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"I'll think about it, Dad. The guys will probably want to check things out before I accept, to make sure it's safe, since that's what they're here for."

"Of course, Honeybee," my father smiled as he stood from his chair and made his way to where I sat. "I'll just leave the information with one of them and see myself out. I've taken enough time out of your day. I'm sure you don't want to spend another second of it listening to your old man ramble on." He leaned down and gave me a stiff, unfamiliar hug before righting himself and looking at the guys. "Which one of you should I leave the information with?"

"I'll take it." Rich offered, gesturing for my father to follow him.

As their footsteps receded down the gallery hall, I finally took in the deep breath I hadn't realized I couldn't take before and sagged in my chair slightly. The guys all immediately seemed to come back to life as they stepped out from behind me and moved around the breakfast nook and the kitchen. It felt like a weight in the room had just lifted.

"I don't even think I have a gown for this kind of charity event." I remarked to no one in particular as I poked the food on my plate with a fork.

"Ma petit démone, we'll get you taken care of," Leighton offered with a grin, returning to the table with his own plate of hotcakes. "You know any of us would be happy to hold your purse while you shop."

CHAPTER THIRTY

Victoria

Joey and I entered Volfase, the small upscale boutique known for its formal attire. I'd purchased most of my gowns for charity events from the small shop and, after visiting a handful of others, decided I'd probably find my dress for the hospital event there. Joey seemed content to follow me from store to store so long as he was given a fashion show while I made my decision.

I was digging through the racks, making more small talk with him when it occurred to me that I still didn't know what had pulled Leighton away from my girls' night with Tiff. I suspected it related to the interrogation I'd witnessed, but I wasn't sure.

"Am I allowed to ask if the other night was part of whatever caused Leighton to leave in a hurry wearing a mud mask?" I asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to draw attention to the conversation.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, your, uh, guest. The day before everything with him happened, Leighton kind of invited himself to my night with Tiff before he got a call and took off." I shrugged. "I was just curious if the two things were related, if I'm even allowed to know that."

"What was Leighton doing barging into your girls' night?" Joey frowned, handing me a black satin mermaid gown he'd pulled from a rack.

"Being his weird self as usual and comparing me to a high end steak like it was supposed to be a compliment." I snorted. "I still don't know what his crazy ass meant by that, but he seemed to think he was being genuinely sweet when he said it."

Joey's brows furrowed, and he placed a hand on my arm, turning me to face him. "He said what, exactly?"

"It was stupid really," I laughed, turning back to browse the dresses in front of me. "Tiff started a game of truth or dare, and his truth was to say how he felt about me. The psycho went off on some thing about how he feels about me the way he feels about a high end steak. Not really a compliment, ya know, but he seemed to think it was."

"That's because for Leighton, it is." Joey replied.

"What do you mean?" I asked, rummaging through the racks with my free hand.

Joey raked a hand through his hair and puffed out a breath. "Explaining Leighton is like, I don't even know. It's just difficult. In case you hadn't noticed by now, he doesn't exactly feel things the way a normal person does. Sometimes I wonder if he even feels anything at all outside of our little family. I know he's loyal and cares about the four of us in his way, but outside of that, I've never actually seen him give a damn."

"You're rambling, babe." I snickered. "None of that tells me what you're trying to get at."

He propped one arm on the rack and leaned into it. "Leighton cares more about food than people. Him comparing you to a 'high end steak' is as close to a confession of undying love as you can get."

"Get out, you're making that shit up." I scoffed, grabbing a cowl-necked A-line in a deep wine shade.

"No, to that gown and me making this up." Joey retorted, snatching the gown from my hand and placing it back on the rack.

I gave him an incredulous look as he rummaged around, grabbing a backless trumpet gown with a plunging neckline and a slit on one side that ran to the hip. The emerald green color was lovely, but the dress was far too revealing for me to wear to a charity event.

"I'm serious, Sweetheart. You can't… really handle L the same way you would other people. For him, a comparison to one of his favorite foods is kind of a big deal. He doesn't know how to say those things any other way." I noted how he measured his words to make me understand and turned the thought over in my head as I placed the green gown back on the rack.

"I don't know if it makes up for things. I mean, a dedicated fight and a comparison to steak doesn't leave a girl with the warm fuzzies that let you know he's serious." I responded as a black gown hanging on the wall caught my eye.

A sleek mermaid dress with a modest slit and a keyhole stand collar that gave way to gathered open shoulder sleeves. I grabbed it off the wall and held it up to look in the mirror.

"What was wrong with the green dress? Or the satin one? You'd be stunning in anything here, so why are you trying to cover yourself from neck to toe?"

"I don't think my tits hanging out is a good look when I'm trying to rebuild my donor list. Besides, do you really want a bunch of rich old men ogling me the whole time we're at the event?"