Page 43 of Too Fast To Fall
“Because I believe if you really love someone, you make sacrifices for them. Even if it’s hard or painful. This isn’t a permanentsituation. It’ll be forty-eight hours of discomfort, then I’ll move on with my life. I really love my sister. I’d do anythingfor her. And I want to have a good relationship with my future brother-in-law.”
Emilio shook his head. “You might be a saint.”
“Piper Murphy, patron saint of dogs.”
“It’s better than being Emilio ‘Hot Lap’ Baquero.” Emilio laughed and she joined in, making the best noise Piper had everheard. It put her under a spell, one that was disrupted when the doorbell rang. Gus took off for the front door, barking upa storm. “That must be Xander and Mia,” Emilio said.
Piper followed him to the foyer.
“We’re here!” Mia exclaimed when Emilio opened the door.
“We made it, despite my navigator’s insistence I drive the speed limit,” Xander said.
“He got a ticket two weeks ago,” Mia said.
“We all get them at some point.” Emilio waved them in and shut the door. He shook Xander’s hand while Piper eagerly took ahug from Mia.
“Xander, meet Piper,” Mia said. “Piper, this is Xander.”
“It’s so exciting to meet you,” Piper said, fully enamored. She was a true fan after all. “And I almost got a speeding ticketon the way to the Miami Grand Prix. So I feel your pain.”
“You’ll have to tell me all about it,” Xander said.
Mia held up a jumbo bakery box. “I wasn’t sure what you were making, which made it hard to decide what dessert we should bring.”
“We brought three,” Xander quipped. “Plenty for everyone.”
“Come on,” Piper offered. “We can put them in the fridge.”
Piper and Mia laughed their way into the kitchen, a flurry of conversation. Emilio wasn’t sure what they were up to, but thosehappy sounds in his home hit him hard, right in the center of his chest. When he’d first moved into this house, aside fromthe pitter-patter of not-so-tinypaws, there had been no happy sounds. Only the incessant blare of the alarm clock before the sun was up, or theplunkplunkplunkof dog food tumbling into Gus’s bowl, or the buzz of his electric toothbrush. Occasionally, he would laugh if he was watchingThe Office, but otherwise, there were only the sounds of seclusion. The low hum of feeling lost. The warmth and spark he felt with Piperaround? It made him feel like he was coming back to life.
“So, this is your place.” Xander stepped toward the living room and peeked inside. “It’s really nice. I like it.”
Emilio admired his and Piper’s handiwork. “It’s a work in progress. As you know, I didn’t have much time when I was shoppingfor a house. I just finished unpacking this room yesterday. Piper helped.”
“Sounds like she’s more than the dog nanny.” Xander reached down to pet Gus, who’d appeared at his side. “Especially if youbelieve the stuff on the internet.”
This again. Emilio couldn’t bring himself to be upset about it. Unless it bothered Piper, they could let it fade away on itsown. “People love to read a lot into situations.”
“Oh, believe me. I know. Mia and I were under that same microscope.” Xander nodded. “Mia really likes Piper. It seems likethey’re becoming friends.”
He and Piper were becoming friends, too. Between unpacking and dinner and Gus seemingly trying to lure them into the samebed, yesterday had brought a whole lot of closeness. He’d thought about kissing her last night, but he worried how she’d react.And he was paying her to be there. She was in his employ. That was another aspect of their relationship that made it difficultto navigate. “Unfortunately, she’s only around for another two weeks or so. Just for Spain and Monaco. Then she’s back tothe US.”
“Can’t convince her to stay?”
Emilio glanced toward the kitchen, where the joyful sound of Mia and Piper laughing rang out again. “I don’t think that’sin the cards. But I haven’t asked her since the day I first offered her the job. So maybe.” Although he had doubts as to whetherit was his place to convince her. She’d made no secret of how close she was to her family. “Let’s go check on dinner.”
Emilio had some last-minute preparation to do, then they all got settled in the tiny dining room off the living room, a spacethat hadn’t been used once since he’d moved in. From the first bite, Emilio felt self-conscious, even as the reviews fromhis guests were all raves.
“This is bloody brilliant,” Xander said, scarfing another forkful from his plate. “Delicious. Thank you so much.”
“Next time, I want to be here when you’re cooking. So you can teach me,” Mia said. “But I agree. It’s fantastic.”
“It really is wonderful.” Piper let a tiny hum escape her lips and Emilio shifted in his seat. He was right next to her, theirarms occasionally brushing. Every time they touched, his breath caught. Then she’d look at him. And he’d look at her. Andhe’d smile, then she’d blush and drop her chin, and then the conversation would become a distraction, but only for a few minutesbefore it all happened again.
“Who wants some F1 gossip?” Mia asked with a leading tone. “Some gossip, that if it turns out to be true, should make Emilioveryhappy.”
Xander slid her a glance. “Are you sure you want to bring this up? It’s just rumors.”
