Page 9 of Leo, My Partner

“How did she die, if you don’t mind my asking,” I say as gently as I can. From his reaction earlier, it’s still a sensitive subject.

Grief is a strange sort of emotion. It lingers, probably longer than most people want it to. June still tears up when he talks about Ray, even though he’s been dead for a year. In my mind, two years is plenty of time for Ty to grieve the loss of his mother, but I would never say that. It’s one of the things I’ll puzzle over, about people with regular feelings, on my own.

Ty shakes his head slowly and pulls in a breath. “No, it’s fine. She … uh … car accident. Some kind of malfunction with her car. Her death caused this whole thing with one of the big car companies because the power steering kept going out. All the cars of that make and model were recalled. My father filed a wrongful death lawsuit, but the case is still in court. She had discussed the issue a few times with her mechanic, which helps my father’s case since there is a paper trail. She also made complaints to the dealership and manufacturer to no avail. If nothing else, she was tenacious,” he finishes with a small chuckle.

“You miss her,” I say, hearing the sadness in his voice clear as day. His eyes are expressive, very easy to read even though I’ve only known him for a day. They reflect the deep pain of her loss, a loss he won’t be over anytime soon.

“I do. Every day. She was the best. Taught me everything I know about cooking and baking. That’s why I want to honor her memory by naming a bakery after her. It should have been our dream together. Now, I’ll do it for both of us.”

“You’re a good son,” I mutter, tossing my drink back and motioning for our server to bring me another.

Ty shrugs, leaning on the table with his elbows. “I had good parents. Why did you grow up in Russia?”

I smile at him, though I’m sure it doesn’t reflect anything close to happiness. “I wasn’t the best child. My parents couldn’t handle me, so they sent me to stay with my grandfather. My dad told me if my grandfather’s strict ways didn’t break me, the cold of Russia would.”

My father’s face as he repeated those words to me pops up unbidden in my mind. He’d just finished beating me across the back with a belt because of some animal I killed and let rot in my room. By that time, I was eleven and didn’t care that I was different and made them uncomfortable. I did what I wanted, and killing animals made me feel.

I conveniently left out the part where my parents sent me to a reform school until I was ten, then shipped me off to my grandfather’s after I committed my first murder. It’s still shocking my father raised a belt to me, knowing I had no compunction when it came to killing. He somehow figured out I killed the director of the reform school I was sent to. I’m sure he figured familial ties would save him. It was a near thing that I didn’t slit his throat while he slept.

“Where are your parents?”

Shrugging, I swirl my drink in my glass before I take a sip. “Dad is dead. I’m not sure where my mother is.”

“Fuck, Leo. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not. They were shit parents.”

Silence stretches for a moment, Ty looking like he doesn’t know what to say. Finally, he asks, “Did you enjoy Russia?”

A chuckle bubbles from my throat. “God no. I fucking hated every minute of it. I couldn’t wait to get back to the States. But I learned a lot. My grandfather was thorough in his lessons, that’s for sure.”

For some reason, Ty’s eyes turn sad. “Did he hit you?”

“Not the way you’re thinking, no. He taught me to defend myself, so I was struck on occasion to help me learn. But he didn’t beat me as punishment.”

A relieved expression crosses his face. “That’s good. Can you teach me? Self-defense, I mean? I’d like some pointers in case someone tries to?—”

Ty shrinks away, putting a hand across his chest as his eyes grow wide. I wonder at his reaction until I realize I’m growling.

Clamping my mouth shut, I cut the sound off and shake my head. What the fuck was that? I’ve never had that reaction to the thought of someone touching another person. But Ty isn’t just anybody—he’s my person.

“Sorry about that,” I mutter, sipping my drink to give my mouth something to do while I think. “I don’t know where that came from.”

Even though he tries to hide it, Ty’s lips twitch as if he wants to smile. “Demanding and possessive,” he drawls, sipping more of his wine. “Either the heavens have sent me the man of my dreams, or you’re a psychopath. I’m not sure which one.”

Looks like Ty hit the nail on the head there.

CHAPTER 4

TYSHAWN

Our date was amazing. We spent most of the time talking and laughing. There’s something about being with Leo that I like. After a while, the nerves stopped bubbling up inside me and I simply enjoyed his company.

It’s late by the time we leave. I work in the morning, but I refused to ask Leo to take me home early. I was having too good a time.

When we pull up to my apartment building, I lean back against the headrest and look at him. Now the jitters have returned, and they’re threatening to render me mute. Which is a feat, since my nerves usually make me babble like a loon.

“I had fun tonight, Leo. Thank you for asking me out.”

---