Chapter Nine

Andy

I was surprised when Leo didn't let go of my hand when we sat down for lunch. He occasionallysqueezed my fingers or dragged his thumb over my pulse, but he didn't stop touching me. I would have wept if my father wasn't watching me like a hawk.This just felt so surreal. Like we never broke up and were still together. The way it should have been. I never should have let Leo go. He was the piece that held me together.

"Andrew, you're quiet," Dad commented, his green eyesglued to me. "You're not eating. Are you feeling okay?"

Pop touched his arm. "Sweetheart, let the boy breathe. He just got home."

He winked at me, and I hoped I smiled. My lips twitched, but for all I knew, I was glaring at the men who helped raise me. I hated to think of disappointing them.

"I'm not that hungry."

But I reached for a piece of pizza to make Dad happy. He made the best pizza. Way better than any restaurantaround here. Who was I kidding? Dad made the best everything. He was a fantastic cook, and I missed his cooking. Guilt twisted in my stomach, and I fought back tears.

Leo tightened his grip on my hand as he ate his food with the other. "This is the best, Dad. Food at the track is not even close to tasting this good."

"Thanks, kiddo." Dad beamed before he sat on Pop's lap.

I used to get embarrassed by the affection they showed one another, but now I was envious. I had that, and I ruined it. I pulled Leo's hand into my lap, nearly yanking him from his seat. He turned to stare at me, surprise in his blue eyes. I wanted Leo in my lap. I wanted to feel the warmth of his skin and inhale the scent of his body lotion. That familiar cinnamon scent that haunted all my dreams.

The sound of the front door opening had me turning my attention elsewhere. My youngest foster brother, Lucas, grinned widely at me as he strode into the kitchen.

"Holy shit! Look who remembered where he lived?" He nearly launched himself at me. "Missed you, big bro."

"Missed you, too." I reluctantly let go of Leo to hug Lucas. I squeezed him tight until he pulled away. "How's school?" I ruffled his hair.

He batted my hand away. "Boring." Lucas jutted his chin at Leo. "Didn't expect to see you here." He flopped into the chair next to him. "You look funny. What's going on with your face?" Good to know he hadn't changed.

"My face? Is there something on my face?" Leo scrubbed his cheeks with the palm of his hands.

"Nah, man, you're not wearing makeup. You're pretty either way, but you used to, you know"—Lucas made a motion near his eyes—"do those wings or whatever."

"Lucas Connor Olson," Dad hissed through clench teeth. "Behave yourself. Your father and I taught you manners."

He only laughed. "Oh no. Dad three-named me. I'm in big trouble now."

The little shit. Dad and Pop had brought him into our home right before I graduated high school. Lucas had been shy in the beginning. Waiting to speak until he was spoken to, but that quickly changed when we encouraged him open up. To be himself. Now there wasn't a shy bone in his body.

"Leo looks perfect just the way he is." I glared at Lucas, and he rolled his eyes. "He doesn't need makeup. He could be wearing a paper bag and not shower for six months, and he would still be the most attractive man in the world to me."

Leo reached for my hand again. "Thanks, hon," he whispered. He turned away but not before I saw the tears in his eyes.

"We're home!" Ford exclaimed as he and Felix walked into the kitchen, only to frown when he noticed Leo. "For fuck's sake, really?"

Pop shot him a look. "Language."

"I am twenty-one years old now. I'm an adult," Ford reminded him "And a huge rockstar. I can swear all I want."

Dad stood up. "And you're still living in our home, so you'll be respectful of us while you're here. You can swear all you want when you're alone or with your friends, but there could be little ears in this house."

"Are you fostering more kids?" Lucas asked, shoving a piece of pizza into his mouth. He moaned softly and reached for a second one. "Shit, this is good."

Ford scowled as he narrowed his eyes at Lucas. "No warning for your golden boy?"

"You love me." Lucas wiggled his brows, and Ford's face flashed with anger. The two of them had butted heads in the beginning, but I thought we were over that.

Felix stepped forward. "Are you? Fostering more kids?" He glanced around the room before he gave a small smile to Leo. "I think that would be great. Ford and I will probably get our own place soon. You'll have the extra space."

