Chapter Forty-Five
knew that what I was about to do was risky, but I also knew that if things went the way I hoped they would the payoff would be worth the risk. As Jimmy drove us through Brooklyn, Leah and I discussed the future plans for Baby Steps and what we hoped to accomplish with the expansion. There was a nervous energy underlying our conversation, but neither one of us was willing to be the first to acknowledge it.
I knew Leah had to be curious about where we were going, but to her credit, she kept her questions to herself, occasionally looking out the window to gauge where we were and where we were headed. I wanted to keep the destination a surprise, so I just kept talking.
We finally pulled into the circle drive in front of a red-brick house with a wraparound porch and white trim. I got out and went around opening Leah's door, only to find that she was halfway up the walk already.
"Wow, this is pretty spectacular, Jack," she said as she noticed the brightly colored flowers that lined the walk and breathed in the scent of freshly cut grass. "Ahh, that's summer to me! Hey, we're not far from your mother's, are we?"
"She's less than a mile away," I nodded as I followed her lead and inhaled deeply. "If you think the outside is amazing, just wait until you see the inside."
We walked up onto the porch, and I quickly slipped the key into the lock and pushed open the front door. I motioned for Leah to go in first, and I was rewarded by her reaction to the interior.
The whole house had been gutted and most of the walls on the lower level had been removed. There was a large winding staircase that led to the second floor, but aside from that the entire first floor was an open space that flowed from one room to the next. The wood floors had been polished to a high shine, and the walls were an earthy taupe accented by white crown molding. As she moved from the living room and its floor-to-ceiling front windows to the kitchen where stainless steel appliances and white cabinets gave the area a professional but welcoming feel, Leah just shook her head.
"Is this your new home?" she asked turning around to look at me.
"Something like that," I nodded as she ran her hands across the marble countertops and admired the modern silver hardware on the drawers.
"I can only imagine what it will look like once you've got furniture in here," she said, moving on to the dining room and then standing at the top of a small set of stairs that led down into a den area with a fireplace on one wall and a set of French doors that led out to the back patio across from it.
"Want to see the upstairs?" I asked, knowing it was unlikely that she'd say no.
"Of course I do! Lead the way, boss!" she grinned as she followed me toward the staircase. Our footsteps echoed on the wood as we climbed to the second floor, and I let Leah take the lead as she made her way through the upstairs, opening doors and looking into various rooms.
"This is really quite lovely, Jack," she said as she peered into a room that had been custom built as an office full of cubbyholes and shelving. "You've picked very soothing colors and clean lines."
"Check this out," I said, opening the door to the master bedroom. It was an enormous space that took up the entire back half of the upstairs and looked quite similar to the downstairs den, complete with a fireplace on one side and a set of French doors that led out to the balcony which overlooked the pool and the yard stretching out behind it. Leah stood staring out at the scenery for a long time before turning around and leaning against the rails of the balcony.
"You've built an incredible house, Jack," she said looking up at me. "I'm sure you'll be very happy here."
"Thank you. It is quite a house, indeed," I said as I walked toward her. "But it's not a home yet. It's still missing something important."
"Yes, well, furniture will definitely help that!" she laughed as she looked away.
"That's not what's missing," I said as I reached out and took her hand. She looked up with a confused expression as I continued, "Leah, I know you don't want us to date while we're working together, and I respect your reasons. But since the moment I met you I knew you were different, and while the past few months have been a challenge, they've also made everything much clearer to me."
"How so?" she asked, holding my gaze.
"I knew I wanted you, but I didn't know what I was willing to do to earn you," I admitted with a wry grin. "I've been used to getting almost anything I wanted, and you showed me that there's an advantage to working for some things."
I looked down into Leah's blue eyes and took a deep breath before I continued.
"I don't like the distance between us, and I want to do something about it," I said. "So, I renovated this house in the hope that you would . . ."
"You think I'm just going to pick up and move in with you because you have all the money in the world to buy things that you think I might like?" she asked.
"No, I didn't . . ." I began.
"Look, it's nice of you to offer, and the house that you've picked is definitely a nice one, but I'm not interested in some kind of live-in arrangement," she sighed. "Six months ago, I might have jumped at the offer, but now . . . well, now I want something more. You've shown me that I am capable of getting more."
She let go of my hand and walked across the deck toward the bedroom. Her shoulders slumped as if she'd had all the air let out of her.
"Leah!" I called causing her to turn around. I could see that there were tears welling up in her eyes. I inhaled and swiftly crossed the deck to where she stood. I pulled her into my arms and held her tightly against my body. "I wish sometimes that you would hear me out before you jump to conclusions."
"It's just that I can't . . ." she began as she choked back a sob.
"Leah, I wasn't asking you to move in with me," I said as I reached up and ran my fingers through her curly dark hair. "I love you, and I was asking you if you'd be interested in something more permanent. Oh, say, like marrying me?"
"Wait, what?" she said swallowing hard and looking up at me, again, confused.
"I'm asking you if you'd consider marrying me," I repeated as I watched her struggle to comprehend what I was asking.
"But what about Riley?" she countered.
"Well, funny you should ask," I said as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small blue box. "She helped me pick this out."
I flipped open the box to reveal a perfect diamond in a traditional Tiffany setting. Once I had talked with Riley about what I wanted to do and gotten her approval, she and I had spent an afternoon shopping for rings. I wasn't sure how Leah would feel about the fact that I'd discussed things with Riley first, so I held my breath as I offered her the ring. I said, "Leah Walsh, will you do me the honor of accepting this ring and agreeing to be my wife?"
"Jack!" she cried as she stepped back and buried her face in her hands. For a moment, I thought I'd made a mistake and dread began to take hold, but then Leah looked up with a smile on her face and tears running down her cheeks. She simply said, "I love you, too. Yes."
I swept her into my arms and swung her around in circles as she buried her face in my shoulder.
"You silly man, of course I'll marry you!" she laughed once I put her down and slipped the ring on her finger.
"Phew, I thought maybe you were pissed at me," I admitted.
"Why would I be?"
"Because I basically asked a twelve-year-old for your hand in marriage," I said, sending Leah into a fit of laughter as the reality dawned on her.
"Well, I know what you were aiming for, so it's all okay," she said with a smile. "But don't do it again."
"Yes, ma'am," I said as I smiled and saluted. "Shall we go tell the world?"
"I'd like that, Mr. Yates," she smiled as she took my hand and walked with me out to the car.
Jimmy stood next to the vehicle, beaming from ear to ear. When I'd closed Leah's door and walked around the car, he looked at me and simply said, "Your father would have approved."
I smiled, nodded, and climbed into the car next to Leah as Jimmy drove us toward our future.