Chapter 31
31
brIAR
I t’s been four days since I woke up to Leo Warner’s arm around my waist, his warm, ginormous body pressed up against mine, morning wood and all.
If I say I hated it that would be a lie, and I’ve spent four whole days unpacking that.
I had jumped out of bed after checking the time, realizing I was late getting Elara ready for school. Leo didn’t move, and since it was Tuesday, his day off, I let him rest. If he had any Tuesday morning meetings he didn’t tell me about, that was his problem. He didn’t though, thankfully.
I got Elara ready for school after I pried her out of bed and was right on schedule when Heidi had knocked on the apartment door.
When I got back to the room, Leo was gone, and I felt my stomach drop. Another reaction I didn’t have time to unpack.
With a sigh, I got ready for the day, and without another word left for the nearest coffee shop. The second I opened my laptop, I was greeted by several threatening emails from Tony, which was, well, let’s just say I’m reacting to them better with time. And by reaction to them better, I mean I’m not reacting to them at all .
He doesn’t deserve a second of my peace.
I’ve barely spoken to Leo in the last four days. He’s been off doing who knows what. He’s definitely been spending more time out, and I’m not entirely sure what that means for us, and this fake relationship thing we have going on. It’s been awhile since we’ve been spotted out, and his publicist has been up my ass to plan another night.
But tonight is the charity event we’ve been planning for, which means we’ll be around so many people and hundreds of cameras.
I’ve been nervous for it, that’s for sure.
Pretty Boy
You have everything you need for tonight? I can stop and get anything on my way home.
Yes, I have everything. Thank you though.
Are you sure?
Yes?
Elara will be home from school soon, and Emmett is dropping his daughter Juniper off before his babysitter comes over to watch them both. He got lucky that she was free tonight, since she apparently keeps a really tight schedule and isn’t around when he needs her half the time. He makes do, Leo says, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult for him sometimes.
Grabbing my curling iron, I section my hair and curl it to the best of my abilities, but nearly scream when it immediately falls out. I’m not made to be doing this fancy shit.
Okay, maybe hairspray?
Pretty Boy
Things not going great? You’ve never backtrack and ask for help before.
Things are not going great.
He doesn’t answer for a solid ten minutes, but when he does, I feel myself start to sweat.
Pretty Boy
The doorbell is going to ring in about thirty minutes. Stop doing your hair and makeup and answer the door, please.
What does that even mean? Is he waiting on something and doesn’t want to be embarrassed of me if I answer the door with half my face done? I’ve done that before, and after the embarrassment of the first time, you’re really good to go. Who cares if someone you’ll never see ever again in your life sees you at your worst?
So instead, I pace.
For the whole thirty minutes.
And when the bell finally rings, I practically run for the door, nearly tripping over Champ.
My hand circles around the knob, slipping from how clammy they are, and when I finally get it open I come face to face with two women, their arms full of cases.
“Briar Crosby?” the most beautiful woman asks, throwing her head to the side to get her locs out of her eyes. Leo’s apartment is up high, and carrying that amount of things, even in an elevator, has to be exhausting.
“Yeah?” I ask, eyeing them.
She smiles, lifting her elbow to her partner. “I’m Nina, and this is Jabari. Mr. Warner called and asked us if we could squeeze you in this afternoon?”
“Oh, you guys must be so busy though,” I tell them, panic rising. I hate it when I feel like I’m an inconvenience.
Nina shakes her head, her shoulder dropping with the weight of the case. I open the door wider, because no matter what her response is, she’s here now and deserves to at the very least put the case down for a couple of minutes.
“Are you sure I’m not being a nuisance? I was trying to do it myself. I didn’t know he was going to call someone?—”
Nina cuts me off. “I’m absolutely positive, sweetheart. Now where do you want us to set up?”
I direct them to my room where they start to set up in front of the large windows overlooking the inner harbor when there’s a knock on my door.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell them before running back.
This time it’s Emmett and Juniper. “Hey, thank you so much for getting this organized,” I tell Emmett.
In typical Emmett fashion, he just shrugs it off with a small smile. He’s a man of few words, but he’s like a giant teddy bear.
“This is Juniper?” I ask as I squat down to her level. “You have such beautiful eyes!” I tell her with a smile.
The little girl hides behind her stuffed puppy, her eyes lighting up at my words.
“She got them from her mom.” Emmett’s words drip melancholy in a way I haven’t heard in a long time, and I feel them like a punch to the gut.
I can’t imagine losing the love of your life like that.
I stand up with a gulp, offering him a small smile. “Practice go late?” I ask, leaning against the doorframe as Juniper looks around me.
He face contorts in confusion. “No, we got out a little early because of the event tonight. Why?”
“Oh, he just hasn’t been home much.”
