by Mari Carr
She twisted in her seat, standing slowly when she spotted Leo standing right behind her. Ryder, Vince and Clint were with him as well.
“You came.” She’d invited him to be her date, but after what had happened between them, she hadn’t expected him to show. Then she said, “And you said we could be friends.”
“I did, but I lied.”
Yvonne waited for him to continue. There was no way Leo would show up, with his family in tow, to tell her he never wanted to see her again.
When he didn’t respond quickly enough, she asked, “If we can’t be friends, then why are you here, Leo?”
“I’m your date, remember?”
Yvonne’s gaze slid to Vince, who was smiling widely at her.
She looked back at Leo. “You are?”
Leo rolled his eyes as if she’d somehow lost her mind. “Yep. For this birthday, and every one yet to come.”
“But…I thought…” Yvonne looked between Leo and Vince, trying to figure out where she’d missed a step or twenty.
“Happy birthday, Vonnie.” Leo reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, flat wrapped box.
She smiled, trying to wrap her head around what was going on. The words sounded promising, as did Vince’s face, but after three days of trying to force her heart to let go, she was afraid to believe.
She tore the paper off, then opened the lid. “A key?”
Leo nodded and gestured to Ryder and the boys. “To our house. We want you to move in with us.”
She looked at Vince. “All of you want that?”
Vince stepped close, throwing his arms around her. He was growing like a weed, only a few more inches to go and he’d be taller than her. “I didn’t mean you when I said I didn’t want things to change. I didn’t even know you and Dad were dating. I love you, Vonnie.”
Yvonne didn’t bother to hold back her tears now. She hugged the boy back, then gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, grinning when he crinkled his nose at her show of affection. “I love you too, Vince.”
“I’m sorry for what I said, for what you thought.”
Yvonne cupped his cheek and smiled. “Forgotten. All of it.”
Ryder placed his hand on Vince’s shoulder. “Come on, guys. Let’s give the two of them a minute to talk. I spotted a snack table in the corner.” He looked at Yvonne. “We missed dinner.”
“Riley stocked the table with enough food to feed an army.”
Ryder, Clint and Vince glanced in the direction of the snacks hungrily.
Yvonne took the key from the box and cupped it in her fist. She was going to love cooking for four hungry guys. They’d lived on their own long enough that she figured they’d probably appreciate her efforts on their behalf for years to come.
“After we eat, can we ask Darcy to sing that song again?” Clint asked. “It was funny!”
Yvonne didn’t have to look around to know that her entire family was watching them. The collective whole took nosiness to new levels. The room, which had been loud as hell a few minutes earlier, was now quieter, their voices lowered. No doubt everyone was struggling to hear what was being said without making it look like they were trying to eavesdrop.
Leo noticed as well. “Do you think we could slip away somewhere for a few minutes to talk?” he murmured.
She nodded, then glanced around at Colm, Padraig and Kelli. “We’re going to head upstairs for a few. Don’t cut the cake without me.”
Kelli and Padraig laughed and promised, but Colm, who had a sweet tooth as big as New York, grumbled, “Don’t take too long.”
Kelli slapped him on the back of the head. “Jeez, Colm. It’s her birthday and the guy she loves just showed up and—”
Colm rubbed the back of his head. “It’s Riley’s red velvet, Kell.”
“Oh.” Kelli looked back at Yvonne and Leo. “Yeah. Hurry.”
Leo took her hand and the two of them walked up to the Collins Dorm. She started to lead him straight back to her bedroom, but he stopped her, dragging her to the couch instead. “You heard Colm and Kelli. We don’t have that much time.”
“I know, but—”
“We go to your bedroom and this party is over for you. We can’t do that to your family. Besides, Vince is down there too.”
Yvonne pouted, but sat down with Leo, the key to his house still clutched in her hand. “What happened with Vince?”
Leo gave her a guilty look. “We misread the whole damn thing. He never saw us kissing at the fair.”
