Love Confessed Page 14

  “Yes, I’d love too! Maybe you can paint mine too.”

  Abby jumps up and down with excitement. My mom’s freaking me out though, she left the room and I know she’s nosy as hell about Leah so it doesn’t make sense until she comes back into view, dragging my dad with her. They both look like they’re seeing the ball drop on the empire state building. Or fireworks. Jesus, this is embarrassing. I’m pretty sure my face turns as red as the Cubs t-shirt that Leah is wearing.

  “Oh hi, I’m Leah, nice to meet you” she says as Mom and Dad start introducing themselves in a way that embarrasses me the same way she did when Mom would dance in the car when picking me up from school in junior high. Leah looks at me with the biggest, snarkiest grin I’ve ever seen on her. She’s absolutely loving how uncomfortable I am and she eggs it on. Seeing her interact with my parents like this only makes me like her more though.

  “Hi Leah, it’s so nice to meet you too. Steven told us so much about you when he was here. You’re every bit as beautiful as he described. Maybe more so. I’m just so happy he’s finally starting dating. I can’t wait to meet you in person, dear. You should come out to the farm with Steven and Abby next time they visit. Oh! Did he tell you we’re having Thanksgiving dinner at his place? I know it’s a little early but I hope that you are able to join us. After you visit with your family of course. Oh! Oh! Maybe we can all be together. Wouldn’t that be a lovely idea? He mentioned you had a little boy. I just think…” As my mom speaks she has one of the biggest grins on her face that I’ve ever seen. My dad just nods and looks rather bored but that’s who he is. He’s a man of few words, which is fortunate because my mom doesn’t give him a chance to say much even if he wanted to.

  “Mom! Stop with the twenty questions. She’ll never want to come over now.” I say just trying to put a stop to her.

  “That’s not true Mrs. Cooper. I would love to come out to the farm.” She says then looks at me with her big blue eyes. “That’s if Steve would like me to come. Yes, I do a have little boy. His name is Ethan and he’s in Abby’s class and they’ve become good friends.” She continues and as I watch her talk with my mom, so comfortable and familiar, something in my chest starts to tighten and I realize that I really like her. Really like her.

  When they finally hang up she’s staring at me. I only then become conscious that I’m still staring at her.

  “What? Oh…uh… please don’t feel obligated to take me anywhere. I know that we just started dating and I’m not expecting anything. We’re just getting to know each other. But I think you should know that I really like your mom. So do you want a beer?” She says as she gets up and walks into the kitchen and I am completely taken aback by this woman. My mom just put her through the wringer with all of her questions and she didn’t freak out. Or even start to assume it meant something more, which if I’m being honest, I kind of wish she had.

  “Hey” I say standing to grab her hand. I pull her towards me and look her in the eye. “I don’t feel obligated to do anything with you. I do it because I want to do it.” I kiss her, not hard but not as gentle as I intended to either. Her hands move to the back of my neck and her fingers play with my hair at my nape. She’s the first one to pull away and when she does she smiles and winks at me as she turns towards the kitchen. “I’m glad you like my mom. She seems pretty fond of you too. Now get me my beer wench.” I slap her ass as she walks away.

  * * *

  On Sunday, my mom surprises me and comes into the city to drop Abby off early and most likely to try to catch Leah with me. Unfortunately for her, Leah had work to do so instead she is stuck talking to me for a few hours about how much she loves Leah and can’t wait to meet her. I love my mom dearly but I don’t know how much more I can take of her constant questioning. I think I may have to ask dad to help rein her in if this keeps up.

  Leah and I have been spending a lot of time together lately and I’ve been enjoying every minute of it; so when she calls me later that day to tell me that she’s still working and isn’t going to be able to make over tonight, I’m disappointed to say the least. Abby really wants to see her and so do I. We sit down for dinner and Abby tells me all about the things she did at her grandparent’s house. The kitten she brought home sits at her feet waiting for her to give him some of her food.

  "Daddy is Leah going to be my new mommy?" Abby asks nonchalantly and it makes me spit my mouthful of water all over the table.

