“Hot? Awful? Sexy? The worst ever? Mind-blowing?”
“Intense.” Tilly met her gaze, and what Leah saw in her eyes surprised her. Wonder. Uncertainty. Fear.
“Intense in a good way?”
Several beats of silence went by before Tilly responded. “Yes, mostly. Yes.”
Leah narrowed her eyes and waited. Tilly wanted to say something. Leah could see it, but there was no forcing it. She waited.
Tilly picked up her sparkling water and took a sip, then another. She pushed her salmon salad around on her plate before finally facing Leah across the table. “I slept with Jen on Saturday night.”
Leah grinned. “So we both had great weekends.” She lifted her glass of Diet Coke and waited for Tilly to cheer her. She didn’t. She simply held Leah’s gaze and blinked. “Tils?”
“I slept with her for the first time.”
Leah blinked. This was big. Holy shit, this was so big. “Wait. For the first time?”
Tilly nodded.
“So all the joking last week about you saving your fucks for her?”
“JoJo said that, not me.”
Leah held up a finger. “Let me get this straight. You’ve been seeing Jen since New Year’s Eve, and you only just had sex with her two days ago. In February. You’ve waited nearly six weeks to sleep with her.” Six weeks was obviously not a long time to wait to have sex, but it was an eternity for Tilly, who usually sealed the deal by the third date. At the very latest.
More nodding, and Tilly looked miserable. But adorably so.
“Oh, Tils.” Leah’s entire face was lit up with joy and she knew it. She’d never seen Tilly this out of her element, and it warmed her heart as she reached across the table and grasped Tilly’s arm. “You really, really like this girl, don’t you? Oh my God, are you crying?”
“What? No! Of course, I’m not crying.” The sniffle and the quick swipe at her face spotlighted the fib. “Shut up.”
Leah sat back and just looked, just smiled at one of her dearest friends. “I am so happy for you, Matilda Beth.” Tilly shot her a look, the off-limits name giving her something else to focus on so she could pull herself together. Leah’s intention, totally.
The waiter came and asked if they wanted boxes, since neither had finished her lunch.
“No,” said Tilly.
“Yes,” said Leah. Then, “Give me hers, too. All in one box. I’m taking your salmon. You are salmon irresponsible.”
That got a chuckle from Tilly, and they smiled at each other across the table as the waiter cleared their plates. “I’m happy you’re happy,” Leah said.
“Same. You’re happy? Right? I sort of hijacked your story. Sorry about that.”
“Please. No worries at all. I’m so glad you told me. Or, rather, I’m so happy that I pried it out of you. And yes, I am happy. Really happy. So happy that I’m afraid of jinxing it by telling too many people how happy I am.”
“Oh my God, right?” Tilly sat up straight and leaned forward, forearms on the table. “I feel like that, too. Like, if I talk too much about things being good, some force in the universe will decide I don’t deserve it, reach down, and snatch it away.”
“We’re ridiculous.”
“We really are.”
They sat in quiet wonder as the waiter dropped off the box and the check. Neither moved once he’d left. Several moments passed.
“I’m scared, Leah,” Tilly whispered. And in that moment, Leah realized she completely understood because holy cow, she was scared, too.
“I know. I get it. I think it’s good that we are?”
“Yeah?”
“I mean, if we’re afraid of losing these girls, afraid of screwing things up, we’ll step more carefully. Right?”
Tilly tipped her head from one side to the other. “Seems logical. Are you…” She hesitated but found her thought and continued, “Are you afraid of giving yourself? Of opening up all the way to somebody else?”
Leah didn’t want to answer truthfully, didn’t want to tell Tilly that hell, no, she’d been waiting for that for what seemed like her entire life, and she was more than ready. She knew Tilly was a tough nut to crack, that she rarely opened herself up to anybody, friends or lovers. Hell, it had taken her and JoJo longer than she cared to remember to get through Tilly’s thick, sarcastic outer shell. Tilly’s fear made complete sense to Leah. So in order to not embarrass her, Leah fibbed just a little. “I am a bit, yeah.”
“God, it terrifies me.” Then she wet her lips, and one corner of her mouth turned up just the tiniest bit. “But I also really, really want to.”