“But he looked so angry after we got off the Ferris wheel.”
“He saw Delaney there.”
“Love letter Delaney?” Yvonne asked.
Leo nodded. “She was walking around with another boy.”
Yvonne gasped indignantly. “How could she do that? Vince is a great guy. What a little tramp!”
“Um, she’s twelve.”
Yvonne crossed her arms. “I don’t care. How could she trample on that poor boy’s heart? There’s no way this other boy could be better than Vince.”
Leo placed a kiss on her cheek. “The other boy’s name is Valentino.”
“Oh,” Yvonne said, slowing her roll. “That is a pretty hot name.”
Leo laughed. “I love your defense of my son. In fact, given your intense feelings about his current and future relationships, I nominate you to have the sex talk with him.”
Yvonne shook her head. Then she punched him on the shoulder. “You still haven’t done that yet?”
“I’ve been building up to it.”
Yvonne rolled her eyes. “Sure you have. Anyway…even if he didn’t see us at the fair, you saw his reaction when he found me at the house after his camping trip. He lost his shit, Leo.”
“That was Josh’s fault.”
“Your brother?”
“Ryder and the boys stopped at the farm for apples and corn, remember?”
She nodded.
“Josh told Vince that he and I were moving to the farm.”
Yvonne frowned. “You’re moving to the farm?”
Leo shook his head. “No. We’re not. I told you, Josh has been after me to move back ever since Dad had his heart attack. I’ve told him it’s not a good time for that—”
“I don’t think it’ll ever be a good time for that.”
Leo wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer. “I can’t live there again. I love my family more than words can say, but there’s no way we could all cohabitate under the same roof again. Josh and I would kill each other within a week.”
“So why would he tell Vince that?”
Leo sighed. “It’s Josh. He’s relentless when he gets something into his head. He probably thought he’d force my hand by telling Vince. Or, who knows, the guy thinks the farm life is the greatest thing on Earth. He might’ve thought he’d tell Vince, and Vince would be so excited by the prospect, he’d beg me until I relented.”
“If that’s true, Josh doesn’t know Vince very well.”
“Yeah. I’m calling my brother in the morning and setting the record straight once and for all.” Leo turned slightly and pulled her completely into his arms, hugging her tightly. “These past few days have been hell, Vonnie.”
She sucked in a deep breath of his scent, soaking in the smell of his shampoo. Leo always smelled like Irish Spring and fresh air.
“For me too,” she admitted.
“I’m sorry.”
She lifted her head. “No. Nothing to be sorry for.” She held up the key. “So…”
“I talked it over with the guys. You know Ryder and I have been planning to put that addition onto the house. We even have the plans drawn up. We’re going to talk to your uncles about doing the work.”
“I’m sure they’d be happy to do that.”
“Of course, in the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you we’re sort of slobs, none of us knows how to cook worth a damn, and wrestling is a way of life with those boys. How do you feel about living with four bachelors?”
“Sounds like absolute chaos,” she mused.
“It is,” he agreed. “It really is.”
Yvonne looked around and recalled Pop Pop talking about him and Grandma Sunday raising seven kids in the apartment. He called it chaos, then he’d said he wouldn’t trade those days for anything. She may have grown up an only child, but she was a Collins, which meant she was constantly surrounded by cousins. Hell, they were all adults now, and wrestling was still a way of life for some of her idiot male cousins. She’d had to dive to save a lamp just last week when Miguel and Finn decided to practice some karate moves in the living room.
“What do you think?” Leo asked. “If it’s too soon or I’m moving too fast, just say so. We can keep dating and we’ll figure out a way to—”
“I’m moving in with you.”
“And you’re okay with the package deal? I mean, moving in with me and Vince is one thing, but with Ryder and Clint as well…I know it’s a lot to ask.”
“I’m fine with it. Honest. I love your family, love the home you’ve made for those two boys. And I’m touched that the four of you want to include me in that.”
