Leah and Tilly looked at each other, and their pouts made Teddi chuckle. “I like that idea,” she said. “How about I choose the horror movie and Jen chooses the rom-com?”
“I think that sounds fabulous. Let’s do it.” Jen reached a closed fist across the table. Teddi bumped it.
“I think our girlfriends just hijacked our next date,” Tilly said, brow furrowed comically. “How did we let that happen?”
“I don’t know,” Leah said. “But they sure are pretty, aren’t they?” She looked at Teddi with exaggeratedly dreamy eyes and Tilly did the same to Jen, which made the entire table erupt in laughter.
Teddi watched Leah as the foursome settled the bill and gathered their things. She very much liked this version of her, how comfortable she was around Tilly, how relaxed, how open and welcoming to Jen. Teddi had been nervous, it was true, but she knew now that she’d had no reason to be. This had easily been one of the most fun gatherings she’d ever been a part of.
She’d arrived worried and nervous, and she was going to leave with two new friends. You couldn’t really beat that.
Chapter Twenty-one
“I had such a good time tonight,” Teddi said as Leah took her coat and hung it in the hall closet.
“Yeah? Good. I told you you’d like Tilly.” The nerves Leah’d had earlier were now gone. Deep down, she’d known Teddi and Tilly would get along well—and she chuckled now at the similarity of the names of her best friend and her girlfriend—but she’d still had some worry around it. Because what if they didn’t get along? What if they’d hated each other for some weird reason? What would she do if her girlfriend and her best friend couldn’t stand each other?
“I do,” Teddi agreed, “very much. And Jen is just a sweetheart.” Teddi tugged Leah to the living room and down onto the couch. “Did you like her?”
“I did. Very much. I’ve met her once before, but only briefly.” She pointed at Teddi. “At the New Year’s Eve party, remember?”
Teddi squinted up at the ceiling, and Leah was hit with such a surge of warmth and affection, it stole her breath for a moment. “I remember the party, but not Jen. I do remember that I met Tilly then, but very briefly. Tonight, I got a better synopsis of her.”
“A synopsis?” Leah shifted so she was leaning against Teddi. Lizzie appeared from some secret hiding place and hopped up onto the couch next to her, stretching out along Leah’s thigh.
“Yeah, don’t you do that? You get, like, an overview of somebody when you spend time with them for the first time. You know? A synopsis.”
“Why don’t you just say overview?”
“Because I like the word synopsis.”
Their gazes held, smiles wide. Good God, this woman. Another surge of affection. “And what’s her synopsis?”
Teddi toed off her booties and snuggled down into the couch cushions, wrapping her arms around Leah. “Tilly is intimidating at first, which I imagine suits her well, but once you get to know her, you realize that she’s kind and generous—I caught you two fighting over the bill with your eyes.” Leah barked a laugh and Teddi went on, “She’s got a wicked sense of humor, a dark wit, and she’s head over heels in love with Jen.”
“Wow, that’s alarmingly accurate.” And it was. Teddi had seen all the best qualities in Tilly, had harvested them all from one single dinner. Leah was impressed, she had to admit. “You think they’re in love?”
“I do,” Teddi said without missing a beat. “The way they look at each other. It’s super cute.”
Leah had to agree. Tilly was different, somehow, since dating Jen. Softer. More patient. “I’ve never seen Tilly quite so comfortable with somebody. It’s nice.”
“But?” Teddi said it softly, her dark eyes searching Leah’s face. “I can see it on your face. There’s a but.”
“It’s scary how well you know me already.” Teddi kissed the top of Leah’s head as Leah continued, “You’re right. Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled for Tilly. Thrilled. She deserves to be happy.”
“But?”
“I’m worried. Somewhere, down deep inside, I have this sliver of fear for her because Tilly may be intimidating and a badass, but she’s super tender-hearted, and if things with Jen don’t work, if Jen breaks that tender heart, she will crash. Hard. I just don’t want to see that happen.”
Teddi’s arms tightened around her, and weirdly, it was exactly what Leah needed to feel. “You’re a terrific friend, you know that?”
