Rush: Part One & Two (The Pitstop Series Book 3)

I wrap my arms around James’ back, and he hugs me. He looks much better today than he has in days. It looks like he’s gotten some sleep and seems to have made peace with the fact that he’s going to be a father.

“Annabel and I have worked out everything. I can be as involved as I want to be, I am going to help her financially, and take care of the baby whenever I’m here. She reassured me we are going to make this work as long as we both put in the effort.”

James has a small smile on his face, and I’m glad he’s no longer this drunken mess I have to take care of. Now, he’s the sober mess I get to take care of.

“I know it’s not supposed to happen like this, but, Val, I felt my son kick yesterday. It was the most thrilling feeling, apart from racing, I have ever felt.” His eyes glow with euphoria as he explains it.

“You don’t know how happy I am you feel this way, and I can’t wait to hold him in my arms. He’s going to be the most beautiful baby boy,” I tell him, and he smiles.

“How do you know?” I take a sip from my water before I answer his question.

“Because he’s yours,” I say, and a shy blush settles on his cheeks.

“Stop it. You’re making me blush.” I laugh, and he joins me.

James and I talk for a little while, but the longer I stay, the more my thoughts drift to Gabriel. He hasn’t texted me or contacted me in almost three days, and I’m worried. I wish he would speak to me, but he needs time, I guess I understand that.

With an interesting conversation topic, James pulls me back to reality and out of my thoughts. He lets me know he is going with Annabel to a doctor’s appointment today and that she’s coming over soon.

James asks me to stay so I can maybe feel his son kick.

“What’s going on with you?” His question catches me off-guard, and I choke on my water.

It takes me a minute, coughing and him slapping my back until I finally get the water out of the wrong pipe in my throat.

“Nothing, why do you ask?” James studies my expression for a short moment, and I get nervous. He’ll see through me, I know he will.

“Because you are unusually quiet and keep checking your phone. That’s how you always act when something is wrong between you and someone. So, what’s going on?” I shake my head and swallow the lump in my throat.

“I don’t know. I don’t really want to talk about it.” James nods, and I take his hand in mine. “What did your family say when you told them you’re having a son?” He sucks in a sharp breath and steps back, avoiding eye contact.

“Mia is excited, and my mom said she needed some time to process. The angry one is my dad, which he told me to my face. I never had his approval to begin with, so it’s not that bad, but still. It’s never easy to hear your father say he’s disappointed in you.”

He pushes his hands against the kitchen counter, which we have been leaning against for the past hour, and frowns.

Our conversation is interrupted by the doorbell. James goes to open it and walks back into the kitchen with a smiling Annabel.

“Valentina, it is so nice to see you again,” she says. The pregnant woman gives me a kiss on each cheek to greet me.

“It’s nice to see you. I hear you have a doctor’s appointment today.” Her face lights up, and it’s hard for me to believe someone could look so happy at almost nine months pregnant.

“Yes, and James is coming with me. He’s going to see little Claude for the first time,” she says, and James snorts.

“Please, Annie, let’s not call our child Claude.” Annie? I can’t help but crack a little smile. Annie… Maybe, after all, James will open his eyes and see how wonderful she is.

“All right, how about Beauregard?” she asks, and he rolls his eyes.

“Do you want him to get bullied? Because if you call him Beauregard it is highly likely he will get made fun of.”

Annabel puts on her thinking face, and so does James, but both of them stay silent for a couple of minutes.

“You could call him Damian and then your last names,” I offer because it has been a while since anyone has spoken.

Ever since I found out James was going to be a dad, I have been looking at baby names for fun. The name ‘Damian’ was my favorite, but I say it more as a joke. I don’t want them to think I’m crazy for having looked at names. I only wanted to support them.

Annabel’s mouth opens, and her eyes go wide.

“And then his middle name could be ‘Parker’, like my father.” Annabel stares at James with joy in her eyes. “Damian Parker Rossi-Landon,” she says, and James smiles at her.

“It’s perfect,” he mumbles before he looks at me. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, I was just brainstorming.”

All of a sudden, Annabel touches her stomach and lets out a little laugh.

“He’s kicking a lot,” she says, and I ask if I could feel it. She almost rips my hand off my arm to get it to her stomach.

The feeling is strange to me. I’m amazed someone is living inside of her, someone created by her and somewhat my best friend. The only two words that come to mind are: wonderful and weird.

Both of them thank me again, and I inform them I have to run some errands. It’s a lie, but they seem eager to spend more time with each other, and I need to go see how my boyfriend is doing.

I drive the Mustang to Gabriel’s house only to have Nicolette tell me they aren’t home, neither Jean nor Gabriel.

“But you are welcome to come in. Domi and I were just having tea if you’d like some.” She takes my arm, leading me inside.

The two lovely women entertain me for an hour or so, telling me about how and where they met, the way they got together, and stories about Jean and Gabriel. I could listen to them forever, but eventually, Adrian texts me he prepared dinner. I assume he means he ordered dinner because there is no way he cooked something without burning the kitchen down.

Just as I am about to walk out of the door, Gabriel steps into the house.

“Val,” he says, shock on his face.

There are dark circles under his eyes, and I hate that so many people in my life seem to have them nowadays.

“Hi, amour.”

I wrap my arms around him because I’m happy to see him, but he doesn’t hug me the way he always does. It feels like he doesn’t want me in his house, which is why I pull back and leave without saying another word.

Gabriel doesn’t follow me, he doesn’t text me for the rest of the night, and I know something bad is going to happen.

I just don’t know when.