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“You okay, baby?” Levi asks, and I don’t even look up at him.
“Yep, totally cool,” I say as Muffin comes over to me, wagging her tail and looking between Levi and me, like, Look who I found. Isn’t it so exciting, making me glare at her.
“I’m gonna head back,” Lucas says, and I nod as he lifts his chin toward Levi before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking off.
“You didn’t tell me you were going to take Muffin out,” Levi says as soon as Lucas is gone. My eyes go to him.
“I didn’t think I needed to, and it wasn’t something I planned. I just needed to take a break for a few minutes,” I say in a rush.
“You’re pissed,” he states, studying me, and I shake my head. I don’t feel pissed, I just feel annoyed and on edge, and I really can’t wait for this stupid day to be over with.
“I’m not pissed. Like I said, I just needed a few minutes alone.”
“You weren’t alone, you were with Lucas,” he says, and I would swear there is an edge of jealousy in his tone—but that would be ridiculous, so I push that thought aside.
“I could tell he didn’t want to go back inside, so I invited him to walk Muffin with me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were heading out?” he repeats, and I begin to get annoyed.
“I already told you why. I needed to think.”
“To think about me and Heather?” he asks, and I narrow my eyes on him.
“Is there a you and Heather?” I ask. His lips twitch, which makes me want to kick him in the shin.
“Definitely not.”
“You were engaged to her, though, weren’t you?” His eyes narrow a little.
“How do you know that?”
“Your mom told me. Well, she didn’t tell me the woman’s name, but I put two and two together at dinner when Eva kept bringing Heather up.”
“Christ.” He shakes his head running his fingers through his hair. “That’s something for me to talk to you about when I’m ready.”
“Okay, so when would that be?” I question, and his eyes lock on mine.
“I don’t know, twenty years from now . . .”
“What?”
“Baby, my ex was part crazy, part bitch. She’s not exactly someone I spend a lot of time thinking about.”
“But you were engaged to her?”
“Yeah, when I was young and my dick did the thinking for me, I was engaged to her.” He pulls me close with his fingers in the front pocket of my jeans. “I know what Eva said upset you.”
“She didn’t upset me,” I lie, and his eyes narrow. “She just annoyed me. She’s not a very nice person.”
“No, she’s not, but she’s the result of thinking with your dick and an unplanned pregnancy.” That was a little harsh—probably true, but still harsh.
“Lucas is asking her for a divorce,” I say, then close my eyes, wondering why the hell I just told him that when it’s not my news to share.
“Did he tell you that?”
“Forget I said anything. I don’t think he’s ready to tell everyone yet.”
“How long were you two on a walk before I caught up with you?”
“I don’t know, five minutes.” I shrug, and his eyes soften.
“Hmm.” He shakes his head and I wonder exactly what that hmm means, but I don’t want to ask him about it.
“I wish we were alone. This day has been a disaster.”
“It’s been good,” he says, and I widen my eyes in disbelief.
“Are we on different planets right now?”
“Baby, think about it. Our families met, our moms—who just happened to be old friends—reunited, I didn’t get called into work, and I spent the day with my woman. Yeah, there was a little bit of drama, but all in all, it’s been a good day.”
“You missed the part where I didn’t know about the giblets in the turkey and had to unstuff the damn thing, then restuff it,” I grumble.
“What?” He smiles, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.
“Why are you with me?” I ask instead of answering his question, then cut him off when it looks like he’s going to open his mouth to speak. “I can’t cook, I dress like a nerd, I’m clumsy and always doing dumb stuff, plus my family is crazy. Why are you with me?” I repeat and he drops his forehead to rest against mine.
“Do you know how hard it is to find a woman who isn’t all about herself? To find a woman who isn’t superficial and self-centered?” he asks quietly.
I whisper, “No.”
“I do know how hard it is. And I also know that the kind of beauty you hold is so rare most men would be lucky to even catch a glimpse of it.”
“So because you think I’m pretty—”
“No,” he cuts me off, taking my face between his palms. “It’s not because you’re gorgeous, which you are, it’s because the parts of you that make you you are beautiful. That’s why I’m with you. I’m with you because you’re real, you care, and you don’t know how to put on a front or be mean. I’m with you because you’re the kind of woman who goes to a shelter to volunteer when most wouldn’t even think about wasting their time. Because you worry about a little girl that looks at you like you have the ability to change her life. Because you are the kind of person who won’t judge a guy you don’t know when he tells you he’s getting a divorce. I’m with you because the idea of not being with you isn’t something I want to consider.”
Oh.
My.
His words cause my breath to freeze in my lungs and tears to burn the back of my eyes.
“You really like me,” I say after a moment, and his lips twitch into a smile.
“I more than like you, gorgeous, but yeah, I really like you.”
I’m such an idiot. I close my eyes and drop my face to his chest. “I’m sorry about just leaving . . . You’re right, I was worried about what Eva was saying and worried that you would want to get back together with your ex. I . . . I worry that you’re going to realize I’m not worth the hassle.”
“You’re definitely worth it.”
How does he know just what I need to hear?
“Thank you,” I say, pulling my face back to look at him.
“Baby, caring for you isn’t a hardship.”
“Don’t make me cry.”
“I don’t want you to cry, I just want to know that we’re good and that when our families take off, we’ll still be good. Today has been crazy, and I know you’re stressed.”
“I’m good, but I will be better once everyone leaves. Meeting your family has been great, but our families together . . .” I shake my head. “That’s a little much for me.”
“Well, before we head back, I want you to prepare yourself. Our moms are already pl
anning our wedding.”
“What?” I blink up at him, and he grins.
“They were arguing over where we would get married when I took off, so keep in mind that when that day comes, we’re getting married at the courthouse and telling no one about it until it’s done.”
“What?” I breathe. His eyes lock on mine and fill with something that is so beautiful it makes every part of me feel warm.
“That’s not for now,” he says softly, rubbing his fingers down my cheek. “That’s for when the time’s right, but we are not having a wedding.”
“What if I want a wedding?” I ask, wondering where the hell that question came from.
“Do you want a big wedding?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never really thought about it before.”
“You’ve never thought about getting married?” he asks in a tone filled with disbelief.
“Well, once I saw a Harry Potter–themed wedding on YouTube and thought that would be cool,” I say, and his eyes close right before he drops his forehead to rest on mine once more.
“We are not having a Harry Potter–themed wedding.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re not.”
“But . . .”
“It’s not happening, babe.” He stops me with a quick peck to my lips.
“What if it’s important to me?” I say, not ready to let the idea of a Harry Potter–themed wedding go now that the idea is in my head.
“Is it important?”
“Well . . .” I chew the inside of my cheek as my stomach dances with butterflies at the thought of being Levi’s wife. “I guess not really. But if the day comes that we do get married, we’re not doing it at the courthouse, because my mom and yours would somehow find out. So we will just have to go to Vegas.”
He smiles right before he takes my mouth in a kiss that has me wishing we weren’t in a public park but alone in his bed. When he pulls away, his lips touch my forehead, then he takes my hand and leads me back to the building, where thankfully everyone is getting ready to take off so they can beat the Thanksgiving Day traffic.