  "Abby, what gave you that idea?" I stall, totally surprised by her question and trying my hardest not to freak out. . That's it no more over nighters with my mom until Leah and I have figured out what we're doing and have had a talk with the kids about it. I thought we’d been really good around the kids but clearly it’s just as confusing to them as it is to me.

  "Well grandma said that you like her and that she's your girlfriend. I like Leah too daddy. I think she's a nice mommy."

  I hold my forehead for a second and try to figure out how to best explain this to a six year old. "You need to stop talking to Grandma, Abby. Leah and I are just getting to know each other sweetie. But yes, I do like her." I smile and playfully rub the top of her head.

  * * *

  "Hey how are you?" Leah asks when I answer the phone. It's two o'clock on Friday and I haven't seen her all week because we both have been catching up on all of the work we missed when we went on vacation.

  "Crazy busy. I’ve had so much to catch up on. I think I'm getting there though. Finally some light at the end of the tunnel. How are you?"

  "Same here. But I can take tonight off if you can." It’s not quite a question but definitely a loaded statement. I can't believe how much I've missed her voice and the thought of seeing her tonight has instantly changed my mood.

  "Well it just so happens to be that I can also be free tonight. What do you have in mind? Abby's home, do I need to find a sitter?"

  "No. All three of us can have dinner and then go back to your place and watch a movie if that’s okay with you? I’ve missed her. And who knows what could happen after she falls asleep…"

  "Ooh I like the sound of that. What time should I pick you up?"

  "How does six sound?"

  "Sounds great. So, what time does Ethan get in on Sunday? Abby keeps asking to see him too…"

  "He's coming in at three. I can't wait to see him. I've missed him a lot."

  "So have Abby and I. I've missed you too. I was getting used to having you in my bed at night. Now it's cold and lonely."

  "Well mister, I shall warm you up tonight."

  "Can't wait to see you."

  "Oh and Steve? I've missed you too."

  When I hang up I'm so happy that if I were in a movie I would be jumping up and clicking my heels together. Since I'm not, I just smile and go back to work.

  * * *

  I pull up to Leah's place five minutes early but I miss her so much she’s lucky I’ve managed to hold out this long.. Abby is so excited she's been driving me crazy; practically dragging me in the elevator and then down the hall to Leah’s front door.

  "Come on dad. You're moving sooooo slow." She whines and it makes me laugh because I didn't realize exactly how much she liked Leah up until now. I knew Abby was fond of her but she’s never gotten quite this excited to see anybody besides her grandparents or uncles before and maybe not even then. My normally shy child has latched on to Leah and it’s a comforting thing to witness. I knock on the door but immediately double check that I have the right apartment when I hear a man’s voice say "I'll get it." Yep 412, this is the right apartment. Who the hell is that?! My heart and mind start to race. I know that we haven't actually talked about dating exclusively, but I guess I just figured Leah wouldn’t date more than one man at a time. I mean she's the only one I'm seeing. The only woman I want to see. Besides she asked me out tonight. What the fuck is going on here?! I stand a little taller, square my shoulders a little more feeling irrationally possessive. When the door finally opens, a man about an inch taller than me with
purposefully messy dark blonde hair is standing in the frame. For some inexplicable reason, I already want to punch him.

  "Can I help you?" He asks, looking me up and down. I'm stunned silent for a moment, not having any idea what to say. I'm fairly certain this is Ethan's father because he’s a taller, older yet exact replica of Ethan. Leah comes around the corner looking more than a little bit pissed but smiles when she sees me.

  "What the hell, Joseph?! You can't just answer my door like you live here." She says as she pushes past him and stands in front of me. Joseph steps out of view and I know she can tell that I'm confused by what is happening right now. "So it turns out Joseph thought it would be nice to surprise me and bring Ethan home a few days early. If you give me just a few minutes I'll get rid of him and the four of us can go out to eat." This normally polite, composed woman doesn’t even lower her voice or try to hide the frustration she feels at Joseph. I start to relax a little bit. She kisses me quickly on the cheek, gives me and apologetic smile and says "I'm sorry. Please come in," as she regains her composure and steps aside letting me through.

