He looked at me with a question in his eyes.
“But I think I found it while I was stranded in that airport.”
He smiled and kissed my hand. “We’ll talk tonight, Soph.”
Leo opened the frontdoor of his parents’ condo. I’d seen the building from the car the night we’d gone ice-skating and made a pitstop to pick up his aunt’s ice skates, but I’d failed to appreciate it’s size andglamour. In my defense, it looked like an old mill building from the outside, but the inside had been converted into luxury condos with a luscious lobby and a doorman named Charlie who excitedly greeted Leo as soon as we walked in.
Before we’d even crossed the threshold into his condo—one that I could tell from the doorway was equally beautiful—a woman’s voice called to him. “Hey, kid. You ever walked in and heard your parents having sex?” she asked.
“Sloane,” another female voice scolded. “He brought company.”
“Oh yeah. Too many times.” Leo shuddered and I suppressed a giggle. My family had at least spared me that horror. “I swear Dad pounces on her the second I leave a room. Bet he did it as soon as I left for the airport just now”
“You’re right about that. Your mother is hot, Leo. I’m not apologizing for my behavior,” his dad responded, sounding amused with himself.
“I rest my case, counselor,” Sloane said as Leo stepped forward.
Leo turned to look at me and held out his hand before gently tugging me through the doorway. I was way more nervous to meet these people than I’d expected, and I realized that was entirely because I really needed them to like me. Just like my family would have to like Leo for me to feel complete, I knew it was the same for him. What his family thought of me would matter.
“Sophia, this is the family I warned you about. Everyone, this is Sophia.” He gestured to them, and I peeled my eyes away from the safety of his face to take them all in. The blonde woman who looked like Leo’s dad and who I’d seen at his last hockey game was perched on the lap of the beautiful, dark-haired woman I’d seen after the game when Leo was injured and his holiday game. She watched the blonde in her lap with adoration and I knew they were Leo’s Aunt Sloane and Aunt Lavi. Nextto them was a curly-haired guy in his late twenties with bright green eyes who I assumed was his cousin, Jace. I recognized Leo’s dad, Adrian, who sat next to his wife, Sutton. She shared a striking resemblance to her son.
Leo pulled my suitcase in from the hall and closed the door behind us, addressing his family again. “She’s my friend from college whose flight got canceled this afternoon because of the snowstorm. She’s already stuck with all of you for Christmas instead of being with her family in Hawaii, so be nice to her.”
I chuckled and waved, appreciating his ability to break the ice with jokes. “It’s nice to meet you. Leo talks about you a lot.”
“I’m so sorry, Sophia.” Sutton got up and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “For you being stuck with us and for the way my sister-in-law welcomed you with a conversation about our sex life. I’m Leo’s mom, Sutton.”
I hugged her back, grateful for such a warm welcome. Connor’s mother had eyed me like I was the enemy throughout our entire relationship. “Really, don’t worry about it,” I said.
Sloane laughed. “If she’s staying here for a few days, she’s going to hear about sex.”
“Seriously?” Adrian stepped forward and offered his hand to me. “I’m Adrian, Leo’s dad. And we truly are sorry about her. She’s the crazy neighbor across the hall who we can’t escape.”
“Don’t be sorry,” I said with a chuckle as I returned his handshake. “I feel right at home already. My dad and stepmom have never cared who is subjected to witnessing their displays of love or listening to them talk about it.”
Sutton laughed and put a gentle hand on my back, guiding me to the two empty seats at the table across from her and Adrian. I glanced atLeo, encouraged by the smile on his face. It wasn’t hard to gather that he liked seeing me be myself with them.
“Plus, my stepfather’s hand is basically glued to my mother’s butt.” I gave Leo a big smile. “In other words, I feel your pain, Leo. Viscerally.”
Sloane laughed. “See, she’s fine. We’re the cool aunts. Sloane”—she gestured to herself—“and Lavi.” She kissed her wife on the cheek.
“Also”—Sloane turned to Adrian—“you two moved intomybuilding, bro. So, complaining about the neighbors seems douchey.”
“Neighbor. Singular.” Adrian pointed his thumb at Lavi. “She’s great. No complaints.” I smiled and looked down at my hands, wishing I had coffee or a drink to fiddle with. Leo had told me his father and Lavi had been best friends since college and their affection for each other seemed clear.
“I told you they’d be a lot.” Leo shook his head and looked down at my suitcase. “I’ll go put this in the spare room for you.”
“Thanks,” I said, unable to hide the smile on my face. “I figured you got your humor and charisma from somewhere,” I teased as he shook his head almost imperceptibly, disappearing down the hall. I watched him until Sloane’s voice pulled me back to the table.
“So, Sophia, did Leo tell you anything about how we do Christmas around here or did he just pick you up on the side of the street and bring you home? Cause we do have a history of that around here too,” Sloane said with a pointed looked at her wife.
Jace laughed and brushed his curls off his forehead. “I wasn’t on the street when she invited me, Mom.” He reached his hand across the table to shake my hand and gave me a big smile. “I’m Jace, Leo’s cousin. And it’s nice tofinallymeet you.”
I blushed, wondering if he knew more about me and Leo than anyone else in this room.
“You were literally an orphan she brought home, Jace,” Sloane said. “And don’t get me started on Bowser, who I’m pretty sure is the reason Leo stopped believing in Santa.”
“I believed that dog came from Santa until Mom slipped up three years later,” Leo called to us from the other room, laughing. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. What the hell was happening to me? I was surrounded by his family and still his voice drew me to him. I was desperate to be in his orbit.
