“That works for me.” A smile I can’t help slides into place as happiness and anticipation fill the pit of my stomach. Now, not only do I get to see him tonight, but him bringing LeFou guarantees I will see him again in the morning. “I’ll see you when I get home.”
“All right, sweetheart. Have fun with your friend.”
“I will. Later.”
“Later, babe.” He hangs up, and I pull my phone from my ear.
“You’re in love,” Leah shouts, startling me, and I shake my head while she nods. “You are! You’re totally in love with this guy.”
“I’m not,” I deny as my heart suddenly starts to speed up. It’s not a lie; I’m not in love with him, but I’m for sure falling hard and fast.
“Your face says you are.”
“Leah, I haven’t known Gaston long enough to be in love with him. I just . . .” I chew the inside of my cheek, trying to figure out how I feel. “I just like him a lot.”
“Looking back, I think I fell in love with Tyler while I was convincing myself we were just friends. You know, that was just a few days after the first time we really spent time together.” She and her now husband met under unusual circumstances, and although Leah tried to avoid him, his dog and her cat constantly stirred up trouble, which forced them together.
“Okay, but—”
“Never mind.” She cuts me off before I can tell her our circumstances are totally different. “I know I’ll never be able to convince you, but I’m just reserving the right to say ‘I told you so’ when the time comes.”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes.
“I have to say . . . ,” she starts while flipping open the box on the table between us and inspecting the six cupcakes I brought her. After deciding on a chocolate cupcake with chocolate cherry chip icing and lifting it to her mouth, she says, “It’s going to be fun watching you come to terms with things. Now tell me everything about this guy.”
“I thought you were feeding me dinner,” I prompt as she begins to lick the icing off the top of the cupcake.
“I am.” She waves her hand toward her cell. “I called in our order when you let me know you were on your way, so we’ve got time to talk before our food gets here.”
“Can I at least have a glass of wine first?” I ask sarcastically, and she grins.
“Absolutely.” She stands, taking her cupcake with her as she walks to the fridge. She pulls out a bottle of my favorite rosé, then pours me a glass and comes back toward the table.
“You’re not drinking?” My brows pull together in confusion as she hands me the glass before she takes her seat.
“Well . . .” She looks away, and my eyes narrow.
“Well what?”
“Tyler and I have decided we’re going to try to have a baby, and even though I’m not pregnant now, I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to make that happen for us.”
“Oh my God,” I whisper, staring at her, and then I set down my glass, stand, and engulf her in a hug. “This is so exciting.”
“I’m not pregnant yet.” She laughs, and I laugh along with her.
“I don’t care; this is awesome.” I notice her cheeks have gotten pink, but her eyes have filled with concern. “What?”
“What if it doesn’t happen?” she asks softly, sounding worried. We have mutual friends who’ve tried and never accomplished getting pregnant, so I know her concern is valid.
“It will happen, and when it does, you’re going to be an amazing mom,” I reassure her.
“I want that.” Her expression gentles. “I want to be a mom, but even more, I want Tyler to be a dad.”
“It will happen,” I repeat. “Just don’t stress over it, and have fun trying.”
The worry shifts out of her eyes, and happiness takes over her features. “We’ll definitely have fun trying.”
I laugh as I let her go, then settle into my chair and pick up my glass of wine. “How much fun?”
“You can’t even imagine.”
“I bet I can.” I give her a knowing wink before I take a sip of wine, and she bursts out laughing.
Once she’s pulled herself together, she tips her head to the side, studying me before she demands, “Spill.”
I smile, take another sip of wine, and then tell her about Gus, starting from the moment he and I met in the men’s bathroom. Her eyes are wide as I talk, and they stay that way until our food arrives and she goes to answer the door.
“So he showed up at the grocery store on a motorcycle?” Leah breathes with wide eyes, the forkful of orange chicken and fried rice an inch from her mouth completely forgotten.
“Yeah, pulled right up to my car door, and then he got off and stood there like he was my own personal bodyguard until my dad took his wife’s hand and left.”
“I think I just fell in love with him,” she says, and I smile. “So what happened after that?”
“He dragged me out of my car, put me in the passenger seat, and then drove me home in my car. I fell asleep on the way, then woke up in his bed.”
“Holy cow,” she whispers.
“I know,” I agree quietly, and her eyes fill with concern.
“What are you going to do about your dad?”
“I don’t know. Gus says I need to talk to him.”
“What do you think?”
“I miss him. I miss having him to lean on. I miss his encouragement and his words of advice.”
“I get that,” she agrees, reaching for my hand. “He’s your dad; you love him.”
My chest aches, and I tighten my fingers around hers. “I miss him. I miss who he was to me, but I don’t know him anymore. I’m scared, and if I’m honest, I’m really angry with him and I don’t know what will happen if I reach out to him. I don’t want to be disappointed. He’s already turned his back on me once. I don’t know if I can handle him doing it again.”
“I understand that, but I agree with Gaston. You need to talk to him.” Her fingers tighten around mine. “I’m not saying you need to try to patch things up with him, because honestly that’s his job, but you need closure. You need to be able to tell your father how you feel, how what he did affected you, and let it go. I know it’s not going to be easy, but you’ll feel better when it’s done.”
“You’re right.” I drag in a breath, and she lets my hand go.
“As for Gaston, or Gus, as you call him—who I want to meet as soon as possible—I can see why you’re in love with him.”
“You just don’t give up, do you?” I laugh, and she grins, giving me a shrug.
Their dog, Bruce, gets up off the kitchen floor, where he’s been sprawled out since I got here, and Leah’s grin turns into a soft smile. “Tyler’s home,” she tells me, and then I hear the front door open and Tyler’s voice float into the kitchen from the living room.
“Babe?”
“In the kitchen with Chrissie,” she calls back, and two seconds later, he appears in the doorway. “How was work?”
“Work,” he responds, coming across the room. Once he’s close, he threads his fingers through her hair at the back of her head and bends to touch his mouth to hers. My stomach flips, so I have no doubt Leah’s does the same. When he pulls back, he smiles at her, then turns to look at me. “Hey, Chrissie.”