Page 138 of Wrong For Me

Leo looks down at me with amused eyes. “I was under the impression rich people ate much better than this,” he murmurs in my ear.

“We had hot dogs on the fire last night. Super fancy up in here.”

It feels nice, him teasing me about money. I know that’s always been a sore point for him, a surefire way to bring out his defenses. But he’s not defensive now. He actually looks really comfortable, here in my parents’ kitchen, and when he takes the plates from my mom’s hands and starts setting the table, it’s all I can do not to burst into happy tears.

River catches my eye and I’m sure he can read the emotion on my face. He nods once, expression softening, and I know he’s done being pissed at Leo. River has always been the most easy-going of my siblings. Fox is more stubborn, and he might take a bit longer to come around. But I know that once he sees how happy I am, he’ll let go of the anger and distrust, like River just did.

It’s a typical family dinner at the farmhouse. My siblings and parents all talk over each other. There’s a lot of laughing and teasing. I can tell from Leo’s expression that he’s more than a little overwhelmed by the noise and chaos, but I keep my hand on his knee under the table, feeling him relax in degrees.

My mom brings out a plate of brownies for dessert and we discuss what to do for the rest of the evening. Fox is pushing for a Risk tournament but Ash and Violet are dead set on a campfire, since they missed it yesterday. All Violet has to do is give Dad her puppy eyes and he agrees with her, making Fox groan in annoyance, muttering something about manipulative sisters.

I catch Will on the way out to the fire. “Thank you,” I murmur. I don’t need to say for what—for bringing Leo here, for trusting me enough to make my own choices. Will already knows.

“No problem, Rosie.”

I study his face. “He let you talk to his mom, huh?”

He shrugs. “She seemed pretty cool. Reminded me a little of Aunt Karen—sarcastic.”

I laugh. I guess that’s where he gets it from.

“He offered to show me his bank accounts, too.” He shrugs again. “Honestly, I didn’t need any proof. I could tell just by looking at the guy he hadn’t done it.”

“How could you tell?”

“He looked the way I looked when I lost Eva—totally wrecked. It was obvious that guy loves you.”

That fills my chest up with fresh warmth. “Speaking of Eva—ring shopping this week?”

He grins. “You’re on.”

The night is cold but River and Dad build up the fire to inferno levels. There’s something really nice about sitting here with the bite of chill air battling against the warmth of the fire. And there’s something really perfect about sitting here with both my family and Leo.

“Do we have to go home tomorrow?” Violet asks. “Leo hasn’t even been kayaking yet!”

Dad pulls on the end of her ponytail. “You’re already missing school tomorrow, Little Harris. Don’t push your luck.”

Leo leans over to whisper to me. “Little Harris?”

“It’s my dad’s nickname for her,” I explain. “My mom’s last name is Harris. Vi’s the only one who got her hair and eyes.”

“Ah.” He nods. “I thought I heard Will refer to you guys as the Harrises on the way here.”

“Yeah, sometimes we use the mom’s maiden names to differentiate between the different Ransome families. It’s easier that way.”

“Right,” Leo says, mouth twitching. “Easy.”

River leans across his blanket towards us. “You’re going to need to learn all those names, you know,” he tells Leo ominously. “All the cousins, too.”

Leo rolls his eyes. “I’ll just ask Bodhi. He seems to be best friends with most of them already.”

Ash and Violet are still complaining about school. “We just got here,” Ash whines. “Let us take one more day off.”

“What test are you trying to get out of?” Fox asks him.

“Algebra,” he mumbles. “But that’s beside the point.”

“You’re not the only one who has school,” Mom points out. “Rose and Leo will need to be getting back, too.”