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“It’s RJ Shepard,” Ford blurted, and even though Leo had already told me, it was still a surprise to hear it. I knew Felix had had a crush on him when we were in school, but now RJ was willing to jump in with not one, but both twins?
Dad let out his signature giggle. “Well, I hope you two are careful. Not that you need the sex talk or anything because you’re adults, but still... Your father and I are here if you need anything.”
“Ew, Dad.” Ford rolled his eyes, but Felix simply beamed before he scrambled up onto the couch. He leaned forward to whisper something in Dad’s ear, then they both burst into laughter.
Pop shook his head, but he was smiling. He gave my shoulder a gentle pat, and when I met his eyes, he raised his brows. “Are you good?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” I assured him. I hadn’t heard from Leo yet, only a couple of texts, but I was patiently waiting for his call. I knew that talking to him and hearing his voice would help.
“We should go out and do something this week. Just the two of us. The Panthers have practice most mornings, but maybe after?” Pop looked worried, like I might say no.
I nodded. “I’d like that.”
“Are you sure? Because if you have plans—”
I stopped him. “Pop, I’d love to spend some time with you. Maybe I could come to practice and watch the team? I haven’t put on skates in a while.”
He broke into an easy smile. “Of course.”
“Cool.” I felt a bit of relief washing over me. Maybe things with my parents would be okay and they wouldn’t be worried about me. And maybe I wouldn’t be so worried about myself.
My phones buzzed in my pocket, and when I slipped from my pants, I was more than excited to see it was a video call from Leo. “Excuse me for a minute.” I stood up and hurried into the kitchen and then up to my room. “Hey, baby.”
“Hey, hon.” Leo’s soft, feminine voice felt like sunshine on a cloudy day. He looked beautiful with his dark hair a ruffled mess. His blue eyes sparkled happily as he watched me, a smile spreading over his face. “How are you?”
My throat suddenly grew tight. “Better now.” I choked out. I sat down on my bed, trying to catch my breath.
“What happened?” He sounded worried, and I guess he had a right to be. Just hearing the sound of his voice and seeing him was enough to comfort me. “Andy?”
I blinked away the tears that had formed behind my eyes. “Uh, so I told my dads.”
“Told them what, exactly?”
“Everything.”
Leo didn’t even try to hide his surprise. “And how did they react?”
I slowly told Leo about what had happened. And when I was done, I was crying again and feeling like the worst son in the world. Leo cooed softly in my ear, telling me how strong I was, how much he loved me, and that he was proud of me. That my parents would do everything they could to make sure I got the help I needed. And he would be right by my side.
“I, uh... I’m going to see a therapist on Wednesday.”
That had been all Dad’s doing. He’d made a few calls and found someone who could see me as soon as possible.
Leo nodded. “I’m so proud of you, hon. I know this is all really scary, but you have so much support. So much love. This is a good thing.”
“Will you come with me? To my appointment? I don’t know if I can do it alone.” I felt like I might start crying again at any moment. “I’m sorry. You probably already have plans, and you’ll be exhausted from the race. The last thing you’re going to want to do is go with me to see a shrink. Forget I said anything.” I was such an idiot.
“Andy, of course I’ll come with you. Are you sure you don’t want Maverick and Jackson there?”
“I want all three of you there.”
Leo gave me a big smile. “Then I’ll be there.”
“I love you, Ricky, so much, and I just... I’m sorry. I know that I’ve said that a million times, and you probably don’t want to hear me say it again. But I am.” I moved my body around so that my head was resting on my pillows, and the sweet, familiar cinnamon scent of Leo hit me.
Leo leaned toward the screen. “I love you, too. I know how terrible you feel about what happened, and if saying you’re sorry over and over again helps, then I want you to keep saying it.”
We stayed on the phone talking and laughing, whispering how much we loved and missed one another until Leo started yawning. When I insisted we should hang up, he simply shook his head and told me that he wanted to fall asleep with me on the phone.
