Felicity backed out of the driveway, then pulled onto the street. “The oil light says 40%, so I don’t get why the oil is so low.”
Leo reached across and pushed the button to read the mileage. “You’re over 200,000 miles, so you need to add oil between oil changes.”
She shook her head. “I feel like an idiot.”
Leo chuckled. “Now you won’t have to freeze anymore.”
Felicity flashed him a smile. “I thought you liked picking me up.”
“I do.”
“Guess what? I saw a picture of my mom today for the first time.”
Leo stared at her, gauging her reaction. “Really? What does she look like?”
She shrugged. “A little like me, I guess. I’ll show you back at the house.”
Once they pulled into the garage, Felicity turned off the car and took her cell out of her pocket. She showed Leo a series of pictures of a teenage girl. There was definitely a resemblance between Felicity and the girl in the pictures.
“I’ll bet it’s surreal to see her,” he said in a quiet voice, scrolling through the pictures more than once.
From the back seat General whined.
“He wants to see them too,” Leo said.
“No, I think he likes riding in the car,” Felicity said.
“You’re probably right.” Leo handed the phone back to her. “Are you doing okay?”
“Better than I thought I’d be,” she said. “Having you, and Livvy, to talk to has helped a lot.” She turned her gaze on him, and he wanted to reach for her hand, but he didn’t.
“Thanks, Leo, for everything,” she said. “I mean, you’re here again tonight, fixing my car. Don’t you have a life?”
He chuckled. “I do have a life. Right here. If you’ll let me.”
Felicity leaned her head against the headrest, still looking at him. “I don’t have any answers. I’m still messed up, so I’m afraid I have to plead the fifth, Officer Russo.”
“That’s okay, for now,” he said. “Just remember one thing about relationships. It’s between two people, not anyone else. Not my family, not yours, but between us.” He slid his hand over hers, and she turned her palm up so that their fingers interlocked. “This isn’t so bad, is it?”
She tightened her fingers around his. “No.”
Her voice was a whisper, and he could swear his heartbeat was audible in the small space of the car. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, but he didn’t want to scare her away. He could see the indecision in her eyes, so he gently pulled away his hand, then leaned close to kiss her cheek. He heard her intake of air, but she didn’t move.
“I’ll call you tomorrow, Felicity,” he said. “Take care.”
She nodded, and he wanted to stay longer, but he knew he should go . . . to give her space.
“See you, General.” He stepped out of her car and strolled to his own.
On the drive home, he called his sister Maria to see how things with his dad had gone that day.
“Dad’s speaking a little more,” Maria said. “But he has a long way to go.”
Leo exhaled. “Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of.” When he hung up with his sister, he wished that he could reverse his dad’s stroke. He wished his mom could have her husband back. And he wished Felicity could see her worth.
When Leo got back to his apartment, he did another run on the treadmill, because he knew it was the only way he’d sleep. He took a quick shower, then tumbled into bed. Still, he gazed up at the ceiling, staring at a patch of moonlight. Thoughts of Felicity persisted, and he realized that he hated leaving her. He wanted to be by her side as much as possible, helping her, taking care of her, and talking to her.
Truthfully, he missed her.
He turned over and closed his eyes.
He had finally drifted off when his phone buzzed with a text. He grabbed his phone and squinted to read what had come through.
It was from Felicity. Are you at the fire?
He moved to a sitting position and called her.
“Leo?” she said when she answered, panic in her voice. “Where are you?”
“I’m home,” he said. “I’m not on duty. Where’s the fire?”
“The next street over,” she said, her tone still breathless. “Livvy and I went over there when we heard the sirens. Someone in the crowd said a cop was trapped inside the house.”
“Where are you now?”
“I came home to get my phone to call you,” she said. “The smoke is horrible outside, and I can see the flames from here.”
Leo’s mind spun with questions as he wondered whose house it was. And why would a cop go into a burning house, especially if the fire department was there? “I’m coming over.”
He was out of bed and dressed in minutes. On the drive over, he called the dispatcher at the station to get more information. What he heard was a relief. The house was a rental, believed to be currently vacant. No reports of people or pets trapped inside, so that was good.
He drove to the scene of the fire and parked as close as he dared. The fire seemed well under control, although there was quite the crowd of neighbors watching from across the street. The house looked a total loss, yet it appeared that no other houses had been affected.
He crossed to one of the parked police vehicles, which belonged to Chief Waring. “Everyone okay?” Leo asked.
The chief turned, clearly surprised to see Leo. “No one was inside. We think there was faulty wiring. Thankfully, a neighbor called it in before the fire could spread to other structures.”
Leo nodded. “Good news.”
One of the firefighters approached the chief to talk to him about cordoning off the site to prevent curious neighbors from walking on the property in the morning.
Leo headed toward his car. He drove over to Felicity’s. No lights were on inside her house, but he could see her sitting on the front porch, General next to her. Leo’s heart leapt at the sight of the two of them, and he thought of how she’d called him to make sure he was okay.
