Wilde by Abby Brooks

Chapter Thirty-Four

Amy

I’d like to say I’ve put the whole Leo thing behind me. I’d like to say I don’t constantly think of him. That I don’t fight the urge to text him again every hour on the hour. I’d like to say it, but it’d all be a lie. He’s been on my mind so much since he ambushed me yesterday, that even random customers at Plinky’s look like him.

Trying to get myself under control, I plaster on a smile and walk up to two unnervingly familiar men crammed into a booth in my section. It’s everything I can do not to stare. They really, really look like Leo. I can’t put my finger on exactly why, so I chalk it up to the trauma of seeing him again and move on.

“You guys have a chance to look over the menu yet?”

Leo Clone One smiles as he meets my eyes. “This place came highly recommended, and honestly, it all looks good. What would you suggest?”

Leo Clone Two bobs his head. “Not gonna lie. I’m currently thinking I want one of everything.”

Leo Clone One rolls his eyes. “How is that different from every other restaurant we go to?”

“You got me there.” Leo Clone Two closes his menu with a chuckle.

The way they smile. The quirk to the brow. There’s even something about their eyes that makes me think of him.

For heaven’s sakes, Ames, get a grip. Give them a recommendation and move on.

“I used to go for the Mini Burgers, because I could always save a couple for later.” I rub my belly and grin. “But now Little Bit here keeps asking for the Super Double Bacon Burger. He begs for an extra order of fries, but I draw the line at a burger bigger than my head.”

The guy to my right laughs and I all I hear is Leo. “Probably smart.”

“I don’t know, Jack.” Leo Clone Two grins. “If I ever got pregnant, I’d use it as an excuse to eat everything I ever wanted.”

“Hank…” Jack frowns and pinches his nose “I hate to break it to you, but it’d be a medical miracle if you ever got pregnant.”

“Way to ruin a joke by taking things too literally.” Hank turns to me with a heavy sigh. “He just likes to make me feel stupid every chance he gets. It must be a brother thing.”

And just like that, it all clicks into place. These guys don’t look like Leo because I can’t get him out of my head. They look like Leo because they’re his brothers. They have to be. I’ve never met them, but he told me their names. Jack is common enough that I could chalk it up to coincidence. But Hank? No one in this generation has that name anymore. And the resemblance is so strong, it’s even in how they move. The way they rib each other, the back and forth of the sarcasm followed by proud grins.

I blink, trying not to have a stroke right there in front of them, then laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “You guys are something else.”

Jack’s smile falters as he stares at my wrist—the ellipses I was so proud of out on display. His eyes bounce across my face, down to my baby bump, and right back up again.

He knows.

I amp up the wattage on my grin. “If you guys need more time…”

“I don’t mean to be forward, but are you Amy?”

Hank recoils, staring first at Jack then at me. I watch the pieces of the puzzle fall into place for him too. His lips part as I nod.

“And you’re Leo’s brothers.”

“Oh man. Is it that obvious?” Hank extends his hand. “If you tell Leo you recognized us, he’ll probably kill himself.”

“He and I aren’t exactly talking. So no worries on me saying anything to get you in trouble.” I offer a smile and try to work out how much they know about what happened. According to Leo, he wasn’t all that close with the Wildes, but Jack recognized me because of a tattoo and a baby bump. That would make them closer than I expected.

Hank frowns. “I thought he went to meet you yesterday to try and put things back together.”

I snort. “If that was his attempt to put things back together…”

Jack rolls his eyes. “He botched it?”

“More a case of ‘too little too late.’” I don’t want to dog Leo to his brothers, so I refresh my smile but have no clue how to move the conversation forward.

Hanks shakes his head. “Lemme guess. He showed up out of the blue, all cocky, trying to act like nothing happened and just pick up from where you left two left off before things went bad.”

“That pretty much sums it up.” I laugh despite myself. If you could drain all the pathos out of Leo and leave the charm, you’d end up with Hank.

Jack looks at me with sympathy. “I’m sorry to hear he botched the apology. You want me to beat him up when I get home? Big brother law dictates that’s well within my rights.”

“He’s still in town? I thought he’d be on the first flight back to Los Angeles.” The fact that Leo hasn’t left yet circles my head like a swarm of gnats.

Hank sits back and crosses his ankle over his knee. “Believe me, we’re just as surprised as you. He and Chet are even speaking. Kinda. A little. They still have miles to go, but it’s this whole thing.”

Jack bobs his head. “I just assumed he’d done a much better job apologizing to you than he did and you guys were gonna work things out. Figured the reconciliation with Chet had something to do with you.”

This conversation is getting away from me. I don’t want to talk about Leo because it hurts too damn much. I want to leave him in my past and get the hell on with my life, but I can’t just be rude to his brothers for the simple fact they’re related to him. I shrug. “There’s a good man hiding underneath all the assholery. Somewhere. I thought he was trying to let him out, but…”

“He might surprise you yet.” Hank grins and it’s so achingly familiar I want to cry. “Leo’s…well…he’s complicated.”

“You can say that again.”

“I think you were really good for him,” Jack says, bobbing his head. “I think he’s finally growing up, even though your experience with him yesterday might not say as much.”

I swallow back tears. I’d just managed to start putting my life back together. Just started to think I could do this whole single mom thing myself, and now, Leo’s back….and apparently trying to turn over a new leaf.

I don’t want to want him, but I do. The way we left things between us…

Jack touches my hand. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I obviously wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay. I just…this isn’t how I saw things working out, you know?”

Jack nods. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I know Leo is too, he’s just terrible at letting himself be vulnerable enough to show it.”