The more important question was, did she think she could change him?
Damn. She wouldn’t change his mind. Nope. No matter how hard he might fall for Gwen, his feelings for her weren’t going to change his vision for the future. A vision that included a child-free existence.
Gwen glanced over from her spot beside Mrs. Bello. She smiled, but he saw a hint of something other than joy in her eyes. A sad knowing in her expression. He guessed his expression mirrored hers. Introducing their relationship to his family and her friends had added a weight, and was forcing them to confront a multitude of facts they’d conveniently avoided. Their family and friends had pointed out the obvious differences in lifestyle between them, and now those differences were impossible to ignore. He and Gwen couldn’t avoid talking about their future much longer. Now that the entire family was involved, avoidance was impossible.
Chapter 16
Three days. She hadn’t seen Leo in three days, the longest amount of time they’d been apart since they started dating. She blamed work, both hers and his, but work wasn’t the entire reason for their absence from each other’s lives over the last seventy-two hours. Sure, he had final tweaks on his new app to worry about, and she had final tweaks on the launch party for the app to settle, not to mention meetings on the Vanderpelk wedding plus a myriad of other events in various stages. Yes, Gwen could plausibly blame work. Such an easy excuse, for anything really, but especially useful as the reason why she and Leo hadn’t seen each other in three days. But it wouldn’t be completely accurate.
That absence was about to end. He’d called, and she’d texted, and they’d agreed on dinner at her place. She stood at the stove, stirring a pot of andouille sausage gumbo, a favorite she loved on a cold winter night. Tonight was cold, and it was still technically winter, but most of all she feared that before the evening ended, her life, and everything else would be far more cold and lonely.
Gwen had seen fear in Leo’s eyes two times now, and she didn’t believe there’d be a third time. The first had been at Aubrey’s baby shower. She’d nuzzled a baby blanket, thinking of the day when such a blanket would be for her own baby. Gwen wouldn’t apologize for that, why should she? She had always wanted to be a mother; in her opinion, motherhood was one of the great perks of being a woman. When she’d looked up from that blissful moment, she’d witnessed the near-terror on Leo’s face. Not long after, he’d fled the party without a good-bye.
Gwen splashed hot sauce into the gumbo and took a taste. Almost ready. The second time had been this past Sunday, while his brothers had been grilling him in the living room. Her gaze had met his, and the look in his eyes then had been doubt and fear. Not over her, exactly. She didn’t believe that Leo doubted his feelings for her. No, instead, he doubted that the type of life he wanted matched the type of life Gwen desired.
She had the same doubts.
Yes, tonight was good-bye. Not an end filled with recriminations and anger, but an end filled with tears. She wouldn’t ask him to give up the life he desired. She cared for him too deeply to even ask, any more than he would ask her to give up what she wanted in life. So adult. So grown up. So why did her heart ache like a that of a child who’d just lost her puppy?
A knock, followed by the faint sound of his voice. “Gwen?”
She hurried to the front door, her body tightening with his tone and tenor. The only man who could make her body turn to jelly simply with the sound of his voice. Yes, there would be no other Leo Travati in her life, not ever.
She opened the door. “Hey,” she said softly. Her lips curled into a tiny smile that didn’t reach her eyes. There he stood, a beautiful man. A big beautiful man with gorgeous eyes, a wonderfully wicked smile, a booming laugh, and hands…my goodness, hands that knew how to make her tremble with want.
Leo bent forward and kissed her. She closed her eyes and savored the feeling of his body close to hers, his lips on hers, his arm around her waist. She absorbed every bit of this moment, because Gwen knew that soon there would be no more moments like this.
“I brought wine.” He held up a bottle that she instantly recognized had to cost more than her rent.
She took the wine from him. “Nice bottle.”
“Got it the last time I was in France. Dinner smells good. What is it?”
“Sausage gumbo and fresh bread.”
Leo’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You made gumbo and bread?”
Gwen smiled and nodded.
“Is there anything you can’t do?”
She didn’t let her smile waver. “Nope.” Except keep you. The words flew through Gwen’s mind, and she pressed her lips together tightly, afraid that she might blurt them out. Not yet. Not now. Let them have one more meal together. A few more moments filled with smiles, and laughter, and kisses. Then, after their meal, then, let them have the conversation about the future that they wouldn’t be sharing. Leo met her eyes wordlessly, and Gwen could see he understood, he acquiesced. He too knew, that tonight, for them, would be the end.