Chapter Forty-Eight

Leo

Then

Andy had barely taken his eyes off me. I saw the desire and heat in them as he helped me lace up my skates, the want and lust that had flashed across his face. Clearly, I had chosen the perfect outfit for our date tonight. It was a comfortable green sweater that clung to my chest and back right above the top of my jeans. Every time I moved the right way, it gave Andy a glimpse of my stomach. A sliver of skin that seemed to call to him like a beacon. It wasn't like Andy hadn't seen me naked before, but tonight felt different. Like maybe we were ready for that next step.

"Hi." I felt myself grow warm in the cool arena, goosebumps breaking out over my skin.

Andy smiled. "Hi." He helped me to my feet and then onto the ice.

Maverick was sitting a few rows up, pretending he wasn't watching when we both knew he was. He had his Kindle open before him, the light flashing over his face as he read his latest romance novel.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight, Ricky?" Andy asked as we slid around the rink. He held my hand tightly as his hazel eyes met mine.

I nodded. "You did, a few times, but I like hearing it. No, I like hearing you say it."

"In that case, you look beautiful." Andy chuckled softly before he skated to a stop. "I love you," he whispered, his eyes dropping to my mouth. "I love you now, forever, and always. I just wanted you to know that. I don't expect you to say it back if you're not ready. Maybe you don't feel the same way, but I just thought it was time to tell you how I felt."

Tears burned my eyes. "You love me?"

"Yeah, baby, I love you."

"I love you, too."

Andy's eyes went wide, then he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. His hands found their way to my hips, his palm sliding over the small of my back. I hummed happily as he licked at the corners of my mouth before his tongue slipped between the seam, and then I was falling. I tried to grab onto Andy's Panthers sweatshirt, but it was too late. I went down hard on the ice and was hit with a blinding pain.

"Jesus Christ!" Maverick screamed, and I could make out the sounds of his feet as he ran down the steps to get to us. "Andy, what happened? I looked away for one minute, and when I glanced back up.... Leo, are you okay?"

I moaned as the pain shot up my leg and over my hips. "It hurts." I struggled to get up, but my left leg wouldn't listen to me. "Andy?" I whispered. "I can't move my leg."

"Ricky, stay still. Don't try to move." Andy's voice trembled. "Dad, what are you doing?"

Maverick waved a hand at him. "Calling an ambulance."

"There's no time for that," Andy hissed, and then he scooped me up into his arms like I weighed nothing. "Put your arms around my neck, baby. Can you do that for me? Dad, you're going to have to drive like Carson and Noel. We need to get to the hospital now!"

I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head. "I don't feel so good, hon."

"I know, Leo." Andy held me tightly against him. "Dad, open the damn truck!"

Maverick huffed. "Don't talk to me like that. I'm your father. I'm moving as fast as I can." The sound of the doors unlocking had Andy quickly placing me inside the vehicle and climbing in behind me. He placed my head in his lap.

"I'm sorry," I whimpered as fresh pain coursed through my veins. "I'm sorry that I ruined our date night and the first time you told me you loved me."

Andy combed his fingers through my hair. "You didn't ruin anything." He cooed softly, his nails scraping over my scalp. "Just rest now, Ricky. You're going to be fine."

"You don't know that."

"You're going to be fucking fine."

I stared up at my boyfriend, all the excitement from earlier gone from his handsome face. It was now replaced with fear and worry. "I love you."

"I know, baby, and I love you, too." Andy murmured.

***

I woke with a gasp, the smell of antiseptic strong in my nostrils. It was dark except for the light from the monitor to my right and a sliver beneath the door. I groaned softly as I tried to shift my body, then clamped a hand over my mouth to stop the scream that threatened to escape. Fuck, that hurt.

"Ricky?" Andy's voice was thick with sleep. "Do you need something? Are you in pain? I can get a nurse..." He was already slipping from the bed before I could answer. The door opened, and I was temporarily blinded. "Please, my boyfriend is awake. He needs something for the pain." I heard Andy's voice travel through the air.

He stepped back into the room and climbed into the bed before wrapping his arms around me. "I'm right here, baby. I forced them to let me stay with you."

"You snarled and snapped at the other nurses like a rabid dog, sweetie." The nurse flipped a light on before walking toward me. "This boy loves you, Leopold." She winked.

I gave her a lazy smile. Her name tag read Beth, and it was decorated with all sorts of colorful stickers. Hearts, rainbows, and musical notes stared down at me. "I like your stickers."

"Thanks, sweetie." Beth's lips turned up as she injected something into the port on my arm. "You should start to feel a little better now, sunshine. And you"—she pointed a finger at Andy—"I'll bring breakfast up around seven. Do you want pancakes or waffles?"

