Page 83 of Last Chance Love

“Not nothing,” Leon said with a snort, his lips twitching upward. “Somehow, my brother, someone related to me, ended up making a fucking splash in a social setting. By the time the little shit got to high school, he had so many friends and people after him for dates, I didn’t think The Talk was going to save him from getting someone knocked up.”

I laughed. “Well, apparently, it worked because, lo and behold, he never got anyone pregnant.”

His smile faltered a little. “He would have been a great dad. He always talked about it and told me that when it happened, I was going to have to deal with him being up my ass all the time, asking for advice. As if I was the leading expert on raising kids.”

“Uh, Leon?”

“Well, in a healthy environment. Most of the time, it felt like taking care of them just meant telling them not to do the shit our parents did, and not to do most of the shit I did. Ray always said he didn’t want kids, didn’t want to pass our genes along or risk fucking them up. Ian was determined something good could come out of our family, and he learned the right way to go about things.”

“Which he learned from you.”

“I guess.”

I was going to have to accept that he would never understand how significant what he had done was. He had understood, at far too young an age, how monumental and important the job he had taken on himself was, but the results? Well, one of these days, I was going to get him to understand that the results were better than anyone had any right to expect. Perhaps it would have been easier if Ian was still around to back me up, but hopefully, if he was still watching over Leon, he might help in his own way.

“Well, you learned back then that you have to let them go, and you have to trust in what they’re capable of,” I told him, squeezing his shoulders. “And that’s exactly what you have to do with Reno and Elliot. Let them have the chance you argued for them to have, and when they show up, you can pretend like you were never worried in the first place.”

He gave me a half smile. “Funnily, that would work on Elliot.”

“Not Reno?”

“No. Well, I don’t think so anyway. It’s weird, but something about him reminds me of what you always said about me. I don’t know if he’s always been in tune with other people or if it only started after he calmed down a little.”

“I think the only one who could answer that would be Reno, and probably Elliot.”

“You think? Reno doesn’t seem like the sharing type, even with Elliot.”

“Oh,” I said with a chuckle. “They share plenty.”

His brow creased. “How do you know? Have they talked to you?”

I opened my mouth and then shut it, realizing what I’d just done. I had told myself I wouldn’t tell anyone what I’d seen, including Leon. The problem was, if Ididn’ttell Leon, he would think I was keeping something important from him. I didn’t think it was all that important, but that wasn’t my call to make, especially now I’d alerted him thatsomethingwas going on.

I sighed. “I wasn’t going to mention this because it didn’t seem important, and not my business to tell, but if I don’t, you’ll end up freaking out that I’m keeping something about them from you.”

“I…fine, maybe I would be worried,” he said, pouting at the idea that I was right.

“So, first of all, I wasn’t supposed to see it. And second of all, it’s not either of our business.”

“Uh, okay?”

“I saw them kissing.”

“You,” his eyes bulged. “What?”

I briefly explained what I’d witnessed, leaving no doubt in his mind that what I’d seen had not been accidental, a joke, or anything but an expression of affection and, well, lust. It was probably good that I’d seen them and not Leon because he looked ready to keel over from the shock.

“And you’re sure Reno initiated it?” he asked.

That was a question I wasn’t expecting. “Saw it clear as day. That’s what you’re pulling from this? Not that they’re kissing and probably doing other things since they have a whole cabin, um, Leon?”

“What?”

“Do you think, uh, that whole ‘wrestling’ incident from months ago?—”

His eyes widened further. “Holy shit, you don’t think?—”

“I am now.”

---