Page 89 of What We Broke

He playfully nudges me on the shoulder and I put my arm around him, kissing his temple.

“Well, you know how your receptionist, Demi, moved to Colorado,” Raine explains. “Deacon asked if Pa wanted to replace her.”

“Well, it didn’t go exactly like that.” Leo expands on Raine’s brief explanation. “When I visited you that time, I noticed Demi had left but didn’t really think twice about it. And then when he and I spoke last week, I asked if he had filled the role and if he hadn’t, that I was interested.”

“Are you working every day?”

He nods. “Same schedule as you. Five days a week and every second Saturday.”

“We could totally carpool,” I add.

Leo leans in and kisses me. “Baby, you say the sexiest things.”

“Well, that’s my cue to go to my room,” Raine says, picking herself up off the floor. “That’s already one bad joke too many.”

“But I’ve got so many more,” Leo calls at her retreating back.

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

The three of us laugh in unison, and I could cry from the sound. It feels so good to joke, albeit at Raine’s expense, but to joke nonetheless.

“I also told Deacon that my therapy sessions are non-negotiable for me and I would need to work my appointments into my schedule.” Leo’s eyes dart between Zara and me. “I’m telling you both because I want to be kept accountable. I want to be called up on my shit if things happen to change or decline.”

I want to tell him not to be too hard on himself, but this full-throttle approach is what he chose for himself, and I need to respect that.

“I can’t imagine that was easy to do,” Zara acknowledges. “I’m so proud of you for putting your mental health first and being upfront when you needed to be.”

“I couldn’t have done any of this without the three of you.” Leo turns to me. “Your patience and persistence to never give up on me.”

I place a hand on his back and rub up and down soothingly. He accepted his need to heal and is committed to his growth, but he often forgets that none of us had truly dealt with Lola’s death, and a lot of our own coping mechanisms were just as unhealthy as his.

There’s a knock on the door that interrupts our conversation and I remember that Julian and Deacon were stopping by tonight.

“Come in,” I call out, heading to meet them at the front door.

Zara looks toward the door. “Shit. Raine and I should’ve called before coming over.”

I shake my head at her. “Don’t be silly. This is your house too. And it’s Julian and Deacon.”

She glances around the room. “You know what? I’m going to pass. I’ll see if Raine wants to come with me or stay. And if she stays, I’m going to go out.”

I smirk at her knowingly. “Is that what we’re calling it these days?”

“Shut up,” she retorts.

I open the door to find Julian and Deacon kissing on my front patio and I hear Zara say, “Yeah, I’m getting out of here. The color green does not look good on me.”

“Sorry to interrupt, love birds, but would you like to come inside? Because I can close the door until you’re ready.”

Laughing, they pull away from one another. “We would love to come inside,” Julian says.

I open the door wider and both men walk in just as Zara gets ready to walk out.

“Raine staying?” I ask her.

“Yes.”

I crane my neck and kiss her on the top of her head. “Have fungoing out,” I tease.

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