Days of You and Me (35 page)

I’d spent the night before the game at a hotel in Richmond, feeling a little like a bride hiding from her groom until the big day. But I’d checked out before the game, and my bag was in the trunk of my car. Leo had taken a car service to the stadium, so he was riding back to his townhouse with me. A thrill of belonging and connection ran down my spine when he held my hand as we walked to the special lot where I’d parked.

“Want to drive?” I dangled the keys from one finger. “I mean, I don’t mind doing it, if you’re tired, but you know where you’re going and I don’t.”

Leo snatched the keys from me and tossed them back and forth between his two hands. “Decisions, decisions. Do I let you drive, so I can sit back and ogle you, or do I drive so we get home faster?”

I grinned. “I’m in favor of faster, myself.”

“Faster it is.” He stopped at the passenger door to open it for me, then tossed his duffel into the back seat and swung around the car to his own side. I giggled when he climbed in and had to sit with his knees almost up to his ears before he moved the seat back. As he started the ignition and turned to look behind us, with his hand on the headrest of my seat, I sighed.

“What’s that about?” He glanced my way and shifted the car into drive.

“Nothing. Just enjoying the view. You know, because I get to ogle you. This really is a win-win situation.”

“Baby, this view is all yours. Forever.” He shot me the smolder, and distractedly, I wondered how long it was going to take to get from the stadium to his townhouse.

“That was quite a statement you made back there. Outside the locker room.” I arched one eyebrow.

Leo slid me a glance that was part-apologetic, part-unrepentant. “I guess I should have run that by you first, but . . . I meant it. Every single word.”

How on earth could any woman in her right mind be upset about that sentiment? “Did you? It sounded very permanent and very real.”

“It was.” He exhaled, tightening his hands on the wheel. “I know it probably surprised you. But the way I see it, you and I both know, maybe more than most people, that life is short and unpredictable. I want you in my life, now and forever. I don’t want to be apart from you again. So why fuck around, right? Why shouldn’t forever start right now?”

“Who can argue with logic like that?” I murmured. Leo grinned and reached over to squeeze my knee.

“I know, right? I think I missed the boat, not joining the debate team in college.”

“Maybe.” I stared out the window at the passing scenery, taking in Richmond by daylight for the first time. I decided that the city looked better on a late afternoon in September than it did after dark in early February.

“You got quiet. Thinking deep thoughts?” Leo slowed at a red light. He’d left his hand on my knee as he drove, and now he slid it just a tad higher on my thigh.

“I was remembering the last time I was at your house.”

“Ah.” The hand moved up a little more, and his fingers curled slightly. “That was one of the worst nights of my life. You have no idea how hard it was not to say—
stay
. Be with me. Marry me. I wanted to. I didn’t sleep that night, knowing you were just down the hall, feeling like I’d rejected you.”

“At the time, those words were what I thought I wanted you to say. Now, I’m so grateful you didn’t. Thank you for being strong when I couldn’t be.” I laid my hand on top of his, pressing my palm against his knuckles, thinking how easy it would be to coax those fingers just a little further . . .

“The next night, I got drunker than I had since Matt died. I had to do anything to forget, you know? To wipe away the memory of you crying.” He shuddered. “I know Nate was right. I know we needed time to figure out why things went wrong before and to be sure we really were ready to be together, but I never want to go through that again.”

“Me, neither.” I paused. “Although I don’t think we’ve worked through everything. I was thinking, when Ellie and I were waiting for you today, that even though I apologized for doing it, I never told you how wrong I was to leave you that summer in Carolina.”

“I thought we weren’t doing regrets.” We pulled up to the guard gate, and Leo stopped to roll down the window and show his ID to the attendant, who lifted the gate for us.

“This isn’t regret. This is an explanation and you understanding why I freaked out. We call that growth.” I winked at him.

“All right, then. Go ahead. You explain, I’ll understand, and we’ll both grow.” He turned into his driveway, but neither of us made a move to get out of the car yet.

“That summer . . . it was wonderful, beyond words. But when the media stuff started getting out of hand, I didn’t know how to handle it. Part of me wanted you to be with me all the time, to tell the world that I was your girlfriend, that you loved me and that everyone else had to back off. I know that’s unrealistic, but . . . I was insecure.” I fiddled with the handle of my purse. “Still, I might have stuck it out, but when the college wanted you to do that piece and pretend you didn’t have a girlfriend, to deny that we were together, that hurt. And even though the logical part of my brain understood why you had to go along with it, I wanted you to be more upset. I think that’s why I left. I wanted to see if you’d come after me and prove that you loved me.”

Leo laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. “And I wanted you to stay, to prove that you loved me. I told myself that I was giving you time and space, like you’d asked, but the truth was, I was devastated when you walked out. I felt like you’d abandoned me. I’d thought that nothing could tear us apart again, and then you did.”

Tears burned my eyes. “I know we promised no more apologies, but for what it’s worth, the Quinn from back then says she’s sorry to the Leo from back then. And she loves him, and she wishes that she’d never left. She wished every day that she had stayed. She knew she’d made the wrong choice the minute the door closed behind her.”

Leo unbuckled his seat belt, turned off the engine and swiveled in his seat so that his knee bent as he faced me. He cupped the back of my neck with one hand, drawing me close, and with the other, he traced the line of my cheekbone until my eyes slid shut.

