“Just as it should be too!’ Buford exclaims, putting his arm around Penny as she joins us.
“What’s going on?” she asks, looking from one of us to the next.
“Oh, just putting things back in their place, my dear. Just as they should be,” Buford says, patting me on the back and giving me one of his sly winks.
“I think a celebration might be in order,” he says, a twinkle in his gray eyes.
EPILOGUE
SIX MONTHS LATER
Penny
Buford, he won’t let me call him grandpa Billings, ‘Makes me sound so damned old’ he keeps telling me. He’s officially retired from most of his business dealings, spending his time doing what he loves best; setting up new business dealings.
His grandson, Benson, took the news there was extra family nobody knew about well and didn’t even blink, but it turns out he’s the son of Buford’s only son, who lives overseas, so we’re related but not directly. He’s not my brother.
Steve won every race of the season, going to the championship too and becoming the first rookie champ to also retire from racing in the same season.
“I won’t race if you don’t want me to,” he told me, even though I knew how much he loved it, how much passion he had for it, but I had my reasons.
“You really don’t want me to?” he asked, expecting me to change my mind.
“Just trust me, okay?” I asked him, more relieved than I could say once he agreed without question.
“As long as I have you, Penny nothing else matters. I can still mess around with the team at the track though, right?” he asked.
“Sure, just don’t race,” I told him, half-joking but deadly serious.
He took it well, and still has all these weeks later, even though I feel like I’m getting under his feet some days.
“I just need someone to help with all this Buford business,” I tell him, feeling dizzy again, feeling sick.
The catch of being introduced into the Billings dynasty? Everyone has to work for their share, there’s no slacking and once Buford decided to hang up most of his oil and all of his racing responsibilities, it became a full time job for me to even try and get my head around exactly what it is I manage and how much we own now.
I didn’t have to take it on, but Buford assured me it was easy. “Just a few emails and phone calls every day… the odd meeting or charity dinner here and there,” he said.
I’m still waiting for the easy part, but it’s only been a few months, and Steve’s been nothing but supportive, helping me even more now that he’s quit racing.
“We have to go to this one,” he reminds me, holding up an invitation. “It’s for Buford, his retirement dinner tonight,” Steve says consolingly, but looking worried though. I can tell when he’s worried because he always looks at me like I’m made of glass and about to break.
“You okay, sweetheart?” he asks, gently holding me and pressing the back of his hand to my head.
“I just feel… I just…”
I can’t even finish my sentence because I have to rush past Steve to the bathroom, without having time to even close the door before I get sick
“That’s it!” Steve exclaims firmly. I hear his heavy steps down the hall and then his voice on the phone.
“What are you doing?” I try to call out, heaving again and not being able to even speak while another wave of nausea runs through me.
“I’m calling Doctor Fanning,” I hear him calling back to me, followed by “Are you alright, sweetie? Talk to me,”
I hurl again, my groan echoing down the hall as I try to set myself right again, but once I get going it’s hard to stop.
I hope Doc Fanning doesn’t...
I slowly manage to get my breath back, the waves of nausea subside and I can hear Steve’s voice getting softer until I can barely hear him.
“Oh really?” is all I hear him ask before he thanks the doctor and hangs up the phone.
I rinse my mouth and meet Steve in the hallway. I puff my cheeks as I blow out air and pat his chest.
“I think I’ll be okay, but I’d still rather not-” I try to tell him, but he’s picked me up and started to spin around, planting a huge wet kiss right on my mouth.
I think I’m gonna get sick again, but he stops as quickly as he started and squeezes a hug out of me so hard I feel my back pop.
“When were you gonna tell me?” he asks, and I know it’s hopeless. I can’t keep anything from Steve.
“Did she tell you?” I ask, feeling like the doctor patient thing just went out the window.
“No, she didn’t, she only said you’d been in for a few appointments lately,” Steve confides. “Doc Fanning is a professional… she’d never… ugh! I should’ve guessed, I should have known!” he exclaims, hugging me again and kissing my face all over until he finds my lips again.
“I’m only a few weeks along. I just wanted to wait to be a hundred percent,” I croak, but I have to admit, I’m suddenly feeling much better.
Much better now that I can share the news. I’ve been breaking my head trying to figure out the best way to tell him the secret I thought was so secret but in hindsight is pretty obvious.
“We’re gonna have a baby,” Steve sighs loudly, looking up to the ceiling and then holding my face in his hand gently, pecking my lips and whispering it to me again.
“We’re gonna have a baby.”
I mouth the words back to him, but it’s only when I hear him saying it, feel his huge hand over my belly that it really sinks in.
“I’m gonna be a mommy,” I hear myself saying softly, the tears finally coming, but they’re tears
