28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Leo

The soft glow of candlelight flickers across Cat's face as we sit at our table in La Bella Vita, one of the most upscale Italian restaurants in town. The ambiance is intimate, with dark wood paneling and plush velvet booths creating cozy nooks for diners. Soft classical music plays in the background, barely audible over the gentle murmur of conversation and the clink of silverware against porcelain.

Between her allergic reaction and a few away games we’ve had since, it seemed like this day would never happen. But here we are.

Finally.

I can't take my eyes off her. She looks stunning in a deep emerald dress that hugs her curves, her dark hair falling in soft waves over her shapely shoulders, the slight muscularity evidence of the work she puts in at Nora’s gym. There's a sparkle in her eyes that makes my heart skip a beat every time she smiles at me.

"You know, if you keep staring at me like that, I might start to think you’re planning on having me as your main course right here in the middle of the restaurant." Though I know she teases, taking a sip of her wine, she doesn’t realize how on the mark she truly is.

I chuckle, reaching across the table to take her hand in mine. "Don’t tempt me."

She grins, intertwining our fingers. "What? Think I wouldn’t be game for some exhibition?”

Fuck.

This is our first actual date. It’s supposed to be romantic, yet here she is getting my dick so fucking hard it might burst through my zipper.

“Hellcat, what have I said about that mouth of yours?”

She winks, stuffing said mouth with a large piece of bread, and my dick fucking twitches, precum leaking into my boxers. With a sigh, I shake my head. “I’m trying to be romantic here. Been out of practice for a while, but you really aren’t helping matters.”

“Leo, with all you’ve done for me—”

“Taking care of you is not romance. My father always used to remind me when Wendy was alive to date my wife and not let the romance die.”

Sometimes I wonder how that man can be married to my mother. They are so different, yet the way he smiles at her . . . it’s the same way I smile at Cat.

She leans back in her chair as the waiter brings us our appetizers. “That’s actually not bad advice.”

We dig into the appetizers, talking about our days, and I find myself marveling at how much my life has changed since she came into it. Like how I’m not as riled up about the Minotaurs still not clinching a wildcard spot the way I would have been a few weeks ago.

Sure, we’ve won a few games lately but so have other teams. And while the competitiveness is still there, that need to want to make it to the playoffs driving a huge part of me, it’s not the end-all for me.

Do I still want to keep my promise to Wendy?

Yes.

But I’ve been rethinking that day, her words. Wendy had always been my biggest supporter. Her eyes had been filled with concern even as she was dying. Had she meant for me not to give up? Not to fall apart after she was gone?

Did I misinterpret her meaning?

“Leo, are you okay?”

I blink a few times and clear my throat. “Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about how much you’ve changed our lives since coming into them.”

Cat tilts her head, fork with a piece of calamari stopping midway to her mouth. "How so?"

"Well, for one, the kids are happier. Stella's thriving in her CrossFit classes, and Mason . . . he's not as uptight about being perfect." I sit back and cross my arms over my chest. “He even said mierda the other day when he dropped a cookie and just shrugged his shoulders when I went to correct him.”

She coughs, almost choking on the piece of calamari she’s been chewing on. “Oh, shit. Sorry, I should watch my language more.”

I shake my head and roll my eyes. Cat curses way too much; half the time I don’t think she notices. And while I didn’t like my son just dismissing the whole thing, his normal default would’ve been to freak out.

“Would be nice, but really I just want both of my kids to find a happy medium.” I take a piece of bruschetta and eat it, watching as she continues to dig into some of the other appetizers.

“So, looks like my apartment will be ready by July.”

My chest tightens. One thing I’ve been avoiding is not having Cat at home on a daily basis. Not to mention, I haven’t even started looking for a nanny yet. There’s been too much on my plate, but even thinking about it now makes my stomach drop.

I wipe my mouth and place the napkin back on my lap. “That’s good news.”

She just nods.

Not wanting to dwell on this any longer, I switch the topic. “Talked to my brother the other day.”

“How’d that go?”

“Well, I think I honed that Alonso toughness because I pretty much told him off for cutting my kids out of his life, that they had no part in how my mother acted. And also, bluntly told him how I felt about losing my brother from my life, especially after Wendy died.”

Her eyes narrow, gaze locked onto me. “So . . . you guilt tripped him? I don’t remember that being an Alonso thing.”

I shrug. “It worked. He apologized. We talked for an hour and we’ve texted a couple of times.”

She takes a sip of wine, twirling the stem after placing the glass back on the table. “And your mother? What’s going on with her? Stella told me what happened at the hospital. I didn’t want to pry, but I also don’t want your kids not seeing their grandmother. You know how important mine is to me.”

“I do, but boundaries needed to be set.”

Our main courses arrive, and the smell alone is enough to distract us from the easy back-and-forth we’ve settled into. I take a bite of my steak, savoring the rich, peppery flavor before glancing over at Cat, who’s meticulously cutting a small piece of her chicken like it’s some kind of ritual. There's something both delicate and fierce about the way she handles herself, from the way her hair tumbles over her shoulders to the determined set of her mouth as she chews.

I swallow and scoop some mashed potatoes, but pause before eating them. “So, let me get this straight. You were a gamer?”

She puts down her fork and grins, her eyes lighting up. “Not just any gamer. I used to dominate those online first-person shooters.”

“How many times you get kicked out for that mouth of yours?” I shove the potatoes into my mouth, then wink.

