Coming Home

“Danny, this is my dad.”

  Danny smiled, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Marino.”

  Leah watched her father carefully as he reached forward and clasped Danny’s hand, and she exhaled in relief when she saw that Danny was meeting her father’s gaze. For as long as she could remember, her father had always said that he never trusted the intentions of a man who couldn’t look him in the eye when they shook hands.

  “Good to meet you, Danny.”

  “Here you go,” Alexis said from behind them, and Leah turned to see her handing Danny a beer.

  “Where’s mine?” Chris said, and Alexis shrugged.

  “My guess would be in the fridge.”

  Danny pressed his lips together and looked down, only allowing himself to laugh when everyone else did.

  Her father turned and walked back to the recliner. “Have a seat, Danny.”

  He took a few steps into the room, and Leah was about to follow just as Alexis said, “Hey, Leah? Sarah said she needs you in the kitchen.”

  She glanced at Alexis before she turned to Danny, biting her lip.

  “Beat it, mother hen,” Chris said casually, and she shot him a dirty look before turning her eyes to Danny.

  “You okay in here?” she mouthed, and he nodded encouragingly.

  “He’ll be fine,” Alexis said softly, wrapping her arm around Leah and guiding her to the kitchen.

  As soon as they entered, Sarah handed her a glass of wine.

  “Thanks,” she said, taking a long sip as she leaned up against the counter.

  Alexis held up her hands. “Okay, I’m just gonna say it. Gor…geous,” she said, making it sound like two separate words.

  “You should see him shirtless,” Sarah said, smirking at Leah over her wine glass before taking a sip.

  “No way,” Alexis said as she fanned herself. “I couldn’t handle it. Pregnancy hormones are a force to be reckoned with.”

  “I hate both of you,” Leah said, blushing crimson, and the girls laughed.

  The three of them continued working on dinner, and at one point, Christopher came into the kitchen to get another round of beers. As he turned from the fridge, he made eye contact with Leah, and she raised her brow at him. He smiled softly before he winked, and then he made his way back out to the family room.

  At that small token of approval, Leah felt some of the tension leave her shoulders, and she smiled to herself as she chopped up the vegetables for the salad.

  A little while later, Alexis and Leah were dishing out the lasagna while Sarah called the boys in for dinner. Kyle came through the kitchen first, kissing Sarah’s temple before he continued through to the dining room.

  The sound of laughing caught her attention, and Leah turned as Chris and Danny entered the kitchen together. Chris smirked at her, tousling her hair roughly as he passed, and she swatted at him, jerking out of his reach. Before she could fix it, Danny came over to her, running his hands through her hair and detangling it.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hi,” he said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

  “Are you having fun?”

  “I am. They’re great. And you look much better,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  She brought her arms up, interlocking her fingers behind his neck. “I look better?”

  “Yeah. You don’t look like you’re about to shit yourself anymore.”

  She unlocked her hands from behind his neck and pushed him, and he laughed, pulling her into a hug. Leah rested her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes.

  “Was I that obvious?” she mumbled.

  “Just a little,” he said against the top of her head, kissing her there before letting her go.

  Her father walked into the kitchen then, clapping Danny on the back as he passed. “Brees better come through next week.”

  “It’ll happen,” Danny said, and Leah looked up at him, her brow furrowed.

  “What was that about?”

  “We got a bet going on next week’s game. Me and your dad against Kyle and your brother.”

  “Okay, but what does that have to do with the weather?”

  “What?” he said through a laugh. “What are you talking about?”

  “My dad just said a breeze better come through next week.”

  Danny stared at her for several seconds before he burst out laughing. “Oh my God,” he said, taking her face in his hands. “Do you have any idea how adorable you are?”

  He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her lips before he turned into the dining room, and she heard his laughter start back up again.

  She shook her head, still confused as she finished cutting up the last of the garlic bread, and then she brought the tray into the dining room. As soon as she sat, she heard Chris chuckle softly before clearing his throat.

  “So, Leah,” he said, “Do you want to get in on this wind bet? I’m gonna see if I can find my anemometer.”

  The boys disintegrated into laughter, her father included, and the girls were looking at her with equal parts sympathy and amusement. She turned to Danny, who was trying to get control of his laughter as he looked at her apologetically.

  Chris laughed. “Drew Brees is the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, you asshole. Brees. B-R-E-E-S. Aren’t you supposed to be an English teacher?”

  She looked at Danny. “You ratted me out?”

  “I had to,” he said, trying not to smile. “Your dad asked me what was so funny.”

  She pursed her lips and nodded slowly. “Okay, I see how it is,” she said, picking up her fork and turning to her brother. “And Chris, for your information, Brees and breeze would be considered homophones—words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. They’re easy to confuse if you don’t see them written down, in case you were interested.”

  He paused for a second, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully before he brought his eyes back to hers. “Yeah, I’m not interested at all, actually.”

  The table broke into laughter again, and this time Leah joined them, shaking her head. Danny clasped her hand under the table, bringing it up to his mouth and giving it a quick kiss before he released it.