“He’s had therapy, that I know. I’m not sure how late it runs though. We’ve hardly heard from him other than practice too.”
Therapy?
Leo Warner? Going to therapy?
My Leo Warner ?
Not yours.
“Oh,” is all I can manage to get out, my lips pursed.
“Yeah. Anyway, I gotta get home to get ready soon. I’ll see you later, Crosby,” he says with a salute, heading back down the hall, but not before a certain bubbly redhead turns the corner with Elara.
Emmett’s stride falters for a second before continuing on, and I can see it in Heidi’s green eyes that she’s curious about him.
Interesting.
“How was school?” I ask Elara as she runs into my body, wrapping her arms around my middle.
“It was the worst mom. I hate math.”
“Yeah, me too.”
She looks up at me, her lip wobbling.
“You still have to do math though, Bub. Sorry.”
She immediately lets go with an eye roll, which is when she sees Juniper’s shy face. “Hi! My name is Elara,” she says kindly, extending her hand.
Juniper takes a moment to really look at it, unsure about how to proceed before she looks up at me, almost looking like she’s about to cry before extending her own hand and shaking Elara’s.
“I’m Junie,” she says quietly, immediately hiding behind her stuffed animal once more.
“I like your puppy,” Elara says, looking around. “Where’s Champ?”
I smile. “I think she’s in your room, Bub. Why don’t you go show Juniper?”
Heidi smiles in front of me, and after a couple minutes talking to her about the event tonight, she lets me know she has to go home and get changed herself.
I still can’t believe Owen bought tickets for every single one of Isla’s friends to go with them.
But then again, Leo bought Zara a ticket .
If I had ever asked Tony for extra tickets to events, no matter how cheap, he’d laugh in my face.
Heading back to the bedroom, I find the women just finished setting up and ready for me. I’m instructed to sit in the folding chair they had brought, and I shake out my hair.
“Do you have anything specific you’d like?” Nina asks.
I think for a minute. “Actually, no. Do whatever you think is best,” I tell her with a sly smile.
Two hours later and my hair cascades down my back in the most beautiful golden waves I’ve ever seen. Somehow, Nina and Jabari have worked their magic and made my hard to manage hair look effortless.
My face is even more impressive. I’ve loved makeup since I was a kid, and I love doing it whenever I can. I hardly leave the house without something on. As much as I’d love to be a natural girl, there’s something about putting on makeup that just relaxes me. But I’ve been doing the same type of makeup since I was in high school.
This? This is different.
My brown eyes pop with the beautiful gold shadow Jabari generously applied and the thick, gorgeous smokey eyeliner. My eyebrows look better than they ever have—and actually symmetrical for once in my life—and my skin looks flawless.
I’m in awe.
“Oh my god,” I whisper as I look in the mirror. The woman staring back doesn’t look like me.
But it is.
“Thank you guys so much, I don’t know how I can say thank you enough.”
“Well,” Nina smiles, “Leo already said thank you. I can assure you we’re grateful to help.”
Without standing around and thinking too much about what that means, I bow my head just slightly as I let them out the door .
It’s getting closer and closer to when we’ll have to leave, since we must be there a little early to ensure that everything is all set, and I hurry back to my room to get the rest of my wardrobe on. So far, I’ve sat around in a sweatsuit all day, and I’m still not sure which of the two pairs of shoes I bought with the dress will go.
After pulling on the beautiful blue and white gown, I choose the white heels, immediately almost stumbling onto my bed in them. They’re tall, but if there’s an occasion to go all out, this seems to be it.
Hearing the front door open, I walk out into the hall, not quite sure what to expect.
But there, in the kitchen, is Leo Warner. Completely dressed to the max in the most handsome all-black suit, holding a bouquet of blue hydrangeas.
He turns, his green eyes meeting mine, and I watch as his jaw drops.
It’s quite something. Watching someone be at a loss for words when they see you. It’s a feeling I’ve never experienced in my life, and yet here, right now, watching his literal jaw drop to the floor, and all I feel is butterflies.
And not the kind from nerves.
“Hey,” I say quietly, dropping my gaze.
Before he can say anything, Elara and Juniper run from the room, breezing past me as they jump on the couch.
Leo’s eyes don’t waiver.
“Oh my god you look like a princess!” Elara squeals, clapping her hands.
“Yeah?” I smile at her.
“Yeah. I was getting real worried for you there.”
My brows furrow. “Why?”
“No offense,” she says in a tone that means I’m about to get bulldozed by an insult, “but you were looking a little rough there for a little while.”
“Thanks, Bub. Really appreciate it,” I tell her with a chuckle. There’s nothing like the honesty of a six-year-old to humble you to the fullest extent.
“Are those for mom?” Elara asks Leo, who finally looks away from me.
“I, uh, yeah, they’re for your mom,” he says almost, shyly? Is Leo acting shy?
