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I had missed this. Noel was a great big brother, but Maverick was so much more.
“You’re so handsome. I’m proud of you, too.” Maverick patted my cheek. “You know you can come by more. We’d love to have you over for dinner any time.”
I wasn’t sure that was going to happen any time soon. “I know, Dad.”
“Dad?” Andy’s deep voice drifted through the room. “Uh, Pop wanted me to tell you the pizza is done.” His hazel orbs landed on me and our intertwined hands. A faint smile tugged at his lips, then he looked away.
Maverick squeezed my fingers lightly. “You’re both staying, right? Please, please, tell me you’re not leaving. You can spend the night if you want. Your rooms are exactly the way you left them.”
“We’ll stay,” I assured him. “Right, Andy?”
He nodded. “Ricky’s right, we’ll stay.”
The smile on Maverick’s face was nearly blinding. “Come on, come on, your brother is going to be so excited to see you. Felix and Ford should be back soon, too. They had plans this morning.”
I bet they did. I opened my mouth, then clamped it shut before I could say something. He disappeared upstairs, leaving me alone with Andy.
“Thank you, Ricky, for bringing me here.” He chewed on his bottom lip again. “I—”
I waved a hand at him. “I know.” I couldn’t stand to hear him say he was sorry again. Not without giving me a reason. “Let’s go eat. I’ve missed your dad’s home-cooked meals.”
Halfway up the stairs, I turned to find Andy standing at the bottom, watching me. He wasn’t checking me out or gawking; his eyes had a faraway look to them. Like he was lost in thought. I went back down and took his hand. He dropped his gaze to where I had tangled our fingers together.
“Ready?”
Andy nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
He was most definitely not okay, but I was going to do my best to find a way to help him without having my heart broken again at the same time. Hopefully, being home with his parents would do him some good.
Chapter Eight
Andy
Then
I stared at the vision before me.The raven-colored hair. The big blue eyes that were lined with a deeper blue. The red sweaterthat clung to his torso to show off his lean frame. I felt like I was dreaming. This boy had starred in all my fantasies when I first noticedhim last week, and he was here. At the Christmas party I didn’t want to attend tonight. Leo McCormick was an absolute vision.
“Dad, I’ll be right back,” I murmured without even waiting to see if he heard me.
Pops raised his brows at me as I made my way across the room. Leo was standing with another man, smaller, with auburn curls and a wearing mid-drift top. Was that...Leo wasn’t with that man, was he? I gritted my teeth. Maybe my dream guy was already taken. The thought hadn’t even occurred to me, and now my heart felt a little heavy. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.
“Hi.” I squared my shoulders as I towered over him. “You’re Leo, right? I’m Andy. We go to school together.”
His ears burned pink as he stared up at me before he dropped his gaze back to his feet. He was so adorable.
“It’s cool to see someone from school here. Your brother is a driver, right?”
Leo glanced back up at me for a second. “Uh, yeah, he is. I know who you are.” He dragged his toe across the floor. “This is my friend Ezra.”
Ezra nodded at me, and I hoped my disappointment didn’t show on my face. “I think CC is looking for me.” He started to turn away.
“No.” Leo grabbed his wrist.
I ducked my head, trying to catch his eyes. “You look nice. Did you get a haircut?”
“What?” Leo’s pale skin burned crimson.
He was so beautiful. Those eyes, the handful of freckles that were splashed across his nose. Those lush, plump lips. I had an inkling I wasn’t straight, but Leo confirmed that thought.
