He Belongs With Me (15 page)

As the train rounded a corner, I squared my feet, trying to keep steady. But of course, another lurch and I landed right on top of Mr. Sweaty Beard Man for the second time in a row, much to Leo’s amusement.

“You trying to feel me up, Missy?” the man asked, winking at me.

“No, sir,” I said, rushing to move away from him.

Leo laughed—he flat-out laughed at me. The guy who never laughed fell into hysterics over my stupid situation and I couldn't help but smile. Seeing him laugh melted something inside me. And then—to my surprise and his—I decided to hell with it and wrapped my arms around Leo's waist.

That shut him up right away.

Digging my fingers into the material of his shirt, I clung onto him tighter than I'd ever clung onto anything. I stared up at him while he stared down at me. Leo looked every bit as calm as he always did, but the pounding of his heart told a different story. Pressed against his chest, I could feel the wild, racing beat. It made me wonder...maybe I got to him more than he’d ever let on. The idea that I was affecting him on any level did funny things to my own heart.

Leo's free hand moved to the back of my head. His fingers dug through my hair and rested on my neck, where he gently held me close to him. Combined with the look on his face, one that made me feel like I was the most amazing thing he'd ever laid eyes on, the simple but sweet gesture brought back a memory that had been hidden away in my subconscious for years and years.

I was six and Mommy had died ten days ago. Daddy said it was a blessing that the cancer took her quickly because she didn't have to suffer for very long, but I still couldn't understand what that meant. I kept thinking about the last time I saw her. Daddy had called me into her room and told me to say goodbye forever so I did. I told her I'd see her in heaven.

But Leo never got to say goodbye to his Mommy. A couple of days after the funeral, Mrs. Maddox packed a suitcase and left in the middle of the night. Unlike with my mom, I don’t think it was a blessing that she took off quickly.

There was this clover. A four-leaf clover, to be exact. I can't remember who found it first—me or Leo. We'd been hunting for them right around St. Patrick's Day and had been lucky enough to find one. Then we fought over it. Somehow I'd ended up with it at my house. But after Daddy told me how Leo's Mommy had run away, I needed him to have my lucky clover.

I snuck out that night.

I knew the route to Leo's house by heart. I ran the whole way, keeping the tiny clover cupped in my hand and close to my heart. Getting inside Leo's house was easy. I was small enough to slip through the bars of the mansion's front gate and smart enough to know Mr. Maddox liked to leave windows open at night. Finding Leo in his giant house was the hard part. He wasn't in his room, his playroom, the game room, or the TV room—it took me forever to find him.

He was in the library. I should have looked there first since Leo loved to read. He'd spend hours and hours reading. And not the picture books I liked, the chapter book kind. I found him in the library, but he wasn't reading. He sat in a corner with his knees clutched to his chest and tears in his eyes. I'd never seen Leo cry before.

“I brought you something,” I whispered, kneeling down beside him.

It scared me to see Leo sad like that. I expected him to yell at me, tell me to go home, or tattle on me to his dad. He did none of those things. Instead, he used the palm of his hand to brush away his tears. I didn't have to remind him I was Clara and not Maggie either. Sometimes even Daddy mixed us up, but Leo could always tell us apart.

I held up the little shamrock by its stem. “It's the clover we found. You can have it now.”

“I don't want that,” he said, looking down. “We decided you were gonna keep it safe, remember?”

“I know, but my Mommy's already gone. If you have the clover, then you will be lucky. Then your Mommy will come back.”

“My Mom's not coming back.”

Wetness filled my eyes. “Don't say that.”

“Do you wish I would disappear too?”

“No. Why would I wish that?”

Leo looked up at me. His blue eyes glowed...the tears in them made them glow. “I think I do want to keep it,” he said. “I might need it one day. But we have to hide it because my dad would throw it away if he found it. Have you been keeping it in a book like I told you?”

I nodded.

“Pick a new one in here to hide it in.”

I wandered around the Maddox's great big library. The books covered the room from floor to ceiling, reminding me of the library from The Beauty and the Beast. But the books were all grown-up books. How could I even pick? I finally just chose one I could easily reach. “Is this one good?” I tried to read the front cover. “Great
Exp—? Great Experiments?”

