And here he is, once again, giving it all to me.
“I don’t think I said to come at nine a.m., though,” he says, but Nat ignores that, instead, continuing to ramble on.
“And really, Willa, I hope you know just how much you hit the jackpot with this one. He knows how to fuck,andhe’s a gentleman? May this kind of love find me one day,” she says, clasping her hands together and lifting them up in a plea to the heavens.
“Nat!” I say, giving her wide eyes, but she just grins at me. “You don’t evenknowif he knows how to…you know.”
Nat gives me a deadpan look, then turns to gesture at Leo, still leaning in the doorway, arms crossed on his chest like he’s the hot male lead in a romcom movie poster.
“Willa, look at him. He knows how to fuck.”
Hallie shrugs as if she can’t disagree, and even Wren remains silent at that. I decide it’s not a topic worth arguing, so instead, I turn back to Leo to argue with him.
“I don’t need to go on any kind of fancy date, Leo.”
“I know that,” he says. “I’m going to do it anyway.”
“Leo,” I say. “I don’t want you going out of your way, I?—”
“Jesus, Willa, I know you’re like a bajillionaire, but if a man offers to take you on a fancy date, you just nod and saythank you, daddy,” Nat says.
“Nat!” I say, snapping towards her, embarrassment burning on my face.
“For the record, I amnotinto the daddy thing,” Leo says.
“Please, do tell what youareinto,” Nat says, grinning.
“Do not dare,” I say without thinking, giving Leo a stern look, and Nat and Hallie start laughing instantly. That's when Leo pushes off the wall and steps towards me.
“Oh, I cannotwaitto get all the details ofthat,” Hallie says.
“And on that note, I’m going to head out. I’m gonna go get ready to head out in the other room and then run a few errands before tonight.”
“Errands?” I ask, and he smiles wider before pulling me into his arms.
“Yes. Now have fun with your girls, honey.”
I don’t know if it’s the thought of having girls and the joy that brings me, or the soft way he sayshoney, or maybe the way he dips his head in front of a room full of women to press his lips to mine, but I don’t argue any longer. Instead, I kiss him back until he ends it, it’s far too soon.
“Tonight,” he says against my lips, then steps away, before waving to the room at large.
“Later, girls.”
There’s a chorus ofBye Leo!sbeforehe leaves the room. After a moment, I hear the bathroom door click behind him, then three sets of eyes land on me. I groan, needing way more caffeine to handle what I already know will be the third degree that, at the very least, Hallie and Nat are going to subject me to.
“Can I shower first at least?” I ask, and Nat grins.
“Yes, but at your place. I don’t trust that one letting you shower alone,” she says, tipping her head towards where Leo went.
“Natalie!” Wren says, eyes wide. “My goodness, give the girl a break!”
“It's fine, I haven’t brought my shower stuff here yet,” I say, with a sigh, moving to where my bag is in the corner. Last night we went to my place to grab some essentials, but I didn’t bring everything I would need, realizing I should probably get doubles so I wouldn’t have to lug things back and forth. Leo agreed, and instead of writing that night, I sat at my laptop and placed an order for delivery to his house, which should arrive tomorrow afternoon.
“Yet,” Hallie says with a knowing smile, but I just roll my eyes before hefting my bag over my shoulder and making my way towards the front door.
An hour later, we’re at my house on Three Kings property, and I’m sitting on my bed after getting ready for the day while Nat goes through my closet. They hung out nearby while I showered and dressed, chatting the entire time, and even though it should feel a bit intrusive, I strangely find it doesn’t at all. During this time, I’ve filled the girls in on most of the important details, though it took a while to explain the coffee shop mess from years ago, the drama with Leo’s boss, and why we have to keep things low-key until my next relationship and Leo’s contract are up. I swore the girls to utter secrecy until we were ready to announce it to the world, and I didn’t even second-guess that decision. Normally, with something like this, I would make people sign an NDA, but somehow, just getting a couple of pinky swears from women I genuinely trust felt more binding than any contract ever has.
“So, we’re having a full girls’ day today before your date. We’re going to the salon to get your hair done–lucky you, Nat’sschedule is clear for the day because she hates working on Sundays. Then nails,” Hallie explains.
