Leo

"Someone's in love."

I blink, looking up from my cup of steaming tea and directing my gaze to my mom. After today's hike with Aria, the rain moved in from the West Coast and released its wrath upon us, causing the temperature to drop below fifteen and a wicked thunderstorm to rattle us. Right now, my mom and I are sitting on the enclosed porch, watching the thunderstorm as it travels through the area.

I clear my throat, trying to make myself appear calm, but my cheeks betray me, as I can feel the heat up. As my mind instantly thinks about Aria and the kiss we shared today. I shouldn't have been surprised by Aria's sudden decision to kiss me because I know how outgoing and spontaneous she can be, but I was. I never, in a million years, would have thought she had feelings for me.

"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about, Mom," I say, watching as lightning splits the gloomy sky. Listening as the rain ferociously pelts the roof. Before me is the vast view of Aunty Tenille's property, kilometres and kilometres of pasture, surrounded by the stunning outline of forest and broad-peaked mountains. I'm starting to wish Mom and I had come here sooner rather than later. Whistler is really starting to grow on me, and after I graduate with my master's, I could see myself living here. I'm sure there are plenty of environmental science jobs available here. Maybe Aunty Tenille and Kit would also give me a place to stay until I can find a job. "I really like this place," I add, my focus distant. "Dad must have loved it here."

Mom throws her head back, laughing. "Don't try to bullshit your own mother, Leo. That is exactly the look your father had when he was trying to lie." Her laughter quickly dies down, though, as she adds: "Yes, your father did love it here. Every morning, he would take the bike trail down to Fitzsimmons Creek, to our special rock, and then bike right back up. I don't know how he did it."

I roll my eyes, and then I feel a pretzel whack my cheek. "What the hell?" I ask. "I didn't say anything! I'm just rolling my eyes because I find it a load of BS that you can't understand how he did it. Mom — you still mountain bike as often as you can back home."

"Don't roll your eyes at me, Leo Nathan Sangster," she scolds, ignoring my argument. "Now, tell me more about this girl you're seeing." A small smirk crosses her lips. "Although, I do think I already have an idea about who she is. I believe I met her just the other day."

I adjust the flannel blanket, giving myself time to organize my thoughts. If I tell Mom that I went hiking with Aria, she's going to want to know the reasoning behind it. I hate lying to my mom, but I don't want to tell her quite yet about the bucket list. So I decide, that if I do have to explain my reasoning, I'm simply going to tell her that Aria only came along because she knows the area better than I do. "Is that so?" I challenge, slouching my posture against the cushioned chair and trying to look casual, though nearly every muscle in my body is tense and strained. I don't know why I'm reacting as I am, but I'm about as relaxed as the storm that's happening around us.

Mom smiles at me, shaking her head. "You have too much of your father in you."

I suppress an eye roll. "Mom. Stop quoting Star Wars. I love those movies, but after an exhausting day like today, I don't think I can handle geeking out with you this time around."

"Technically," she says. "That was an indirect quote." She reaches over and pats my knee. "Besides, you would have heard much more of these types of quotes if Leon were still here with us. He and I were the typical nerds you see on all those cliché TV shows. I've had to play both parents since the day you were born, so I'm not going to ease up on the quotes. Sorry."

"Trust me, she's not lying when she says that."

Mom and I glance up, watching as Aunty Tenille and Kit step through the sliding glass door, amused looks on their faces. Just like Mom and I, they have steaming cups of tea in their hands. Aunty Tenille is also carrying a freshly-baked plate of cookies.

"They were the King and Queen of nerds," Kit agrees. He gestures to the empty seats around the table. "Mind if we sit?"

"Not at all," Mom smiles. "We were just discussing the mysterious woman Leo has fallen in love with. Perhaps the two of you can help me uncover the name. I have to warn both of you, though, he is as stubborn as Leon was."