  "Thanks." is my only reaction. Abby has been glued to my side watching the interaction and no doubt trying to figure out what’s going on. They say that kids can tell how you’re feeling and I’m pretty sure she’s never seen me like this before; slightly jealous, confused and defensive. When Ethan comes out into the living room though, Abby bolts straight over to Ethan hugs him, and they run off towards his room to play. I’m left there to finally organize my thoughts enough to slowly walk in the rest of the way and ask, "Do you want to do this another night, Leah?" I don't want her to think she has to go out tonight but at the same time I hate the idea of leaving here alone in her apartment with the man who is still sizing me up from behind her.

  "Thanks Steve, but no. I want us to go out tonight. This was just unexpected, that's all." Joseph decides to reengage right at this moment. I square my shoulders again. I'm not really sure why but I feel like he's moving in on my territory.

  "Oh...um...Joseph this is Steve. Steve this is Joseph, Ethan's father. Of course."

  "Nice to meet you." I say, undoubtedly as insincerely as I feel it, shaking his hand firmly while maintaining eye contact. I can only assume by her reticence to talk about him that he hurt her somehow and I already loathe him for it. I also don’t like how little I’ve heard about him with or from Ethan. It’s not just about Leah – I feel protective over Ethan too and I think I will continue until there is a reason for me to feel differently.

  "Same here. So you're the bloke Leah is seeing?" He asks, again looking me up and down; sizing up the apparent competition. He doesn’t appear to like the idea of me any more than I like the idea of him. This whole situation is new for me and I’m not sure exactly how to respond – so naturally, I go with the asshole alpha male response.

  "Nice to know she's talked about me. Yes, I suppose I am that man." I reply, smug smile firmly in place.

  “She did mention you briefly.” He says giving me his own smug smile. At least this guy is a fair match. I’m starting to understand why Hannah made the competition comment. As much as I hate to admit it, he is a good looking guy. Then he faces Leah but continues to speak to me, “take good care of her. She’s an amazing woman and I am a fool for ever letting her slip through my fingers.” He grabs her shoulders, kisses her on her head, and then starts down the hallway towards Ethan’s room.

  “Ok. Well thanks Joseph, that wasn’t awkward at all.” Leah says to his retreating back.

  “Calm down, love. I can take a hint. Just going to say goodbye to Ethan. I’ll be by tomorrow to see him, but I’ll text you before I come.” Joseph says dryly as he turns the corner towards Ethan’s room.

  She turns to me and says, “Joseph is on his way out. Sorry about that, Steve. Let me go grab my shoes.” I can’t decipher the look that is in Leah’s eyes. Is she upset? Or does she still have feelings for this man? Maybe it’s just his accent. Most women love an accent. Fucking Brits.

  “Okay, where do you want to go to eat? I’m kind of in the mood for Indian, does that sound okay?” She asks when she finishes pulling her shoes on. She grabs her purse and I can tell she’s nervous, agitated maybe, but I still can’t tell why.

  “Hey” I say grabbing her hand and pulling her towards me. “I can tell you’re uncomfortable. Just say the word and Abby and I will go. I want to spend tonight with you but the last thing I want is to be the cause of any discomfort.” I don’t want to go but I’m out of my element here.

  “No please don’t leave.” To my surprise she puts her arms around my neck and lays her head on my chest. “I just wasn’t expecting Joseph to be here.”

  “You’ve never talked about him. I know this sounds stupid but it never occurred to me that Ethan’s father was any factor in your guys’ life.” I feel stupid for saying that but with her lack of acknowledgement of him, he was nonexistent in my mind. She pulls her head away but still leaves her hands clasped behind my neck.

  “I didn’t say anything about him because there was nothing to say. He’s Ethan’s father, end of story.” She hesitates for a second, clearly debating whether or not to continue. “I’m uncomfortable because he recently admitted that he’s still in love with me. Now you’re here meeting him and I’m not sure what this is between us. Before you start to freak out I don’t need to classify what it is between us. I’m fine with just getting to know each other and having some fun. I’m just probably as unprepared for this encounter as you are.”

