56. Leo
Leo
The second we walk through the front door, we’re hit with a wave of laughter and chatter.
There must be fifty people in the house, standing around, sipping on drinks and eating appetizers.
“Whoa,” Lucy says as she looks at the crowd of people. “Your mom is cooking dinner for all these people?”
“Kind of. She hired a catering crew to help her. She gives them her own recipes that they follow. And she does all the grocery shopping. She’s a stickler when it comes to hosting and cooking for people.”
“Leo! Dude! You finally made it!” my cousin, Matteo, hollers.
I barely have my jacket off before he runs over and hugs me.
His sister, Alessia, comes over and hugs me too. Then I’m greeted by their parents.
I glance over at Lucy, who’s standing off to the side, an amused look on her face as my family bombards me with hugs.
“And who’s this pretty lady?” Alessia says, beaming at Lucy before pulling her into a hug.
Lucy’s brow lifts in shock when my cousin wraps her arms around her. But then, a second later, she’s smiling.
“This is Lucy. My friend and roommate,” I say before patting my cousin on her shoulder. “And you’re cutting off her air supply with how hard you’re hugging her, so maybe let her go?”
“Oh! Sorry!” Alessia says, releasing Lucy from her embrace.
“It’s okay,” Lucy chuckles. “It’s nice to meet you.”
I introduce her to Matteo and my aunt and uncle. I’m putting our coats away in the nearby closet when a few more cousins walk up to us. I tell them all hi, then introduce them to Lucy. We all talk and catch up for a few minutes before they get pulled into a nearby conversation.
I turn to Lucy. “Sorry about all that. My family can be kind of overwhelming if you’re not used to them.”
“Are you kidding? I love how welcoming they are,” Lucy says. “And that hugging is apparently their love language.”
I chuckle, relieved that she’s not upset.
“Also, your cousin Alessia told me she works for a private investigator. That sounds like the coolest job ever.”
“Some of her stories are nuts. You should ask her about the time she was trailing an insurance executive suspected of cheating on his wife. She busted him at a sex party in Mykonos.”
Lucy’s eyes go wide as she smiles. “Wait, really?”
I nod. “A lot of her job involved investigating cheating spouses. She does other stuff too though, like track down missing or lost family members. She helps a lot of people.”
Just then, I spot my sister Zoey. She walks over and hugs me.
“Mom hasn’t roped you into pie crust duty yet, huh?”
Zoey laughs. “Nope. She got Aunt Cheryl and Aunt Becky doing that. They’re currently in the kitchen arguing about whether it’s better to use shortening or butter to make the best pie crust.”
Both Lucy and I chuckle.
Zoey hugs Lucy. “Hopefully you’re not freaked out at how loud our family is,” Zoey says.
“Not at all. It’s really sweet.”
Zoey takes her hand. “I’m gonna steal Lucy away for a sec. I need her help to make my famous sangria.”
When they walk off, I visit with some of the neighbors who came over, then I spot my mom coming out of the kitchen. I walk over to her and hug her.
“Leo, honey. When did you get here?”
“Like twenty minutes ago. I would have come to you sooner, but I got bombarded by our family.”
She chuckles as she pats my chest. “Where’s Lucy?”
“Zoey recruited her to help her make sangria.”
I nod over at the wet bar by the dining area. Zoey is dumping a bottle of red wine into a pitcher while Lucy slices orange wedges. Zoey says something, and Lucy laughs.
Alessia walks over to them and steals an orange wedge from Lucy. I watch as the three of them continue chatting and laughing
I smile, happy that Lucy’s having a good time. That she’s fitting in so well with my family.
“She seems comfortable here,” Mom says, her tone soft. “I’m so glad.”
“Yeah, she does.”
A warm feeling settles in my chest. And then I picture next Thanksgiving with Lucy here again, laughing and joking around with my family.
I want that.
“How long has it been?” Mom asks.
I glance down at my mom. “How long has what been?”
Her smile is knowing as she looks at me. “How long have you and Lucy been more than friends?”
My brow lifts, shocked at what she just said…and that fact that she figured it out.
