AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She looked up at me with a grateful and gentle gaze, and she said, “The inn? The café?”
I gave her a brief smile. “Yes.” My eyes trailed back to Leandro, who was defending his investments from a business standpoint. I was starting to worry he wouldn’t be honest with his mother about why he invested in the properties.
“What else?”
Jourdanne was smart. She knew Leandro’s mother wouldn’t waste a call on just a couple of investments.
“She’s discovered the lease for this house.”
“Really?”
I nodded along as I continued to listen to Leandro and his mother, who happened to be loudly lecturing her son on the other end. “She thinks he’s a fool for buying a house with you.”
Jourdanne let out a sigh.
“Don’t worry about her. I never do.” I shrugged as I spoke, but then fear ripped through me as Leandro’s mother clearly stated my name as she read over the lease.
“What is it?” Jourdanne asked me. Just as she did, Leandro’s eyes popped up at mine and the room fell silent.
“Mamma, Mathew is the man I love,” Leandro said just I was sure he wouldn’t. My heart was pounding so heavily I thought I would faint. Jourdanne gripped my hand a little tighter in elation, and I was certainly glad she was there to keep me steady. “And Jourdanne is the woman I love. And it doesn’t concern you.”
Leandro took the phone from his ear and ended the call. For a moment, I was frozen in time. Leandro and I stared back at one another until I let go of Jourdanne’s hand and rushed over, taking Leandro in my arms. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from us all.
“I can’t believe you told her,” I gasped. “Thank you.”
Leandro held my face in his hand and gave me a smile. There were tears in his eyes as he spoke. “Thank you for never giving up on me. For always trying to support me, even when I pushed you away.”
“Or left me at home,” I said laughing.
“Yes!”
Leandro and I kissed for a moment, then we turned to see Jourdanne standing there looking adorable with happy tears in her eyes too.
“Come here,” Leandro waved for her to come close. Then we all hugged and laughed for another minute. After, we toured the rest of the home together, and made plans for décor and furnishings. And when Jourdanne went back to class on Monday, she did so in Leandro’s black sedan so she could return that night, and every night to follow.
JOURDANNE
The doorbell rang exactly at five. Parvati was nothing if not punctual. I was so excited to see her since I hadn’t been back to the city in weeks. We were both busy as of late, so a weekend dinner was just what we all needed.
I tugged the front door open and basically shouted, “Parvati!” right in her face! I grabbed her close as she did me, and we hugged there on the porch for a moment.
“Okay, girl. You’re going to break the bottle of wine I brought.”
“Oh, sorry!” We laughed together as I welcomed her inside.
“This place is incredible,” she said as she looked around at the entry. The house had really come a long way since Matt, Leandro, and I had moved in the month before. We decorated the entire place in a cottage and country style so it would feel open and welcoming to any who came by. I chose a lot of soft colors to reflect the kindness that we wanted our home to have.
“I brought a cheese plate too,” Parvati said as she handed me a bag full of stuff.
I took everything and headed into the gathering room on my way toward the kitchen. Parvati followed me along while she took off her jacket. Matt was at the fireplace adding the last decorations for Halloween. I really loved his sense of style and the way he made the house feel more like a home with each passing day.
“Parvati, this is Matt,” I introduced them as Matt came around to take her jacket. He shook her hand politely, then gave a welcoming smile.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Matt.”
“Likewise,” Matt’s brow lifted. We all knew it was Parvati’s advice for me to apply as a sugar baby, so Matt was especially grateful to her.
We left Matt to hang up the jacket as we headed into the kitchen. “Tell me you also brought some of those Danishes that I love,” I said as I turned back and laughed.
Parvati nodded and gleefully laughed as she said, “How could I forget?”
I put down her bag of things on the counter and started setting them out for dinner. The cheese plate was gorgeous as always, and the pastries looked so good I had to try one before anyone else. As I stuffed a big bite in my mouth, Matt came around the corner and waved his finger at me like I was misbehaving. It gave me a chill thinking about the things to come later in the evening after Parvati would leave.
