I nod happily up at him and his deep blue eyes soften. “Good.” He grabs his own beer and follows Leo into the living room, scoops Natalie up into his lap and kisses her hair.

“What would you like to drink?” Matt asks me from across the kitchen island.

“What do you have, handsome bartender?” I ask and climb up onto a barstool.

“Pretty much anything you want. I raided Will’s liquor cabinet.”

“I heard that!” Will calls from the living room.

“I don’t care!” Matt yells back. “So, what’ll it be?”

“Do you have olives?” I ask with a grin.

“Uh, no.” He shakes his head and laughs.

“Damn. Okay, I’ll have a fuzzy navel.” Matt sets to work. “Where are Brynna and the girls?”

“I’m not sure. Caleb called earlier and said he was taking them somewhere this weekend and they wouldn’t be here.”

“Mysterious.” I wiggle my eyebrows. “How did you get the bartending job?”

“Might as well, I don’t drink.” He shrugs and pours orange juice over my peach schnapps and ice and passes me the glass. “Pizza?”

“I’ll get some in a few.” I take a sip of the drink and smile in surprise. “This is really good.”

“Don’t be so surprised. I tended bar in college.”

“A jack of all trades.” I tease him with a grin.

“Hey, friend! When did you get here?” Stacey appears at my side and stares longingly at my drink and then up at Matt, who laughs.

“You want one of those?”

“Yes, please.” She grins and winks.

“Leo and I got here a few minutes ago. Where’s Isaac?”

“He’s playing xBox with Nate and Mark. Nate’s kicking ass.” She smirks and finds a box of pizza mostly full, tucks a couple beers under her arm, lifts the box and takes her drink from Matt to wander back into the game room.

“Do you need help?” I ask.

“No, I’m a mom. This is nothing.” She winks.

I lean back against the island and observe the family around me. Matt is wiping down the counter, deep in thought. I can hear Nate and Isaac yelling at each other in the other room, and Jules and Stacey laughing. Leo and Meg have their heads together, plotting something. Will and Luke and Nat are in deep conversation.

“We need to find you a girlfriend.” I mention to Matt who stops and frowns at me.

“Why?”

“You’re not getting any younger.” I laugh when he scowls. “You’re not gay.”

He throws his head back and laughs, shoves his hands through his dark blonde hair and smiles at me. “No, I’m not.”

“Well, then.”

“I have particular tastes,” he murmurs.

“I know.”

His eyes shoot up to mine. “You do?”

I raise an eyebrow at him, a half-smile on my lips and he sighs and nods.

“You’re damn observant.”

I smile sweetly and sip my drink, waiting for him to talk.

“It’ll happen eventually.” He finally concedes. “But I have a feeling she won’t be easy to find.”

“She’ll be worth it.” I assure him and pat his broad shoulder.

“What’s up with you and Leo?” He asks quietly.

My eyes turn to the man in the living room, still in deep conversation with Meg. I’m always aware of him, what he’s doing and where he is. I can’t help it.

“I went and fell in love with him.” I smirk and glance back at Matt who has taken a seat next to me. “What do you think of him?”

“I like him.” He nods. “Looks to me like he fell in love with you, too.” He gestures over and I turn my head to find Leo watching us. I wink at him and he smiles softly before returning to his conversation.

“It’s kind of disgusting.” I choose a piece of pizza and take a bite. “But it’s fun. We’ll see how it goes.”

“You’re so not into the mushy stuff, are you?” Matt asks with a chuckle.

“Not really.” I shrug, and then realize that’s a lie. I love the mushy stuff with Leo.

“I get it.” He nods.

“You’re not either,” I remind him.

“There’s a time and a place for romance.” He disagrees. “But I decide when and where that is.”

“God, you’re bossy.”

He just laughs at me and clinks his glass with mine in cheers.

“Uh, Sam?” Stacey is moving through the room, her phone in her hands and she’s frowning down at it.

“Yeah?”

“Have you seen this?”

“What?” I ask as she pushes her phone in my hands. Matt leans close to look over my shoulder and swears under his breath as my world stops moving.

It’s a photo on an on-line gossip page of Leo and me from the photo shoot last week in L.A. Lori has been cropped out of the photo.

Of course.

The caption below is, Leo Nash with his new girlfriend, actor/producer Luke Williams’ sister.

No name.

“What is it?” I hear Leo ask, his voice closer than before and I feel my cheeks heat in anger and embarrassment and pure betrayal.

“Fuck.”

***

~Leo~

Sam’s face has turned bright red as she stares blankly down at Stacy’s phone, her hands are shaking and Matt is glaring at the phone as if it’s going to bite.