“You don’t have to stop going to parties because of me,” I told him as he picked up the suitcase we’d left before. He shot me a puzzled glance as we made tracks upstairs. “I mean, I wouldn’t stop you from doing that.”
“Would you go with me?”
“Sure,” I said.
“Good. Because I want to show you off.”
Ellie
I followed Leroy upstairs and explored the framed family portraits lining the wall. There were some gorgeous vintage photos of Eleanor as a young woman in tailored suits and slim sheath dresses, capri pants, and Peter Pan-collared blouses.
“Your mom has spectacular style,” I said, pausing on the staircase. Leroy waited a step above me.
“So she’s told me,” he said.
There were also photos of Jacob in his old school football gear, wedding photos, and baby pictures of Noah and Leroy.
“You were such a cute baby,” I said, my finger tracing the frame.
“Nothing’s changed then,” Leroy teased as we continued upstairs, knowing that I’d be back for a longer look at their photographic timeline later. We went to the left when we hit the top floor and rounded the railing.
“That’s my room over there.” He pointed over at the other side of the staircase where there were three doors, his being the first. “Mom and Dad are at the far end on that side. Noah is at the far end on this side. The bathroom is between you, and this is the bedroom that you’ll be using.”
Leroy set down my suitcase inside the first bedroom on the left side of the staircase. The floral comforter on the double bed looked plush, the frilled edges of the throw pillows looked delicate and intricate. The patterned wallpaper looked like the décor from the home catalogs that Momma pored over, coveting all the things she could never afford.
“Sorry that we can’t share,” Leroy’s deep voice startled me from thoughts, and I turned around, noticing that he was leaning against the wall beside the door.
His gaze had become a little darker, longing.
“It’s okay,” I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. It felt strange to behave as though I was shy around him. We’d shared the most intimate act that two people could share. But I still became so wound up under the heat of his stare. Unable to think, almost unable to breathe.
He leaned off the wall, kicking the door shut before he sauntered toward me. The back of my legs hit the bed and I went down, propping myself on my elbows as he placed a hand on either side of me, the mattress dipping a little under his weight. The air grew impossibly thick as he hovered mere inches from my face, inspecting every inch of it as though he was memorizing it. I understood, though. It had been months of wishing to see each other and having to settle for the sound of his voice instead. Which was something that I had come to adore. But now, I kind of wanted to just—not talk.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, the back of his hand sweeping my cheek. Overwhelming emotions sent me into a state of bliss.
“Ellie,” he murmured, as though my name were an ode.
He leaned in and his lips feathered mine. My eyes fluttered closed and under some cruel twist of fate, the door swung open behind us and hit the wall. Leroy didn’t move, instead leaning his forehead on mine and taking a deep breath as his brother whistled a scandalous tune.
“Dad doesn’t want the door shut up here, Lee.”
I stole a peek around the side of the firm arms that had me encased and spied Noah leaning against the doorframe. It almost sounded like Leroy was counting to ten before he reluctantly stood up.
“Grow the hell up, Noah,” he said, turning around to face the younger Lahey.
“Hostile,” Noah said scornfully. He acted cool and unfazed but his cheeks had a dusting of red blooming in his cheeks. “She’s here for five minutes and you’re already wiggin’ out?”
“You’re being rude,” Leroy snapped. “A simple tap on the door would have been enough.”
“Whatever,” he straightened up and shot me an indecipherable glance before he focused his attention back on Leroy. “Are we going to Eric’s tonight? Oh wait, no. Saturdays have turned into bitch night, right?”
“I’m going,” Leroy said. “Ellie’s coming with me.”
Noah’s shoulders slumped but he didn’t continue the conversation. What did he expect? If Leroy was going, he’d just leave me here alone? Noah left the room, not closing the door behind him. I didn’t think that we’d get our moment or our privacy back, but we had all summer to steal moments alone.
“I’m sorry about him—again,” Leroy said.
I shrugged, not wanting to make a fuss about it. “So, we’re going out tonight?”
“To be honest, I’d rather not spend our first night together, out,” he sat beside me. “But Eric will be moving out of state for college in a couple of weeks and he’s been a good friend of mine for a long time. I hope you don’t mind?”
“Not at all,” I assured him. “We might even find the chance to be alone?”
The way that he sunk his teeth into his bottom lip and stared up at the ceiling was erotic. I stared at him, almost feeling ashamed for the thoughts that were shouting at me.
“Come on,” he stood up, offering me his hand. “We’ll go and help Mom with dinner and then go out later. That gives you a chance to get to know her.”
I had so much appreciation for the respect and care that he showed his mother. It was clear that she meant a lot to him, and it was important that she and I spent time together.
Downstairs, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of delicious home-cooked food. I was no chef. I could boil an egg and make toast so I was quietly hoping that she wouldn’t ask too much of me.
“Hey, Mom,” Leroy said. The countertop surface ran along the far wall and came out in an L-shape, cutting the large room in half to create a small dining space. There was a larger dining room between the living room and kitchen, used for more formal occasions, I assumed. “Can we help?”
She smiled and gave out directions on what he could do for her. But I lost focus on her words as I spotted the pile of Post-its, scattered pens, and stacked books that were underneath the wall phone at the end of the countertop. I moved over to the clutter and started organizing it.
I stacked the books from biggest to smallest and set them against the wall. The Post-it notes were soon placed in a small pile, and the pens were dropped into the cup where a lone permanent marker was housed. It looked so much tidier in a matter of moments and when I glanced up with a satisfied sigh, I was met with two pairs of eyes, watching me with curious fascination.