renovated. Today was our first full workday without her, and I could sense how anxious Tally was.
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my pocket. Jesse had sent a photo of Bobbi-June reading the real estate pages of the newspaper, a slight frown making her look like she was concentrating.
J: Junie looking for our next restoration project.
I showed Tally, and she laughed, her face soft as she stared at the baby. It was one of five photos Jesse had sent us today in the group chat, and I was fairly certain he was doing it as proof of life, to ease Tally’s fears.
“Do you think they’re doing okay?”
I smiled. “I’m pretty sure that Jesse has found his calling as a stay-at-home dad. He seems pretty content.”
