Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 54091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
“Aunt Rhonda is making her sweet potato casserole and it has walnuts. He’s not allergic, is he?”
I roll my eyes. “Mom, let me talk to him when he gets home.”
“Home?” she practically yells. “Are you two living together? You know how your father and I feel about that.”
My day of relaxing and recovering has taken a stressful turn. I turn on the TV, open the YouTube app, and search for a video of a doorbell ringing.
“No, we aren’t living together. He’s at a team meeting and I’m at his house with his dog. That’s all I meant.”
“Why aren’t you at work?”
“I have a day off.” I play a video, turning up the volume. “Mom, there’s someone at the door. I have to answer it. I’ll let you know later today about Christmas.”
“Don’t open it. I just watched a show about a rapist who dresses like a delivery driver.”
“It’s someone I know. I have to go, Mom. Love you.”
“Love you too, honey.”
“Check this out.” Leo tosses his keys on the kitchen counter when he gets back a couple of hours later, looking excited.
He bends his knee and lifts it up, then puts his foot back on the ground and gets into a squatting position. “I couldn’t do that without pain before.”
“That’s great!”
“The rest and ice are helping.”
“I’m so glad.”
He’s following all the doctor’s instructions for rehab, hoping to avoid surgery and be back on the ice in as little as four weeks. Surgery would mean a much longer absence from playing hockey.
I give him a quick kiss and he wraps me in a hug, his clean, masculine scent and strong arms calming me.
“My parents got the check,” I say, pulling away to look into his eyes. “They’re so grateful. You didn’t have to do that.”
His lips pull up in a smile. “I did it because I wanted to.”
“It means the world to me. You changed their lives.”
“It was a small thank you for raising the woman I love.”
My lips part with surprise. It’s soon, but I’m feeling it, too. I was just too afraid to say the words in case he’s not there yet.
“Really?” Tears well in my eyes.
He kisses me. “Really.”
“I love you, too, Leo. I know we just got together, but ... I never get tired of you. That’s never happened to me before.”
The corners of his eyes crinkle when he smiles. “I’m sure you’ll get tired of me at some point. But that doesn’t mean we’re not great together.”
“I’m easily annoyed,” I admit.
“I’m aware. I used to annoy you by existing.”
He puts his hands on my hips, pulling me close. I put my palms on his chest, a smile tugging at my lips.
“I used to annoy you pretty easily, too.”
“Now you’re my girl, though. It was worth all the fighting, wasn’t it?”
I never thought I wanted to be any man’s girl. But I love the sound of him calling me that.
“So worth it.” I take a deep breath, my smile dropping. “I know this is unlikely to happen, and I totally get that. We just started ... dating? Have we had an official date yet?”
“No, but I plan to fix that very soon.”
“Right. Well, when I talked to my mom earlier, she asked me to bring you home with me for Christmas. I can definitely tell her no, but she wanted me to ask you.”
He considers. “I’m going to see my parents on Christmas Day.”
“I know, I get it. Don’t worry about it.”
“What if we go see my parents on Christmas Eve and yours on Christmas Day?”
I think about it for a second, then nod. “We could. My mom would be over the moon. But wouldn’t your family be like, ‘Who is this and why is she here when you’ve only been with her for like ten minutes?’”
“Nah. If I tell them you’re important to me, that’s all that matters.”
“And your family is in Indianapolis, right?”
“A suburb. About forty-five minutes out of the city. We’ll make it work.”
I furrow my brow. “My mom can be a lot.”
“I’d expect no less from the woman who raised you.”
I laugh. “She’s a different lot than I am. I’m a very toned-down version of myself around my family.”
“It’ll be good. My parents will be thrilled to meet you.”
Meeting his parents. It’s a big step, but I feel ready. I want them to like me.
His expression turns serious. “I need to tell you something. It’s not easy for me to talk about.” He shakes his head and looks away. “I had an older brother. Kyle. He died of leukemia when I was eleven and he was thirteen.”
My heart cracks in half. “Leo. God, I’m so sorry your family went through that.”
“It was ...” He clears his throat, emotional. “The hardest thing any of us has ever experienced. But Kyle was adamant that he wanted us to keep living and he happy.”