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Ipacedaroundmybedroom in the guesthouse I was staying at and tried to figure out what to do next. Leah’s kiss was everything and it made me burn inside for more.
Then she said she loved me. Did she mean to love me? Or maybe she meant, she loved me as a family or …?
I was freaking out, and that was insane because I loved her too.
Get a grip.I needed to slow down my breathing and think straight.
“I’m in love with Leah,” I told myself, then sucked in a deep breath and released it again. I stopped pacing, then stared at my reflection in the mirror.
All I had to do was find Leah and tell her I loved her too. I knew where she was going to be tonight, I just had to drive there.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand table while I stood in front of the mirror, and I hurried to it to take the call.
“Peter,” I said once I plastered the phone to my ear. “No, I’ve not been able to speak to Delgado, but I think I might be able to reach out to him if I sent someone else. Maybe you should try,” I continued.
The conversation with Peter lasted a little while and when he dropped the call, I decided to go find Leah.
She was at Belly Row’s when I got there, and she was singing to the crowd that already loved her. Most of them hummed and clapped to the song, and it seemed like they were all having a great time, so I found a spot to sit, then ordered some pie.
When Leah started singing ‘The Hummingbird’ another song from her third album, I sang along because that was my favorite. Danielle wasn’t singing with her right now, but I could hear her voice in my memory.
Danielle and Leah together were perfect while singing, and I hoped Leah was sure about the decision she was making to stay here in Lakewood. She was missing out on a lot, and it was her dream to become a country star.
The sun had completely set, and she sang through a series of songs before she finally gave up the stage. The customers cheered for her, and some kids even approached her to ask for an autograph.
I watched Leah the entire time from where I sat and waited until she was finally alone. When she finally found a spot to sit, I got up and walked over there to join her. The second Leah saw me, she lowered her gaze and started rubbing the back of her neck.
“Leah, you’re gonna have to talk to me now,” I said to her when she kept her head bowed and chose not to talk to me.
She didn’t move, so I reached out to touch her chin, but she tried to pull out of my reach.
“Leah, come on, you said you loved me,” I said to her, so she finally looked at me. “I love you, Leah.”
Her gaze pinned mine then, and I loved the crimson color that rose to her cheek then. “I love you, Leah,” I repeated, and when I touched her hand next, she didn’t try to retreat. “I’m in love with you … I think about you all the time. It’s like you’re a part of me now, and I’m telling you this because I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to feel this pang of loss I have felt since I moved out of the cottage.
“Now, even if it’s my cottage, I don’t think it’ll feel like home when you’re not there.”
It took a long moment, but Leah finally broke into a smile. I loved the way the corners of her eyes wrinkled up, and that made my heart light. She was the most beautiful woman in the world to me, and that was all that mattered.
“I’m crazy about you, Leah Maureen. When you walked in on me that afternoon, you stole my breath away. This is crazy, I know, but it’s how I feel.”
She held my hand and I lifted hers to my lips, then kissed her fingers. The cool breeze in the night’s air ruffled her hair, and I reached out to brush away some strands of hair from the sides of her face.
“How do we tell Danielle?” she asked. “I mean, she already heard when I announced that I loved you to the entire Lakewood, so.”
I loved how she flushed, but the worrisome look on her face was not a problem. “We’ll tell Danielle together. She’ll understand.”
She looked at me this time, and I smiled at her. I stroked the front of her palm, then kissed it again before grinning at her. “You know what we should do?” I asked, and she shook her head before she smiled.
“We should go someplace fun.”
“Belly Row isn’t fun enough for you?” she asked before picking up on my cue and joining in my light chuckle.
“You mean bedroom fun?”
“I didn’t say that,” I answered then rose to my feet with her. She was still grinning as we held hands and made our way around the sitting area to get to the exit. We had made it halfway down the path to my car when I heard the cop sirens getting louder as they came nearer to us.
I spotted the patrol car first, and Leah froze in her tracks a second before her hand fell from mine. I heard her sharp intake of breath and saw her face get pale.