I drifted off at the sound of Andy's deep chuckle, his breath against my neck, his arm wrapped around my waist. When I woke again, my brother was sitting by the window, his arms folded over his chest as he nodded off. The sun was just starting to come up through the windows, bright and shining like a beacon. Jesus, wasn't he supposed to be at the race? I grimaced as I stretched, getting a better look at my leg that was now encased in a bright, pink cast. My toes peeked out from the bottom, and my nails were still painted a bright red.

"You're awake." I glanced over at my brother, worry written all over his face. "How are you feeling? Any pain? Do you want me to get someone?"

My chin began to quiver. "You shouldn't be here. You had a race this weekend, and you missed it. You're going to ruin your chance at a championship—"

"Ssshhh.... Don't worry about that, Leo." Noel reached over to place his hand on my wrist. "The only thing that matters is you and making sure you are okay. Watts is already working on getting me a waiver." He squeezed me gently.

I nodded. "Thank you for coming." I brushed the tears from my cheeks and felt Andy stir next to me. "Hey, hon."

"Do you need something?" He shot off the bed and stumbled when he noticed Noel. "Maybe I should just give you some space?" He hooked a thumb over his shoulder.

Noel shook his head. "I think you should stay."

"I'm sorry," Andy blurted. "For letting Leo fall and not catching him. I promised him, you know, that I would never let that happen, and now I just look like an asshole—I mean, idiot. I completely understand if you don't want Leo and me to see one another anymore."

Noel smirked. "I didn't say that."

"Oh, well, good. I wasn't about to stop seeing him, anyway. I love Leo." Andy's neck burned pink.

I patted the bed. "Come on, hon. Get back here." Exhaustion was already seeping through my bones again. "Wait, where's Seth? Weren't the two of you on a little weekend get together?"

Noel patted my arm. "There will be plenty more of those. As soon as Maverick called me, I jumped on the first plane I could so that I could get to you. Everyone's in the waiting room."

"Everyone? Who is everyone?" My brows shot up.

Noel smiled, and I noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "Everyone. Jax, Ezra, Killian and Matthias, Wyatt, and Maverick." He stood up. "And I know that Ezra and Maverick would love to see you before you drift off again. I'm pretty sure they're going to let you out this afternoon, but it will make them both feel better to see you with their own eyes."

"You okay?" Andy asked once my brother had left the room. "Do you want something for the pain? I can get Beth again."

I shook my head and suddenly remembered how Andy had saved me. "You carried me." I touched his face, let my fingers trace his lips and the curve of his jawline. "You picked me up, rushed up the stairs, and put me in the car. With your skates on."

"I did, yeah..." Andy gripped the back of his neck and gave me a nervous smile.

I leaned my head onto his shoulder. "You saved me."

"Baby, I love you. There's nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe," Andy promised.

"Boo!" Ezra shrieked as he rushed into the room and over to the bed. "I was so scared."

Maverick was behind him, his brows furred as he chewed on his bottom lip. "You scared all of us," he murmured.

"I didn't mean to. I don't even know what happened. One minute I was kissing my boyfriend, and the next, I was on my butt. I guess I'm not a very good skater."

Andy pressed a kiss into my hair. "You're okay now, baby. I'll never, ever let that happen again. I promise."

"Awww...." Ezra sighed softly. "See, boo, nothing to worry about. Leo is going to be right as rain." He reached for Maverick's hand. "This isn't your fault."

Maverick nodded. "I know, I just... I was there."

"And what were you going to do? Scale the ceiling like Spiderman so you could save him? They're kids, Maverick. Kids have accidents and get hurt. Noel already told you that he forgave you."

Maverick stared at me. "And what about you, Leo? Do you forgive me?"

"There's no reason to forgive you because you didn't do anything wrong, Dad," I assured him and watched his eyes light up. "You're amazing and do so much for me already. Ezra's right. We're kids. We do stupid shit. I broke my arm once when I jumped from a tree. I was wearing a Cinderella costume that time."

Maverick's eyes welled with tears, then he was hugging me, his arms tight around my chest as he told me how he'd been so scared. How worried he had been. "And then my wonderful son swooped in and carried you like a superhero."

"My superhero." I giggled. "I'm not going to be able to drive a car like this. That's going to suck. But"—I held up a finger—"that'll just give me an excuse to rest and have a little vacation."

Ezra nodded in agreement. "You'll be back on your feet in no time, boo."

Maverick and Ezra soon left, and everyone else come in to visit two at a time, even if it was technically three visitors with Andy in the room. It was kind of sweet how everyone seemed to care about me. That they were worried and wanted to make sure that I was going to be okay. When they left, leaving me alone with Andy, I whispered in his ear how much I loved him and how I was lucky to have someone so perfect in my life. Andy sighed softly, but the smile on his face told me everything he couldn't.

My eyes were suddenly heavy with sleep again. I snuggled closer and buried my face against his chest, letting his warmth and familiar scent lull me back to sleep.