He pulled into the driveway, then parked, and climbed out.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked up to the porch. Felicity stood, and in the moonlight, he saw the question in her eyes.
“I talked to the chief,” he said. “The house was vacant, and there doesn’t seem to be damage to any other houses.”
Felicity nodded, then stepped off the porch and, in a surprising move, wrapped her arms about his neck. Her skin was cool from the night air, and he could feel her worry as if it was a tangible thing.
He rested his hands on her hips, and when she pressed her face against his neck, he moved his arms around her back and pulled her closer. He wasn’t going to turn down a hug from her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I am now.” She continued to cling to him, and he closed his eyes, breathing in her vanilla scent. She shivered.
“You’re cold.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “I’m glad you’re okay. When I saw the cop cars at the burning house, and then I heard—” She cut herself off.
“Cops don’t usually run into burning buildings,” he said. “Now if I were a firefighter . . .” She didn’t laugh. “Too soon?”
Her arms tightened about his neck. “Way too soon,” she whispered, her breath tickling his neck.
He rubbed slow circles over her back. “Let’s get you inside and get you warm. Maybe I can make you hot chocolate?”
She drew away from him, keeping her arms looped around his neck. “That sounds good, but I’m making it for you, since I woke you up in the middle of the night.”
He smiled, and he wanted to pull her close again. To kiss her. Did she know that staying in his arms made him want to be more than friends with her? “I didn’t mind,” he said.
Her mouth twitched, and then she shivered again. “Come on, then.” She stepped away from him, but she grasped his hand. It seemed she wasn’t going to let him go, after all. He walked
with her into the house, General joining them.
Once inside, Felicity locked the door, then keeping ahold of his hand, she led him to the kitchen.
He decided to not question her; besides, he quite enjoyed the hand holding.
“Sit down,” she said, practically forcing him into a chair.
“All right,” he said with a chuckle. “You make the hot chocolate.”
She smirked and turned away.
General settled into his dog bed, apparently deciding the excitement of the night was now over. Leo found it quite pleasant sitting in Felicity’s warm kitchen while she bustled about. When she set a cup of hot chocolate in front of him, he took a sip of it. “It’s good.”
She gave him a faint smile, then sipped her own as her gaze kept returning to him. “Do you think it’s okay for a woman to change her mind?”
“Is that a trick question?” he teased.
But she didn’t smile. “I was really freaked out tonight. When I heard there might be a cop inside, and I didn’t see you anywhere, and I wasn’t sure if cops get called to fires even if they’re off shift—”
“Shh. I’m fine.” Leo grabbed the edge of her chair, dragging it closer.
Her cheeks flushed, and hope flared inside of him. He rested his hand on her shoulder, brushing his thumb over her collarbone. He wanted to press his mouth against her fluttering pulse. “Tell me what you changed your mind about,” he said.
Her green eyes drew him in. “You, Leo,” she said. “I want you to forget what I said earlier about only being friends. I want us to be more.”
The words pierced his heart, and he moved his hand behind her neck, his fingers tangling into her hair.
“And I don’t want to compare my upbringing to yours, or your family to mine,” she said, resting her hand on his chest.
It felt like her hand had imprinted fire.
Her gaze was steady when she said, “I want to find us.”
“Finding us. I like it.”
“You do?” Felicity’s smile was slow, hopeful. She inched closer and brushed her mouth against his. Feather light.
Leo didn’t mind at all, but he wanted her closer.
“Come here.” He grasped her waist with his free hand and tugged her onto his lap. She settled on his lap and laced her fingers behind his neck.
Much better. He cradled her face with both his hands, and when her eyes drifted shut, he kissed her. She was warm and sweet and tasted of chocolate. The questions between them had disappeared, and Felicity seemed to melt into him as she kissed him back. Her hands moved over his shoulders, then down his chest.
She drew away slightly to look at him. “I assume you agree.”
“I definitely agree.”
“Even though I called you in the middle of the night?” she teased.
He grinned. “It was the best thing you’ve ever done.”
Felicity watched Leo climb out of his car and walk up her driveway. She probably shouldn’t be spying on him, but he was kind of fun to watch when he wasn’t aware. He wore a dark-green shirt under a black jacket, and his jeans fit him perfectly. He was also carrying some . . . roses.
They’d been officially dating for three weeks now, if she started counting after the night of the fire.
Three weeks, as in twenty-one days, and now Felicity could barely remember her existence before Leo had become front and center of her life.
She waited until he knocked on the door; the sound sent a thrill through her heart. General was already heading toward the door, and he gave a couple of happy barks on his way.
Felicity joined the dog and unlocked the door. The first thing she saw was Leo’s grin; then he held up the roses. Red roses to be exact.
“Wow, what’s the occasion?” she asked.
He stepped over the threshold and leaned down to kiss her. A way too-brief kiss. “You are the occasion.”
“Mmm.” She leaned in for another kiss, and he obliged. “I thought you were trying to butter me up before going to your family dinner tonight.”
“Maybe that too,” Leo said with a laugh.