Juniper quirks a brow, joining in on the sass. “Are you going to give them to her?”
His eyes narrow as he smiles at her. Although I’m sure Emmett wouldn’t leave Juniper for Leo to watch—I don’t really blame him—I’m happy to see that they clearly know each other, which means that Emmett clearly trusts him enough to let her around him.
“I was working on it, my dude,” he says. When his attention turns back to me, my heart stops.
His hair is perfectly gelled, his eyes searching mine as he walks my way. When he’s in front of me, he holds the flowers out, and I take them, immediately stuffing my nose into the beautiful petals.
“How did you know these are my favorite?” I ask.
“You once talked about how your grandmother grew them. The way you talked about them, well, I knew you at least liked them and it was a safe bet.”
That was on one of the first nights I was here. And he remembered that little conversation?
“Well thank you,” I tell him.
“I have something else for you,” he says as if he had forgotten, reaching into his pocket. When he pulls it out, he’s holding a little blue box.
Not wasting any time, he opens it, and I’m looking at the most beautiful diamond sitting on a delicate silver chain.
“How did you know I was a silver girl?” I ask with a smile before I can even process the fact that there’s earrings to go with it sitting in the middle. It must have cost a small fortune, but all I can think about is how much he’s getting right .
Why is he getting everything right?
“I just guessed,” he says, pink rising to his cheeks.
Adjusting the flowers in my arms, I realize I need to set them down in order to do anything, but before I can, Leo clears his throat.
“Turn around,” he says quietly, his voice rough.
“Why?”
“Just turn around for me, Sunny.”
He steps forward, taking the necklace out of the box, and it takes everything in my power to remember that there are kids in the room. Including one child that will grill me to the end of time if she thinks that anything real is going on between us.
But when my eyes flicker to her, I realize that I may be a little late. The way she’s looking at Leo almost breaks my heart right then and there.
I can work through a broken heart. But Elara has never known a stable father.
My stomach drops as I meet Leo’s hooded gaze once more, feeling smaller and smaller despite the heels as I feel like I’m naked in front of him. Swallowing, I do as he says and turn.
I can feel the heat of his body as he comes closer, and when he places his arms on either side of my head to wrap the necklace around my neck, I can’t help but shudder.
Leo’s hand carefully moves my hair over my shoulder before he clasps the necklace in place, his fingers brushing against my hot skin.
God, what would his hand feel like holding me?
And why in the world am I having these thoughts?
I can’t just fall for the first man who’s kind to me.
But he’s not the first man who's kind to me. He’s just the first man who’s taken me by surprise, shattering my preconceived notion of who he was like every mirror Tony ever broke .
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“You look beautiful,” he replies simply, and when I turn, I can’t help but fall a little harder, my heartbeat racing as anxiety creeps up my spine.
I didn’t want this, but it’s all I can think about.
The charity dinner is held in one of the most beautiful libraries I’ve ever laid eyes on, and despite growing up around here, I’ve never actually been.
Lights are strung from each level of the main room, with a stage set up on the far side. There’s tables everywhere, beautifully decorated with greenery and roses.
I didn’t know a ton about what the charity was for before our ride over, but when I asked, Leo informed me that it’s his charity for kids around the city, to ensure they have access to sports as well as lunches for school.
He’s been the head of it for years, but apparently his sister decided she wanted in last year, and asked him if she could step in and also raise money to help kids have access to the arts.
“This place is gorgeous,” Zara says as she hugs me, “and so are you. Damn, who are you?” she laughs.
“You look beautiful as always,” I tell her, taking in her gorgeous green gown.
“Where’s Leo?” Zara looks around. Although we’re still a little early, there’s quite a few people already here, and when I look toward the door, I find Isla walking in with Mila right behind her. From what I heard, Amara and Heidi would be coming together.
“I’m not quite sure, but he’s probably checking in on something. ”
“Want to go get a drink?” she asks.
“Yeah.”
We head to the small bar to the left of the room. I order my usual and Zara orders a red wine, and we head back to where a small circle of our friends stand.
“This place is stunning,” Mila says, looking up at the windows in the ceiling.
“It really is,” Zara mutters.
I don’t see Leo for a good portion of the night as he makes his way around the room.
I watch him closely.
The way he smiles, shaking hands with people he seems to know well makes heat rise within me, and I’m not quite sure why.
Is it pride for what he’s doing? Because I’m not his, and he’s not mine. But there’s just something about a man who knows what he wants, who is doing good for the community and wants to put on the best event he can, that just makes me feel prideful.
I want to make him mine for real, but I know it’ll never happen.
I don’t need the mourning period required if I allow myself to even think for a second that that’s something he wants.
“So, you guys have your first real outing in a bit,” Zuri says as she comes up next to me. Her dark hair is up in a high ponytail, and she looks amazing in her red dress.
