“Definitely. I mean, it’s ready. I have a few little tweaks, but nothing major.”
“You’re incredible.”
“I’m alright.” She leans against me and sighs. “No, you’re right, I am totally incredible.”
We stand together and watch the car rumble and idle in the tent, and I’m wondering how I got through my days before her.
Because now that she’s here?
This is everything I need.
Chapter 34
Fiorella
“You sure you don’t want to come?”
Elisa shakes her head. She nudges me toward the car with both hands, grinning huge. “This should be your moment. I’ll just distract you.”
“It was supposed to be for us, you know. We were going to drive off into the sunset behind the wheel of this car. We’d go somewhere far away, sell it, and start over fresh.”
“I kind of figured that was the plan.” Her smile turns sad as she hugs herself lightly. “But it was never going to happen.”
“It still could,” I say, but even I know that’s not true. Even if I wanted to run, there’s no way it’s possible anymore. Luca would never let me, and I could never survive without him. Not now that I feel like we’re tangled together. Like we’re both trees with our root systems intertwined and fused, and now we’re just one massive organism. If I go, he goes too.
“You don’t even want that. You’re going to be a mom, remember? And you’ve got a pretty decent husband.”
“He’s fine. Not as good as a classic car though.”
“Yeah, great point. I’m sure that car will make a fantastic dad.”
I pull her into a tight hug. “You really don’t want to come?”
“I’ll be here when you get back. And maybe we’ll go for the second ride together, okay?”
I kiss her cheek and hop in behind the wheel. I sit there and feel the Spider’s engine idling as Elisa pins back the tent flaps so I can drive out the front. When she’s done, I put the car in gear, and there’s still a question in the back of my mind. Is it actually going to drive?
But I shouldn’t have worried.
The Spider rolls like a dream.
I hit the road and go. Not fast at first. I have to make sure there’s nothing wrong. It handles like heaven and accelerates like hell, which is what I love about this make and model. I notice more than a few envious looks as I maneuver through the city streets.
Eventually, I hit the highway, spinning off onto 95 heading north, and I finally open him up.
The Spider glides. It doesn’t drive, it doesn’t speed. It’s like I’m skating over ice. Every tap of the gas, every twitch of the wheel, and the car responds like all it wants is to do my bidding. I put it through the gears, shifting into fifth, and I stay there, cruising along in the right lane, feeling free.
And crying.
They aren’t bad tears. But it’s obvious nothing’s ever going to be the same. I’ve been working on this car for a couple of years and now it’s finally done. I feel my life changing all around me.
I’m pregnant. I’m married. Raf’s slowly waking up and Elisa is going to have to find herself. No more drifting along in Dad’s house. The Famiglia’s going through a period of transition and I’m right there with it.
This was supposed to be my escape. All my life, I dreamed of this moment. A good car worth serious money means actual freedom. I could still keep going, follow I-95 for hours, for days even, maybe turn out west at some point, wander around for a while. I could get lost, truly lost. All in the car I rebuilt myself. All in my freedom.
I just don’t want it anymore.
The idea of running feels wrong now. I fed myself on dreams of disappearing into the sunset, of waking up in strange towns with only stranger places to head toward. But now that seems so shallow and worthless.