“I haven’t seen you look like this in…ever. I can’t wait to get to know this girl of yours. You need to start bringing her around, you know. Your friends deserve to know her, and she deserves to know your friends.”
Shockingly, Tilly nodded in agreement. “I think so, too. And the same with you. We want to get to know your wedding planner. Who knows? Maybe one day she’ll be planning your wedding.”
“I mean, it’s a little early for that,” Leah said, feeling both excitement and fear at the idea. Because yeah, of course, she’d absolutely thought about what a wedding with Teddi might be like. Way too soon to think about that. So early! But it hung out there in the back of her mind anyway.
“Yeah, but who knows?”
“Who knows?” Leah’s smile had a mind of its own and plastered itself across her face. Widely. God, Teddi made her happy.
“We should double-date.”
A gasp of delight. “We totally should.”
“We’ll have to invite JoJo and Rick, though. So…triple date?”
“That actually sounds kind of awesome.” Yet another unlikely statement from Tilly.
Leah began to wonder just how much of a magician this Jen must be to have captivated Tilly so completely. But then her mind tossed her a collage of images of Teddi from the night before and that morning. Teddi cuddling with her on the couch while they watched a movie. Teddi holding her in the dark, her fingertips brushing Leah’s shoulder lightly. Teddi offering her yoga pants and delivering her coffee, fixed exactly the way Leah liked it without Teddi having asked. Teddi naked, pressed against the bathroom wall with Leah’s fingers buried deep inside her.
“Hello? Earth to Leah.”
Rapid blinks and a clear of her throat and Leah was back at the table.
“You were having flashbacks, huh?”
“I totally was.” Leah laughed. “I feel like I’m sixteen.”
“Can we make a pact?” Tilly’s eyes grew serious.
“What kind of a pact?”
“One that says we look out for each other and don’t let the other do something stupid? Not to fuck up what we have and not to allow ourselves to be fucked. Deal?” Tilly held a hand across the table.
“No fucking up allowed. Either way. Deal.”
They shook. Tilly moved her napkin from her lap to the table as she said, “Valentine’s Day is Friday.”
Leah was well aware. “It is. Gonna take Jen out?”
“Definitely. I’ve got reservations at Rinaldo’s.” One of the swankiest restaurants in the city.
“Oh, nice. I hear the food there is spectacular. I want to hear all about it. Everything you did, but more importantly, everything you ate.”
“Will do,” Tilly said on a chuckle as they stood in tandem and gathered their things. “What about you two?”
“Well, sadly, Valentine’s Day is a big wedding day, so Teddi has to work two weddings. She’ll be wiped. Which doesn’t mean I’ll let the day go by without acknowledging it. I have plans. They were plans in theory until…”
“Until you had the sex.”
“Yes.” Leah snort-laughed.
“And now they are actual, honest-to-God plans that will happen. And I want to hear all about them.” Tilly held the door as they left the restaurant. About to part and go to their separate cars, they stopped. “We’re doing just fine. Right?”
“Yeah, w
e are.”
Tilly looked off toward the street, cars whooshing by through the slush made from earlier snow that had morphed in the sunshine. “And it’s okay if we’re a little freaked out. Right?”
“Absolutely okay.” Leah gave a determined nod and found that reassuring Tilly helped her to feel more solid in her own situation. “It’s absolutely okay. It’s probably healthy, actually. We’re good.”
And then Tilly grabbed her in a hug. Super unusual move for Tilly—she was not a terribly physical person. She wasn’t a hugger. Said it made her feel awkward. Shoving aside her shock, Leah wrapped her arms around her friend and squeezed. It was like they were a team now, in this together.
“We got this,” Leah said. “And we deserve it.”
“We do, right?” Tilly smiled at her, then gave her a playful push on her shoulder, which was a much more typical display of Tilly expressing her love for a friend. With that, they went their separate ways.
Leah walked to her car and, for the first time, really understood what it meant to have a spring in your step. How was it possible that things had changed so much after one simple night? Okay, one simple, sexy, super hot night, but one night just the same. How?
A man passed her in the parking lot. Leah smiled at him. Said hello. Told him to have a wonderful day. He furrowed his brow at her, grunted a response, kept walking. She didn’t care. She was happy, and nothing was going to take that from her.
