She lets out a huff of air and then shrugs and starts walking toward the cars, murmuring about ungrateful men.
Leonard shakes his head. “That woman gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
“You’re not alone in that,” Danny says, watching her as she retreats. There’s a thoughtful look on his face, though, like what she said didn’t go in one ear and out the other.
I don’t believe people can see the future—or at least I don’t think I do—but itisa little eerie, the way Josie knows certain things. She’s either a hell of busybody spy, or she has…some sort of insight.
You’re gonna be the fourth one to fall.
Only there’s just four of them, so she got that part wrong.
Except…
Drew. Drew moved to Puerto Rico with the love of his life. It’s why Leonard’s been staying in that little purple house.
A tingle travels along my spine because it is uncanny.She’suncanny.
I give Grandpa Frank a hug goodbye. Leonard reaches out to shake his hand, but Grandpa Frank pulls him in for a hug too. By the time he’s done with us, he has frosting and probably sticky champagne on his shirt, but let’s be honest, Texas Roadhouse isn’t the kind of joint where they’re going to care about that.
My throat feels tight with emotion, but I don’t try to push it away.
Danny nods to us both—either he’s not a hugger or he doesn’t want a sticky shirt—and off they go, leaving us alone together.
Leonard regards me with warm eyes. “Looks like it’s just the two of us, Tiger.”
“Looks like.”
He pulls a gorgeous little wrapped package out of his pocket and whistles. “It survived the cake.”
“You got me something?”
“Of course I did. It’s your birthday. I…I got it a couple of days ago.”
“Did Becca from The Paper Place wrap this?”
He gives me one of his shit-eating grins. “I might have asked her to do me a solid.”
Of coursehe charmed her. As far as I know, he’s only interacted with her the once, but that’s all it would take.
I unwrap it, and he takes the paper from me, stuffing it in his pocket. It’s a little cardboard box, and I open it to find a pendant inside—the stone is tawny and beautiful, with a darker area at the center.
“Tiger’s eye,” he says when I look up at him.
I kiss his jaw. “I love it. I’m putting it on now.”
He takes the clasp and helps me get it on, pressing a soft kiss to the back of my neck. When he’s done, I turn to face him.
“I’m sorry I fucked up the wedding,” he says.
I grin at him. “No, you’re not.”
He runs a finger along my jaw, ending at my chin. “No, I’m not. I told you I’d be there with you, and I’m going to keep my promises to you. It’s part of being a better man.”
I lean in closer, getting up on my toes. Only a few inches separate us, and we’re sharing air, space. “What if I like you the way you are?”
One side of his mouth hitches up. “No one said you need to have good taste.”
I lift up and kiss him, and he makes me shriek into his mouth when he picks me up off the ground and swings me, our mouths still pressed together.