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Leo let out a long sigh. “Fine.”
“Why don’t you two go outside for a little privacy?” Dad suggested, and I was pretty sure my jaw landed on the floor. “Don’t look at me like that, Andy. I was a teenager once, too.” He waved his hands in our direction. “Go on. We’ll take care of the bill.”
Leo and I quickly scrambled out of the booth. I helped him put on his coat, slipped on mine, and then grabbed his hand before we headed outside. Once we had moved away from the windows of the restaurant, I dropped Leo’s hand so I could cup his face between my palms.
“Can I kiss you again?”
“I wish you would.”
This time when I leaned forward to press my mouth to Leo’s, he reached up and gripped my jacket between his fingers. A soft sigh escaped him as I tilted his head, deepened the kiss, and dragged my tongue over the seam of his lips. The moment he opened for me, I knew I was in trouble. Leo tasted like ice cream and forever, a deadly combination. His lips were soft and warm,and I never wanted this kiss to end. But soon enough, I needed air to breathe, and I reluctantly pulled away.
“I had a really great time tonight,” Leo murmured. His pupils were blown wide as he stared up at me, his fingers still tangled in the fabric of my coat.
I leaned forward to brush my mouth over his again. “Me, too.”
“Leo!” Noel called.
Leo rolled his eyes. “I guess I have to go, but—”
“Promise that you’ll text me when you get home? Just so that I know you’re okay and got home safely.” Plus, maybe we could video chat.
Leo smiled. “I will.” He reluctantly started to walk away, and I watched him as he went, his shoulders squared, his chin held high. But when he glanced over his shoulder and wiggled his fingers at me, I realized I had already lost my heart.
And I didn’t want it back.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Andy
It was late by the time Leo and I were finally able to head to our bed. In our house. That sounded crazy, yet perfect.Our house. Okay, sure, it was technically my dads’ guesthouse, but we were going to be living in it. We’d be the ones doing the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Now that I thought about it, Dad was probably going to be the one doing most of the cooking, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that Leo had just walked out of the bathroom dressed in a shirt with a giant yellow rubber duck on it and matching pajama pants. His face was clean of any makeup, and the smile that tugged at his mouth had me breaking into a grin.
“You look cute,” I said as Leo climbed up onto the bed next to me. This thing was comfortable, like lying on a cloud.
He sat with his legs crossed in front of him. “While I appreciate you saying that, I need to talk to you.”
“Uh, okay.”
My stomach dropped. Was all this just a rebound thing for him? Was he about to tell me that he had changed his mind and wasn’t going to live here with me? I reached for his hands.
“Is everything all right, Ricky? Did I do something wrong? I know I was kind of quiet most of the night, but I’m just tired.” Maybe.
Leo hummed softly. “You want to talk to me and tell me what’s really going on? I know that the stuff with your mother must be bringing you down.”
“I don’t want to burden you.”
“That’s too bad because I want to carry that burden.”
I sighed and tried to swallow around the lump in my throat. “Leo, I just... Can’t we just go to sleep and talk about it in the morning?”
“Nope.” He climbed from the bed and placed his hands on his hips. “You’re hiding something from me. I need to know what it is.”
“I’m not!” I exclaimed, then grimaced when Leo’s eyes went wide. “I just... I hate her. She’s a terrible, horrible woman, and she’s doing this to blackmail me. She thinks that I’ll cave to her demands. Give her more money, let her back into my life, but I’m not stupid. I know my mother is using the money for booze, drugs, or God knows what else. I wish she would just die. I wished for that when I was a kid. That she would overdose and leave me alone. Hoping that maybe a nicer, caring family would take me in.” Tears stung the back of my eyes.
Leo scrambled up onto my lap. “Andy, baby, you have every right to hate her. She might have carried you for nine months, but that doesn’t make her your mother.” He dragged his thumbs over my cheeks to collect the tears. “Is that why you’ve been so off? Because you’re worried about her next move?”
“I know I shouldn’t let her get to me, but I’m scared.” I sniffed softly before I buried my face into his neck. “Baby, I need you.”
Leo wrapped his arms around me. “You have me. I promise I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, Andy. No chance of getting rid of me this time.”
