If someone had told her a month ago that this would be her life, she would’ve accused them of using the drugs her jailor had been selling. But now that she was here, she was determined to do whatever it took to keep this life.
She managed to have a fairly normal conversation with Leo over the next forty-five minutes. They talked about Mario and how well he was doing. They discussed Kevin, Eagle and Taylor’s baby, and how it seemed that he hadn’t inherited his mother’s prosopagnosia. Leo shared how relieved Taylor had been that her son had been born with a small birthmark on his face, because it meant she would always recognize him. They talked about the double wedding ceremony that had happened right before they’d all gone to Jamaica, and even about some of Molly’s strange pregnancy cravings.
That led to Cassidy telling Leo all about her own pregnancy . . . and how Alfred hadn’t helped much at all.
But that conversation pissed Leo off so much, she worried he was going to leave and hunt Alfred down right that second, so she quickly changed the subject and talked about some of the funnier things Mario had done as a toddler.
By the time the dance class finished, she’d learned more about Leo’s teenage years and his time in the Army, and had heard a harrowing story about how he and his teammates had all saved each other’s lives when they’d been held hostage in the Middle East while still in the service. She was grateful Leo was so close to his friends, and hoped he always would be.
Mario climbed the bleachers toward them with a huge smile on his face. “Did you see me, Mom?”
“Of course I did. I’ve been sitting here the whole time,” she told him with a smile.
His eyes flicked down to Leo’s hand on her hip, and if possible, his smile grew even bigger. But he didn’t comment, simply sat next to her and put his head on her shoulder. “I had so much fun,” he said.
“I’m glad.”
“I’m not the best, like Leo warned, but I’m not the worst either. Even though that was my first-ever class, I think the videos I’ve been watching helped me. Allison, the girl I was next to, said I was really good, and . . .” His voice trailed off as the next group of kids began their practice on the mats.
They were obviously cheerleaders, and once again, Mario’s eyes were glued to the action.
“Look, Mom—there’s boys down there too!”
“I see,” Cassidy said.
The younger girls were practicing cheers, but the older kids, the teenagers, were doing a mixture of tumbling and cheering. The boys in one group were balancing girls on their shoulders, then throwing them in the air. The girls did flips before landing in the arms of the boys once again. And throughout it all, everyone was smiling, clearly having a great time.
“Holy crap, did you see that?” Mario asked.
Cassidy glanced at her son, who wasn’t paying any attention to her, then looked over at Leo. He was looking from her to Mario with such obvious amusement, she couldn’t help but smile back.
“They’re dancing and cheering and tumbling,” Mario said in awe. “I want to do that.”
“Guess we’ve found his next passion,” Leo told her.
Cassidy marveled that she didn’t feel more possessive of her son. If anyone else had dared use the we pronoun this early in a relationship, she would’ve rolled her eyes and probably been a little turned off. Especially considering what she and Mario had been through. But since Leo was literally responsible for getting them to this point in their lives, she supposed he had a right to say we.
“I guess so,” she said before turning back to Mario. “You want to do that?”
He nodded, not taking his eyes off the cheerleaders.
“More than dance? As much as I hate to say it, I can only afford one kind of class right now.”
Mario looked at her then. “I want to be a cheerleader. It’s got dancing and tumbling. I can get a job and help with the cost.”
Cassidy opened her mouth to say he didn’t need to do that, that she’d find a way to come up with the money for lessons, but Leo spoke before she could. He leaned around her and put a hand on Mario’s thigh. “You’ve got plenty of time to worry about finding a job when you’re older. Between your mom and me, we’ve got you covered.”
Mario’s eyes narrowed slyly, and Cassidy braced.
“Are you and my mom dating?”
“Yes,” Leo said immediately.
“Are you gonna hurt her? Because if you are, then you can leave now. We don’t need you.”
Cassidy’s heart broke. Mario loved Leo; she knew he did. He wouldn’t have been texting him every night if he didn’t. But he was still doing what he thought was necessary in order to protect her.
“I will never hurt your mom. Or you,” Leo said firmly. “I knew your mom when we were in high school. Did you know that?”
Mario nodded. “Mom told me.”
“Right, then you know we’ve been friends for a very long time. I should’ve asked her out back then, but I didn’t. We both moved on with our lives, and now we have a second chance to see if what we feel for each other is love or something else. But you need to know that I didn’t wait almost thirty years to find her again, only to turn around and hurt her. I’m not an idiot.”
“Okay.”
“Okay,” Leo echoed. “And another thing—I will never come between you and your mom. She loves you more than she’ll ever love anyone else. Period.”
“Even more than a man?” Mario asked, looking at Cassidy.
She nodded. “Yes.”
Mario sighed in what she thought was relief, as if that was exactly what he’d needed to hear. “Does this mean you’ll come over every night without me having to make up excuses anymore?”
Both Cassidy and Leo laughed.
“Yes, it does. You think you might like hanging out at my house every now and then? We can set up your bedroom however you want it.”
“Can I paint it pink with bright-purple and yellow circles so it’ll look like a disco?” Mario asked.
Cassidy winced, but Leo didn’t seem fazed. “Anything you want.”
“Awesome,” Mario breathed. Then he leaned in and said, “I’m kidding, though. Just pink will do fine.”
They all laughed.
“All right, let’s not remodel Leo’s house just yet,” Cassidy said. “We just started dating. We’re taking things slow.”
Mario gave his mom a skeptical look, and she couldn’t help but smile.
Leo laughed at their interaction. “Come on, let’s go talk to someone about switching you to a different class. I don’t know where they’ll want to slot you in, but we’ll figure it out.”
He stood and immediately took Cassidy’s hand in his, helping her walk down the bleachers. When they were on the floor, his hand spanned her back, keeping her close to him as they walked toward the receptionist. Somehow, in the course of an hour, she’d gone from having Leo as a good friend to dating him and basically agreeing to spend every evening together. It was hard to believe she’d been a prisoner not too long ago. Now she had her own place and friends, her son was happy and safe . . . and she apparently had a boyfriend.
But Cassidy was more than on board with all the changes in her life. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she was happy. She didn’t have cameras watching her every move, and she didn’t have to panic every time Mario was out of her sight.