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"Yeah."
"Are you insane? You think that'll go over better than in front of my mom? At least if Mom's there he won't actually hurt him."
"And you think we won't hold Max back if he tries to attack? Isn't it better to have every guy who knows and loves you like a sister on your side? Because we all are, Evie. That's what you don't see. We all think of you and Lo like our sisters. Well, except maybe Finn." Gross. "And we'd protect you from anything, including your own brother. Which means..."
He lets his voice trail off, waiting for me to put all the pieces of his twisted puzzle together.
If I confess in front of everyone else, they’ll have my back. Max might try to punch Leo, but the guys will stop him before he can even cock his arm. They'll try to talk sense into him. Because I don't just have one brother; I have multiple. Finn, Declan, Micah, Brady ... they're family. Those guys grew up together. And because of that, I grew up as the little sister.
"You have a point. I'll run it by Leo when he gets here."
"Good luck with that," Brady states, pushing out of his chair.
So much for having my wits about me. Leo is halfway across the room before I even realize he's here. When I do, my senses go on high alert. The man has swagger, and he knows it.
I swear, I've never seen a man look so damn good in faded blue jeans and a baby blue polo shirt. Even his khaki-colored bomber jacket accentuates his style. And he fills it out rather nicely too.
"Angel," he greets me, leaning down and placing a chaste kiss on my lips before turning his attention to Brady. "Hey, man. How are you?"
"Better than you two," he replies, shaking Leo's hand. Looking to me, Brady says, "Think about it, Evie."
"Think about what?" Leo takes the seat Brady just vacated, and we both watch as he walks out of the coffee shop without looking back.
"He wants us to tell Max."
"I'm not going to lie. I don't like that idea. That would mean I wouldn't get to kiss you anymore, and I'm sort of addicted." To support his statement, Leo leans over and seals our lips together.
I'm addicted to him too.
To his kiss. His touch. The way he makes me feel just by looking at me. As if I'm the most beautiful woman in the room.
Then I think about telling Max and all that disappearing... I don't like Brady's idea either.
I have a feeling it doesn't matter what we like, though. The longer we sneak around, lying to everyone, the bigger our scandal is going to blow up in our faces.
So that's what I explain to Leo while also filling him in on Brady's idea for a friendly holiday dinner.
"Is he trying to get me killed?"
"Too many witnesses," I joke.
"Listen, I agree that we need to tell Max. Eventually. It's inevitable. I just don't understand why we can't keep this just for us a little while longer."
"Thanksgiving is two weeks away, Leo. That is a little while longer."
"Then I want to spend every day with you until we tell him. I need to get my fill in case he decides to drown me in the lake or bury me in the cornfield behind the frat house."
I want to laugh, but I can hear the panic in his voice. It's real, the fear. Not just of Max physically harming him, but of this ending when Max finds out.
"I vow, right here and now, to not let Max dictate what happens next. No matter how he reacts, Leo, no matter how upset he is, he isn't in control of my life. He doesn't get to make my decisions for me. He can't tell me who I can and can't date."
Leo looks at me like I've grown a second head. It takes him a minute to form a coherent reply.
"I vow to take his punches like a man and not to hit him back. To continue chasing after you as long as you let me, and probably long after you're done with me. Max has control over a portion of my life, but he doesn't get to decide who I fall—" Leo stops suddenly, swallowing a lump in his throat, before he continues. "For. Who I fall for."
My heart is beating wildly in my chest, my pulse racing. I know what he almost said, and as happy as I am he stopped himself, it makes me wonder if he feels that strongly for me or if it would have been a slip of the tongue.
"So we're gonna do this then?" I ask, averting my eyes to the coffee mug my hands are wrapped around.
