Things Remembered (Accidentally On Purpose Companion Novel #3) (30 page)

I shifted onto my knees and straddled him. I locked my arms around his neck and dropped my forehead to his, heedless of the tears falling from my face onto his. I whispered to him, my voice too choked to speak any louder.

“You have always seen me for what I can be. You have always looked past my hard-boiled exoskeleton to my heart and soul, no matter what I’ve said or what I’ve done. You love me in spite of the fact that I’m not always pretty inside.
That’s
why you are my hero, Grant.”

As our lips met, I had the most extraordinary sensation. A rippling bristle down my back. A sense of awareness. Feelings of unfurling, unfolding, and distension.

My wings
, I thought with jubilation.
My pretty wings.

Wrapped in Grant’s arms and tethered to the earth by his kiss, my heart soared.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Tabitha

Nia:
Hey, boss! How is your weekend going?

Leo:
Hi, Nia. It’s going well, thank you. How can I help you?

Nia:
I don’t know if Paulina mentioned it to you or not, but I am doing a 5K run next month.

Leo:
Oh, right, right. Yes, she did bring it to my attention the other day. You wanted to know if Leo’s would sponsor you, right?

Nia:
Yes! I think it’s a good idea for me and your restaurants. I’ll be able to run in the race, and Leo’s gets free PR.

Leo:
I agree. As soon as you can, give Paulina as much information as you can so we can get everything set up. Maybe we can get some of the other employees to participate. That would be cool, not just for the PR, but for the charity.

Nia:
Awesome! Maybe you can do it, too! I’m sure you won’t need that much training. You’re already in great shape ;) Do you work out? You must work out…

Leo:
I do try to get a workout in at least three times a week. I don’t always have time between work and my family. I would definitely need to train for a 5K! Otherwise, I’d probably give up half way and go get a beer!

Nia:
Lol See? You’re so funny! It’s good that you work out. Unfortunately, not enough people take their health and bodies seriously. Maybe we can work out together sometime! I go to the gym at least five days a week. I’d love to know if you have the stamina to keep up with me ;)

Leo:
What are you? Like nineteen? You and most of the staff can run circles around an old man like me!

Nia:
Lol! Stop! That’s not true! I’m sure you could teach a younger girl like me lots of things. It must be hard for you, though.

Leo:
??? What must be hard for me?

Nia:
You know…working out, staying healthy, and keeping up such a nice body when your wife is overweight. Not that she’s not pretty or anything, but it’s like you live two different lifestyles, ya know? That must be difficult at times. I was serious when I offered to work out together. Then you wouldn’t have to do it alone. It could be fun!

Leo:
Honestly, Nia, if my wife is overweight, I never noticed. She’s not pretty…she’s BEAUTIFUL, and she gets more beautiful all the time. The fact is, Tabitha does go to the gym. She works out in her own time and at her own pace, but she doesn’t do it for me, she does it for herself. Whether she loses weight, gains weight, or stays the same, it doesn’t make any difference to me. I will always see perfection when I look at her. I don’t need a workout partner, but if I did, I would ask my wife because she is my partner in all things and I would have it no other way. Thank you for choosing to represent my establishments during your run. Please speak with Paulina about it from here on out. She will pass on any pertinent information. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Despite the fact that I wanted to punch perky-boobed Nia in her face, I couldn’t erase my smile after seeing Leo’s response. It was so loving, so perfect, so
him
.

I wasn’t spying on my husband. Leo had made a list of things to pack on his tablet. I had been using it all morning to check items off as I packed them. He was in his office, making some last minute phone calls and doing some last minute paperwork before we left for a few days. When the first message popped up, I hardly paid any attention to it. Leo’s employees often sent him messages with questions, complaints, or just for friendly conversation. He got along very well with his staff, and he liked being accessible and approachable for them.

I ignored the conversation, for the most part, swiping away their words almost as soon as they’d popped up. When Nia made the comment about Leo’s stamina, that’s when red flags went up for me. Without any shame, I scrolled back to the beginning. It seemed innocent at first, but as I read on, I picked up on something that my husband didn’t immediately see: Nia had been flirting with him. She wasn’t just
flirting
, but making an
offer
.

I didn’t like that he kept talking to her, even after her coquetry was obvious. He didn’t flirt back, and he made a joke out of it, but why didn’t he put a stop to it right away?

His final response, however, could not be ignored. It rather made up for everything else—it certainly did shut her up, because she didn’t say anything more.

Leo walked into the bedroom a little while later, looking distracted and annoyed.

“What else needs to be packed?” he asked, his brow furrowed as he stared blankly at the open suitcase.

“Just a few smaller things,” I said, watching him carefully. “We should be finished shortly.”

“Okay, good. Tell me what you need me to do.”

“Would it be petty if I told you that I needed you to fire Nia?” I asked delicately.

He looked startled for a moment, but then he saw the tablet in my hands.

“Did you see that?”

Obviously, I had seen it. I had to resist the impulse to snap at him when I answered.

“I did. Were you not going to tell me?”

He stiffened. “I handled it. I didn’t see any point in telling you something that could possibly hurt you or make you feel bad.”

I started to say that it didn’t hurt me or make me feel bad, but with a small internal start, I realized that it had. Leo has loved me most of my life, and he has always looked upon, touched, and kissed my body with reverence. Any negative thoughts I’d had about my body, Leo had extinguished them very early in our relationship, but that was a long time ago. I have since had three children, and I had gained weight with each pregnancy. Although I had lost a lot of the total weight I’d gained, I was still thicker in the waist, rounder in the hips, and with more junk in my trunk than I’d had when we got together. Meanwhile, Leo
was
in great shape. Nia hadn’t been wrong about that.

Leo, who could read me with his eyes closed, instantly understood what I was thinking.