“You know, it won’t be forever. Vince will go off to college in six years and then…”
“Then, we’ll buy our own house. Start our own family.”
“I’m not waiting six years to make a baby with you, Vonnie.”
Yvonne laughed, smiling through her tears. “Excellent point. I mean, I am practically ancient now that I’ve turned thirty.”
“I want a little girl who looks just like you. Want to spoil her rotten.”
She gave him a curious look. “Thought you weren’t a fan of how spoiled I was.”
“You turned out okay, I guess, despite it.”
Yvonne tried to pinch him, but Leo shifted too fast, bending his head and kissing her. She’d spent too many days thinking she’d never feel his lips against hers again.
This was the greatest birthday ever.
His tongue stroked hers and his hands slipped beneath her shirt, cupping her breasts.
Yvonne parted her lips, their tongues touching as she shifted, straddling his lap. Leo let one hand drift to her ass, cupping it, pulling her more firmly against his crotch.
She could feel his erection through the denim. She nipped at his lower lip, hungry, ready.
One second she was mourning the fact she hadn’t worn a skirt, and the next she was three feet away from Leo on the opposite end of the couch, panting, her head reeling from how quickly he’d pushed her away.
“Dammit.” Leo stood up, wincing and trying to adjust his jeans. “Thought we’d be safe in the living room.” He gave her an amused, though pained look. “Clearly I was wrong.”
“You’re going to make me go back downstairs, aren’t you?”
He nodded. “Your family went to a lot of trouble to plan this party for you. I wouldn’t ruin that for any of you.”
“This isn’t going to be easy.”
“I feel your pain, Vonnie.” He held out his hand and she let him pull her up. “After the party, Ryder can take the boys home, and you and I are going to a hotel.”
She grinned. “We could always come back up here.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Need you somewhere private. I have plans for you, Miss Collins. Plans that involve stripping you naked, tying you to a bed and making you scream. Over and over and over again.”
Yvonne closed her eyes and let herself imagine it. Just for a second.
When she looked at him again, she noticed his grin was more grimace.
“Neither one of us is going to make it through this party if you keep painting those pretty pictures, Mr. Watson.”
Leo pulled his phone out of his back pocket.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Setting a timer.”
“For what?”
“Five minutes,” he said. “When this thing goes off, we get dressed and go back downstairs.”
“Wha—”
Before she could finish her question, Leo had pushed start on the timer. Then he flipped her over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold and carried her back to his bedroom.
“Take off your pants,” he demanded, his hands already working to free himself from his own jeans.
Yvonne didn’t need to be told twice. The second she managed to step out of them, Leo was there, lifting her in his arms, turning her so that her back was pressed to her closed door and then…
Yvonne sighed in bliss, the sound quickly morphing to a moan when Leo thrust in with one hard, fast motion.
“God,” she cried out, gripping his shoulders to hold on as he pistoned in and out of her. Leo’s muscular arms and the door at her back were the only things holding her up. She recalled their first time together. It had been just like this.
Fast, rough, passionate, primal.
Perfect.
He’d given them five minutes, but she wasn’t sure she would need that long. She was already there.
“Leo, I—”
“Me too, baby. I thought…I’d lost…you.” His words were broken up by his forceful thrusting, but she could hear the anguish. He’d suffered as much as she had.
“Love you,” she said. “I love you so much. I can’t st—” Her words were cut off by the orgasm she didn’t even try to hold back.
Not that Leo cared. Her climax set off his mere seconds later.
“Jesus. Vonnie. Yes!”
They remained there for a few seconds, both gasping. They were naked from the waist down, only shedding the necessary clothing. They’d come at each other like wild animals.
Her laughter when she considered that was breathless.
“Something funny?” he asked, as the timer on his phone went off.
She laughed harder. “I was just thinking we didn’t even need the full five minutes.”