"There's no rush for the two of you moving on," Dad assured him and reached out to pull him closer. "I want all my kids at home as long as possible. We have two rooms available. Your father and I met with the agency a couple of days ago. There are two boys who need a home. Brothers."

I coughed softly. "I could move into the guesthouse."

We had talked about that briefly before the band blew up. Of course, Leo was supposed to move in with me. I could feel him staring at me, and when I finally turned to look at him, I saw sadness written all over his face.

"Ricky, I—"

"It's fine." He held up his palm. "You can do whatever you want now. We're not together."

And it broke my heart all over again just to hear him say that. Because it was all my fault.

I opened and closed my mouth several times as I tried to come up with the right thing to say. But maybe that was something I should have done instead of breaking up with Leo. I wanted to gather him in my arms, kiss the frown from his face, and tell him how much I loved him. How much he still meant to me. But it was like my arms didn't work or my brain couldn't get them to move. I just stared at him, hoping he could see it on my face. Or read my mind. Or both.

Leo gave me a small smile as he picked at his pizza, pulled the pepperoni off, and ate it. "I was thinking of getting my own place myself. I love living with Noel, but he has Wyatt and Seth now. It's their house. I'm just living there. If I had a house, I could decorate it any way I wanted. Do whatever I wanted."

"Nonsense." Dad waved a hand in the air. "You know they all love having you there."

Over my dead body was Leo getting his own place. That meant he could bring whoever he wanted there, into his bed and...

"Move in with me in the guesthouse." I heard the words as they escaped from my lips. Like vomit.

"Oh, shit," Lucas murmured.

Ford smacked the back of his head with the palm of his hand.

Pop sighed as he shook his head. "Ford, don't hit your brother."

"And don't swear," Dad added, which earned him a kiss from Pops. Still gross, but at least they were still madly in love with one another. It was sort of cute.

"Please, I like it rough." Lucas didn't even flinch when he said it. He only grinned like an idiot.

Our parents simply ignored what he said. Sometimes the fact that he had no filter was a bit much. Especially right now.

Leo was staring at me with surprise and shock in his blue eyes. "That's a terrible idea," he whispered, but his ears burned pink, and hope began to bloom inside of me.

Give me an inch, baby, because I will take a mile.

"I think it's a wonderful idea." Dad clapped his hands together. "To have all my boys back home again will be so amazing. I mean, you and Andy will have your own house basically, but you can still come over for dinner, and we can hang out. Oh, Leo, boo, don't say no yet. Just think about it before you answer. We can redecorate the entire place any way you want."

If there was one thing Leo hated, it was disappointing my father, and Dad was laying it on thick today. I was sort of proud of him. I knew he was on my side.

Leo worried his lip between his teeth. "Okay, I can think about it. No promises, though."

Dad was up on his feet and rushing over to hug Leo, his smile wide. He winked at me when he caught my eye, and I only shook my head. He pressed a kiss to Leo's forehead before he reached over to touch my shoulder. My throat felt tight, and I was terrified Dad could see everything I was feeling on my face. I felt a hand on my thigh and looked down to see it was Leo.

"We should go look at the guesthouse," he suggested. "You know, so I can get a good idea of where all my stuff is going to go. I have a lot of clothes."

"You two are totally going to bang. Ouch! Stop hitting me, Ford, or I swear to God!" Lucas exclaimed. When he stood up, he towered over our foster brother. Lucas was taller than I was and about even with Pops at this point.

Ford shrank away. "I'm sorry. I was only kidding. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's not fucking funny," Lucas growled, and I saw the moment he wished he hadn't.

Ford's chin quivered, then he dashed out of the kitchen. Felix was right behind him.

Pops grunted. "You're grounded, Lucas."

"Me? Ford is the one who kept hitting me. I'm eighteen! This is such bullshit." He made sure to slam the front door behind him when he walked out of the house.

Dad only giggled and climbed back into Pop's lap. "Like I said, it's good to have all the boys back home and under one roof again. I missed this. All the bickering and laughing. We're a family again."

Yeah, I kind of missed it, too.