“Tabitha,” he said, softening as he reached for me. His hand possessively, but affectionately cupped my neck. “I meant what I said. You are beautiful. You’ve always been beautiful, and you are more beautiful every day. Don’t let what she said get to you, dolcezza.”

“My body isn’t…” I started quietly. “I’ve gained a lot of weight. I have extra stretchy stretch marks and a killer C-section scar. Gravity, extra weight, and breastfeeding have done a number on my boobs, and…things…jiggle that didn’t jiggle before.”

“These things that you are counting as flaws are the very things that make you more incredible in my eyes,” Leo said gently. “Your body now is a representation of the wonderful thing you did
three times
. You carried, nurtured, and sheltered our three children inside you. That C-section scar is a battle scar. That’s what I see when I look at your body, Tabitha. I see a goddess that has created lives, a warrior who has protected and sacrificed for those lives. I see
you
, amore mio, la mia vita.”

My love, my life.

He kissed me. His mouth was soft and sweet like candy, and as electrifying as strikes of lightening. Leo’s kisses were still my favorite addiction. His lips, that tongue, and that passion never ceased to burn me through and through, to singe my senses and ignite a fire inside my soul.

“I want to strip you out of these clothes, revere every inch of your divine body, and make love to you,” he whispered as his lips grazed my jaw. “Do you want that, dolcezza? Hmm? Vuoi che ti scopi col mio cazzo?”

“What does that mean?” A familiar voice asked from the doorway.

We looked over at the same time and saw Lenny holding Nico in his small arms.

“It means that I want some alone time with your mom,” Leo told our eldest child. He sighed with resignation and grumpily muttered, “but I guess I’m not going to get that anytime soon.”

“Sorry,” I said, meaningfully. I kissed his cheek. Then I whispered in his ear, “For the record, my answer is yes. I do want you to fuck me with your cock.”

I escaped from his embrace, trying not to laugh as he cursed under his breath.

On the way to the airport, we had to make a stop at Leo’s On the Bay so Leo could meet with his management team for a few minutes. I stayed in the car with the kids, listening to an ear-bleeding Kids Bop playlist. Leo had only been gone for a few short minutes when another car pulled into the employee parking lot, only a couple spaces away.

I knew the car instantly. Nia drove an old Corvette convertible, painted the awful pink of stomach medicine. I watched her run her fingers through her bleached blond hair in her rearview mirror and then reapply another coat of lipstick before putting the top up on the car. When she stepped out of her car, I impulsively threw open my own door and tumbled out of the Lexus into the hot Miami heat.

“I’ll be right back,” I told Len and the other kids. “I’ll be right here.”

I got to the back of the car just as Nia walked by.

“Nia,” I called to her.

I had a moment of panic. What the hell was I doing? I wasn’t a confrontational person! My palms were instantly damp and I wished that I had kept my mouth clamped shut.

She stopped at the sound of her name and glanced over her shoulder before turning around to face me. She had on the same uniform that all the female staff wore at L.O.T.B., a short-sleeved white blouse, a black skirt, and black sneakers. Somehow, Nia’s shirt always appeared to be straining to remain buttoned over her breasts and the skirt seemed to be a few inches shorter on her than any of the other girls. The others had the appearance of a respectable wait staff in a respectable establishment. Nia always looked like she was one button away from swinging around a pole.

She smiled as if she were trying to place my face, even though she had seen me on several occasions over the year that she’d been employed for Leo.

Her fake smile widened. “Oh! Leo’s wife, right?”

“You know who I am,” I said gravely.

She ignored my grave tone and continued to smile. “You know how it is. I see so many people in a day that sometimes a face and a name slips my mind, even the boss’s wife.”

I smiled coldly. “You seemed to have had my face and the rest of me pretty clear in your mind this morning.”

Her false smile faltered. She was silent a beat too long to be believable—if I was ever gullible enough to believe her in the first place.

“I’m not sure that I know what you’re talking about.”

“You know, I knew another blonde like you. She played the stupid card, too, and it didn’t work out well for her. You are very young, Nia, and I can admit that you are very attractive, but it makes me question why someone so young and attractive would target a married man with children almost old enough to be her father. What is it inside you that is so damaged that you would even attempt such a thing? Even for someone with a superiority complex—which you do have since you think you are superior to me because you are thin—wouldn’t endeavor something with such destructive possibilities.”

Her face was almost as pink as her car. She looked angry and her mouth was puckered as if she had just eaten a lemon. It made her beautiful face ugly.

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” she said unapologetically. “You don’t have to be so nasty.”

“Oh, honey,” I said, shaking my head. “You tried to steal my husband. I have every right to be nasty, but that…that wasn’t nasty. I often have a hard time connecting with my inner bitch, even when a trollop shamelessly throws herself on my husband. But any anger I had for you is gone. I feel sorry for you, Nia, and that is so much worse.”

She looked me up and down with disgust and loathing in her eyes. “You feel pity for
me
? You have got to be kidding me.”

“Oh, yes. I pity you, little girl, because there has to be something wrong with you if you can’t find an unattached man your age. Moreover, I pity you because you don’t understand real love and devotion when you see it. Had you recognized it, you would have immediately seen what kind of man my husband is. That man has been in love with me since I was fourteen years old, maybe before that. I wasn’t thin then, either, and he loved and wanted me anyway. When I was afraid of my own feelings, I ran away many times over and he
always
—in some way—came to find me. Without. Fail. Had you been able to recognize real love and devotion when you saw it, you would have seen the way he looks at me. He doesn’t look at me and see the out of shape, tired, and bedraggled woman I often feel like. Leo sees
me.
His soul mate, his kindred spirit, and his heart’s desire. I am
his
. I belong to him, and he belongs to me.”