An Exceptional Twist (43 page)

Her chest rose up and down with each breath.
“That sounded beautiful. Can you translate?” Her eyes darted back
and forth between his.

Smirking, he breathed out, “Just that I need
to stop speaking in French and get us to the damn restaurant.”

They pulled out of the driveway and headed
out toward the middle of town. He liked that she was going to
experience this for the first time with him. Hopefully it was as
good as it sounded.

Ten minutes later, they pulled up to the
restaurant, and it looked as quaint and unique as it was
described.

Leah's eyes were bright with excitement as
she took in the sight of the 1872 French provincial designed home
turned restaurant. She reached for Stefen’s hand as he led her out
of the car. He snuck another peek at those legs of hers, then her
bright smile as she continued to examine the exterior.

He didn’t know how much longer he could
dance around these feelings. They were getting stronger by the
day.

“I love the architecture of this old house.
Look at that cute white picket fence.” She pointed at the wooden
fencing that surrounded the front.

After giving his name to the hostess—who
couldn’t take her eyes off of him, or his new imperfections, that
is—they were seated and ordered their drinks. He swallowed hard,
hoping Leah didn’t notice the hostess. The last thing he could
handle was Leah pitying him. The dining room was fairly empty, so
he didn’t receive any more stares.

After skimming through the food options,
Stefen asked, “How adventurous are you?”

She looked blankly at the menu. “Not frog
leg or snail venturesome, but everything else works. Why don't you
order this time since I got to order the Spanish food?” And just
like when she’d ordered that food, she began to run her index
finger over her bottom lip, driving him insane.

He chuckled. “Okay, so you trust me if I
promise no frog legs or snails?”

She scrunched her nose, not looking all that
trusting. “Yes?”

The waiter appeared,
speaking in French. “
Bienvenue. Puis-je prendre votre commande s'il
vous plaît
?
“

Although Stefen spoke the language fluently,
he decided to order in English, not wanting to frighten Leah. “We’d
like to start with the grilled salad and crab cakes, then the
lovely lady and I will share the filet mignon and chicken dinners.”
He handed the waiter both of their menus.

“Would you like us to serve the filet mignon
and chicken on one platter and give each of you an empty plate?”
The waiter’s accent was exaggerated. Even Stefen had a difficult
time understanding. This guy was not a native French man. He was
just playing the part.

Stefen glanced at Leah, well aware of what
she’d want. “No, we’ll be fine. Thank you.”

Rewarding him with a generous grin, she
beamed. “You really do pay attention.”

“I watch you and Abby eat off each other’s
plates all the time, so I figured, now that we’re friends and all,
you wouldn't mind sharing with me, too. Except Abby only gives you
rabbit food. You get to have meat when you eat with me.”

Stefen winked, enjoying the blush that rose
up her neck.

A server dropped glasses of water off at
their table, as well as the wine they’d ordered. The interruption
gave Stefen the moment he needed to bring something up he’d been
waiting to share. “So I met with a real estate agent this week, and
I think I've found a place.” He took a sip of is wine.

She gasped. “Seriously, Stefen? That’s so
exciting. Where is it?” Placing her elbows on the table, she laced
her hands together and leaned both index fingers on her lips as she
watched him attentively.

“I don't remember the name of the area, but
it's on the beach. I really like it, and the buyer is anxious to
sell. Quick divorce or something like that. They’re willing to work
with the price and want a quick escrow. It’s time to give the
newlyweds back their home.”

And their privacy. I don’t think I can take
another night hearing them go at it. No wonder Madison thought they
were always humping. They were.

“You know it's not an issue with them. They
love having you,” she tried to convince him, but he knew
better.

“If
I’d
just gotten married, I wouldn't
want some guy staying with us. That's private bonding time you
never get back.” He shrugged and took a drink of water this time,
figuring he’d wait to have more wine until he ate something
first.

Leah sat back in her chair with an
astonished look on her face.

“What?” he asked as the appetizers
arrived.

She cocked her head, studying him. “I just
didn't expect you to feel that way, let alone talk about getting
married. You said it wasn’t for you.” She fidgeted with the napkin
in her lap.

Resting his elbows on the table, he
contemplated what to say. “Well, things have changed. Who knows,
maybe marriage is in my future...someday. If the right someone came
along.”

He looked directly into Leah's eyes and
watched her hold her breath.

She couldn’t hide any of her body language
in that dress. “Has there ever been a right someone before?” Leah
seemed more than intrigued as they both began to eat the crab cake
and salad appetizer.

Caleb and Bri were the only ones that knew
the story he was about to share. “I thought I did, but I'm glad it
didn't end up that way.” Still eyeing Leah as they snacked, he
continued, careful not to speak with food in his mouth. “I was in
college. After Caleb and Rene got together, I started dating one of
Rene's sorority sisters, Sheri.” Just saying her name made the acid
burn in his stomach. He still couldn’t believe he fell for her
bullshit.

“She was like every other
girl I’d ever been with. From a good family, Barbie doll beautiful,
fake everything, conceited and irritating as hell. The perfect girl
to bring home to my mother.” He shook his head, thinking about
that.
Yeah, mom would’ve loved that
bitch.

Leah looked down at her lap as though she
was trying not to let that statement bother her.

When she looked up, he saw her waiting for
him to go on, but he wondered if he should.

Despite his better
judgment, he continued, “After they graduated, Caleb proposed to
Rene. Even though I still had another year, I thought I’d do the
same.”
What a dumbass I was.
“She actually laughed in my face. Turns out she’d
been screwing one of my frat brothers behind my back, got pregnant,
and he’d proposed the night before. She was there to break if off
with me, and I was popping the question.” Irritated, he grunted.
This story still pissed him off.

