“That’s good!” My voice was too chipper, suddenly feeling exposed under his stare. It was only the third time I’d seen him, and yet it felt like he was peeling back all my layers and seeing what lay beneath.
He took a sip of his beer, glancing over at where Luke and Henry were playing. “How’s Luke?” It warmed my heart to know he was asking because he cared, not just to be polite.
“Great,” I said honestly, watching him squeal with laughter. My heart could’ve burst at the sight.
“And you?” His voice was softer, lower.
I took a deep breath, needing to steady myself. I kept my eyes on Luke even though I could feel Levi’s on the side of my face. “I’m alright.”
“Any more messages?”
The warm, fuzzy feeling left me in an instant. “They pretty much come nonstop,” I said, looking down at the ground.“Nothing he hasn’t said before, though, so…” I shrugged a shoulder. When I turned towards him, he didn’t seem to have the same ‘bury my head under the sand’ attitude I did. He looked pissed. “It’s not a big deal, Levi.”
“It’s a big deal to me. I don’t want you constantly looking over your shoulder or feeling threatened. You don’t deserve that. You deserve to feel safe. You and Luke.”
If only he knew I was starting to feel safest when he was around.
The sun was long gone,and we were now circled around a small fire, even though it was too hot for it. Luke was lying between my legs, munching on a s’more. Levi was beside me in a chair of his own, both of us a couple of beers deep. Weston, Savannah’s kind of boyfriend, convinced me to have one, and I had to admit I was feeling a little more relaxed because of it.
Or maybe that had been because ever since Colt announced his engagement, Levi hadn’t strayed more than ten feet from my side.
Delilah scrambled to stand on her chair. “We should go out!” she yelled, her words a little slurred. “To celebrate Colt and Britt and get our minds off those Hollis pricks.” Preston had just sent Savannah a notice that he and Sterling were suing Beau and Claire. I didn’t really understand all the details.
“Delilah!” I gasped. I couldn’t believe she said that with Levi right here! I glanced over at him, and he was grinning, completely unfazed. “I’msosorry,” I whispered, mortified.
I nearly exploded when his hand landed gently on my knee. It was gentle, like he hadn’t realized what he was doing until it was too late. “It’s okay,” he murmured. And just as quickly, he pulled away, flexing his fingers in his lap like they’d burned him.
I was too stunned to hear what anyone was saying after that, still staring at the spot on my knee. The spot that burned with the remnants of his touch.
That lingering daze had me agreeing to go to the local dive bar and allowing Luke to stay at Anna’s until I was ready to go home. She swore up and down that she’d call the second she thought I needed to come get him, and then practically tossed me into Levi’s car.
Which was where I was now. Slowly dying inside because I couldn’t stop talking. “…so I told the librarian I love you instead of I love your sweater. I was so embarrassed that I left without returning the books in my bag and never went back. I think I still owe a fine.”
Levi’s laugh was rich and thick as it echoed through the silent car. I was probably driving him nuts, and he was just too nice to say it. “Sorry. I…I tend to ramble a lot,” I sighed heavily, my eyes falling shut. “Jeremy always hated it, but it’s like?—”
My eyes shot open at warm fingers on my chin, turning my head. Levi’s stare was intense, his eyes like dark emeralds in the dim lighting. “I love your rambling, Tess. Don’t ever apologize for it.”
I blinked quickly, caught off guard. “O-Okay.”
After a beat of eye contact that made it hard to breathe, he nodded and let my face go. “Stay there,” he said, and got out of the car. Moments later, he was opening my door, just like he had when I got in.
I hadn’t even realized we’d parked.
My head was airy as we walked inside with Levi’s hand hovering at the small of my back. If he did have a girlfriend, she was the luckiest woman in the world because I’d never been treated so well.
Music blared through the speakers when the door opened, hitting me like a slap. The music, on top of the loud chatter of thecrowd, had me freezing in the entryway. Levi’s hand slid from my back to my waist as he came to my side. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“You gonna go in or not?” Some guy behind me snapped. I flinched.
“Back off,” Levi growled at him, and we shifted to the side out of people’s way. He stood in front of me now, but I couldn’t stop looking around at the crowd. If I needed to get out and away, it’d be hard to. “Tess.” My eyes snapped to Levi’s. “Do you want to leave?”
I found our group over by the bar and saw how happy they were. I didn’t want to keep missing out like I had been. I didn’t want to forever stay the youngest, struggling to keep up. I wanted to be a part of it, be an active member of this large, wild family I had.
I shook my head. “No. I wanna go in.”
Levi’s expression softened with something like pride. He grabbed my hand, pulling me with him into the chaos.
And I could’ve sworn I was levitating.