A shrug. “I mean, I try to be.”
“Well, Tilly is lucky to have you.”
Leah craned her neck so she could look up at Teddi, meet that dark gaze. “Thank you,” she said softly. Teddi leaned down and kissed her with tenderness. “So,” Leah said when they parted, “what’s my synopsis?”
“I was waiting for that,” Teddi said, her shoulders shaking as she laughed. A deep breath, seemingly to center herself or something, and she began, “Your synopsis is this: You’re unfailingly kind. You put others before yourself and you always have. You are fiercely protective of those you love, and you’re also willing to protect those you don’t know but who need protecting. Thus, your job. You project a confidence that you often don’t feel, but nobody knows that. You don’t let it show because you’re the caretaker, and people can’t have a self-conscious caretaker. Also, you have zero idea how attractive and sexy you are. It’s part of your charm.”
With every word, Leah felt herself melting a little bit more in the arms of this gorgeous creature. “Wow,” she whispered, then swallowed the lump of emotion that had formed in her throat. “I don’t know what to say. I’m kind of speechless.”
Teddi lifted one shoulder. “You don’t have to say anything. How about kissing me instead?”
“That I can do.” Leah shifted her position, much to the dismay of Lizzie, who meowed her irritation and hopped up onto the back of the couch, so that she was higher than Teddi. Leah looked deep into Teddi’s eyes before swinging one leg over so she was straddling her lap.
“Oh, this is nice.”
“You like it? There’s more to come.” Leah moved slowly, brought her lips to Teddi’s but didn’t kiss her, just stayed there, no more than a millimeter or two between them, hovered for a moment and listened to Teddi’s breathing increase, heard her swallow, before finally pressing her mouth to Teddi’s.
There was nothing else in life that Leah enjoyed more than kissing Teddi. That was not to say that sex with her wasn’t mind-blowingly amazing, because it was. But kissing her? The intimacy and the trust and the softness and the heat? How it could be gentle and sweet or passionately primal on any given day, even shift from one to the other in a matter of seconds? The way she and Teddi just seemed to fit? Yeah, making out with Teddi was definitely at the top of Leah’s list of life’s greatest pleasures. She could do it forever.
“How do you feel about taking this to the bedroom?” Teddi hissed at the last word as Leah sucked on a spot on Teddi’s neck she’d learned to be particularly sensitive. That sound Teddi made did things to Leah, kicked her level of arousal up a notch or twelve.
Leah said nothing. Simply stood, hand out, and led Teddi toward the bedroom. Teddi’s words about her, her synopsis, still hung out in Leah’s head, and she wanted to show Teddi that she felt the same way about her.
Slowly. Tenderly. That’s how Leah made love to Teddi that night. Taking her time was not easy—how could she be expected to go slow with a figure of such sensual nakedness beneath her? But she did her best to worship her the way she deserved to be worshipped. Fingertips on smooth skin. Kisses all over Teddi’s body. Leah trailed down Teddi’s body with her tongue. From her chin along her throat over her chest and between her breasts. Over her stomach, a circling of her belly button, then off to the side, tasting the insides of her thighs and avoiding the center of the heat, the center of it all. Leah lingered there, running her tongue over all that beautiful skin, smooth and silky, inching closer and closer to the apex until Teddi finally begged
her with a whimpered “Please,” and Leah plunged in.
Teddi’s moan was guttural, came from deep in her throat, raw and gravelly, and it sent Leah’s own arousal through the roof. Still, she forced herself to take her time, not to drive Teddi right to the edge yet, and she swirled her tongue. Explored each fold of hot, wet skin. Dipped inside her, then back out, then in again, until Teddi had a pillow clenched in one hand and a fistful of Leah’s hair in the other, her hips moving seemingly out of her control.
“Please.” The word came again, this time a little louder, at a lower register than Teddi’s regular voice. “Please, Leah. I can’t take it. Please.”
Something filled Leah then. Something warm. Comfortable. New. She stopped moving and waited until Teddi craned her neck and looked down her body to lock eyes with Leah.
It held.