  “Are you still in love with him?” Shit, that just slipped out before I could stop it but I have to know. I’m scared that the answer might be yes because if I’m being honest with myself I’m starting to fall for her. I didn’t need Joseph to tell me she was amazing because I already knew it.

  “Can we talk about this later? When it’s just us and the kids have fallen asleep.” Her big blue eyes shine at me and she leans up on her toes and presses her lips to mine. When she looks at me this way I have no defense and even though the wait will probably drive me batshit crazy, I just kiss her back. She’s the first one to pull away and I’m forced to reluctantly remove my hands from her waist. She’s walks back to Ethan’s room while I wait in the living room. Everyone comes walking out at the same time two by two – Joseph holding Ethan and Leah holding Abby.

  “It was nice meeting you.” Joseph says stretching out his hand after he puts his son down. I shake it, even though we appear to be equally dissatisfied with meeting one another. He leans in and kisses Leah on the cheek and then pulls Ethan up to give him a big hug. Looking at both of them he says, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that we all walk out the door. I still don’t know anything about their relationship and her response to my question wasn’t exactly what I wanted. In fact, it wasn’t even an answer. But she chose to leave with me and that makes me a happy man - for now.

  17 Leah

  School starting always throws our schedule for a loop. It takes me a few days to readjust to the carpools, the play dates, the soccer practices - but we’re finally back into the swing of things when, BAM. Oh. My. God. I feel like hell. I feel like I got run over by a bus. Honestly I haven’t been this sick since high school and, not that we’re keeping track or anything, but that was a really long time ago.

  I’m the person who will try to go to work with pneumonia (bronchitis, the plague, whatever it may be), looking like hell. This situation usually results in Scott telling me that I do look like hell, and to grab my things because he’s sending me home where I likely already knew I should have stayed to begin with but was too stubborn to be smart. But not this time. This time, I was fine. I was sitting at my desk on Wednesday morning, drinking my latte, checking my email - and then I wasn’t fine. Fortunately for me, as well as for the safety of all drivers in downtown Chicago, while I’m trying to walk out my office door Scott decides to walk in.

  “Hey Leah,” he turns the corner into my office. “Whoa. Please tell me you’re on your way
out? You look like hell.” With honesty like this, sometimes I can’t figure out how on earth he has gotten three women to marry him. It does certainly make it easier to figure out why they’ve all three opted out.

  “Thanks Scott, you look great too. And yes I am. I’m all shaky, I have a fever. I feel terrible.”

  He walks to my desk and grabs my keys. “Here, I’ll drive you that way you don’t have to deal with finding a way to get you and Ethan back to your Jeep when you feel better.”

  “Are you sure? You really don’t have to. I’m sure I can drive…”

  “Leah, you’re not driving home like this. Besides, that drug rep Brittany I just hooked up with lives right around the corner from you. It could work out in my favor. It is hump day after all…” he raises his eyebrow at me and smiles his most charming smile. Even feeling the way I do, he still makes me shake my head and laugh at him. We’re almost home when Steve calls and the Jeep bluetooth picks up.

  “Hello…”

  “Hey babe. I tried calling the office and Kelly said you were out sick. You okay?”

  Before I can answer Scott says, “First, no she’s not really okay. She looks like she got ran over by a truck. I’m taking her back to her place now. Second, I’m a little upset that I don’t get this tone of concern from you when I’m sick. I thought we had something going man…”

  Their awkward male banter continues for a brief minute before Steve says “No really though, Leah, why don’t I just pick Ethan up and keep him for a sleepover so you can just rest? I still have that chance of clothes at my house from before his soccer game last weekend.” It’s a school night. Normally I’d say no. Normally I’d suffer through feeling god awful to still take care of Ethan, to get to spend my evening with him – but not tonight. Tonight I feel far enough from normal that I oblige immediately.

  “Oh god, yes. That would be amazing. Are you sure you’re up for it though?”