“Um, we’re not…” I clear my throat. “We’re just friends, Mom. And roommates. Nothing more.”
I’m not about to tell my mom what we’re really doing.
But she just laughs. “Oh, honey. I know I’m from a different generation, and I don’t understand half of what kids your age say or do. But I know that look when I see it.”
“What look?”
“That look on your face. You stare at her like she’s the only thing in this room worth looking at. It’s so sweet. And it’s a dead giveaway that she’s more than just your friend and roommate.”
I shove my hands in my pockets and look down at the floor, hoping she doesn’t notice the hot flush creeping up my cheeks. I wasn’t planning on getting called out by my mom for my feelings for Lucy.
She gently pats my shoulder. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. I know it’s not cool for a guy your age to talk to his mom about his dating life. Just know that I can see how happy she makes you. And that makes me really happy.”
“Thanks, Mom. It’s…we’re…” I huff out a breath. I’m not about to tell my mom the details about my friends-with-benefits arrangement with Lucy. But I don’t want to lie to her.
“We’re just having fun,” I say.
She nods, still smiling. She looks like she wants to say something, but then her phone buzzes. She pulls it out of her pocket, then looks at the screen. Her smile fades, and her expression turns serious.
“You okay?” I ask.
She nods and takes a breath. “Your father is dropping by later.”
All the muscles in my neck and shoulder tense instantly. “Why?” My tone is hard.
“Because I invited him.”
I clench my jaw, annoyed and angry. “How come?”
“Because I didn’t want him to spend Thanksgiving alone, Leo.”
I shake my head and glance off to the side. “You’re too good to him, Mom. He doesn’t deserve you.” I glance around at her crowded house. “You don’t have to take care of him anymore. That’s not your job.”
She lets out a heavy sigh. “I know that.”
“He’s a grown man. He can make his own plans for Thanksgiving,” I mutter. I look around at the crowded house. Half the people here are my dad’s relatives. They’d rather spend the holiday with my mom than with him because she’s warm and welcoming and kind and a million times more fun to be around.
She touches my arm. “I understand how you feel. I understand why you’re upset.
You have every right to be mad at your dad.
He’s always been so hard on you. Even when I told him you needed a loving father, not a hockey coach, he didn’t listen.
” Her big brown eyes turn misty. She blinks the tears away. “I’m so sorry for that.”
I feel myself soften seeing her get so emotional. I hug her. “You don’t need to apologize for him.”
“I tried to reason with him so many times. I tried to tell him to be more supportive and softer with you. He just wouldn’t listen.”
I hug her tighter. She sniffles and lets out a heavy breath.
Then she leans back and looks at me. “I know you don’t like how much grace I give your father, and that’s okay.
I don’t blame you for that. But I don’t want to be bitter.
I don’t want to hold a grudge. I want to be kind and welcoming always. I hope you understand that.”
I nod. Because I do understand. That’s how I try to be too.
I just don’t have that grace for my dad. I don’t think I ever will.
One of the caterers walks up to Mom and asks her a question about her stuffing recipe.
“I should get back to the kitchen,” she says.
“Do you need help?” I ask.
“No, I’m good. Go visit with family. And make sure Lucy has a nice time.”
She walks off. I head over to Lucy, who’s drinking sangria with my sister and cousin. When she sees me, she beams.
“Hey. Wanna try the sangria we made?” She holds up her glass.
I take a sip, holding her gaze as I taste and swallow.
“Damn. That’s good. You should make this every Thanksgiving.”
Her brow lifts as she smiles at me. “Wait, you want me to come to your family’s Thanksgiving next year too?”
I look at her, just now realizing what I’ve said. Friends who are just fooling around and having fun shouldn’t be planning their holidays together.
But that’s exactly what I want.
I take in the shocked look on her face and try to play it cool.
“Yeah, I mean, if you’re not doing anything. You should come again. If you want,” I say.
Her smile widens, and damn, it’s beautiful. “Okay. Maybe I will.”
Her soft words send a burst of hope through me. I hope that this isn’t the last Thanksgiving I get to spend with her.