6. Leo

CHAPTER SIX

LEO

I packed up some of the cookies I'd made and checked the bag once again, ensuring everything was ready. I took an order from one of the women in the pack who was having a baby shower for a ton of sugar cookies with leaf themes on them. I didn't take a ton of orders, but I did love doing baby showers.

Though I was very happy how we were, I always imagined us having kids. I could picture little ones running around this big house, learning to turn into wolves, their ears popping out occasionally. I imagined Hawthorne coming home and lifting them all in his big arms, Jasper playing with them outside, probably forcing them to hike. I could imagine Harper's round belly carrying them while she read to them at night.

Woah…

I shook my head. Though I saw Harper as endgame for all of us, I needed to back up. I didn't want to scare her away. After our first date, we'd seen her a few more times, once for coffee and another dinner. She seemed to be busy, so it was hard to catch her, but we tried to spend as much time with her as possible.

Though it was obvious her job was demanding, it seemed like there was something going on at home, but she never mentioned it. I'd wanted to ask, but Hawthorne said we should give her time to tell us. He was probably right, but I didn't want to listen.

My phone pinged. It was Harper, telling us her car had broken down. Jasper quickly responded, seeing if she needed a ride, but she assured us one of her co-workers could grab her. I typed out a quick message.

Leo - Do you have anything for lunch?

Harper - Ugh, no. I'm just gonna scrounge my purse for coins and raid the vending machine.

Leo - Why don't I bring you something? I have to drop off a cookie order anyway.

Harper - I don't want to impose

Leo - Never. There's nothing I'd like more than to see your face today.

The dots danced for a moment before going away. I worried I'd been too much when she finally responded.

Harper - Okay. I want to see you too. My break is at 1.

My heart pounded out of my chest. I checked the clock—11:30. I ran around the kitchen, trying to figure out what to make. I settled for a few chicken caprese sandwiches, some Greek salads, and a few extra cookies I had left.

I ran out the door and rushed to deliver the baked goods. Angie was grateful for them, and her mother insisted on chatting for longer than I'd have liked. I was just out the door when I heard my name behind me.

I turned to find my sister Charlotte, her own pregnant bump sticking out even further than it had thelast time I saw her. She had long black hair up in a bun, and she was carrying a large vegetable tray.

"Hey! I didn't know you'd be here this early." Though I loved her, I didn't want to run into her right now. I didn't have time, I needed to get to Harper.

She gave me a hug, wrapping around me, somehow avoiding her bump and the tray. "I told Ang I would help set up. The first shower is always a big deal."

"Nice. Well, I need to run. I hope you have a great baby shower." I tried to sidestep her, but even pregnant, she was quick.

"Where are you off to?" It was an innocent question, but that glint in her eye told me otherwise.

"Nowhere," I snapped too quickly.

She locked onto that tone like a piranha. Damn my sister for knowing me so well. "You have a date."

"I do not," I scoffed.

"You totally do. You always got like that when you were ‘just hanging out' at Hawthorne's house with Jasper." She gasped. "Are you cheating on them? I swear, Leo Finn Caldron, you were not raised to…"

I put my hand over her mouth, stopping her from shouting in the middle of the parking lot. She acted like my mother sometimes, but I guess that was what older sisters were for.

"It's not like that," I yell-whispered.

She swatted my hand away. "Tell me what it's like then, because I will walk over to that clinic and tell Jasper myself."

"It's someone we're seeing," I said, hoping she'd get the hint.

Her eyes widened. "Oh, I see. When did you guys start dating?"

"Can we not get into this right now?" I asked. "I promise to tell you everything, but I promised to bring her lunch."

" And it's a her? I'll definitely need to hear this, but fine, I'll let you off the hook. For now."

I smiled. "Thanks, Char," I gave her a small side hug and took off to my car.

I gave a small chuckle to myself as I thought about Charlotte's reaction to my possible cheating. She wasn't wrong though. I had been obsessed with them both as long as I could remember.

When we were in school we were tied at the hip. I had other friends, but Hawthorne and Jasper took up most of my time. I'd spend after school sitting with Jasper in the library, bothering him while he tried to study, or watching Hawthorne at football practice.