Leo chuckled. “It was a long three days.” He slipped out of her, one hand on her hip, holding her steady. He always took care of her, always made sure she was okay. Yvonne thought that might be one of the things she loved about him. His considerate care, his attention to her needs.
They pulled their pants back on, grinning at each other like lovesick fools.
“And here I thought the key was my present,” she teased, slapping his ass as they left her bedroom.
Leo kissed her on the cheek. “If that counts as a present, every day is going to be your birthday.”
“Hey, I just thought of something?”
Leo took her hand as they walked back downstairs to the pub. “What’s that?”
Yvonne brightened up. “I’m a Leo. So really, everyday could be my birthday. We were totally meant to be.”
He rolled his eyes. “I can think of a million reasons why we were meant to be, but sure…if that works for you, I’ll take it. As long as you’re my Leo.”
Epilogue
“Hello?”
Yvonne peered around the open doorframe and found Pop Pop sitting in his favorite chair with Reba on his lap.
“You stole my baby,” Yvonne said with a grin as she walked into her grandfather’s room.
“I borrowed her,” he corrected. “Thought I’d give you and Leo a chance to actually sit down to eat.”
Reba was only two months old and she was already spoiled rotten, preferring to be held constantly. Probably because between her, Leo, Vince, Yvonne’s parents, all her cousins, aunts, uncles and Pop Pop, the wee baby hadn’t spent more than a few hours without someone’s loving, adoring arms wrapped around her.
“What are you two doing in here?” Yvonne asked.
“I was just telling my sweet lass what her name means.”
Yvonne laughed. “Already? Are you sure she understands?”
Pop Pop gave her a wink. “Well, now, lass, the meaning of names is a tradition with me, and since I’m not getting any younger, I like to take my opportunities when they present themselves.”
Yvonne claimed the chair next to him. “You don’
t have to worry about that, Pop Pop. You’re going to live forever.”
“Ah, you sweet lass.”
“So what does her name mean?” Yvonne asked. She and Leo hadn’t made the name’s meaning a deciding factor in their choice. In fact, they’d debated names, agreeing on nothing, right up until she had gone into labor and he’d driven her to the hospital.
Yvonne had been freaking out about their lack of name when “The Heart Won’t Lie” came on the radio. She and Leo had both said in unison, “I love this song.” It was an old one, a classic duet with Reba McEntire and Vince Gill.
Leo had looked at her, and she’d laughed. “Reba?” she’d asked, as he nodded.
And that was it. Three hours later, Reba was there. With them.
“It means ‘captivating.’”
Yvonne smiled. “That’s sort of perfect. She’s been captivating us since the second she was born.”
“She has indeed. Speaking of which, do me a favor, my sweet Vonnie. Grab that picture frame from the table and put it back in the right spot. My hands are full at the moment.” As he spoke, Pop Pop smiled down at his great-granddaughter, looking at her with so much love, it took Yvonne’s breath away.
She rose and went to the table, gasping when she saw what was in the frame. “Pop Pop!”
“I thought it was time I updated your picture. The previous one was of you in that cheerleader uniform with Sunnie at the police/firefighter charity basketball game. Your life has changed a great deal since then.”
Yvonne ran her finger over the picture, smiling.
“Your mother snapped that one the day you brought Reba home from the hospital. The second I saw it, I knew it was the one I wanted for the frame.”
Yvonne hadn’t seen this picture before, but she was definitely going to ask Mom for a copy. In it, she, Leo, and Vince were sitting on the couch, Reba in Leo’s arms. He was gazing at his new daughter in wonder while Vince sat next to Yvonne, the two of them looking at each other and laughing. She could recall joking about what an overprotective father Leo was going to be, with Vince remarking that he was grateful to have been a boy. Leo had simply ignored their teasing. Too captivated by Reba.
Yvonne put the picture back on the wall, studying all the photos that hung there, amazed to consider how much their family had grown in the last few years.
