“Walk with me?” she asked, already turning toward the Moretti hospitality suite with the air of someone who didn’t need you to agree. We followed. Matteo beside me, casual as ever, like he hadn’t just whispered life-altering things against my mouth in a racing trailer alcove. Inside, she led us to the back lounge—quiet, far from the noise and celebration. She waited until the door clicked shut, then turned, tablet tucked under one arm.
“I wanted to flag something before the press beats us to it,” she said evenly. “There are whispers going around the circuit. People talking. About…the two of you.”
I blinked. “Us?”
“Yes. You were seen in Portofino. There’s speculation. And a lot of very interested gossip accounts who think it’s more than just friendly team relations. A claimed insider confirming you’re together. Which is fine.Ifyou want to go public. But if you don’t, we need to get ahead of it before someone else controls the narrative.”
Matteo leaned back against the wall like she’d just asked him about tire strategy. Cool. Collected.
I, meanwhile, felt like someone had cracked my chest open and set my heart under a magnifying glass.
Because I didn’t know.
I didn’t know what I wanted.
I’d sworn this off. All of it. Relationships. Complications. People knowing too much about my life. I’d watched my last relationship unravel in the spotlight. And even if Matteo wasn’t him—even if he was kind and careful and maddening in a completely different way—it didn’t erase the part of me that flinched at the idea of everyone knowing.
Of everyone commenting.
And yet.
I couldn’t deny the pull.
The way he saw me. The way I came undone in his arms. The way my name sounded in his voice when he said it like a promise.
I dragged a hand through my hair. “What…exactly are they saying?”
Anna gave a tight smile. “The usual. A few videos trying to match timelines. A blurry photo here and there. A Reddit thread that’s weirdly invested. It’s not a scandal, but it’s gaining traction. And the longer we don’t address it, the more room we give them to make it messy.”
Matteo glanced at me. I didn’t look back. My throat was tight. I didn’t want this to be some public spectacle. I also didn’t want to pretend it was nothing anymore. But time wasn’t exactly a luxury we could afford as people in a spotlight-driven career.
Anna waited patiently. She knew how to navigate fires. But this? This wasn’t fire yet. It was smoke. Rising slowly. Giving us a chance to decide which way we wanted the wind to blow.
“Let’s not comment,” he said gently, eyes still on me. “Let’s take a few days. Let it cool down. If we decide to say something, we’ll do it together.”
That last word lingered.
Together.
He didn’t sayIf we’re together. He just saidTogether.
I exhaled, relief and confusion tangled inside me. Anna nodded. “That works—for now. But if the media gets aggressive, we’ll need a new plan.” She sent a smile our way before tapping away on her tablet and saying she’d be right back. The door closed behind her, leaving just the two of us again.
I didn’t look at him right away. Because if I did, I might’ve told him I wanted to kiss him again. Or that I wasn’t ready for any of this. Or that I was. Or that I’d already fallen so hard it scared me. And I didn’t know which truth would come out first.
The silence still clung to the air after Anna left. I hadn’t moved. Matteo hadn’t either. There was too much unsaid between us, and too many cameras waiting outside to say any of it.
The door creaked open again—just as I took a breath to speak—and in walked Lucia, cheeks flushed, bright eyes sparkling under the overhead lights. Alexander followed right behind her with Gianna tucked in his arms, small and soft and fast asleep. All golden curls and pink cheeks, her tiny head rested on his shoulder. Lucia grinned as she caught sight of us. “There you are. We’ve been looking all over.”
Alexander smirked, shifting the little girl in his arms with the careful ease of someone who’d clearly done this a hundred times. “Gianna couldn’t hang,” he said softly, eyes shining with something more than podium joy. “Out cold.”
Matteo chuckled, stepping forward to gently brush a hand over her head. “She lasted longer than I thought, honestly. Big day and night.”
“She waved the flag for at least fifteen minutes,” Lucia said proudly then her focus shifted to us, a glint in her eye. “Are we going out tonight or what?”
Matteo raised his brows, Alexander’s grin turned dangerous, and I blinked in slow realization.
“Out?” I repeated.
