“You know, it could have meant that I wanted to get you out of the car myself, Ladybug. Just because you’re capable of doing something doesn’t mean you should be forced to do it all the time,” he says, clearly chagrined.
I give him a grin. “I’m a single, independent woman.”
He raises a brow as he opens the door where Violet is cuddled in her car seat. “You still deathly afraid of spiders?”
I still, my eyes widening. “Why? What did you see? It’s too cold, right? Are there cold weather spiders out there? I thought the whole point of frost was to kill off all the creepy-crawlies. Is something crawling on me? Leo!”
The grin Leo gives me is absolutely beautiful. So wide it shows his mostly hidden dimples, that I always secretly loved, but kids made fun of him for. Even in the dark, I can see his eyes twinkling. “Totally kidding, Ladybug. No spiders. I promise.”
Tilting my head back, I look up at the night sky. The wind has calmed for a moment, but I know it’s only a matter of time before it picks back up.
“How many nights do you think we stayed up to look at the stars?” I ask quietly. In my periphery, I see Leo tilt his head to look at the sky.
“Over the years? Hundreds probably. You were always fascinated with the stars and constellations.” I know he’s undoubtedly right. Especially in high school, when he’d drop me off at home after a date, and we’d count the stars because neither of us wanted to say goodnight.
“What was the wish you always made?” I ask. “Did it come true?”
Leo sighs, his gaze dropping to the concrete driveway. “No. It didn’t come true.”
We’d made a pact to only tell the other when our wishes came true. “I’m sorry. Mine didn’t either.”
I’d wished to marry Leo. If we’d decided to have a family, that was fine, but I’d just wanted him to be my husband. I wonder what his wish was, but I know he won’t tell me. I’d begged and pleaded all through high school for him to tell me, and he never would. That man guards information like it’s a matter of national security.
While I get Oliver out of his car seat, Leo carefully carries Violet’s bucket seat into the house, setting it just inside the door. He sprints back outside to help me with Oliver, while I grab our bags from the trunk.
“Stay here. Let me turn the generator back on so we can have some lights,” he says, once we’re all inside. He steps into what I’m assuming is the garage, and soon thereafter, I hear a hum of electricity. As Leo returns, he flips a switch, lighting up thehallway we’re standing in. As I take in my surroundings, I gasp in awe.
The log cabin Leo calls home is quite possibly the most beautiful home I’ve ever seen. The great room is a massive A-frame, with a wall of windows facing the northwest, giving Leo perfect mountain views, and what I can only imagine as spectacular sunset pictures. One wall is covered with a stone fireplace. A spiral staircase sits in the corner, and I look up to find a lofted area above us.
“That’s the library,” Leo comments, watching me carefully. His gaze is loaded with attention as he waits for my response. “The main bedroom is behind the fireplace, and the three guest bedrooms are on the other side of the house. Then, on either side of the loft, there are two more bedrooms.”
My mind immediately goes to an inappropriate place, thinking about how loud I could be when I sneak into Leo’s room.
If. IfI sneak into Leo’s room.
Leo sets Violet’s seat down, then unbuckles her. She squeals when he picks her up, settling her into the crook of his arm. God, he looks so unbelievably perfect with a baby. It’s unfair, really.
I kick off my shoes, then bend to remove Oliver’s. As I unzip my jacket, and then Oliver’s, I peek into the gourmet kitchen. A wall of cabinets on one side, then a bar on the other. I frown, looking for counter space. There’s hardly any. How does he cook?
Leo snorts. “There’s a butler’s pantry behind one of the cabinet panels.”
I whip my eyes to him. “How did you — are you reading my mind?”
“I know the way your brain thinks, El. It may have been a few years since I’ve seen it in action, but you haven’t changed. You’re analytical. You probably saw all of the cabinets, thinking how everything would be hidden nicely in its place, and then you realized there isn’t a lot of counter space. Honestly, I don’t cook that often. My mom sends me home with food all the time. But the butler’s pantry has a ton of counter space.”
He motions for me to follow him to a doorway on the edge of the kitchen. When he slides the pocket door open, I see a long hallway, empty counters, a wine fridge, and boxes of coconut water. My face screws up in distaste. That stuff is so gross.
Leo snorts. “Good to know your opinion of the water I drink hasn’t changed at all either.”
“Honestly, I’d hoped you would have gotten sick of it by now. Like maybe you’d suddenly realize how bad it tastes.”
“Sorry, Ladybug. I’m still drinking it,” he replies cheerfully. “Let me show you where you’ll be staying.”
We follow Leo down a hallway, and he opens a door on the right. “This is the room my nephews stay in when they come to visit.”
Oliver squeals in delight. “This is the best!”
The room screams boy. Orange and blue paint covers the walls, along with a set of blue bunk beds and a loft bed. The loft bed features a blue ladder and tent, giving an outdoorsy vibe. A checkered rug covers the floor, along with shelves full of Legos, cars, and books. Oliver yammers on about how neat the room is, how he’d love to sleep in the loft bed, and already asks when he can stay at Leo’s again.
