17. Leo

CHAPTER 17

leo

Before long, I was going out to the ranch almost every weekend. We'd stay in Seguin when there was something happening at the Meeting House or with one of our friends, but between the two of us, Love was the one more likely to get called in for honest-to-God emergencies on their off days, so it made sense for us to stay in their neck of the woods most of the time.

And while their housemates were always welcoming, the more Love and I got to know each other physically, the harder it was to stay quiet. Honestly, I wanted them to myself, and I wanted everyone else to go away.

My therapist said that wasn't reasonable, but a man could dream.

Love spent this Saturday taking care of a few vet crises, as usual, and I got to help the Rodeo King with a busted pipe, which was probably the non-Love highlight of my year.

The bunkhouse was blissfully empty on Sunday morning, so I pulled Love into my lap on the couch, and we drank coffee as the sun came up.

"I can't keep doing this," I said, miserable even as my whole world sat in my lap.

"Can't keep doing what?" they asked, kissing my cheek.

"Being away from you all week. Plus, Ginger and Jules have been patient with me, but I know they'd appreciate it if I moved out of the house sooner rather than later."

Love ran their fingers through my hair. "What does that mean?"

"I have to talk to Major. And I have to find a house out here, and you have to move in with me," I added at the end, 'cause I was sneaky like that.

"Oh, I have to move in with you, do I?" Love was doing a very bad job of hiding their grin.

"Well, if you don't want to live with me, you don't have to, but?—"

They silenced me with a kiss, shifting to straddle my lap. "Of course I wanna live with you, silly. I was just waiting for you to be ready. But something's making you anxious. What's going on, baby?"

Argh. They knew how much it turned me on when they called me baby. Still, they'd asked me a question.

"I hafta talk to Major," I admitted. "He's given me so much. He changed the entire trajectory of my life, and I feel like I'm gonna be letting him down by leaving."

Love shook their head. "I don't think it works like that. If he helped you to build this life, then I'm pretty sure he meant for you to be happy. He's been nothing but kind to me, nothing but supportive of you. I understand why you're nervous, but I think you should have a little more faith in your friend."

I let out a sigh. And then another, larger one. "Yeah, you're right. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"I'm not pressuring you, Leo. I'm just saying?—"

"I know. I just… I can't stand to be away from you for another second."

"When you're here"—Love kissed my nose—"I feel so calm and at ease. I can't wait to start a life with you."

Their words meant the world to me. They'd said as much in the past few weeks, but maybe I was finally hearing it for the first time. I wrapped them up in my arms, kissing them with everything I had, loving the way they immediately hardened against me.

Just as we were getting hot and heavy, someone knocked on the door, and seconds later, Warwick's head appeared. "Oh no!" he said, his voice dripping with insincerity. "Did I interrupt something saucy?" He popped his eyebrows, clearly loving that he'd caught us.

I took one of the couch pillows and threw it at his head, narrowly missing him.

He cackled. "There's a pop-up pool party, and you two are invited. If you can pull yourselves away from each other, that is."

Love loved the parties at Rebel Sky. And, like everyone else, I had a spare set of trunks that I kept here for just such an occasion.

"Sure, we'll be there in five," I said, pressing my lips together, trying to hide my disappointment.

Love wrinkled their nose, then turned to Warwick. "Make it twenty."

Warwick sent us a salute, then left, still laughing.

Love turned back to me, resettled on my lap, and fisted my shirt. "Come on, lover. We don't have much time."

"What's up?" Major asked, his eyes turning worried as I dropped into the chair in front of his desk.

I opened my mouth to answer, but my nerves got the better of me.

"Leo? Is something wrong?"

I gulped, feeling like I'd been breathing open-mouthed in the Sahara. "Uh, no. Not wrong , exactly," I croaked.

Major looked unconvinced. "Okay, then. What is it? You're worrying me, man."

Major knew I didn't like being called "kid," though having him call me "man" felt a little weird. Still, I was an adult, and adults owned up to their shit.

Here goes nothing.

"Love and I are going to move in together. We don't have a house yet, but it's just a matter of time, and…" I looked into Major's kind eyes, and my stomach sank. "It won't be here. It'll be out by Johnson City."

I bit my lip, waiting for his reaction, but I didn't have to wait long. He stood and made his way around the desk so quickly I wasn't sure what was happening. He grabbed me by the shoulders, lifting me into a massive bear hug.

"I'm so proud of you," he choked out, tears streaking his face as he tightened his grip around me.

"You're not mad?" I asked, stunned. "You don't feel like I'm, like, abandoning you?"

Major pulled back, chuckling as he wiped at his eyes. "It's possible that I got a heads-up call from Love last night. They mentioned that you'd been nervous. I could tell they were worried."

I shook my head, unable to help the laugh that bubbled up from my chest. Fucking Lovett Underwood. "Love gets that from their mother, you have to know."

Major's smile could've lit the city of Seguin. "Sounds like a good problem to have."

I nodded as a few tears slipped down my own cheeks. "It is."

"Besides, why would I think you're abandoning me when all you're really doing is moving up the timeline on the Hill Country branch of Everly Plumbing?"

I felt my eyes go round. "Are you serious? You'd want me to do that?"

"Of course. I'd be an idiot to let you go and an even bigger idiot not to expand into a market begging for plumbers. Now that you've got your master's license, this is a good thing for both of us."

"It is?"

"Yes. Oh my God, yes. You're an anxious mess being apart from Love, and I've been wanting to grow the business. It's win-win. And it means that we still get to work together," he concluded, his voice soft.

"How do we do it? I have some cash, but a lot of that has to go toward a house."

"We'll work it out. Partnership is one option, though I also like the idea of it being a franchise that you own, something that's all yours but with the support of my established business. Whatever ends up being the better solution, I think we can make it work. I've already talked to Sawyer, and he's got a friend who knows exactly how to set up these kinds of businesses."

I threw my arms around Major, lifting him up on his toes. "I don't know how I'll ever pay you back for everything you've done for me, but I will. One of these days, I really, really will." I was blubbering, but that was nothing new. I stepped back, and fresh tears appeared in Major's eyes.

" Leo . You have nothing to pay back. Do you understand the difference you've made in my life? Giving you a chance was the smartest thing I've ever done. The apprentice program you set up has meant that I don't know what it's like to suffer for good help like so many businesses do. Everybody you select ends up being an exceptional worker. And I know you'll continue to make good hiring choices as you help expand the business."

I sniffed. "It's my favorite part."

"Then put it there, partner," he said, sticking out his hand.

I shook my head and hugged him tight. "Thank you, Major. Thank you so, so much."

"You're welcome. You've earned it."

We rambled on about how much we meant to each other for a few more minutes, but we had a business to run, so we soon dried our faces and got to it. On my way to my first callout, I put Love on Bluetooth.

"How did it go?" they asked before I even had a chance to say hello.

"Better than expected. He wants me to manage the Hill Country branch of Everly Plumbing."

"Leo! That's amazing!"

"He ratted you out, though."

"I'm not sorry." I could hear the smile in their voice.

"Me neither. Thank you for having my back."

"You deserve every good thing that's coming to you," Love said, and I knew they believed every word.

Maybe, just maybe, I believed it, too.