Mom straightens up, reaching for her purse. "Perfect. Done."
"Wait." Leah looks back and forth between us. “Are you really suggesting I go too?"
"Of course, dear." Mom reaches out to pat her arm. "I can't remember the entire list offhand, but you can't pass up the chance to go to London, Rome, Tokyo, and Seattle, right? Top-of-the-line accommodation, first class everything, and I'll make sure that you’re in each city for at least two extra days on either side of the conference so you can do some real sightseeing and have a few bang-up meals."
"But I don’t work for you," Leah protests. "I'd just be in the way."
Mom just waves her off. "You want to work for us? Sure – your title is…uhh…Kai’s nutritional consultant. Yes! Make sure that he remembers to have breakfast and is properly caffeinated on show day. Oh, and remind him to drink enough water. He always forgets."
She stands and adjusts her sweater. "Leah, it was lovely to meet you. I hope that you two will come for dinner very soon. But now that I’ve settled this for Kayden, I'm going to have him move the bedroom furniture around for me while Conrad is out of the house running errands."
Leah seems confused by my chuckle. "Dad comes home to rearranged furniture all the time and never says a word,” I explain. “Ongoing family joke."
We walk Mom to the door, where she gives Leah a hug and kisses me on the cheek. “She's gorgeous," Mom whispers in my ear, loudly enough for Leah to overhear. “And she loves to travel, too? Definitely keep her."
"That's the plan."
We both wave goodbye as Mom takes off in her sporty deep blue Jeep.
Leah waits until the dust has settled before cuddling against my chest. "Why can I picture her driving that thing in a ballgown and high heels?"
I burst out laughing as we go back in. "I swear, I've seen her do that."
Once we're back on the couch, I slip an arm around Leah, tipping her chin up with my finger and examining her eyes. "Were you afraid that I would be a homebody and never want to leave town, baby?"
"Well…kind of."
"Baby, as long as we have a home base to come back to, and we aren't driving in dangerous weather, we can go anywhere and everywhere you want. I want to see the whole world with you."
"Thank you." She reaches up to cup my face. “I think part of me might always be worried that my world might shrink like Mom’s did. We all have irrational fears, right?"
"For sure." I lean close to whisper, "Feel free to laugh at me, but I’m crazily afraid of sharks."
She does her best not to laugh. "Let me guess – your older brothers let you watchJawswhen you were around seven or eight?"
"Four, actually."
She hugs me, stroking as much of my broad back as she can reach. "I'm sorry. I promise I will never suggest one of those swimming with shark adventures, or even watchingShark Weekthe next time it’s on."
"Thank you."
My girl is positively glowing as my thumb brushes across her bottom lip. "I really need to kiss you," I whisper.
Her beautiful eyes dance. "Go ahead."
"But the thing is, there's something really important I have to tell you, and I'm afraid I'm going to kiss you, then get all distracted and forget."
"Maybe you could tell me quickly andthenkiss me?"
"I don't know… Those lips are pretty inviting…" I barely brush her mouth with mine, then she presses my chest away firmly.
"Seriously, tell me."
"Okay." I straighten up and square my shoulders. "Leah, I want to help you achieve all your goals and dreams. Even the ones you haven't thought of yet. I will never let your life become small or boring. I promise."
Her grin is adorable. "Thank you."
Leaning in slowly, I stop when my lips are barely a hair’s breadth from hers. "Oh, yeah. There’s another thing, too."
