“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” he said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Are you having fun?”
“I am. They’re great. And you look much better,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.
She brought her arms up, interlocking her fingers behind his neck. “I look better?”
“Yeah. You don’t look like you’re about to shit yourself anymore.”
She unlocked her hands from behind his neck and pushed him, and he laughed, pulling her into a hug. Leah rested her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes.
“Was I that obvious?” she mumbled.
“Just a little,” he said against the top of her head, kissing her there before letting her go.
Her father walked into the kitchen then, clapping Danny on the back as he passed. “Brees better come through next week.”
“It’ll happen,” Danny said, and Leah looked up at him, her brow furrowed.
“What was that about?”
“We got a bet going on next week’s game. Me and your dad against Kyle and your brother.”
“Okay, but what does that have to do with the weather?”
“What?” he said through a laugh. “What are you talking about?”
“My dad just said a breeze better come through next week.”
Danny stared at her for several seconds before he burst out laughing. “Oh my God,” he said, taking her face in his hands. “Do you have any idea how adorable you are?”
He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her lips before he turned into the dining room, and she heard his laughter start back up again.
She shook her head, still confused as she finished cutting up the last of the garlic bread, and then she brought the tray into the dining room. As soon as she sat, she heard Chris chuckle softly before clearing his throat.
“So, Leah,” he said, “Do you want to get in on this wind bet? I’m gonna see if I can find my anemometer.”
The boys disintegrated into laughter, her father included, and the girls were looking at her with equal parts sympathy and amusement. She turned to Danny, who was trying to get control of his laughter as he looked at her apologetically.
Chris laughed. “Drew Brees is the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, you asshole. Brees. B-R-E-E-S. Aren’t you supposed to be an English teacher?”
She looked at Danny. “You ratted me out?”
“I had to,” he said, trying not to smile. “Your dad asked me what was so funny.”
She pursed her lips and nodded slowly. “Okay, I see how it is,” she said, picking up her fork and turning to her brother. “And Chris, for your information, Brees and breeze would be considered homophones—words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. They’re easy to confuse if you don’t see them written down, in case you were interested.”
He paused for a second, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully before he brought his eyes back to hers. “Yeah, I’m not interested at all, actually.”
The table broke into laughter again, and this time Leah joined them, shaking her head. Danny clasped her hand under the table, bringing it up to his mouth and giving it a quick kiss before he released it.
Dinner couldn’t have gone more perfectly if Leah had scripted it herself. Both Danny and Kyle were newcomers to the Marino Sunday dinner, but it felt as if they’d always been part of the tradition. The boys talked cars for a little while once they found out what Danny did for a living, and even though most of what they were saying went right over Leah’s head, she found herself listening intently to the conversation. Danny sounded so intelligent, so ardent, so confident, that she could have listened to him for hours, even if none of it made sense to her.
After dinner the girls brought dessert out to the table, and everyone sat around, sipping coffee and talking casually. At one point Kyle was telling a story, and Leah looked at Danny to find his gaze focused on the other side of the table. He looked almost wistful, and Leah followed his line of sight to where Chris and Alexis were sitting; they were looking at Kyle as he spoke, but Chris’s hand was on Alexis’s belly, rubbing it gently as he listened to Kyle’s story.
She reached under the table and took his hand, and Danny blinked quickly, snapping out of whatever spell he was under as he looked down at her. She gave his hand a tiny squeeze, and he smiled before he returned it.
Just as everyone was finishing up, Leah excused herself to the laundry room to sort her father’s laundry, and by the time she got back to the kitchen, only Sarah and Kyle were left. Sarah was putting the leftovers in plastic containers, and Kyle was loading the dishwasher.
Leah walked toward the family room and popped her head in. Chris and Alexis were sitting on the couch together, watching TV.
“Where are Daddy and Danny?” she asked.
“Outside,” Chris answered.
“What are they doing out there?”
Chris shrugged, his eyes on the television. “Don’t worry. Dad wouldn’t do anything out there. Too many witnesses.”
Leah rolled her eyes, walking to the window and pulling the curtains aside. The outside light was on, faintly illuminating the driveway, and it took her a second to find them. As soon as she did, her eyes stung with the threat of tears.
They stood at the top of the driveway behind the pickup Danny had borrowed from Jake. Danny was off to the side, his hands in his pockets and his head down. The truck bed was open, and Leah’s father leaned on it with both hands, staring tenderly at what lay inside.
After a minute he stood, turning to Danny, and Leah watched as Danny raised his head. They were too far away for her to see their expressions, or even if their mouths were moving, but they stood there for a moment, facing each other. And then her father walked toward him, putting his hand on Danny’s shoulder.
Leah stepped back and let the curtain fall closed, suddenly feeling as though she were eavesdropping. A wave of emotion crashed over her, and all at once, she wanted to laugh, or burst into tears, or both.
Sarah and Kyle joined them in the living room, and Leah curled up in her father’s recliner, attempting to watch TV with everyone else. About ten minutes later, she heard the garage door being opened, and she knew Danny and her father were carrying the slab of concrete into the house.
Eventually she heard the sounds of them coming up the basement stairs, and as the door opened, Leah turned to see her father standing at the top. His eyes met hers, and then he walked over to where she was sitting, bringing his hand to her cheek as he stared down at her. She smiled up at him, and his lips curved into a gentle smile in return before he dropped his eyes and took a tiny, quivering breath. He walked out of the room then, and she knew he must have needed a few minutes to himself.
Leah turned her attention back to the basement steps; Danny was leaning against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets and his eyes on her. Before she had even made the conscious decision to do it, she was out of the chair and crossing the room to him. He pushed off the wall as she approached, and Leah immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, hiding her face in his chest as she inhaled the scent that was quickly becoming vital to her. He brought his hand to her hair, holding her against his chest as he pressed his lips to the crown of her head.
And that was the moment she knew she had fallen in love with Danny DeLuca.
Leah had just finished curling her hair when she heard her phone beep with an incoming text, and she leaned over and swiped the screen.
We’re running a little late. Are you guys on your way?
Leah picked up the phone and texted her sister back.
Not yet. Danny should be here any minute. We’ll meet you guys there.