“I love you.” Leah said it softly, quietly, but Teddi heard it. She could tell by the light behind her eyes, by the slight rising of her eyebrows, even in the darkness of the bedroom. Leah didn’t wait for a response. She didn’t say it because she wanted to hear it back. She said it because she simply couldn’t not say it.
Without warning, Leah pushed her fingers inside Teddi and continued with her mouth, adding extra pressure, taking Teddi higher and higher and watching her take flight. Teddi’s hips rose off the bed as she came, Leah holding on to them so as not to lose the perfect spot, sounds wrenched from Teddi that were beautiful and erotic and sexy as hell, and Leah held on.
She held on. And she knew in that moment that she wanted to always hold on to this woman.
Tears filled her eyes and she smiled against Teddi’s center as her hips returned to the bed.
* * *
The clock read 1:14 when the need for sleep took over the situation. Leah’s head was tucked under Teddi’s chin, Teddi’s arm around her, fingertips dancing lightly over her shoulder. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d come three times in one night, but she had, and she was sore and exhausted and stupidly happy to prove it. She was just starting to drift off when Teddi’s voice brought her back.
“Leah?”
“Hmm?”
“I love you, too. You know that, right?”
Leah felt her own face light up. “I do now.”
“Good.” They were quiet again and Leah started to drift until, “Leah?”
“Hmm?”
“I have to pee.”
The sound Leah made was a mix of chuckle and groan, and she rolled aside to let Teddi out of bed. Then she pulled the covers up around her and slid over to Teddi’s side so she could smell her.
“The spider’s gone,” Teddi said as she slid back under the covers and they resumed cuddling positions.
“Angelica.”
“Excuse me. The spider you creepily named Angelica is gone. Did you kill her?”
“What? Of course not. She’s just moved on to somewhere else.”
“You mean somewhere else in this house.” A shiver ran through Teddi’s body.
“Mm-hmm.” Leah’s eyes were closed and she snuggled in closer.
“If she crawls on me while I’m sleeping, I swear to God—”
“If she crawls on you while you’re sleeping, you won’t know. Because you’ll be sleeping. See?”
Teddi squeezed her hard, causing Leah to groan on a laugh. A kiss was pressed to her forehead. “Good night, weirdo.”
“Good night, scaredy-cat.”
This. This was exactly what Leah had been waiting for. To have a silly argument with somebody who would then laugh it off and cuddle with her anyway. This was what she’d wanted to be for so long, and now? Now she was. Leah let sleep claim her as that thought stayed in her mind as she drifted off.
She was the other half of a couple.
Chapter Twenty-two
May was a crazy busy work month for Teddi. Not only did a lot of people choose to get married in May because of the beauty of spring—assuming the weather was on their side—but it was also the month before June. Her biggest month of the year. So May had its own slate of weddings, plus Teddi had tons of prep work for next month’s nuptials.
For the most part, she loved the pace. She lived for last-minute organization and the enormous sense of pride and accomplishment that came when a wedding went off without a hitch. But it was a lot, and that meant she didn’t get to see Leah as often as she’d like.
That was going to change today, though, because she had a meeting set up with Kelly. Her wedding was at the four-months-away mark, so there were some things they needed to discuss, some solid dates they needed to set for finalizations, things like that. In addition to Kelly’s mom tagging along, Leah was going to be there. Teddi’s heart warmed just at the thought of it. Between the crazy demands of both their jobs, she hadn’t seen Leah in nearly a week, and that was far too long as far as Teddi was concerned. Teddi would normally have Preston handle this kind of meeting during this time of the year. But she wanted to see Leah. Badly.
The day flew by, as it always did when Teddi was booked solid.
“The Shaw wedding is all set and ready to go,” Preston told her, referring to one of two weddings they had this weekend. “I finalized both the caterer and the DJ for Bennington, and Harlow was able to squeeze them into her schedule, so we’re good there as well.”
“You, my friend, are a godsend,” Teddi said as she kissed him on the cheek on her way past him. The Bennington wedding had been a disaster from day one with a bride-to-be who couldn’t make a decision to save her life and a mother-of-the-bride and three bridesmaids who could make decisions, just none of them were the same. “I need to call Harlow and thank her.” She headed back into her office.
