If it had been anyone else, it would have been enough to make her angry.
Or, at the very least, less polite than she’d been thus far.
“I appreciate you coming by,” Leanna said as she stood. “I don’t want to keep you.”
Slowly, he came to his feet. “You’re not. This was important and I’m glad I had the opportunity to talk to you. There were a few days where I wasn’t sure I’d get the chance to do anything anymore, let alone make amends for the things I’ve done wrong.”
Knowing everything she did about him, she knew how hard it was for him to say such a thing. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. Now let’s get you back in the car so you can get home to Sylvia so she can stop worrying.” Walking around her desk, she offered him her arm to help him. When she looked up at him with a smile, she saw tears in his eyes.
“My son is a lucky man,” he said gruffly. And before she could ask what he meant, he explained. “You are incredibly gracious, Leanna, even to those who don’t deserve it. You have a good heart. I hope you can forgive Brody. I’m afraid so much of his harsh personality is my fault.”
She swallowed hard and walked slowly with him out to the town car that was waiting for him. When he was situated in the back seat, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Promise me you’re going to listen to the doctors and take care of yourself.”
He chuckled. “You sound like Sylvia.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“But…about Brody…”
“Does he know you’re here?” she asked.
“No. I didn’t tell anyone I was coming to see you.”
She smiled. “Then let’s keep it that way.” And with a wink, she waved to him. “Go get some rest. Everything is going to be fine.”
And as she watched him pull away, she finally felt like it would be.
It was late and Brody felt like he could barely keep his eyes open.
The good news was that his father was home and his doctors predicted a full recovery. It had been a huge weight on his shoulders as he spent the last two weeks putting out fires at the office with everyone in a state of panic over his father’s health and what it meant to the future of the company.
All he wanted was a hot shower and about fourteen hours of sleep. Thank God it was Friday and he could possibly achieve both of those things.
But when he pulled into the driveway, he froze.
There were lights on in his house.
And he never left the lights on–not even on a timer.
Slowly he climbed from his car and made his way to the front door. There was no way he could see inside and he prayed if someone had broken in, that they’d at least have the decency to be gone by now. But just in case they didn’t, he pulled out his phone and was ready to call 9-1-1 if needed.
The first thing he noticed was the smell.
Delicious.
The second was the woman standing in the kitchen.
Beautiful.
Leanna’s smile was hesitant as she stepped around the island to greet him. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m here.”
There were so many things he wanted to say, but the sight of her was enough to practically bring him to his knees with relief. He dropped his satchel on the floor and didn’t even blink at the crash of his laptop in his haste to get to her. His hands cupped her face before he leaned in and captured her lips for the kiss he’d been aching for.
She clung to him even as he held her tight and he continued to kiss her until it was almost painful. He poured everything he had into it and when they finally broke apart, breathless, all he wanted to do was dive in and taste her again.
So he did.
After a minute, Leanna was the one to break the kiss and her laughter was one of pure joy. “That was some greeting!”
His hands were still on her face and he couldn’t get enough of looking at her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were here? I would have been home much sooner.”
Taking his hands in hers, Leanna led him over to the sofa and gave him a small shove to make him sit. “It looks like you haven’t been home in a week. And besides, I wanted to surprise you. I figured now that your father was home and it was the weekend, that you might finally get a chance to relax.”
A few minutes ago that was all he wanted to do, but now that she was here, he had other things in mind.
But the serious look on her face told him to wait.
Sitting down beside him, she twisted to face him. “How are you doing?”
Rubbing his hand over his face, he fought off a yawn. “Honestly? I’m exhausted.”
“Have you eaten? I mean, I know it’s after ten, but did you have dinner?”
He shook his head.
Leanna rose and held out a hand to him. “Follow me.” She led him to the kitchen and pointed for him to sit at one of the stools. “I made some creamy corn chowder; I just need to heat it up. But if you want something more with it, I also brought with me some freshly-roasted turkey, avocado, swiss cheese, and sourdough bread for sandwiches.”
It was almost enough to make him weep with gratitude. “Can I say yes to both?” he asked with a small laugh.
“You certainly can.” She started to move away but then stopped. “Why don’t you go and grab a shower while I get everything ready?”
He stood and kissed her again. “You’re perfect, do you know that?”
All she did was blush and give him a playful push toward the bedroom to send him on his way. As he predicted, the shower was amazing and did wonders for his overall well-being and even though he could have stayed in there for at least another twenty minutes, he forced himself out because he knew she was waiting for him.
In his closet, he pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt and quickly towel-dried his hair before he stepped back out into the bedroom. For the first time in weeks, he was home. And not just physically, but in every sense of the word.
Leanna was here and wherever she was felt like home.
This house had been everything to him–his little empire that he’d made for himself–but without her, it meant nothing. For all the times he talked about the importance of having space and having his breathing room, without her there, it wasn’t worth having.
It shamed him that she had been the one to come to him. Not a day went by when he hadn’t thought of her and tried to find a way to go see her but it seemed like every obstacle in the world was in his way. And on top of that, he was embarrassed by the way he behaved, the way his family behaved, and the fact that she was put in that position at lunch. So, he’d been a coward and stayed away.
And regretted it with every fiber of his being.
So as he walked back into the kitchen and found her putting food out for him, he knew he needed to say what he felt before anything else.
“Hey, how was your shower?”
Gently, he grasped her shoulders. “Can you sit for a minute?”
“But…your food…”
“It’s okay,” he said, and once she was sitting, everything sort of just came out. “I am a coward, Lea. A horrible, horrible coward.” Her eyes went wide but he didn’t let that stop him. “From the moment we met, you have done nothing but give and I’ve done nothing but take. And yet…here you are…taking care of me.”