"Mom," I say through gritted teeth. I hate that everyone's attention is focused on me now, that everyone wants answers. I don't want to talk about Aria and the bucket list. I want to talk about something else. Maybe how fascinating the sudden change of weather is or some awkward, pointless crap like that.

"Oh, come on now, Leo," Mom teases. "I'm only joking. Keep your secrets if you must, but I think we can all agree it's best to talk about our secrets and not keep them hidden."

I level my gaze with hers, meeting her green eyes. I know she's telling me the truth and has indefinitely given me the option to talk to her, Kit, and Aunty Tenille about my secrets or not. It's just a hard decision to make when my world feels as though it's been flipped upside down thanks to a girl I never planned on meeting, let alone falling for. Subconsciously, I rub my jaw, making a mental note to shave. I'm beginning to look like a mountain man. But even that note isn't enough to prevent my mind from straying back to the kiss we shared today. I'm scared that my lack of experience with romance disgusted her, that the look on her face, that the passion I felt in her kiss, was all an act to prevent my ego from being harmed.

When Aunty Tenille sits down, setting the plate of cookies next to the bowl of pretzels, I reach out and grab one, taking a huge bite. I nearly groan in appreciation. I don't know what Aunty Tenille puts in these cookies, but this combination of sweet and salty is exactly what I need at the moment. I chew slowly and thoughtfully, their eyes focused on me, as I try to figure out what I'm going to say to them, how I'm going to begin this conversation. If it's even worth discussing. On one hand, maybe I could get some advice from them about how I'm supposed to handle these feelings, how I'm supposed to interpret them. Then again, the three of them are going to have quite the ride with teasing me after I so confidently scoffed at the possibility of me falling for a girl this summer before I arrived.

I set my cup of tea down, levelling my gaze with each of them for a brief second before I sigh and rub my temples. "Fine. There's this girl I may have a crush on and I don't know how to deal with it. Is that what you all wanted to hear from me?"

"Ah, yes," Aunty Tenille smiles. "Aria Madden. Am I correct?"

Kit chokes on his cup of tea. "Luke Madden's daughter?" he sputters, locking his gaze with mine. "You're dating Luke Madden's daughter?"

"I'm not dating her!" I exclaim, noticing how shocked my mom now looks. I don't think she put two and two together and figured out exactly who Aria was when she answered the door the other day. "We work together and we're just friends. The only reason she came hiking with me today is that she knows the area better than I do. And the burger joint...that wasn't a date, I swear."

Kit takes a sip of his tea. "Someone's blabbin'," he muses.

I shoot him a dirty glare, waggling my finger at him and raising my eyebrows in seriousness. "This is exactly why I refuse to call you Uncle Kit."

"Nah," he grins. "You refuse to call me Uncle Kit because Tenille and I aren't married, which I find to be utterly unfair due to the fact that you are not blood-related to her in any way whatsoever."

I roll my eyes and then look at Mom. "I'm telling you the truth — we're just friends."

Mom cocks a brow, clearly not believing anything I'm saying, as a loud crack of thunder shakes the house. Aunty Tenille snuggles a little closer to Kit, muttering something about how much she hates thunderstorms. He wraps an arm around her, and when I glance at Mom, I don't miss the hint of loneliness in her eyes. For a brief moment, I picture what it would be like to have Dad here, an older version, but my dad all in the same, sitting next to Mom and protecting her from the storm.

"What happened with today's hike?" Aunty Tenille presses.

"What do you mean?" I counter.

"Well," Mom says, setting her tea down and crossing her arms in a very mother-like manner. "Something must have happened today if you're willing to come to us for advice about your feelings towards Aria. And these feelings are clearly important to you, Leo. You've never even considered having a girlfriend before, let alone crushing on someone. Enlighten us a little."

I stare at the half-eaten cookie in my hand, a line between my brows. "We kissed," I admit. "And...and I enjoyed it. But I didn't come here to fall in love or date someone just to have the relationship end with summer. Once this summer is over I'm heading to Halifax, and Aria will be doing whatever she does or going wherever she goes. I just don't think it's worth the effort, only to have it end so soon."