“No regrets. Only now. Only forever.”

His lips brushed over mine, softly, and then less gently, he coaxed my mouth open, searing a line of heat from my head down to my core. I was on fire again, and this time, I was ready to burn.

“Take me inside, Leo. Forever starts now.”

Future Days
by Pearl Jam

T
he last time Quinn had been in my house, I’d been in agony, wanting her and yet knowing the timing wasn’t right yet. So as I led her up the steps and to my front door, I was determined to erase all the bad memories and replace them with only good ones.

Before I turned the doorknob, I paused, gazing down at her. “The day I found this townhouse, I’d been looking at places all day. My mom was with me. Everyone had told me not to buy right away, in case I didn’t last the season in Richmond or if I got traded or whatever, but I had a hunch. I knew I wanted to buy a place to live and not be just renting. I was ready for something permanent.”

She nodded, expectant.

“I couldn’t put my finger on why none of the houses seemed quite right. Then I realized it was because I couldn’t see
you
in any of them. When I stood here for the first time, though, I turned around and looked at the neighborhood, the front lawn . . . the view.” I steered Quinn by the shoulders, pulling her back against me and pointing. “Look. We’re on a hill here, and you can see for a pretty fair distance.”

“Ohhh, yes,” she breathed out. “And wow, some of the trees are already beginning to change. I bet it’s beautiful at the height of leaf peeping season.”

“It is. Anyway, I thought,
Quinn would love this view and this porch.
” I motioned to the empty space. “I could just imagine us putting a porch swing right there and you having a place to curl up and read.”

“It would be perfect.” She smiled. “I’d bring my coffee out here and just read in the peace and quiet.”

Pushing open the door, I stood back so she could walk ahead of me. I dropped my duffel bag by the hallway arch and pulled Quinn into the great room with me.

“I loved the entry right away, and then I stepped in here. When I saw the fireplace, I imagined sitting with you here on winter evenings, talking about our days and making out in front of a roaring fire.”

She tilted her head up to smirk at me. “Ah. And in this fantasy, do we have a bear skin rug?”

I wrinkled my nose. “Um, no. That sounds like it would itch. I was thinking a big, thick quilt or something. And lots of pillows.”

Quinn laughed. “Duly noted. And this is a beautiful room. I remember thinking that the night I was here.”

I sighed. “The night you were here, I wanted to throw you down in front of the fireplace, quilt or no quilt. I showed a lot of restraint.” And I had to exercise just a little bit more of that now, too. “Come on. The tour isn’t over yet.”

Next we stopped in the dining room. “In here, I could see you sitting next to me when we had people over for dinner. A couple of teammates, maybe. And I pictured you sliding off your shoes under the table and rubbing my leg with your foot . . . you know, just a little tease. And then when our company left, I’d help you clear off the table, and we’d go into the kitchen . . .” I tugged her by the hand into the kitchen that had made my mom gasp when she’d seen it the first time.

Stainless steel appliances, marble countertops and a wide tile floor accented a room that was bigger by half than most of the other kitchens in this neighborhood. My mom had put a small table for two in the nook by the bay window that looked out over the deck and my massive backyard.

“See that, there? That’s where I saw us eating breakfast every morning.” I spun her to stand against the island countertop. “But back to what we’d be doing after a dinner party. We’d carry in the plates, see, put them in the sink, and then—” I took a step closer and slid my hands to her hips, plastering my body against hers. “And then I’d lift you up onto the counter.” I matched my actions to my words and positioned myself between her legs, rubbing her jeans-covered thighs. “And I’d take advantage of the perfect height here to kiss you hard and cop a feel of these luscious tits.”

Quinn’s cheeks flushed pink, and she shifted restlessly, a sure sign that she was insanely turned on. I remembered that.

“And then what would happen? Would you help me finish cleaning up?”

I slowly shook my head. “No. Well, not then. I’d pick you up, carry you to the bedroom and . . . let’s just say the dishes would wait until the next morning.”

“Oh.” She wound her arms around my neck and rested her forehead against mine. “Leo?”

“Yeah?” It was so easy to get lost in her eyes. I was nearly drowning.

“Is the tour finished?”

I moved my head side to side. “Not quite yet. I need to show you the room that sold me on this house. It’s a room you didn’t see when you were here before.”

“Okay.” She made as if to slide off the counter, but I caught her, scooping her easily into my arms.

“Allow me. This is part of the tour, you know. All part of the service.” I strode to the hallway, pausing only to dip down and snag my duffel as we passed.

With a few more steps, we were just outside my bedroom. I paused to draw in a deep breath before I nudged open the door. This was it. These next few moments were for all the marbles. And I needed to seriously rock everything I said and did.

“Oh, Leo.” Quinn’s mouth dropped open a little as she took in the master bedroom. It was large, but more striking than that was its shape, which was almost pentagonal. One wall boasted another fireplace, this one smaller than that in the living room. The bed was pushed up against another, and the rest was all glass, floor-to-ceiling windows and a set of French doors that led to a small private terrace, surrounded by a high stone wall to keep it hidden from the rest of the world.

Opposite the wall of windows, the room opened to a smaller sitting area and a spacious bathroom. It included a dressing table and a lighted walk-in closet.