“I felt like the biggest dumbass. Everyone
in both of our houses knew except for Caleb, Rene, and me. That's
when I originally swore off marriage. But like I said,” he leaned
forward, lowering his voice, “things have changed.”

Leah dabbed the corner of her mouth with her
cloth napkin as the waiter dropped off their food. “Seriously?
That’s crazy.”

They began to dig in to their dinners, and
he said, “Apparently, there was a medical emergency with her
daughter, and in doing some blood tests, they found out that
Sheri’s husband wasn’t the father, either. It was too much for Chad
to take, I guess, so he left her. She came looking for me after
that. Said she’d made a mistake, wanted me back, and that the kid
was mine after all.”

Leah coughed on her chicken.

“Are you okay?”

She recovered quickly. “Yeah, just caught
off guard.” Placing her napkin back on her lap, she looked around,
then asked under her breath, “So you have a child?”

Quickly shaking his head,
he cleared up her misunderstanding, “
Nooooo
. I had a DNA test taken
before I would even meet her.
Not
mine. You know how I feel about using protection.
I’ve never gone without it. It would’ve been a miracle.” He
frowned.

Shit, should I have reminded her of
that?

Leah was aware, firsthand, that he insisted
on being safe. It didn’t matter if the woman was covered or not,
but his outburst might’ve been pushing this conversation a bit too
far.

He switched back to the
story. “The funny thing was, she’d been sleeping with at least
three of us at the time, and I had absolutely no clue. I trusted
her. Not sure why. I didn’t love her. I probably just got caught up
in Caleb and Rene’s happy bubble and thought I could have my own.
Anyway, Sheri was going down the list to see who her baby daddy was
and,” he lowered his chin and voice, “I was
not the father
.”

“You sure know how to pick them, don't you?”
She reached over and took a piece of meat off of his plate before
placing the forkful in her mouth.

Swallowing his mouthful, he wiped his mouth
with his napkin, then took another drink of water. “Yeah, no more
bleach blonde bimbos for me. It’s given me nothing but grief…for
the girls too, I guess. Not sure where things are headed for me,
but I just can’t go back to that lifestyle anymore.”

She changed the subject. “That food was
delicious. I'm stuffed.” Leah looked at her half-empty plate,
completely avoiding eye contact.

When her phone chimed, she checked it,
smiled, then text back.

Stefen’s jaw locked, assuming it was Ben.
This was the reminder he needed to snap out of it. Even though she
and Ben were not officially a couple, Leah wasn’t his either. End
of story.

The waiter showed up and asked if they
wanted dessert. Leah shook her head ‘no’.

Stefen said,
“
Non merci,
juste le chèque s'il vous plaît.
”

Responding to his request
for the check, the
serveur
was prepared to place the
bill on the table when Stefen handed him his Amex Platinum
card.

The corner of Leah’s mouth and eyes
tightened.

He raised his eyebrows. “My turn.”

She lifted her hands in front of her. “I
know. I didn’t say anything.”

If they were going to do this back and forth
paying thing, he would sure as hell make sure she didn’t pay for a
five-star restaurant.

He watched her closely. “I
have another favor to ask. I'm meeting the real estate agent at the
house tomorrow, and I'd like you to come with me. I want to make
sure I'm not jumping into something, and since you are ‘keeping
things real’
with me, I’d like your
opinion.”

Tapping her chin with her index finger, Leah
said, “Let me think. Shopping for a Porsche one day and looking at
a beach house the next.” She smiled and giggled. “Do you really
want me to 'keep things real' at this point?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes or no, brat?”

Pretending to be irritated, she huffed, “Why
don’t you twist my arm with all that charm, Stefen? Yes...I'll
go.”

“Are you tired?” Stefen asked as they
entered the house.

“Not really.” She pursed her lips and shook
her head.

“It's still pretty early. Wanna watch a
movie? Caleb has a huge collection. I'll even let you pick it.” He
pointed to the built-in bookcases filled with movie titles.

“Sure.” She smiled. “Let me go put something
more comfortable on and grab a pillow first.” Hoping she didn’t
turn and catch him again, Stefen kept his eyes planted on her as
she swayed her hips on her way up the stairs. He was already
missing that dress.

Giving her a little space, he waited a few
minutes before going upstairs to change. He wasn't sure what she
meant by ‘something more comfortable’, but he was going to play it
safe with athletic shorts, a T-shirt, and thick socks.

When he got downstairs, Leah was already in
front of the DVDs, scanning through the titles in skintight yoga
pants that hugged her curves almost as nicely as that dress. Her
T-shirt was a bit too baggy for his taste.

“What kind of movies do you like?” she
asked, squatting down in front of the collection.

He shrugged. “Anything but horror.” He
plopped himself onto the oversized U-shaped leather couch.

“How about one of the Bourne movies?” Her
face lit up.

“Bourne?” He rubbed his hands together, just
as excited as her. “Marry me,” he teased. She stiffened up and
stared at him, and he instantly regretted it, stumbling to cover up
his slip of the tongue. “You know, because it's my favorite series
besides James Bond, of course.”

She nodded, catching on to the joke. “Okay.
I'll let you put it in. I'm not great with electronics.” She sat
down on the couch, pulling her legs up as she hugged her
pillow.

Stefen set up the movie and laid down on his
back next to Leah. “Why the pillow?”