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“Hopefully, that will keep her occupied for a few minutes,” Leo said as he took my hand and drew me down the hall to his room.
“I don’t understand. Why would you renovate a room for Evie?” I was struggling to catch up.
He closed the door and gestured for me to sit on the end of the bed.
Refusing to sit, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
Leo stepped closer, his hands touching my stiff shoulders. “I should have told you this a long time ago. I lied to you when I told you I was falling for you.”
My shoulders lowered as I took in his words.
“I wasn’t falling for you.” Then he hesitated, his gaze meeting mine. “I was already there. I love you. I love your daughter. I see a future with both of you in it.”
Hope soared that he was saying all the right things, but I still felt confused.
“I told Cade to renovate that room for Evie before I said what I did in front of my parents. I need you to understand that I realized I loved you before she told Mamma and Papà about us. When I said what I did, I was trying to ease the blow to my parents. But that was stupid. We should have been honest with them. We never should have hidden who we are. We might have gotten some pushback, but I’ve been certain about you from the start. I love you, Harper.”
I dropped my arms, needing to touch him. “I love you too.”
Leo pulled me into his arms. “I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for you to say that. I wasn’t sure if you felt the same way.”
Relief swirled in my chest. “I’ve loved you for a while. I just wasn’t sure where you stood or if I could trust it. I worried that if our relationship came between you and your family, or messed with your business, you’d walk away.”
“You’re more important than any business issues. I’ll figure it out with you by my side. If my parents are upset with you, then my brothers and I will figure out a way to open a business without them. Maybe that’s a better idea.” He paused as if he’d only just thought of that. “But I don’t want to talk about that. I want to talk about us. I want to alleviate any concerns you have about how I feel and what I want.”
I smiled softly. “I think you’ve done that.”
His shoulders relaxed, and his face softened. “I’m sorry I asked you to keep us a secret. It was wrong, and it wasn’t how I felt about you. It was like as soon as I figured out that I liked you, everything fell into place. I had this strong attraction to you, and then we built this connection. It felt right.”
“I love that.” I loved that he was pouring his emotions out to me.
“Never again, Harper. It’s the three of us on the same team going forward. Whatever happens, we handle it together.”
After talking to Gia and Aria, I figured out that I held all the power in any relationship. I had the ability to walk away, to demand better for myself. If Mr. and Mrs. G. made unreasonable demands on Leo and on us, I wouldn’t stand for it. If they wanted to be in our lives, they’d need to accept us.
Leo palmed my cheek, and I leaned into the warmth of his touch. “I missed you. I missed us. I wanted to talk to you sooner, but I figured it was better to show you how I felt, and I needed a few extra days to get Evie’s room ready.”
“Do you want us to live here?” Or was the room just for us to visit?
“I wanted to ask you to move in with me, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be ready. We have this room in case Evie needed some space to herself when she visited. I figured I could ease you two into the idea.”
I smiled up at him. “So, you had this whole plan?”
“I want you two in my life, and I’ll do anything to get what I want.”
Leo wanted me. The love poured over me in waves, sending tingles through my limbs. I wrapped my hands around his neck, pressing my breasts against his hard chest. He dipped his forehead to rest on mine. “You’re mine now, Harper.”
“You’re mine too.”
His lips twitched. “And Evie’s, if she’ll have me.”
“I’m pretty sure you have her wrapped around your finger.” She and Leo always had a special bond.
Leo let out a breath. “I hope so. I love her so much. I didn’t know what I was going to do if you didn’t forgive me.”
Our foreheads touched. “We’re here now.”
“Mommy. Leo. Come play with me!” Evie yelled from her room.
