31. Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-One
Leo
“ I want a doll house and a butterfly net and some ice skates and…”
Piper’s voice echoes throughout the hallway as I type out an email on my phone, an immediate grin finding its way onto my face.
Hearing her in the house just reminds me of the old days when Juliet and I roamed around almost every day after school. It makes this place feel lively again, and I like that feeling.
I don’t want this house to be so eerily quiet.
I finish up my email and fire it off, hoping that I’ll be left alone at least for the rest of the day. I don’t mind working, but my focus has been elsewhere since I’ve come back home.
“What’s going on in here?” I ask once I step inside my father’s bedroom.
“My birthday is next week!” Piper quips as she sits on the edge of Dad’s bed.
“She’s telling me what she wants for her birthday,” Dad tells me. “You might need to write all of this down.”
An amused smile appears on my lips as I walk closer to sit next to Piper. “I heard something about ice skates.”
Piper brightens and nods. “I want pink ones. Or white ones. Or maybe light blue!”
Dad cracks a grin. “Do you know how to ice skate?”
Piper shakes her head.
“Maybe I can teach you,” I offer. “I haven’t done it in a while, but I used to do it a lot growing up.”
“He was pretty good,” Dad tells her. “He skated faster than most of the other kids.”
Piper’s eyes widen in awe. “Wow. Really? I want to skate fast too! ”
“Let’s start slowly so that we don’t give your mom a heart attack,” I reply, a chuckle rumbling in my chest. “She couldn’t really skate well.”
Piper tilts her head. “Why?”
“She was scared to fall,” Dad says before placing his hand on Piper’s arm. “It’s okay to be scared sometimes, but don’t let it stop you from doing what you want to do.”
Piper nods as she listens.
I wish he had that attitude when I was seventeen and eighteen with fears and dreams.
“Piper! Food is ready!” Juliet’s voice sounds from downstairs in the kitchen.
“Bye!” Piper says as she races out of the room to get her after school snack .
Dad and I have the same warm look on our faces as we watch her go. She’s a good kid.
“Does she have a lot of friends at school?” I ask Dad as I get off his bed, my mind working to expand on a tiny idea.
“I think so. She has mentioned some girls to me before.”
“We should throw her a birthday party here,” I tell him. “She’d love that.”
His brow creases in uncertainty. “I don’t know if I want a bunch of strangers here.”
I cross my arms, my expression hardening. “It’ll just be some kids and their parents. We have plenty of space here, and the kids can play out in the backyard.”
He shifts against his pillows like he’s uncomfortable. “What if we just do something small? Just the four of us?”
“Dad, that wouldn’t be as fun for her,” I tell him. “She’s a kid. She deserves to have a birthday party with all her friends. I’ve been to Juliet’s place. There’s not enough room there for a party.”
Dad frowns, his eyes shifting away from mine. “This is my house. I can decide who comes here.”
He’s really going to deny Piper a birthday party because he doesn’t want people at his house? This place could use some life.
“You’re really going to be that stingy? It’s just a birthday party,” I say, disappointment filling my voice.
“I don’t want strangers in my space,” he tells me firmly .
I want to roll my eyes, but I don’t because realization hits me.
I’m the same exact way with my penthouse back in the city.
Barely anyone comes over because I don’t invite them. I don’t let girls come back to my place. If I’m hanging out with my friends, we’re either at their places or at a club or bar because I don’t want groups of people at my house.
And it’s just pure selfishness on my part.
I worked so damn hard to get a nice place of my own. Starting out, I lived in a studio apartment so small that I felt like I was living in a closet. So, I became a little hyper protective of my space once I got the penthouse.
I really need to get over that.
I need to get over a lot of things.
Not wanting to argue any longer, I leave his bedroom and head downstairs to the kitchen where Juliet is cleaning up.
Piper eats a grilled cheese sandwich and grapes at the dining table in the next room.
“Same recipe that your mom used to make for us?” I ask .
Juliet turns from the kitchen counter and nods. “Colby jack cheese is the key.”
I smile a little before glancing through the doorway to the dining room to make sure that Piper is occupied and not paying any attention to us. “I need to talk to you about something.”
Juliet’s eyes widen. “About what?”
I motion for her to step farther away from the dining room. “It’s about Piper’s birthday.”
She visibly relaxes.
What did she think that I was going to say?
“I want to do something special for her. I was thinking that we could throw a birthday party for her and her friends here,” I explain. “We could have food catered. We could buy a cake from one of the local bakeries. Maybe the one that did your sweet sixteen cake.”
“Whoa, wait,” Juliet says, motioning for me to slow down. “You want to throw a party here?”
I nod. “We have a bunch of space. The kids can play in the backyard, and the adults can chill on the porch. ”
“Frank doesn’t like anyone coming over to the house,” Juliet tells me. “He wouldn’t let that fly.”