“Great Expectations,” Leo corrected.

“Have you read it?”

“No.”

“Do you think your dad will read it and find our clover?”

Leo opened the book and tucked the little clover safely between the pages. “No. My dad never reads these books,” he told me, putting Great Expectations back in its place on the shelf.

“Why does he have a giant library if he never reads?”

“The same reason he has eighteen cars.”

“Why does he have eighteen cars?”

“You ask too many questions.”

“Can I ask one more?”

“Okay.”

“What will you use the clover for?”

A strange look came over Leo's face. Usually I annoyed him, but this wasn’t his usual 'I-hate-your-guts' look. “Because,” he whispered. “I'm going to ask you to marry me one day, Clara. And I'm going to need all the luck in the world.”

“Why? Don't you want to marry Maggie?”

Leo didn't answer me because the library light flipped on and a cold voice reverberated throughout the room, “Leonardo. What are you doing in here?”

“Great Expectations,” I said aloud, still lost in thought.

“What does that mean?” Leo asked.

“Nothing.”

I can't say how long I'd been clinging onto Leo or how many stops we'd passed on the subway. All I know is that it felt kind of wonderful holding him—so wonderful, in fact, that I couldn't do it a second longer. Call me a ten-piece-chicken-shit-value-meal, but I had to get away. Right that second.

Leo's face fell because I think he knew what was coming. The fear ricocheting through my bones was reflected in his eyes.

“Don't, Clara,” he pleaded. “Stop overthinking this.”

“I have to go.”

For once in my life, timing was in my favor. Or not, depending on how you looked at it. The train stopped at some random destination along our route, the doors slid open, and as people started to move off the train, I let my arms drop, keeping my eyes on Leo for one last lingering moment.

“I'm going back to Steph's. Let me go.”

He didn't have a chance to react because I jumped off the train just before the doors closed again. Feeling like the biggest bitch on the planet, I stood on the platform and watched Leo as the train pulled away. My heart shattered in my chest, but I had to do what I had to do. Being with Leo, dating Leo, falling in love with Leo—whatever the hell was happening between us—did not fit into my plans. Arizona was no place for a guy like Leo Maddox. And my dream of Arizona was something I couldn't give up.

CHAPTER 13

MAGGIE

The doorbell rang. Dad was out back grilling burgers with Anita, so it was up to me to answer. Expecting to find Robby and his daughter, I pulled open the door. “Hi, come on—” I started, but immediately snapped my mouth shut.

Andrew Wellington.

He stood there in his pressed plaid shorts and polo shirt, his brown boy-band hair perfectly gelled into place, a smug smile on his lips, and flowers in his hands. In all the time we'd dated, he'd never showed up on my doorstep with flowers. Clara sure had him wrapped around her finger. I glared at him, hatred oozing out of my pores. We'd broken up...didn’t that mean I wouldn’t have to see him anymore?

“Maggie?” he asked, his eyes flickering briefly to my chest, as if that was the only way of telling me and Clara apart. I didn't understand it. Leo could tell us apart blindfolded...why couldn't he? I’d only dated the fool for four years.

“What?” I huffed.

“I should have guessed it was you, M&M. Clara never gives me that sour face. Is she around?”

“I told you to never call me M&M again! And no, she isn't home.”

I started to shut the door, but he reached up and stopped me.

“Do you know when she'll be home?”

“Tomorrow. She's in New York City with...a friend.” I desperately wanted to rub it in his face that she was with Leo, but I wanted him to leave as soon as possible and that didn’t seem like the best way to make that happen. Also, I did it for Leo's sake—I knew he wouldn't want Andrew in his business.

“Cool,” he said. “I'll swing by tomorrow then.” He started down the porch steps, calling out, “Later, M&M.”

I groaned and slammed the door. Seconds later, the doorbell rang again. “What now, Andrew?” I demanded, yanking hard on the door. But it wasn't Andrew on the other side.

It was Robby and a very cute little girl, who was standing behind his legs. My heart did a little pitter-patter at the sight of him. He now wore khakis and a button-up shirt, and his thick, brown hair was still slightly damp from a recent shower. Had he dressed up just for me?

“Was he bothering you?” Robby asked, frowning and looking toward the street where Andrew's BMW screeched away from my house.

