“What?” she asked.
“I woke up one night and was thirsty, and was going to go get a glass of water. I saw Leo leaving your room. He stood in your doorway for a long time, just watching you sleep. He looked sad. I’m old enough to know that when people are dating, they sleep in the same bed. You guys can do that. It’s okay.”
Cassidy stared down at her son, not sure what to say. But she didn’t need to say anything, because suddenly Leo was there.
“Thanks, Mario. That means a lot to us both,” he said, wrapping his arms around Cassidy from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. “You know that I’ll never replace you in your mom’s heart and life, right?”
Mario nodded. “Yeah, but I’m not going to live at home forever. I’m gonna go to college and move out when I graduate from high school. I don’t want her to be alone.”
“She won’t be,” Leo vowed, and Cassidy’s knees went weak.
“Okay,” Mario said, as if that was that. “Mom?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I’m hungry.”
She chuckled. “Right.”
“I got it,” Leo said, kissing the top of her head as he backed away. “You want to come by the garage after school?” Leo asked Mario.
“Yeah!”
Cassidy sat on a stool next to the bar and listened as Mario and Leo had an in-depth conversation about the latest cheer Mario was trying to learn. After they’d all eaten, Cassidy walked Mario to the door and watched as he headed for the bus stop. She waited outside until the bus arrived and picked up the neighborhood kids. Then she went back inside.
She went straight to Leo and plastered herself to his chest. “How much time do we have until we have to be at Silverstone?”
“Why? What do you have in mind?”
Smirking, Cassidy slipped her hands under his shirt and slowly began pushing it upward. “Oh, I’m sure we can think of something to do to pass the time.”
Without a word, Leo leaned over and picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.
Laughing, Cassidy stared down at her man’s fine ass. As he walked up the stairs toward the bedroom, she said, “Mario’s okay with us sleeping in the same bed.”
“I heard,” Leo said. “But we’ll play it by ear. He said it was all right, but I don’t want to rush things. Let’s give him some time to get used to it, okay?”
Cassidy closed her eyes. Leo putting her son’s emotional needs ahead of his physical ones? It was more than okay. “I love you,” Cassidy said softly.
She screeched as he bent in front of the bed and dumped her onto her back in the middle of the mattress. “I love you,” he echoed. “Now . . . get naked.”
Laughing, Cassidy reached for the hem of her shirt.
After an amazing morning—where Leo taught her the Golden Arch position—and after another mind-blowing G-spot orgasm, Leo drove them both to Silverstone Towing. It had been overcast and gloomy all day, but nothing could ruin Cassidy’s mood. She had a job and a place to live, her parents had called to let her know they’d made it safely to Mexico, Mario was happy, and Leo was the most generous and wonderful boyfriend she’d ever had.
Maybe because she was older and wiser, or maybe because of everything she’d gone through, living with Leo was . . . easy. He didn’t nag her, didn’t criticize her when she did something he didn’t like. She remembered all too clearly how Alfred hadn’t hesitated to ridicule her when she’d burned dinner, or how impatient he’d become when she’d been too slow following an order.
Leo was patient and kind, and he let things roll off his back. They’d shared a long laugh one night when the casserole she’d made had burned to a crisp because the three of them had gotten too engrossed in a board game and had forgotten about it.
She and Leo were still getting to know each other, but every little thing she learned made her love him even more.
The only bad thing about their relationship was Cassidy herself—she kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Kept waiting for something to happen that would ruin everything. It had been her experience that when she thought she’d found something good, it would disappear. She’d thought she loved Alfred, but then he’d shown his true colors, and she’d spent years trying to recover emotionally. At first she’d loved Jamaica, but then she’d found herself a prisoner in a gilded cage.
She knew Leo was a good man. Knew it. But somehow the universe always seemed to know when she was happy and content and did its best to ruin it.
After school, Leo had driven her to Southpoint to pick up Mario, and now they were on their way back to Silverstone Towing. That morning, they’d talked about staying at home after Mario got out of school, but because of the weather, and the fact they were two drivers short because the flu had hit the business hard, Leo wanted to head back to the garage just in case he was needed.
Looking over at Leo as he drove, Cassidy did her best to relax. He was a very safe and confident driver, but a thick fog had begun to roll over the city, making it difficult to see too far in front of them.
“Leo?” she asked.
“Yeah?” he answered a little distractedly.
She bit her lip, looking out the front windshield at the swirling fog. “Nothing.”
“What is it?” he asked, and Cassidy felt his hand touch her arm gently.
“You make me feel safe,” she blurted. She caught his gaze for a split second before he looked back at the road, but she clearly saw the look of satisfaction on his face at her words.
“Good.”
“I just . . . if I was driving right now, I’d be a mess. Not that I would drive in this, because it’s been forever since I’ve been behind the wheel, and I’m not confident enough yet to try to go out in this weather. We got rain in Jamaica, but nothing like this fog. Anyway, I was just thinking about everything that’s happened recently, and I probably wouldn’t be adjusting as well as I have if not for you.”
“Me too,” Mario piped up from the back seat. Cassidy had almost forgotten her son was listening. “I’m not afraid to say stuff in front of you . . . I know you won’t make fun of me for wanting to paint my room pink or to do cheerleading instead of football.”
“You guys are the most important people in my life,” Leo said in a low, sincere tone. “I will always be your safe place. Always.”
Cassidy reached for his hand and squeezed it tightly. She wanted to hold on to him but knew he needed both hands to drive.
It took longer than usual to get to Silverstone Towing because of the weather, and she’d never been so glad to pull through the security gates. She sighed audibly when Leo parked the car.
“Go on in, Mario. You know the code, right?” Leo asked.
“Yeah!” Mario said excitedly. He’d worked hard on memorizing the ten-digit code for the back door. He wrenched open his door and ran toward the security panel.
Cassidy watched with pride as her son put in the code, then turned and waved before disappearing inside. The second the door shut behind him, Leo put a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her mouth to his. He kissed her long, hard, and deep. When he pulled back, Cassidy almost felt dizzy. She could feel how wet she was. All it took was Leo kissing her, and she wanted him. She’d never been like this before—but then again, she’d never dated a man like Leo.