It wasn't until we were in high school that Charlotte pointed out my feelings. At first, I denied it. We were just friends, close friends. But the longer I considered it, the more I realized she was right. My other friends didn't make my heart skip a beat when I caught their eye, and I definitely didn't feel attracted to any of them.

Once I accepted it, I knew I had to do something about it. I was always the type to go after what I wanted, and as soon as I was sure, I formulated a plan. I planned a day for both of them to meet at Hawthorne's for homework. Then I would tell them how I felt and hope they felt the same.

It sort of fell apart, however when I didn't have the patience. Hawthorne had hopped up on his bed with me, and got so close. That same woodsy scent he'd always had infiltrated my senses. At the time I wasn't sure if it was just in my head, but I swore his cheeks pinked slightly, giving me the confidence to lean in and kiss him.

He was still at first, and I worried I'd made a mistake until he wrapped himself around me, kissing me back. It was everything I had wanted it to be. Like the world around us faded away, and it was just us.

That was until a gasp by the door startled us. Jasper was there, eyes wide and mouth slack. He apologized and ran away. I jumped up and followed him, chasing him down the stairs, towards the door, and outside. He ran all the way to the tree line outside of Hawthorn's house until we were a little way in.

"Stop," I called, my breath ragged. Even for a shifter, I wasn't much for running.

He did, keeping his back to me. "It's fine."

"W-what's fine?" I asked, my breath still coming in large gulps.

"You two can continue, I'll leave you alone."

"No," I said quickly. "You don't understand."

"Understand what?" he asked, his voice clipped and frustrated. "You guys…like each other. I don't want to get in the way."

"You aren't in the way."

"Of course I am," he continued. "You guys want to be a couple, or whatever, and when I'm there you can't do what you want. I can just?—"

I couldn't listen to it anymore. I pressed my lips to his, effectively quieting him. Just like Hawthorne earlier, he was frozen in place. But unlike Hawthorne, he never returned my kiss.

I pulled away, slightly embarrassed and worried I'd just ruined everything. Jasper looked shocked, his eyes wide as he stared at me.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "I just thought?—"

I landed against the tree behind me with an oof. Jasper was hovered over me, his blue eyes shimmering. "What did you think?" he asked.

"I-I thought you liked me too. Liked us too."

He moved closer to me at what felt like a glacial pace, until our lips were a breath apart and our noses touched.

"I do." He leaned in and sealed our lips in a kiss. One he reciprocated, one he dominated. It wasn't the same as kissing Hawthorne. He had a more minty clean taste that tickled my tongue and made me shiver. But it was just as good.

When he pulled away it was too soon. "We should go back and talk," I said.

He agreed. When we got back, Hawthorne was freaked out, but I was managed to calm them each down and we decided to date. Though it was a bit weird and new at first, we found a rhythm for us and had been together ever since.

Luckily, I wasn't lying about their delivery being near her office and pulled into the parking lot right at one. Leaving those memories behind, I pulled down the sun visor mirror to check how I looked. My hair was a mess, so I grabbed the hair tie around my wrist and threw half of it up so at least it was out of my eyes.

With that sorted, I grabbed the bag I brought and headed inside. It was a simple, clean office, with a few scattered fake plants and the smell of printer paper in the air.

"Can I help you?" the woman at the front desk said.

"Yes," I said, approaching. "I'm looking for Harper Maloy."

"Oh, she's the third office on the right," she said, gesturing to the hall.

"Thanks." I headed in that direction. There were photos of each of the agents on a plaque on the outside their doors, and I stopped to look at Harper's. She was smiling, with her rounded cheeks and slightly flushed skin. Her hair was down in the photo, styled to perfection, as it normally was.

The door was cracked open, and I knocked lightly before pushing it open. She turned my way, phone held to her ear.

She smiled at me, putting her hand over the bottom. "Sorry, I'll be done in a sec if you want to sit down."

I nodded and sat on the other side of her desk, looking around. She had some photo frames facing her that I couldn't see from here. I yearned to turn them, but I didn't want to intrude. Jasper said I had a habit of doing that and I shouldn't scare her away.