  Dinner couldn’t have gone more perfectly if Leah had scripted it herself. Both Danny and Kyle were newcomers to the Marino Sunday dinner, but it felt as if they’d always been part of the tradition. The boys talked cars for a little while once they found out what Danny did for a living, and even though most of what they were saying went right over Leah’s head, she found herself listening intently to the conversation. Danny sounded so intelligent, so ardent, so confident, that she could have listened to him for hours, even if none of it made sense to her.

  After dinner the girls brought dessert out to the table, and everyone sat around, sipping coffee and talking casually. At one point Kyle was telling a story, and Leah looked at Danny to find his gaze focused on the other side of the table. He looked almost wistful, and Leah followed his line of sight to where Chris and Alexis were sitting; they were looking at Kyle as he spoke, but Chris’s hand was on Alexis’s belly, rubbing it gently as he listened to Kyle’s story.

  She reached under the table and took his hand, and Danny blinked quickly, snapping out of whatever spell he was under as he looked down at her. She gave his hand a tiny squeeze, and he smiled before he returned it.

  Just as everyone was finishing up, Leah excused herself to the laundry room to sort her father’s laundry, and by the time she got back to the kitchen, only Sarah and Kyle were left. Sarah was putting the leftovers in plastic containers, and Kyle was loading the dishwasher.

  Leah walked toward the family room and popped her head in. Chris and Alexis were sitting on the couch together, watching TV.

  “Where are Daddy and Danny?” she asked.

  “Outside,” Chris answered.

  “What are they doing out there?”

  Chris shrugged, his eyes on the television. “Don’t worry. Dad wouldn
’t do anything out there. Too many witnesses.”

  Leah rolled her eyes, walking to the window and pulling the curtains aside. The outside light was on, faintly illuminating the driveway, and it took her a second to find them. As soon as she did, her eyes stung with the threat of tears.

  They stood at the top of the driveway behind the pickup Danny had borrowed from Jake. Danny was off to the side, his hands in his pockets and his head down. The truck bed was open, and Leah’s father leaned on it with both hands, staring tenderly at what lay inside.

  After a minute he stood, turning to Danny, and Leah watched as Danny raised his head. They were too far away for her to see their expressions, or even if their mouths were moving, but they stood there for a moment, facing each other. And then her father walked toward him, putting his hand on Danny’s shoulder.

  Leah stepped back and let the curtain fall closed, suddenly feeling as though she were eavesdropping. A wave of emotion crashed over her, and all at once, she wanted to laugh, or burst into tears, or both.

  Sarah and Kyle joined them in the living room, and Leah curled up in her father’s recliner, attempting to watch TV with everyone else. About ten minutes later, she heard the garage door being opened, and she knew Danny and her father were carrying the slab of concrete into the house.

  Eventually she heard the sounds of them coming up the basement stairs, and as the door opened, Leah turned to see her father standing at the top. His eyes met hers, and then he walked over to where she was sitting, bringing his hand to her cheek as he stared down at her. She smiled up at him, and his lips curved into a gentle smile in return before he dropped his eyes and took a tiny, quivering breath. He walked out of the room then, and she knew he must have needed a few minutes to himself.

  Leah turned her attention back to the basement steps; Danny was leaning against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets and his eyes on her. Before she had even made the conscious decision to do it, she was out of the chair and crossing the room to him. He pushed off the wall as she approached, and Leah immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, hiding her face in his chest as she inhaled the scent that was quickly becoming vital to her. He brought his hand to her hair, holding her against his chest as he pressed his lips to the crown of her head.

  And that was the moment she knew she had fallen in love with Danny DeLuca.

  Leah had just finished curling her hair when she heard her phone beep with an incoming text, and she leaned over and swiped the screen.

  We’re running a little late. Are you guys on your way?

  Leah picked up the phone and texted her sister back.

  Not yet. Danny should be here any minute. We’ll meet you guys there.

  A minute later, Sarah’s response came through.

  K. Get a table if u guys get there first.

  Leah put her phone down on the sink before she checked her makeup in the mirror. She and Danny were meeting Sarah and Kyle at one of their old hangout spots to celebrate the promotion Kyle had just gotten at work.

  She walked out of the bathroom and back to her bedroom to grab her purple platform heels, or as Robyn called them, her “happy shoes.” She felt happy. It was such a simple concept, but it had eluded her for so long that she was constantly aware of its presence in everything she did. Everything felt new, like she was looking at the world through a different pair of eyes, rediscovering and suddenly appreciating things that the old Leah had overlooked.

  The two weeks since Danny’s birthday had been the best two weeks of her life—an incredible blur of laughing and talking and cuddling, of smiles and shared secrets and making love.

  She never imagined, even in her most sanguine teenage dreams, that being in love could ever feel like this.

  Leah heard a knock on her door, and she stuck her head out of the bedroom. “Come in!” she called. “I’ll be out in a sec!”

  She heard the front door open and close as she pulled her shoes out of the closet and stepped into them, and then she walked over to the full-length mirror, taking one last look at herself before she made her way out to the living room, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor.

