Page 79 of Too Fast To Fall
Piper couldn’t help but notice he was gripping the armrest especially tight, but she took joy in making him a little nervous.“Does it really bother you that much that I’m behind the wheel? This is easier. I know my way around. I’ve lived here my wholelife.”
“You drive like you passed your test yesterday.”
She playfully swatted at him. “Take it back.”
“You just clipped that cyclist’s left arm.”
“I did not.”
Emilio laughed and shook his head. “Okay. Fine. You grazed it.”
Piper took a left. “Like I said, try to be open-minded about this house. I know you wanted a big modern mansion in Miami,but I think we should keep our options open.”
“I’m an F1 driver. A big modern mansion in Miami goes with the territory. But I promised I would look.”
“And I appreciate that.” Piper turned onto the street and spotted a familiar car up ahead. “My mom beat us. Always the professional.”Piper pulled in right next to her mom’s car and killed the engine. Willa stood near the front door, on her phone, per usual.
From the outside, the house didn’t look like much—a ranch-style mid-century bungalow with a stucco-and-brick exterior andsome tidy but unimpressive landscaping. Emilio removed his sunglasses and slid Piper a look that said he wasn’t loving this.
“The house in London isn’t much from the outside, either. Open mind, right?”
He slid his hand into hers. “Open mind.”
“There they are,” Willa said. “The happy couple.”
Piper still wasn’t used to hearing others refer to her and Emilio as a couple even though they very much were. They’d beentogether nonstop ever since he’d followed her to Florida and they both finally said the thing they’d been holding on to sotightly—I love you. Contrary to Piper’s plans that night, she stayed at the reception until there was no more champagne to drink, and the cakewas a memory, and the DJ had run out of music, all with Emilio by her side. Turned out he was quite the dancer, and he tookher mom, Meghan and Gabby each for a spin around the dance floor.
That night they’d stayed in the hotel Emilio booked, and they had a chance to show each other exactly how they felt.
“Why were we so stupid before? Why didn’t we just come out with it and admit we loved each other?” Piper asked as Emilio kissedhis way down her bare belly. Her bridesmaid’s dress was flung over the chair in the corner. His suit was in a pile near thedoor. Gus had wisely decided to sleep in the bathroom. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot.”
He peered up at her, his dark eyes blazing in the faint light of the moon through the window. “It’s a testament to how muchwe care about each other. We were both trying to be respectful of what the other person had been through. But it doesn’t matter,now, because I can just say it. I love you.”
She smiled then. “I love you, too.”
“Good.” He stood and swept her off her feet. “Now, if you don’t get in this bed right now, I will never speak to you again.”
After that night, they spent a few days with her parents so Emilio could get to know them. As she’d predicted, Emilio andher dad fell in love in a matter of minutes. They talked about everything from cars to dogs. But mostly cooking.
“Emilio, I was going to cook some ribs for dinner tonight. Do you like to go low and slow or hot and fast?” her dad had askedover breakfast.
Willa and Piper both snickered. If only her dad could hear himself.
“I’ve never cooked them,” Emilio answered. “But I’m willing to learn.”
“We should consult the interwebs, as they like to say.” Dad finished his coffee. “Actually, what am I thinking? Would youlike to go to the hardware store? They have a whole bunch of smokers down there and the guys are real knowledgeable. We canask what they think.”
Emilio shrugged. “Sure. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Great. We can talk about Piper in the car. Do you think Gus would like to go?”
“I’m sure he’d love it.”
Piper didn’t need her dad’s endorsement so much as it confirmed what she already knew—Emilio was her person.
From there, they’d gone to the Canadian Grand Prix, where Piper discovered it was much easier to attend a race when you wereactually the girlfriend of a driver. There were no cagey answers from Emilio in interviews. No attempts to evade the press.Turned out that as soon as you stopped hiding things, nobody cared all that much.
Emilio finished in second place—his first podium of the season. Piper watched him during the trophy ceremony with Gus by herside and tears streaming down her face. She gave him the biggest kiss as soon as she got to see him up close, and Gus didthe same. It was pretty bad. Emilio had to wash his face afterward.