The rest of the office was fairly bare. Her certificate was on the back wall, along with two pieces of paper that looked to be kids' drawings. I wondered what they were about.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when she slammed the phone down on the hook. "Sorry about that," she said. "I'm ready for lunch."

She was wearing a long black pencil skirt with a blue buttoned dress shirt. Seeing her in such professional clothes made me burn up inside. I held the bag up. "Great. I brought a little something. I thought we could eat in the park nearby."

"That's so thoughtful. Let me grab my sweater and we can go." She grabbed her black blazer and I followed her out of the office. Once we were outside we could walk comfortably next to each other. I stepped a bit closer and grabbed her hand, hoping I wasn't being too forward.

She looked down at them before looking up at me and squeezing my hand. We soon reached a swinging bench in front of the lake. The view was almost as beautiful as she was.

We sat down, and I took out the bento boxes I'd packed everything in. I hoped we'd get to go to the park and these were perfect for travel eating. She opened hers and gasped. "This looks amazing! I appreciate you coming."

"Of course. I hope you like it."

She picked up the cookie first, examining it closely. "Are these the ones you make?"

"Yeah. I had some leftovers from the baby shower today."

"They're gorgeous," she said.

"I can show you the whole set." I pulled out my phone and clicked on the photos. Along with the leaves, there were onesies, binkies, and a plaque that said "oh, baby." They all had little green plants on them to tie them together. I loved how they came out.

"You do really great work," she said, handing the phone back.

"Thanks."

She set the cookie down, as if it was too pretty to eat, and dove into the sandwich. She took a few bites and I couldn't take my eyes off her. She was just so beautiful.

"Something on my face?" she asked when she realized I was staring at her.

"N-no," I stuttered, turning my attention to my own meal. I needed to get it together.

She giggled but went back to her food. We ate in a comfortable silence, looking out at the water.

"Thank you for lunch," she said as we finished up. "It's much nicer than the bag of Doritos and Honey Bun I had planned."

"Any excuse to see you."

Her blush deepened, only highlighting her rounded cheeks.

I set my box aside and slid into her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. "So whose baby shower are these for?" she asked.

"My sister's best friend," I said. "I'm going to have to start another set for my sister too. She's having her sprinkle as she calls it, in a few months, and between you and me, she's a menace about decor, so I know they have to be perfect."

"Do you only have one sister?"

"Yes. I have an older sister, Hawthorne has a younger brother, and Jasper is an only child, in case you didn't get that vibe."

She laughed harder than I think she meant to and covered it with her hand. "I might have."

"What about you?" I asked. "Any siblings?"

"I'm the youngest child with a an older sister and brother. They're both much cooler than me."

I frowned. "Why do you think that?"

She shrugged. "They both have high-profile jobs and are married."

I lifted my eyebrow. "And?"

"I think I've just done things out of order," she admitted.

I wasn't sure what she meant by that, but I didn't like her being down on herself. "Everyone lives life differently. I mean, three guys in a relationship isn't what most consider typical, but it works for us, and that's what matters."

She smiled lightly. "That's true."

I reached up and traced my finger under her jaw until she faced me. It was strange, I'd never been attracted to women before. To be fair, I'd never been attracted to anyone who wasn't Jasper or Hawthorne, but something about her plump lips and pretty eyes made my cock threaten to stand at any moment.

I leaned in and planted my lips on hers, loving her warm, almost spicy taste. She kissed me back with equal want, licking my lips to let her in.

I did easily, wanting more of her, of the way she dominated our kisses, like she knew exactly what I wanted. I fought the urge to straddle her on this bench and grind down on her, but we were in public and way too close to her work.

All too soon she pulled away, our breath lingering between us. I rested my forehead against hers, just breathing her in. "You are something else, Harper Maloy."

"So are you. All of you."

My heart squeezed when she said that. I didn't think we'd ever find a mate for all of us, but here she was.

"I should get back to work," she sighed.

I groaned. "I suppose." I gave her one more quick kiss before standing, collecting our things, and putting out my hand to help her up. We walked together like that back to my car, and it all just felt so right.