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“If he doesn’t feel the same way about you, you’ll move on and be stronger for it.”
“Hell yes, I will.” We cheered and clinked glasses, and I felt relaxed in a way I hadn’t in a long time. No matter what happened with Leo, I’d be okay.
He’d still be in our lives. The Giovannis would always be like a second family to me, even if Leo decided I wasn’t what he wanted. It might look a little different in the future. I might spend less time at their house and working at the pizzeria. But I was already planning on moving out of their apartment. I would always be appreciative of their support, but it was time for me to be more independent.
As Aria and Gia said, I was a strong, independent woman. I didn’t need Leo Giovanni in my life, but I sure as hell wanted him.
Twenty
HARPER
Tonight, I was supposed to see Leo to discuss what happened and, I suppose, what it meant for our future. I’d spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted, and I knew how I felt about him.
The only question was, did he feel the same? Was I someone he could see himself with? Did he love me the way I loved him?
I thought there was chemistry, but what if I imagined it or it was all one-sided? I was driving myself crazy. I’d offered to find a sitter for Evie, but Leo said to bring her along, that he had something to show her.
I hoped he wasn’t going to show her the completed playhouse and then say good-bye to us. That wouldn’t be fair to either of us. If he intended to break things off, why would he want Evie present?
On the drive over, my heart rate picked up, and the knot in my stomach grew. Leo was standing on the porch when we arrived and opened the door for Evie when we parked.
“Leo!” she cried as she threw herself into his arms. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too. I don’t like to be away from you.”
“Me neither. Mommy said you’ve been super-duper busy with the pizza shop.”
“That’s right. It’s tough with my parents out of town.”
“You work hard,” Evie said, and Leo winced.
If the expansion went forward as he planned, I assumed he would be even busier.
There were so many details to discuss, but first, I needed to hear how he felt. Leo leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I missed you too.”
His lips against my skin were barely more than a feather of a touch, but it left me aching for more. Leo held Evie’s hand as we headed inside.
“I have something to show you,” Leo said carefully, as his uncertain gaze met mine over her head.
“Is it a surprise?”
“I guess you could say that. I’ve been planning it for a while, but I asked my contractor to speed up the timeline.”
The entrance to the kitchen was covered with a tarp to keep the dust from settling in the rest of the house, but Leo kept walking past it and up the stairs.
He stopped in front of a closed door. “This is what I wanted to show you.”
Then he pushed open the door before I could ask what it was.
Evie gasped as she entered the room. There was a white bed with a pink canopy over it, a dresser, a bookshelf filled with books, and a desk. Evie immediately ran to a bin full of stuffed animals and toys. “This is for me?”
“It’s all for you.”
“And I can sleep here?”
Leo winked at me. “That’s what I wanted to talk to your mother about. Can you play for a few minutes while I talk to her?”
“Uh-huh,” Evie said as she sank to the floor, a stuffed animal under her arm and a puzzle in front of her.
