Page 36 of Loving the CEO

"You look perfect." His tone dropped an octave or two. The way he looked at me simply took my breath away.

"Okay," I murmured.

"Then let's go."

"Where are we going exactly?"

"Essex."

"I don't know where that is."

"About forty minutes away, give or take."

"Right, you told me that before. So, that means you have plenty of time to fill me in on what the family’s been up to.”

Leo started to laugh. He sounded the exact same way as he did in college, laughing without any restraint.

"That would take far longer than forty minutes, but I'll do my best."

***

Leo was right. By the time we entered Essex, he hadn't even managed to tell me half of the things I wanted to know. At least I'd gotten all the names of the women who’d joined the family.

I stared out the window, smiling. "Essex is so cozy. I understand why they built the hotel here."

"Wasn't exactly the first choice, but things turned out that way."

He’d tensed up, and I noticed his hands gripped the wheel tighter.

"What do you mean?"

Leo glanced at me briefly before saying, "They were looking at a small town on the other side of Boston. But then we got wind that Father wanted to build a hotel here, so they decided to buy the property instead. Gabe was thinking about building a distillery. One thing led to another, and he and Maddox wanted a hotel too."

"That’s complicated. So, your dad is still firmly out of the picture?"

"Yes. And we’re doing our best to keep him that way."

"Got it. You know, I was never a small-town girl, but Essex has a charm."

"That's what Maddox says too. I still can't believe he actually lives here."

"Holy shit, he does?"

He chuckled. "I hadn’t gotten to that part yet. But Cami lives here. And it does make sense. The hotel could use one of my brothers on location, and Maddox's office design business can be run from anywhere."

"I feel like I need another three hours just so you can catch me up on things."

I kept saying Leo was my best friend, but we’d drifted apart over the past few years. Ever since I’d started seeing Walter. Our phone calls became rarer, and they were always rushed. Walter wasn’t a fan of me talking with Leo, so to avoid his nasty comments, it was just easier to not call when he was around.

"I'm sure Gran will be more than happy to take up that role," he said.

We arrived a few minutes later. The hotel looked even more impressive in real life than in pictures. There were already quite a few cars in the parking lot.

Turning around, I grabbed his wrist. "I didn't even think about asking, but is it okay that I'm here? It’s a family event. Do they know I'm coming?"

"Nick knows," Leo replied, and then he covered his hand with mine, rubbing his thumb at the point where my wrist connected with his. I shuddered lightly. "And they'll be very happy that you're here. Gran especially. Maybe too happy."

"What do you mean?"

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