“Tell Dad thanks for the food,” he said, looking for his keys. “I’m going to Chicago.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The next morning, Tessa heard the doorbell ring from inside the house. They’d just gotten back from Chicago, and she’d stopped by because she’d forgotten a case of Cosette’s cat food. Making sure first, of course, that Leo’s car was nowhere in sight. She’d just grabbed the food and was staring at the dishes, beer bottles, and pizza boxes and wondering what kind of bomb went off while she was gone when the front door opened.
“Leo. You look terrible,” she heard Juliet say from the living room.
“Really terrible,” Vivienne added.
Leo. At the front door.
She ran to the room, where her sisters sort of had Leo cornered in the foyer.
“He’s not smiling, is he?” Vivienne said, shaking her head.
“Definitely not smiling,” Juliet said as Tessa walked up behind her.
“Well, Viv and Juliet,” Leo said in his most patient voice, “for one, I live here, so I’m not sure why you’re guarding the entrance to my house. And two, maybe I’d be in better spirits if you both would’ve told me you all had already left Chicago.”
“Oopsie,” Viv said, covering her mouth with her hand. “So sorry,” she added. But she didn’t seem sorry at all.
“In our defense,” Juliet said, “we did tell you where we were staying. Right before we left.”
Tessa pushed her way through the barricade of sisters to see Leo standing there. He was rumpled looking, his hair sticking up, his eyes a little wild. Which for some reason made her heart lurch wildly in her chest.
He caught her eye.
And that made her heart squeeze with hope.
But she tamped that down. Because…she’d ruined things. And because…because he didn’t love her. He’d said that.
Happy, sunny, good-natured Leo had been so attractive to her. He’d made her laugh and taught her not to take herself so seriously.
But she needed more.
She needed someone to love her. To need her. And to not be able to live without her.
And Leo was not that guy. Because Leo didn’t need anybody.
He looked at Tessa. “Could we talk?”
“It’s okay,” she said to her sisters. “I can take it from here.”
“We’ll be right inside if you need us,” Juliet said.
“Thanks,” Tessa called over her shoulder. Then she examined Leo further. He was bedraggled, his eyes rimmed with dark circles. One pocket of his shorts was inside out. And his T-shirt was on backward.
All of which, she thought, were very good signs. Because who wants a man to look terrific after a giant argument?
“I know you don’t exactly trust me,” he said, “but I—I was wondering if you’d come for a little drive with me. I want to show you something.”
Come for a drive? That was the first thing he’d said? “Bite me, Leo. I’m not going for a little ride with you.” She crossed her arms. He could talk to her right here or nowhere.
“Please. It’s important. I…I think it might change your mind.”
She assessed him for a minute, her heart beating a million miles an hour. “Okay, fine. But only because I want another ride in your car.”
She got into the ’vette, and he drove them straight to the bakery. Except something was going on in the parking lot. There was a backhoe between the buildings. And construction tape. And a giant pile of dirt. He walked around and opened her door and gestured for her to follow him to see the site up close.
“Wh-what’s going on here?” she asked. “Another patio?” Another money-making scheme?
“I’ll get to that. But I have to tell you a few things.” He stood in front of her, grasped her arms, and looked her in the eye.
“I’m sorry I kept the secret. We’re equal partners, and by trying to handle this on my own, I was wrong.”
Her skin broke out in goose bumps, and for the first time, she started to feel real, true hope. He was sorry for that. Okay. It was a start. But not enough. “You called me replaceable. You said that everything we had was just for fun, with no attachments. How could you say those things?”
“I was lashing out because you accused me of deceiving you. You said you didn’t want my protection. I live to protect the people I love.”
“I was wrong to accuse you of those terrible things,” she admitted. “But I couldn’t understand what I was seeing. And I deserved to know what was going on.”
He took a step closer to her. “I should have known better than to hide something from you. And if you give me another chance, I swear I’ll never do it again.”
Then he pulled out all the stops.
“Tessa, food is sawdust. And I can’t sleep in our bed without you next to me.” He cleared his throat. “When I wake up in the morning, I miss seeing that little imprint of your body denting the sheets. But most of all, I miss your sweet smile. Your giving nature. I miss…you.” He cleared his throat. “I miss you, Tessa.” He raked a hand through his stuck-up hair. “Like, all the time.”
Her heart was ready to pound out of her chest. But first, she had to say something to him. “I learned something about myself these past few days. I learned that I need someone to be my equal. But I also learned I deserve someone who can love me and who believes I’m irreplaceable.”
He sighed. “I’ve been thinking about that, too. I think…I think I’ve avoided feelings for a long time. Because they’re painful. Because I’ve learned to make light of everything. That worked for a long time to protect me from getting hurt. But you broke through my wall, Tessa.” He grabbed her hands. “I couldn’t help but love you. I love you so much. And I’m sorry for being an ass.”
Okay, that got to her. And made her cry.
“Which brings me to the second part.”
“The second part?”
He walked over to his car, opened the trunk, and came back with a large object, about three feet long, wrapped in white paper with a Christmas bow on top.
He set it at her feet. It stood taller than her knees.
“Sorry for the bad wrap job. Please open it.”
Ripping open the paper revealed the huge trophy with the winged woman. From his dad’s restaurant.
“Y-You’re giving me your prized trophy?”