Page 56 of An Unexpected Home

“This is just so unreal,” she said. “I mean, why is Will doing this?” He had seemed like such a nice guy all those years she knew him. And yeah, she knew that her dad and uncle had made his life a living hell, but it wasn’t her fault.

“You know it’s not your fault right?”

She gave him a small smile. “Carly and Mel let me have it earlier when I said I should just leave.”

His eyes widened. “You wanted to leave town?”

“I didn’t want to leave town but I thought it might be for the best.”

He stared down at their joined hands. “Don’t leave,” he whispered raw emotion in his voice. And in that moment, her heart which had been slowly tumbling, took a headfirst dive right off the cliff and straight into love.

“Hey,” she said. When he still didn’t look at her she said it again. “Hey.” Lifting his head, she saw his fear. “I’m not leaving. Even if I wanted to, which I don’t. This place, in two short weeks, has become more my home than New York ever was.”

“I know this is fast, believe me I know. But Leah, the way I feel about you, the way you make me feel about myself, it’s big.”

If she was unsure or questioned his honesty, this would have changed her mind. His words were so full of love – or at least she hoped – and that couldn’t be faked. But she was sure. If she knew nothing else in this fucked up life of hers, she knew her heart.

“Gigantic,” she said and kissed him. His hands gripped her face and all the love that they had but were afraid to say, poured from their bodies. She was so caught up and just about to climb over the middle of the seat when a knock on the window stopped her.

“You know you have a perfectly good house you could do that at,” Logan said from outside the car.

“Fuck,” Brandon swore and let her go. “I hate you!” he shouted to Logan through the closed window.

Leah smiled which was a miracle in the midst of all that was happening. “You should go anyway.”

“I hate leaving you,” he said as she opened the door, forcing Logan to step back.

“I’ll be safer here. Go. Do your job and hurry back to me.” She shut the door.

Logan was standing with his hands in his pockets rocking back and forth on his heels. “I thought you were going to Brandon’s?”

“He’s going to work and will be back in a couple of hours.”

“All right then. I guess it’s just me and three beautiful women.”

The window to Brandon’s car rolled down and he shouted, “Hands off my woman, Logan!”

“Possessive, isn’t he?” Logan wagged his eyebrows at her.

She bit her lip and laughed. “Yeah he is. But you know what,” she started walking to his house, “so am I.”

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