She takes a sip of red wine, staring at me over the glass. “Maybe I’m not the only one who should have their mouths stuffed. You do know they make ball gags, right?”

I sputter, nearly choking on the potatoes, needing to give myself a few light punches to the chest. “Hellcat, we’re in a restaurant.”

“Excuse me. Wasn’t it your teammate banging on the wall when you got too loud while we were getting off together over Facetime a few days ago?”

My cheeks flush and I pull at the collar. But that’s not the only place heating up. Can’t remember the last time I’d had phone sex. Or video sex. Or whatever the fuck it is.

Just glad it was Garrison who’d been the unfortunate person on the other side of the wall. If it had been Wyatt, Mykyta, or Smitty the whole team would’ve known what I’d been doing while I was doing it.

Cat chuckles and resumes eating her Chicken Cordon Bleu. “Anyway, my mom thought I was going to turn streaming into a career.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“It became too much about video editing and acting rather than the game itself. Besides, I like influencing little minds instead. My kids at school—they're my audience now.”

She is one hell of a teacher. I’ve witnessed the way she’s helped my kids and Jake. But I’ve also overheard her a few times on the phone with parents. She genuinely cares about her students, and takes the time to learn about the families as well.

The conversation continues to flow naturally, moving from topic to topic with the kind of ease you don’t often find on first—hell, even second—dates. She tells me how her parents moved out to Arizona, how she hated transferring halfway through high school, and more about her time in college with Nora.

“I didn’t realize how close you two were. That you were there for all that shit with Michael from the beginning.”

She tenses and I reach across the table, taking her hand in mine. Cat sits straighter. “One of the toughest parts of my life was watching my best friend stay with that asshole, especially after she had Jake.” She shakes her head. “I’m just glad she’s with Wyatt now.”

While my best friend may be annoying at times, and act like a manchild at others, he’s a good man. He’d do anything for his family and friends. And he tries to learn from his mistakes.

I’m proud of him.

“Guess him punching that Ravens player ended up being a blessing.”

Cat snorts. “What I don’t get is why he doesn’t get picked on more for reading those romance novels he reads.”

I blink rapidly, the statement taking a bit to sink in. “He reads what now?”

“Wyatt reads romance novels. Now, I’m not one to shit on anyone’s enjoyments but . . . space velociraptors and main characters who are humanized forms of diseases?” She pulls out her phone and taps on the screen before turning it to show me.

For fuck’s sake.

Sentient Food? A sexy library card?

“You should see your face right now.” Cat pulls back her phone. “Trust me, Nora and I spent three hours just looking at this author’s titles. Supposedly, they are satirical as well. Honestly, I think I may want to read one.”

“Yeah?”

She nods. “Except I don’t want Wyatt finding out. You know he’ll try to turn it into a book club.”

That’s exactly what my best friend would do.

My heart’s beating a little faster and my muscles are tense. I’m even clenching my jaw. Fuck. Guess it bothers me not knowing about Wyatt’s hobby. But it’s also on me for keeping my walls up.

“After playoffs, you should host the next game night. Nora and the kids have mentioned it’s been awhile.”

I lean back in my chair, brow quirked, as I shoot her a lopsided smile. “You going to join?”

She waves a haphazard hand. “I got invited one time, and I had plans. Trust me, I rather would’ve been watching you lose. Heard all about how grumpy you get, especially when Wyatt’s beating your ass.”

Of course.

It seems making me grumpy is my best friend’s favorite pastime. “Wish I could return the favor.”

Cat leans closer. “You know, Nora said his mom sends these delicious cookies. Maybe we should steal them. Send him pictures of us eating them.”

I snort, then laugh. “Fuck. I heard about those cookies from Hudson. Actually, that’s not a bad idea. Maybe we could get the whole team to eat them. Blame it all on Stella.”

Her mouth goes agape. “I’m sorry. Did you just suggest pinning it all on your own daughter?”

“I owe her for the glitter bomb incident. And we all know how she is when it comes to chocolate cake. Anyone would believe she stole the cookies. Especially Wyatt. He knows she’s part demon.”

“Leo!”

Cat’s phone vibrates and my heartbeat increases. Nora is watching the kids, and the parental part of me kicks in, worrying something happened. Especially when Cat’s features pinch tight as she stares at the screen.

She puts the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

The color drains from her face, her skin paling as she sits up straighter, the fingers of her free hand clenching into a fist.

“Yes, this is she. What happened?”

I signal the waiter to bring the bill because whatever is going on is serious, especially when her eyes start to tear up.

“Yes, I’ll be right there.” Cat hangs up, taking a shuddering breath, patting her eyes with the napkin. “My grandmother is in the hospital again. I have to go.”

I reach across the table and grab her hand. “I’m taking you. We’ll go together.”

The tears stream down her face now. “I can’t lose her, Leo.”

The waiter brings the bill and I throw in money, then grab Cat’s hand. As we hurry out of the restaurant, I keep a steadying arm around her waist as she trembles against me, and I wish more than anything I could take away her pain and fear. “It’s going to be okay.”

She doesn’t say anything, just gets in the car, then clutches my hand tightly as I start the engine. We head out of the parking lot and to the hospital. I make a quick call to Nora to update her, asking if the kids can sleep over because I have no idea how long this is going to take.

After hanging up the phone, I glance over at Cat, her face a mask of worry and fear. No matter what happens, I'll be there for her. Every step of the way. Because that's what family does.

And Cat has become the heart of my family.