  “So guess what?” she said, stopping short when she saw him in the dining room. He was sitting with his elbows on the table and his hands clasped in front of his mouth. As soon as he saw her, he lowered his hands and smiled, but she could see that it was forced.

  That there was a struggle behind his eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  He inhaled slowly, and Leah watched his throat convulse as he swallowed. “My lawyer called today.”

  Her stomach lurched, and she a felt a cold prickle down her spine.

  “What did he say?”

  Danny wet his lips before he looked up at her. “We have a sentencing date.”

  It felt like her throat was closing. She tried to take a breath, but it was as if her lungs were full of glue. “When?” she managed, her voice barely audible.

  “May second.”

  Leah stood there for a minute, trying to process what he had just said.

  May second. The day before her birthday.

  She crossed the room to him, and he sat up as she approached, allowing her to crawl into his lap. Danny dropped his head to her shoulder, and she curled her arms around him, trying to keep her breathing even.

  She couldn’t react right now. She couldn’t fall apart. She needed to keep it together.

  But what was the point of being strong? What difference would it make? If she cried or if she didn’t, if she screamed or if she remained stoic, if she bargained or denied or accepted or fought, none of it would change anything. None of it would prevent what was about to happen.

  May second. Less than two months away.

  They sat there in silence, their arms around each other as Leah’s thoughts ran rampant. One minute her mind was racing with what this meant for them, what it meant for him, and the next it was eerily devoid of anything whatsoever.

  “What do we do now?” she whispered, her voice not sounding like her own.

  She hadn’t felt so utterly helpless since her mother died.

  Danny took a breath before he lifted his head, looking up at her as he took one of her curls between his fingers. “We go meet Sarah and Kyle at the bar, and we celebrate his promotion.”

  “What?” Leah asked, her brow furrowed. “Danny, no.”

  “We made plans, Leah.”

  “Who cares?” she said desperately.

  “I do!” he said, and then he closed his eyes, taking a breath as he reined himself in. “I do,” he said again, this time more calmly. “We can’t let this dictate the next two months. What are we gonna do, Leah? Sit here and mope? Wallow in it? I’m not gonna let this take any more time from me than it has to.”

  Leah wet her lips and nodded. “Okay,” she said, dropping her eyes. “Okay. You’re right.”

  Danny used his fingertips under her chin to lift her eyes back to his. “I don’t want this to influence everything we do now. It can’t be like that.”

  She nodded again.

  “I mean, I know it’s gonna be…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “We have to at least try.”

  His eyes were imploring as he looked up at her, and she knew that if he needed to maintain a sense of normalcy, she would do it, no matter how difficult it was going to be. And in a way, she understood. He had no control over what was coming his way in two months, but he could control everything up until that point.

  And maybe that’s how she needed to deal with it too.

  “Okay,” she said softly, pressing her lips to his. “Okay.”

  “Okay,” he whispered, brushing the hair away from her face.

  She smiled down at him, trying to keep the sadness out of it, and he twisted one of her curls around his finger.

  “It looks nice like this,” he murmured, watching the silken strand slip through his fingertips.

  She brought her hand to his face, running her thumb over hi
s cheek.

  “Are you ready to go, or do you need another minute?” he asked.

  “I’m ready,” she whispered.

  He nodded, looking up at her. “Me and you tonight. Nothing else, okay?”

  “Nothing else,” she repeated softly.

  “Okay,” he said, lifting his chin and pressing his lips to hers, and she concentrated on the feel of his mouth. The way he tasted.

  And nothing else.

  Nothing else.

  Paddy’s was a local bar that had been a favorite of Leah’s in the years right after she graduated college. There was a fun, younger crowd vibe, but without all the chaos that most college bars boasted. She hadn’t been there in a long time, but as soon as she and Danny walked through the doors, it felt like she’d never left.

  Everything was the same, from the layout of the tables to the pictures on the walls to the music that was playing. It was comforting, and familiar, and exactly what she needed at that moment.

  “Sarah says they’re like ten minutes away,” Leah said to Danny as she put her phone back in her purse. “Do you want to go grab us a table and I’ll get us drinks?”

  “Yeah.”

  “See the jukebox back there?” Leah said, and Danny lifted his chin, looking over the crowd. “There’s a little nook on the other side of it. The tables back there are usually open.”

  “Alright,” he said, leaning down to kiss her temple before he turned and walked through the crowd.

  Leah made her way to the bar, resting her elbows on top of it as she glanced around the familiar space.

  “What can I get you, hon?”

  She looked up just in time to see the bartender’s face light up with recognition.

  “Leah! Sweetheart! How are ya?”

  “I’m good, Sammy. You?”

  “Oh you know, same old, same old,” he said, leaning on the bar in front of her. “God, it’s been a while. You look good, kiddo!”

  Leah smiled. Sammy was the sweetest old man she’d ever met; he had been the bartender at Paddy’s for as long as she’d been going there, and he seemed to remember every face, every name, every story that crossed his path.

  “Thank you. You’re looking pretty good yourself.”