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She snorted. “Making it on my own? I’m still jobless, remember?”
“Not for long, I’m sure.”
She let her head fall against the back of the seat, looking a bit defeated. “There is no guarantee that I’ll get that job I interviewed for.”
“If you don’t, then you’ll apply for more jobs until someone realizes what an asset you’ll be to their company and hires you,” he said confidently. “It’ll happen, because you’re strong and determined and amazing.”
That prompted a smile from her and she lifted her hand and cupped his cheek. “You are such a great guy, Leo Stone,” she said, her voice almost wistful. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
He followed her into her parents’ house, where they were waiting in the living room, her father sitting in his recliner and her mother on the loveseat, leaving Leo and Peyton to take the couch. He placed his hand on her knee as a sign of support and didn’t miss the way her father noted the intimate gesture. Still, Leo kept his hand in place.
Peyton rubbed her forehead, looking weary. “I’m not sure where to start.”
“How about at the beginning, Peyty,” her mother said, and the use of her nickname at least softened the fact that Tawny was still upset with her daughter. “Why would you deceive your father and me like this?”
For the next half hour, Peyton told her parents the entire story, about how they knew each other in college, and how she’d used his photos on social media without his knowledge to make her mother and father believe she had a great guy to take care of her, and finally, how she’d asked him to play the part of her boyfriend for the week while she was in San Diego for the sole purpose of making her parents believe that she was in a committed relationship.
When it came to her explaining why she’d staged the entire ruse, she was honest with her answers, even knowing the reasons would hurt her parents . . .that at her age, they were still too overprotective and worried too much, and she just wanted to live her life in New York without their constant concern and well-meaning interference.
Yes, her parents were shocked to learn how she felt, but they listened to her explanation, and Leo could tell that they were quietly processing everything she had to say. Would they magically become less protective parents based on this one conversation? Probably not, but Leo knew it was a start, that the doors of communication had been opened, and in the future it would be much easier for Peyton to establish and reinforce those boundaries with her mother and father.
She exhaled a deep breath before revealing her other secret. “And now that I’m getting all this out in the open, I want you both to know that I lost my job because the company went under, but I’m filling out applications and I even had a Skype interview yesterday and I’m hopeful I’ll be getting the position.”
“Oh, my God,” Tawny said in a panic, her knee-jerk response automatic and based on years of overreacting on her only daughter’s behalf. “Do you need money? Do you have food? Can you pay your rent?”
“No, I don’t need money or anything else, Mom,” Peyton said with a patient smile. “I have a decent savings and I’m going to be okay. I didn’t tell you about losing my job because it happened shortly after Dad’s quadruple bypass, and I knew that you’d both worry constantly, and neither one of you needed that added stress while he was recovering from his surgery. And I just wanted to handle this on my own.”
&nbs
p; Now that Peyton was done and there was a lull in the conversation, where her mother and father were processing what they’d just learned, Leo cleared his throat, which shifted her parents’ attention to him. It was his turn to say a few things.
“I owe you both an apology,” he said sincerely, surprised when Peyton turned the tables and took his hand in hers to encourage him and to let him know she was there for him. “You welcomed me into your home and treated me like more than just a guest, and that means a lot to me. I’ve also had the chance to get to know the two of you and have grown very fond of you both, which has made this situation even more difficult. So, I’m very sorry for deceiving you.”
Carson nodded, his expression almost empathetic. “We appreciate that.”
“You have an amazing, wonderful daughter,” Leo added, wanting them to also know that despite how everything might have played out, he genuinely cared for Peyton. That much hadn’t been a lie. “She’s strong and independent and has a good head on her shoulders.” She was also sweet and kind and quirky, and God, he was going to miss her when she was gone.
He glanced at Peyton, who met his gaze with an undeniable emotion in her eyes. The kind that had the ability to bring him to his knees and made him want to give her the world . . . except her world was in New York. As much as it pained him, he knew without a doubt that’s what he was going to ultimately give her . . . an easy goodbye that allowed her to follow the dreams she’d created for herself.
“It’s been a long night,” Tawny said, sounding tired and weary. “And I think your father and I have a lot to sleep on and think about.”
Peyton nodded in understanding and stood up, then went and gave her mother, then her father, a hug. “I really am sorry. I love you both very much.”
“We know you do, Peyty,” her mother replied with a smile, though it was clear that she was still thrown by the events that had unfolded over the past hour. “We love you, too. That will never change.”
“I’m going to head home tonight,” Leo said, because there now wasn’t any reason for him to stay and he didn’t want to leave without some kind of goodbye. “Thank you again for everything.”
He shook hands with her father, feeling the respect and forgiveness in the other man’s grip despite Leo’s part in the fabricated relationship, then hugged her mother, who also didn’t seem to harbor any ill will toward him, for which he was grateful.
He walked with Peyton back to the guesthouse, and once inside, he went to the bedroom and started packing up his things. She stood in the doorway watching him, not saying a word, but every time he looked at her face, he saw a dozen different emotions pass across her features—an undeniable combination of nerves and anxiety and hope and angst—as if she was gathering the courage to do or say something that would make him change his mind about leaving.
When he finally had his bag filled with his things and was ready to head out, she stepped into the room. “Before you go, there’s something I need to tell you,” she said on a rush of breath, while her big blue eyes were so transparent and vulnerable those emotions told him exactly what she was going to say even before the words left her mouth.
Leo held his breath, wanting to stop her before she put her heart on the line for him. He was so damn afraid to hear the words, but even more afraid to never have the chance to hear them come out of her mouth at all. How fucking selfish was that?
She gave him a tremulous smile. “I love you, Leo Stone.”
He groaned, unable to speak with his own emotions a tangled mess in his chest that kept him from returning the sentiment, even though the words were screaming a chorus in his brain, and he knew them to be true. She stepped up to him and feathered her fingers along his cheek, her touch everything he wanted and needed in his life but would ultimately let go because it was the right thing to do.