“I’m working on that,” I reply. “He shouldn’t just keep this big place all to himself.”
“It is his home,” Juliet points out. “He can do whatever he wants with it. I don’t want to make him upset by taking over his home for a birthday party.”
“He and my mom used to throw me huge birthday parties when I was younger. Actually, Dad spearheaded them. He pushed for all the big stuff like performers and inflatables,” I tell her. “I loved those parties. I just want her to have the same experience. She deserves it.”
Her tense expression softens. “We’ll figure something out. There are other places that she can have a party.”
I’m still going to keep working on my dad. I think he’ll eventually cave and realize it’s not the end of the world to have people at the house. If he doesn’t want people seeing him in his state, he doesn’t have to show his face.
“I want her to be happy,” I say as I move closer to her.
Juliet reaches out and takes my hand to give it a squeeze. “I appreciate that. Really. It means a lot to me and Piper. ”
I coax her closer, my free hand resting on her shoulder. “I just remember how much fun we had growing up. This is pretty much your home too.”
Juliet nods. “It feels like it. Piper loves being here too.”
Whenever I do leave, maybe she and Piper should just take the estate. I can’t think of anyone more deserving, and I know Juliet will take care of this place like she has done since taking this job.
But that’s a conversation for another day.
“Piper already gave Dad and I some gift ideas,” I tell her, gently rubbing her upper arm as we stand close together.
Juliet laughs. “Oh, boy. Like what? A kitten? An ice cream maker?”
“Doll house. Butterfly net. Ice skates,” I report to her.
Juliet tightens her grip on my hand. “Ice skates? She doesn’t even know how to skate.”
“You’ve never taken her ice skating?” I ask her, a tease infiltrating my voice.
Juliet gives me a pointed look. “You know that I suck at ice skating. How can I possibly teach someone else? ”
I’ll definitely have to be the one to teach Piper. I won’t wipe out while showing her.
“Maybe just get her a doll house or a butterfly net then,” I suggest, squeezing her arm.
Juliet smirks. “Or a kitten or an ice cream maker. There’s a week left. I’m sure she’ll think of some more ideas.”
“Hey, I remember you being the same when you were younger. You literally handed out lists a month before your birthday with things that you wanted.”
Juliet shrugs, looking quite proud of herself. “No one had to play any guessing games. I helped everyone out by doing that.”
“Well, I wanted to be surprised on my birthday, so I let everyone figure it out on their own.”
“Good thing I knew you so well that I didn’t have to do much guesswork,” she replies, resting her hand on her hip.
Our bodies keep slowly gravitating closer and closer. I think they’ve done that since we first met.
“I never bought off the lists, and I still always got you the best present. ”
Yeah, I’m still cocky about that.
“You knew me too,” Juliet says, her voice having a softer edge.
Our gazes stay locked, and my hands threaten to roam over her body. To pull her closer until she’s flush against me.
It’s getting harder and harder to be so close to her and not do anything, but I told myself that I would back off. It wouldn’t be fair to lead her on when I’m not planning to stay.
I just can’t.
The sound of little footsteps approaching makes us quickly step apart from each other.
“I’m thirsty,” Piper says as she enters the kitchen.
“Oh, sorry, baby. I forgot to grab your drink,” Juliet tells her before walking over to the fridge and pulling the door open. She grabs a juice pouch and hands it over to Piper, her eyes straying to mine once more.
The corner of my mouth curls up, and I swear a pink flush crosses her cheeks in response. We need to stop all this teasing before one of us loses control .
“Can I have a cookies and cream birthday cake?” Piper asks.
“Whatever you want,” Juliet replies.
Piper perks up and skips out of the kitchen with her juice pouch in her hand.
“Cookies and cream birthday cake,” Juliet mutters, wrinkling her nose.
“She’s got good taste,” I tell her. A cookies and cream flavored birthday cake sounds awesome.
Juliet pulls out the slices of Colby jack cheese and some butter. “You know what? I’m actually starving. Want a grilled cheese?”
I used to look forward to her mom’s grilled cheese sandwich all day while I was at school. Her mom was the best cook, and sometimes I liked the days that her mom whipped us up after school snacks instead of the private chefs that my parents would hire.
They always made food that was too fancy with not enough flavor.
Juliet’s mom made things just right .
“That would make my day,” I tell her before grabbing the pan for her and meeting her at the stove.
Side by side, we make two grilled cheese sandwiches, arms brushing and gazes meeting. This feels pretty domestic, but I don’t mind.
Part of me likes it, even if it’s new.
Not all new things are bad. Not all changes are scary.
But this feels too easy. Too right.
Which is exactly why I shouldn’t be standing here like I’m not about to walk away again.