Nothing.
Chapter Nineteen
Valentine’s Day was a holiday for lovers. People in love. People celebrating love. It was also a day of insanity for wedding planners everywhere. Couples loved to get married on Valentine’s Day, and it didn’t matter if it was a Saturday or a Tuesday. They wanted to get married on that exact day.
Teddi had long ago given up on trying to talk couples out of it. She could caution them about the budget, explain that venues and vendors alike would jack costs up on Valentine’s Day simply because they could, that prices would be much more affordable on February 13 or February 15, but it rarely worked. A Valentine’s Day wedding was a fairy tale come true to them. What she couldn’t point out was that if they had their wedding on Valentine’s Day and things didn’t work out down the line, that day would be forever tainted for them because of it. All that being said, it was, of course, a big day of business for her, so she had learned several years ago to shut her mouth and do her job, and it had served her well as far as the books were concerned.
She could also admit that the decorations for a Valentine’s Day wedding were some of the most beautiful, coming in second only to Christmas weddings. All the red and silver and hearts. Teddi did her best to keep things tasteful and elegant, even as she met the requirements of her brides-to-be, even as she made sure they got what they envisioned. She had a good eye and she knew it. Talking her clients into toning down what they had in mind was a skill she had honed well, and she’d had more than one bride get her photos back and thank her profusely for making her wedding look so gorgeous. She had a folder full of emails, a drawer full of thank-you cards, and nearly a thousand positive Yelp reviews to prove it.
All that being said, Valentine’s Day was freaking exhausting. She’d had a wedding at two and then she’d switched off with Preston so she could head up another at six. And she had a wedding the next day, because some people didn’t mind getting married near Valentine’s Day. It was now approaching eleven p.m., and the last few guests were gathering their belongings. One of the groomsmen was putting the gifts into his car, and the caterer was just about packed up. Thank God. Teddi was practically dead on her feet.
Not quite an hour later, she pulled into her parking space, got her purse and messenger bag out, and headed toward her front door, digging for her keys as she walked.
She heard a car door slam to her right, and when she looked up, she stopped in her tracks.
Leah stood there in the parking lot next to her car, a bouquet of red roses in her hand. If ever there was a sight for sore eyes, it was Leah in that moment, and Teddi took her in. Jeans, low boots, ski jacket over a navy blue sweater.
“Oh my God, hi,” Teddi said, and if she’d wanted to stop herself, she wouldn’t have been able to. She detoured right into Leah’s open arms.
“Hi,” Leah said quietly against Teddi’s hair. “Happy Valentine’s Day. You made it with seven minutes to spare.”
“Then let’s not waste them.” Teddi kissed her, and honest to God, nothing felt more perfect. Her lips were soft and warm and she tasted like peppermint and Teddi couldn’t get enough. It was only when they parted, slightly breathless, that Teddi noticed the bags in the back seat of Leah’s car. “What have you got?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure if you’d be hungry when you got back, but I have stuff for a light midnight snack if you are. If not, I also brought the makings for French toast in the morning.” Leah rolled her lips in then, as if just realizing the assumption she was making about staying the night.
“What if I want French toast for my light midnight snack?”
It was like somebody turned on a light switch inside Leah, the way her face lit up. “You can have anything you want.”
“What if I want more than French toast?”
“Negotiations are allowed and encouraged.” Leah kissed her quickly on the mouth, then reached into her car and grabbed the bags.
“Excellent. Follow me.”
Half an hour later, the roses were in a big glass vase and French toast was sizzling in the frying pan. Teddi had a glass of Pinot Noir and was sitting on the counter, not helping at all—Leah’s orders—and swinging her feet gently as she watched the chef at work.
“You’re really sexy when you cook.”
“Yeah? Well, don’t get used to it. This is one of four things I know how to make.” Leah flipped two slices of egg-coated bread and smiled up at Teddi.
“What are the other three?” Teddi sipped. The warmth of the wine felt better than she could even describe. She was exhausted, but Leah’s presence kept her alert. It especially kept her body alert.
“Let’s see.” Leah held up the spatula to punctuate each item. “Omelets. Frittatas. Popcorn.”