“Are you surviving May so far?” Harlow asked a few minutes later when Teddi had her on the phone.
“Barely.”
“You love it.” Harlow knew her so well, and it made Teddi smile.
“I do. It’s true.”
They chatted quickly about a few business things before Harlow said, “Things with Leah going well?”
At the mention of her girlfriend’s name, Teddi felt herself slow down. Everything went calm. Her heart rate, her breathing, even her shoulder muscles seemed to relax when she thought about Leah. “They really are. I have a meeting in a few with her sister and mom, and Leah’s tagging along just to see me. Our jobs have been nuts, so we have to squeeze in time when we can.”
Harlow let out a dreamy sigh. “Ah, I remember those days with Rashim. Thought about him all day, couldn’t wait for any amount of time with him, even if it was only a few minutes. That’s the best.”
“I’m not really sure how I got here,” Teddi said, and it was the truth, something that had been in the back of her mind, but she hadn’t made verbal until now. “I mean, Julia wrecked me. I never in a million years thought I’d be here again.”
“Where? In love?”
“Yeah.” A wave of pure joy ran through Teddi then, warm and blissful. “In love.”
“You deserve it, babe. And it happens when we’re not looking. The old saying is absolutely true.”
“I guess so.”
A few more back-and-forths and they hung up.
As fast as her busy days went, it seemed like it took eons for four o’clock to arrive. It finally did, of course, and Teddi set Kelly and her mom up at the round table, got them coffee, grabbed her tablet. By the time she’d done those things, the bell on the door dinged and Leah walked in.
Not only did Leah walk in, she walked right across the floor to Teddi, grabbed her face in both hands, and kissed her soundly. In front of God and everybody. Teddi blushed, felt the heat in her cheeks, but not because she was embarrassed. Because she was giddy.
“Well, hello there,” she said softly as Leah ended the kiss but still held Teddi’s face.
“Hi, baby,” Leah said back. “I’ve missed you.”
“Same. So much same.”
They stayed that way until Kelly not so discreetly cleared her throat. �
�Okay, you two lovebirds. This is lovely and everything, but I am the bride-to-be, and that means I am supposed to be getting all the attention here.”
Leah smiled that gorgeous smile of hers as Teddi laughed. “You’re so right,” Teddi said as she pulled out a chair and took a seat. “My bad. Please forgive me.”
“Well, I mean it’s not really your fault my sister manhandled you before she even said hello.”
“This is true,” Teddi said, tossing a wink in Leah’s direction.
“I was going to ask how things were going with you two,” Patti said, and her eyes crinkled at the edges with her grin. “But I guess I don’t have to.”
“Things are great, Mom.” Leah took off her coat and draped it over the remaining chair before she sat. Tossed a look at Teddi, those green eyes sparkling and filled with love. Yeah, things were beyond great. Teddi tried to tone down her own glee and focus on Kelly and her upcoming wedding.
Within an hour, they had solidified the menu, picked the details for the tablescapes, and narrowed down gifts for the bridal party and groomsmen. Kelly was that combination of stressed and excited that all brides-to-be hit at around this mark. She couldn’t wait to get married, that was obvious. It was also clear that she was feeling a bit overwhelmed. When she looked up at Teddi, the worry clear in her eyes, Teddi reached across the table and grasped her forearm.
“Hey. Relax. We got this. Okay?” Teddi gentled her expression, tilted her head slightly, and looked Kelly directly in the eye. “I know you’re stressed. But I promise you, it’s going to be the best day of your life. All right? Trust me. I’ve got you.”
“Okay.” The relief was clear on Kelly’s face and she let out a loud breath. “It’s just…”
“A lot,” Leah piped in, wrapping an arm around her sister. “It’s a lot.” She met Teddi’s gaze. “But you’re in good hands.”
Teddi quickly stood and excused herself to grab the printout of the bridesmaids gifts off the printer in the back. As she walked away, she heard the conversation.
Hopeless Romantic Page 20