I'm expecting Mom to say something first because she's so outspoken and fiery when it comes to conversations like this, but Aunty Tenille beats her to it. "Leo," she says softly. "Do you ever wonder what it would be like to step outside your boundaries?" She shoots a quick glance at Mom, who nods understandingly. "To perhaps allow someone to help you find the confidence you keep hidden from yourself?" The corner of her mouth quirks up. "I know someone who needed the influence of someone else to find her confidence again."

I stare at Mom, replaying the story about her and her ex-fiancé and how on the eve of their rehearsal dinner, she ended their relationship to pursue one with Dad instead. I never met James, but Mom has always said nothing but nice things about him. He just hadn't been the right match for my mom. She's always told me that Dad was the one who brought out the best in her and encouraged her to make her own decisions, no matter how reckless they were.

But the very idea of stepping outside of my boundaries is what frightens me. I am a man of tradition, of familiarity. Pursuing Dad's bucket list is already a trigger for anxiety, and when it's tied with all of these new feelings I'm not sure how to handle, I feel as if I'm on the brink of drowning.

"Leo," Mom says, resting her elbows on her knees. "It's okay to be afraid of the unknown. You can't even begin to understand how badly Leon frightened me when he showed up at this very house after not seeing him for years. I had to face many difficult decisions, but they were all worth it in the end."

I glance up at the sky, watching as lightning brightens the dark sky for a brief moment, creating a defined view of the threatening clouds saturating the sky. "How were they worth it in the end? You lost him."

"They were worth it because I had you." I don't need to look at her to see the smile on her face because I can hear it in her voice.

It's cheesy and somewhat sappy what she's still said, but it manages to get to me. I look back at my mom, heart folding in on itself when I see the smile on her face. I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "So what you're saying is that, despite my ridiculous anxiety, I should just try. I should try and see where this goes with Aria."

Mom and Aunty Tenille nod in unison, but Kit shakes his head.

Aunty Tenille elbows him, scowling. "We're having a teachable moment here and you're ruining it."

Kit rolls his eyes, and then focuses his attention on me as he rubs his greying stubble. "While I agree with what your mom and my wife are sayin', I'm thinkin' we need to know one more piece of information before you make any rash decisions."

"What piece of information might that be?" I ask, stuffing the final quarter of the cookie into my mouth.

"Does she like you?" Kit asks. "If she doesn't, there's no point in trying to make someone fall in love with you."

"Talk about pessimistic," Aunty Tenille mutters.

Kit shakes his head. "More like bein' smart, love. If any man tries to dictate how a woman feels, he's going to get his ass kicked."

Mom, who has picked up her tea once again, raises her mug. "I'll drink to that," she chuckles.

While the three of them wait for my response, I think back to the kiss earlier today. Due to my lack of experience with women, I'm terrible at reading them. That being said, I did feel the way she kissed me back, the way she tugged at my hair and gasped when my weight was on top of her. And, on top of that, she was the one who initiated the kiss.

So, in conclusion, I think it's safe to say that she does feel something for me.

"I think so," I reply.

Kit raises his palms to the sky and shrugs. "There ya go, then," he says. "Give it a try, but don't get her pregnant. While we're all thankin' the world for you, Leo, you're too young to have a kid."

"What Kit is saying," Aunty Tenille inputs, "is to use protection."

"And be safe," Mom adds, staring me down. "Don't drink or do drugs, Leo. So help me God, I will hunt you down if I hear anything of the sort. Drinking and drugs will lead to unsafe sex."

I groan, squeezing my eyes shut as my head knocks against the back of the chair. My cheeks flare with embarrassment. "I hate all of you. So much."

As their laughter rings around me, echoing across the porch as thunder rumbles and lightning lights up the sky, I can't stop myself from thinking about Aria, from pondering over the questions that are running through my mind.

Maybe...maybe this is something worth trying, after all.