“Yeah, but we’ll get pictures soon,” I tell her as I take a sip of my drink.
“Please do. You guys were doing really well there and he’s been surprisingly on his best behavior, but we need to get this charity into the news cycle, and new photos of you two very much in love will do just the trick.
I look at her. “Why can’t the event just stand by itself?”
She grimaces. “Unfortunately, most of the time people really only care about sensational stories, and charities are a dime a dozen. Have it connected to a relationship update? More people will care.”
That doesn’t sound right to me.
“Okay,” I say simply after a few too many beats of silence.
“Please make sure you guys get some images, or I’ll kick his ass tomorrow,” she says before walking off.
Alright.
Half an hour later, we sit down to eat and Leo finally joins me. We’re at a table with Isla, Owen, and all of Isla’s friends plus Zara. Cooper and Emmett are at the table next to us along with Dirwin and a couple other players.
The drinks have been flowing, and Leo looks happier than ever, and when he looks at me, my heart stops for a beat.
When he smiles, I have to bite my lip to stop myself from smiling back at him.
“Are you having fun?” he asks, leaning his right arm against the table, his torso turned to me.
“A lot of fun,” I tell him, taking a bite of bread.
“You don’t seem to be,” he murmurs, his eyes flickering to my lips.
“Your publicist believes we should be together a little more tonight it seems.”
“Is that so?” His voice drops.
“Mhm.”
“Then we just have to make her happy.”
I watch as he tucks his bottom lip under his teeth, his eyes intense on mine.
“I guess so.”
“Edward! Have you met my beautiful girlfriend?” Leo asks an older man as we walk around the room together.
“No, but I think you got lucky with this one, Warner.”
I smile, despite being a little uncomfortable at his words, and Leo wraps his arm around me, holding me to him.
“May I interrupt for a moment?” Zhuri asks, holding a professional camera. Where she got it, I have no idea. Maybe she has a big bag somewhere that she holds absolutely everything she could possibly need at any moment.
“No, I was just heading out,” the man, Edward, states as he heads past us.
“We need a photo,” Zhuri states blandly when he leaves.
“Okay, just one with us standing together?”
She nods, and Leo and I walk a short distance away to a spot with a little better lighting before he wraps his arm around my waist.
I return the gesture before posing with a smile.
“Now look at each other,” Zhuri demands.
I tip my chin up to meet his eyes, and instantly feel like I’m hit by a jolt of electricity. So much so that I almost break eye contact to look around and see if anyone else felt the same. Maybe there’s an electricity issue in the building…
“You guys are really selling it with these, thank god,” Zhuri says quietly, and I chuckle.
Because I’m not trying to sell it.
I’m not trying at all.
Thirty minutes later and I find myself in the small clearing in the middle of a makeshift dance floor, the DJ playing some old romantic song I’d probably hear on one of my mom’s favorite CDs, with Leo’s arms wrapped around me .
“What can I do to make you feel more comfortable?” he asks, watching as I look around for the others.
“I’m not uncomfortable.”
He doesn’t look too convinced.
“I just don’t know how to act around you.”
A deep V settles between his brows. “Why?”
“Because you’ve been so nice to me, Leo. I don’t know what you expect of me.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t expect anything of you, Briar. I just want you to be happy and comfortable.”
My heart rate spikes as we sway to the beat, his hand feeling warmer and warmer at the small of my back. “I just, I?—”
The only excuse for my next action is that I blacked out, and something else overtook my body. Surely, that’s what happened. At least, that’s the story I’m going with.
Because the next thing I know, I’m lunching forward, capturing Leo’s lips with mine.
And before I feel the floor drop out from under me like we’re on one of those zero gravity rides Owen and I loved as kids, Leo’s hand is at the base of my neck, his lips taking control as he deepens the kiss. His hand tugs at my waist, bringing me closer, my chest pressing against his as his other hand tightens around the base of my skull.
But for someone who thinks they blacked out, I can sure feel everything. Every little inch of Leo seems to be pressed against me, and I’m far too aware of the way his lips form perfectly to mine, the taste of chocolate on his tongue.
I melt into him, the feeling of comfort overwhelming me. Because I don’t care that we’re in a room full of people. I don’t care that my brother is across the room. I don’t care that there will probably be videos of this plastered across social media tomorrow.
Further than that, scarier than that, I want more.
But Leo pulls away far too soon, resting his forehead against mine as I fight for oxygen. His eyes search mine, scorching. “What was that?” he asks, unsure.
I don’t know, I want to say.
“A kiss,” I manage to mutter.
“That wasn’t just a kiss.” His eyes flicker to my lips.
“A kiss, Warner.”
And when we go back to his place that night, stumbling through the door drunk, I don’t think about what that means for the rest of my time with him.