“His existence alone bothers me,” I said, holding the door open wide. “Come on in.”

Robby walked past me, pulling his daughter along behind him. With her chocolate-brown pigtails and honey-golden eyes, she was the spitting image of her daddy. Never before had I seen a more adorable kid. Just looking at her made my frustrations about guys fade into the background.

Valerie glanced up at me with eyes as wide as saucers. “Hi,” she whispered in a sweet little voice. “Are you Maggie?”

“Yes.” I bent over so I would be at her eye level. “Are you Valerie?”

She nodded.

“It's very nice to meet you,” I said, shaking her hand. “You're way too cute. How old are you?”

“Five,” she replied shyly.

“You're tall for five.” I didn't have much experience around kids, but she seemed tall. I guessed that was another trait she got from her daddy. “Want to come see my room?” I glanced up at Robby for his approval and he nodded, an unreadable expression on his face. So I captured Valerie's hand in mine and led her toward the staircase.

“I'm gonna go say ‘hello’ to Maggie's Dad,” Robby told her. “You'll love Maggie's room, sweetie. It looks like a princess's room…at least it used to. I'll be up there in a minute, okay?”

“Okay.” She nodded. Even her freaking nod was adorable.

“It still looks like a princess room,” I said as we started up the steps. My eyes connected briefly with Robby's as we went. He smiled at me, and it wasn't the typical 'I'm-trying-to-get-in-your-pants' smile that I usually got from men. It was just a simple friendly smile so I returned the gesture and continued up the stairs.

Growing up, I'd been the biggest girly-girl ever—I guess I still was—and my room showcased that side of my personality. The walls were painted in pink and purple stripes, and I had a canopy bed with flowing sheer curtains and a powder-pink bedspread. There were about two dozen butterfly paintings of various sizes and designs scattered throughout my room and bathroom. They were dramatic and unique—Dad had hired an artist to create them for me—and my favorite thing about the room.

As Valerie and I entered the space, she gasped. Her mouth dropped open and she stared up at the walls. “It's so pretty,” she said, spinning in a full circle.

“I kept all my old Barbies from when I was little,” I told her. “Do you want to see them?”

She nodded, so I went into my closet and lugged out the tote where they were still stored.

“My twin sister Clara always hated Barbies,” I told her, dragging the tote out into the middle of my room. “I used to make my friend Leo play with me sometimes, but he's a boy so I never really had anyone to play with. Want to play with me now?”

Those were the magic words. We emptied the tote and immediately started digging through my collection. I'd been pretty particular about keeping my dolls in perfect condition and most of them were close to brand new.

After about ten minutes, I glanced up to find Robby standing in my door frame, watching us play. A giant pile of clothes and dolls littered my floor. One of his signature smiles crossed his lips as he took in the scene. He seemed larger than life and transcended time, standing in my doorway like we were teenagers again. I smiled back at him, not really able to stop myself.

“She's never going to want to go home.”

“Maybe that's my plan,” I returned. “Maybe I'll just keep her.”

“She'd probably like that. Do you mind if I join you?”

I nodded and Robby moved further into my room, sitting on the ground next to Valerie.

“No, Daddy,” she said, shoving at his side. “Girls only. You're a boy.”

He laughed out loud. “I can't play too?”

“No.”

“But we need someone to play Ken,” I said. Finding one of my Ken-dolls, I handed it over to Robby. “You can only stay if you play with Ken.” He surprised me by taking the doll and playing along. I got the impression that Valerie and Robby played like this all the time. I bit my lip as I watched the interaction—they were both just way too cute.

“She's adorable,” I told him.

“She likes you.”

“I like her too.” Brushing at the hair of the Barbie in my hand, I avoided his eyes. “She's like your mini-me.”

“There's something you should know,” he told me, his already low voice going an octave lower. “I didn't tell your dad the full truth earlier. I'm back in Blue Creek because I want to stay here for good. I bought Mike's, but I don't have any intention of selling it. You know my mom moved us around too much growing up, and I don't want the same for Valerie. In the last five years, we’ve lived in three different cities. I want Blue Creek to be our permanent home. And I'd really like your family to be part of my life again. This sounds crazy, given our history, and I hardly have any right to say it, but I've missed you guys.”