“She sounds just as bad as you, although not quite as hacky. Like the whole dang virus hasn’t gone to her chest just yet.”
Gwen’s chest—yes, it was a lovely chest. Leo’s thoughts drifted to last night and Gwen’s chest, before he dragged his attention back to his sister-in-law on the phone. “Right, okay. Well I’m sure we’ll—I mean I’ll feel better by tomorrow. Thanks for calling and checking. Have fun today.”
“We’ll try.” Her voice held the hint of a question. A question that he didn’t want her to ask. “Feel better,” Aubrey concluded and hung up.
Hmmm, the fact that he and Gwen were both sick and missing New Year’s Day dinner was far too coincidental for Leo. He worried the scenario might be too coincidental for Aubrey as well. One of them needed to go today, so that no one started asking questions. The Travatis might be self-involved, and there was a lot going on right now with the baby and the engagement and Devon’s potential indictment, but come on, he and Gwen both suddenly getting sick and missing today could start some talk, especially since they’d left together last night. Had anyone seen them?
Quite simply, Gwen needed to go, because he was definitely not getting his ass up off this couch. Leo picked up his phone. He didn’t want to call her…no…especially after this morning. That dismissal still stung. He decided to text.
Are you really sick?
He stared at his phone, waiting for the little bubble that indicated Gwen was responding. Took what seemed like forever.
Are you?
He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. Whether he was sick was beside the point. What mattered was his family, especially the new women. Aubrey and Shelly might get some idea in their head about him and Gwen, and then they’d be doomed with regards to playing it cool at family events. And wasn’t that what Gwen wanted? To play it cool and pretend that nothing had happened the night before?
His cock tightened with the memory of that nothing.
You should go today.
Again a long pause. He lifted a slice of pizza from the box. What the hell? What took her so long to respond?
Why me? It’s your family.
Good point. She wasn’t wrong, but really, today was for the ladies. The brothers didn’t get together on New Year’s Day unless maybe Justin said come over, bring beer, and let’s watch football. All this party-family-gathering started with Aubrey’s arrival, and would only get worse now that Shelly was marrying Anthony. If Gwen wanted to cover their tracks, she’d have to be the one to go. It only made sense. He tapped out another message.
Aubrey is on to us. You’re the one who wants to play this cool. Both of us out is suspicious.
*
What the hell? Leo Travati might be hot, but he was obviously the world’s biggest idiot. Gwen speared a kung pao scallop and plopped it into her mouth. She flipped the channel. Now that the blondes with big boobs were finished yelling at each other, she would watch the Kardashian family. Trash TV all day long.
She wasn’t going to the New Year’s dinner today no matter what Leo texted. If he was so worried about what his family thought, let him get his sorry behind up off his couch and go to Anthony’s place.
Please, because there was no way she was getting ready today. Not after…her bottom lip quivered…not after she’d been such a complete and utter fool. She texted back:
Your family. You go.
Gwen tossed her phone onto the bed. How stupid was she? She pressed her palm to her face. How could she think, even after a few glasses of champagne, that she was what Leo wanted? I mean, the man had dabbled in actresses and supermodels and billionaire heiresses, oh and don’t forget the Danish royal. And yet she’d been fool enough to believe that she, Gwen Fleming, might have a shot with Leo? She shook her head. How much champagne had she had? Not enough to be that stupid.
Her phone vibrated. She stared at it as if it were a rattlesnake ready to strike. No, not her problem, she didn’t even want to see what Leo had to…
She grabbed her phone and flipped it over.
Way I see it, you want it cool, this is your problem to solve. Just giving you a heads up.
A heads up? A heads up? What an asshole. Last night he’d given her a heads in, and now he was giving her a heads up. Such a sweet and genuine guy, that Leo. Always thinking of everyone else. She dropped her phone onto the pillow beside her and crossed her arms over her chest.
She wanted to keep what had happened with Leo quiet, but Aubrey wasn’t stupid. Had Max seen them leave together? He’d definitely walked down the hall while she and Leo had kissed. Had he seen it was the two of them? Gwen bit the nail of her index finger. She had to go to Shelly and Anthony’s today. She’d tell Aubrey that she’d taken a long hot bath, a nap, and woken up feeling one hundred percent.