Coming Home(121)

He walked toward them, glancing at Danny before he brought his eyes to Leah. “Princess,” he said, reaching out to give her a hug. He ran his hand up and down her back as he whispered, “Relax,” in her ear.

She nodded, taking a deep breath before he released her.

Chris and Danny were already shaking hands; her brother looked amiable enough, but Leah knew him well enough to see that he was assessing Danny as he looked at him.

“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?”