A snort. “Popcorn isn’t a meal.”
“I didn’t say I can make four meals. I said I can make four things.”
“So breakfast and a movie snack. That’s your entire repertoire.”
“Hey, it’s kept me alive so far.”
“Wait. You forgot chili.”
“Oh my God, that’s right. Five things. My stock just went up.” Leah said it so proudly, with such a goofy grin on her face, that Teddi couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’m really glad you’re here.” The words were out before she knew she was going to say them, and Leah met her gaze, her green eyes softening around the edges.
“Me, too.” Leah plated the slices and handed them to Teddi, then dunked two more and dropped them into the hot pan. “I wasn’t sure if I should. I didn’t know your exact schedule and didn’t know if you’d even be up for company by the time you got back. But I’ve been so stupidly busy this week and…” She hesitated before she looked at Teddi and finished. “I missed you. Like, a lot. And it’s Valentine’s Day.”
“Well, it was,” Teddi teased, pointing to the clock that read 12:27 a.m. “But you squeezed it in, and that’s impressive.”
Teddi hadn’t had anyone in her space since she’d moved in, not like this. She’d dated once or twice, but nobody had harnessed her attention. Not like Leah had. And nobody had been here. “Can I tell you something?” The butterflies in her stomach turned to something solid enough to bang against her insides. Wasps? Hornets?
Leah plated her own French toast. “Always.” They sat at the small table to eat, Leah’s eyes on Teddi, waiting patiently.
“I said that I like having you here.”
“You did. I’m glad. I like being here.”
“Well, there’s a little more to it.” Teddi exhaled through her nose, an
d she tried to find words to match her feelings. “One of Julia’s complaints about me was that I was never vulnerable with her.” Yeah, this was embarrassing, but she couldn’t turn back now. “She said if a conversation contained any kind of emotion, I would avoid it. She wasn’t wrong.”
“Okay.” Leah watched her, chewed and listened, didn’t interrupt. The kindness in her eyes made Teddi feel safe. Safe enough to continue, which Teddi wasn’t ready to analyze just yet.
“Don’t get me wrong, it took some therapy before I realized that she was right, but I got there. So”—she cleared her throat as she stabbed a piece of French toast—“I haven’t had anybody here, in my space, since I moved in two years ago.”
Leah’s eyebrows went up, but she said nothing.
“But I like having you in it. I like it a lot. More than I expected.” There. That was vulnerable, wasn’t it? Admitting something like that? There was more to it. More, like she didn’t normally like any people in her space, but Leah had somehow become an exception. More, like she had astonished herself by not being the least bit annoyed to see Leah waiting in her parking lot. Rather, she’d felt like her entire being had lightened somehow at the sight of her. More, like having Leah here, eating French toast with her in the wee hours, felt absolutely right.
It terrified her.
And she was okay with that.
“Well,” Leah said finally, apparently waiting to see if Teddi was finished talking, “I can honestly say that I really like being here. With you.”
Something hung in the air between them. Teddi could feel it, like a vapor or a mist hovering above the table, but not in an ominous way. In an odd, life-is-good kind of way that Teddi hadn’t felt in years. Years.
“I think we should go to bed,” Teddi whispered, and she watched as Leah’s eyes darkened. She stood up and collected the dishes. “Leave them.” Teddi held out a hand. Leah took it and they turned off the lights as they went.
Teddi’d had every intention of taking the lead, but Leah wasn’t having it, and Teddi was on her back on the bed before she’d even realized it.
Things were different this time. Slower. Still intense. Still with the crazy chemistry they had. But different. Teddi felt it in her head and, more alarmingly, in her heart. Leah took her time. Kissing. Touching. Tasting. Teddi felt like her body was a musical instrument and Leah was playing her, expertly, her fingers and her mouth taking Teddi to symphonic heights she didn’t even know existed. When Leah finally allowed release, finally nudged her over that edge and into oblivion, Teddi’s world exploded in colors and sensations and emotions so big, so intense, they brought tears to her eyes even as her muscles strained in climax. Her hips dropped back to the bed as a small sob left her throat. Leah was instantly up and facing her, their bodies pressed together.
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