General nudged against his leg, and he bent to scratch the dog’s head.
“I’m okay with Angelo being there,” Felicity said, taking the bouquet of roses. They smelled heavenly. She walked into the kitchen and found a vase in one of her cupboards. “I mean, I’ll have to meet Angelo sometime.”
“He won’t be there tonight.” Leo leaned against the kitchen counter, watching her fill the vase with water. “He said he had other plans.”
She set the roses in the vase of water. “Because I’m coming?” She looked over at him.
“I don’t know,” Leo said. “But he did say he’s moving out soon—found an apartment—now that he’s making money, he can be more independent.”
Felicity turned toward Leo. “Will your mom be okay alone with your dad?”
“She’s a tough lady,” Leo said, holding her gaze. “Reminds me of another tough lady I know.” He reached for her hand and tugged her close, then ran his hand up her back.
Felicity laughed. “You’re really turning on the charm today.”
“I hope it’s working,” Leo said.
She breathed in his spicy scent. He’d shaved, and there was a nick on the edge of his jaw. She raised up on her toes and lightly kissed his jaw. “Because . . . ?” she whispered.
Leo kept her close. “Because my entire family in the same house can be really overwhelming. And they all know how long we’ve been dating, so there will be a lot of questions. Some of them personal.”
She looped her arms about his neck. “Like what kind of deodorant I use?”
Leo chuckled. “That would actually be a relief.” He lowered his head and brushed a kiss against her neck. When he lifted his head again, he said, “They’ll ask questions such as what you think about me. About how serious we are.”
“Hmm. How serious are we?”
His smile spread. “You tell me.”
The brown of his eyes reminded her of melted chocolate, and the feel of his arms around her was like being nestled in the softest blanket. “Are you my boyfriend, Officer Russo?”
His eyes gleamed. “I’d better be, Ms. Miner.”
Those lips of his were just waiting to be kissed. So she kissed him. When she drew away, she said, “I’m not afraid of a few questions, and I’d be happy to tell your siblings what I think of you.”
Leo’s brows shot up. “Should I be worried?”
She only laughed. Felicity had been to his parents’ house twice in the past three weeks. His dad hadn’t spoken much, of course. But his mom was friendly, giving her hugs, and acting happy to see her. Mrs. Russo was a warm and affectionate woman. Completely opposite of Felicity’s mom-slash-grandmother. But Felicity hadn’t seen any of Leo’s siblings since that brief meeting at the hospital.
She liked that she and Leo had agreed on making their relationship about the two of them, and not about other people’s expectations or traditions.
“I do want to make one thing clear before we’re bombarded by my family,” Leo said in a low tone.
“What’s that?” Felicity said.
He leaned his forehead against hers, and his hands slipped lower on her waist. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Felicity Rose Miner.”
The words were like the softest breeze on a warm autumn day, floating around her, and lifting her up. “That’s funny,” she whispered.
“Why’s that funny?” His tone sounded amused.
“Because . . . Every day with you is a new record for me.” She moved her hands over his shoulders, then down his arms. “And I never want them to end, which tells me one thing.” She paused, her heart thumping. “I’m in love with you, too.”
Leo didn’t move for a moment. Then he kissed her, lifting her up and holding her against him.
She clung to him, marveling that she had this man in her life, that he loved her, and that she loved him. Truly and completely.
He s
et her down, and Felicity sighed.
“What?” he said, threading his fingers through her hair.
“Can we stay here tonight?” she said. “I kind of want you to myself.”
The edges of his mouth lifted. “If you want to be the one to call my mom and tell her.”
“Never mind,” Felicity said. “Your mom’s too nice to disappoint. And I don’t want to be the reason she doesn’t get to see her little boy.”
Leo drew away and linked their fingers. “I want to stay here, too, but that probably means we should go.”
He was right.
She said goodbye to General, then smelled the roses in the vase one more time. Leo helped her into her jacket, then he opened the front door.
Once settled in his car, and with the heater blasting, he reached for her hand. Their fingers linked so naturally that it felt like Felicity had been with him much longer than a few weeks.
As they drove through the streets of Pine Valley toward his parents’ house, Felicity thought of her own parents. They’d had a few more conversations on the phone, and Felicity had reconciled herself to believing they’d done the best they could. They’d done their duty. Had her birth mom lived, who knew what might have happened in Felicity’s life?
“We’re here,” Leo said, breaking into her thoughts.
Felicity looked out the window to see the house lit up, the windows glowing yellow, and Halloween decorations on the porch.
Leo squeezed her hand. “Are you okay?”
She looked over at him. “I’m great.”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Good.” Leo released her hand, then climbed out to walk around the car and open her door.
She put her hand in his, and he pulled her to her feet. They were standing toe to toe, which made not kissing him impossible. So she stole the smallest of kisses. “Thank you, Leo.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For including me in your family,” she said. “And for loving me.”
He grinned and drew her close. She nestled against him, reveling in the moment.
“Come inside and get warm,” a woman said from the front porch.
Finding Us (Pine Valley Book 5) Page 17