by Haven Rose
“What do you want to do? Have you given that any thought?” And is it something you can do from here I want to ask, but force myself not to.
“Growing up, I wanted to be a teacher, but changed my mind after babysitting for our neighbor a couple weekends,” she admits, making me chuckle.
“And now?”
She looks around, taking everything in, then I see her take a deep breath, as if soaking in the smells. “I wouldn’t mind working here,” realizing how that must sound, and maybe worried she’ll come off clingy, she quickly adds, “or a place like it.” When I smile encouragingly, she continues, “I’m not saying I’d do it for the rest of my life, but it would be fun. It needs an area where people can sit and enjoy their orders while reading though.”
“That’s a great idea, dear. Why didn’t I think of that? I love to read myself,” is said and I glance up, noticing Penny, the owner, standing behind Charlotte, obviously having heard her idea…and loving it. She introduces herself, then takes the empty spot next to Dot, and the two begin talking as if I’m not there. I’m not even jealous or upset, the more Charlotte gets invested in Love’s Valley, the easier it’ll be for me to convince her to stay, and become my wife. “Are you looking for work? I could use the help,” Penny says when there’s a lull in the conversation. Dot's expression is a mix of yearning and resignation. It doesn’t take a genius to decipher either. She wants to accept, but she’s a package deal, meaning this impacts her twin as well.
Stepping in, I suggest, “Can she think about it and get back to you? She and her sister need to make some decisions about car repairs first.” Charlotte throws me a grateful glance and I give her a wink, making her cheeks turn so red she damn near matches her hair.
“Take your time. The position is yours if you want it,” Penny informs her, giving her hand an affectionate pat before standing and going back to the counter.
“Just like that?” Charlotte asks, shocked. “She doesn’t even know me. What if I’m a thief? Or a lazy worker?”
“Are you either of those? Or anything else that could make her regret hiring you?” She appears offended which I find amusing as she’s the one who first brought up the possibilities. “Of course not,” she exclaims.
“Then what’s the issue?”
“She doesn’t know I’m not.”
“Penny is good at reading others. Her brother, Jeff, is the cook, and their family has owned this place in one form or another since before my mom was born. They’re almost as much a part of its history as my ancestors. Hell, for all I know, his great something could’ve been friends with mine.” We finish eating shortly after that, Penny slipping Charlotte her number before we walk out, then proceed to tour the town, hand in hand. We’re stopped numerous times, people wanting to talk to me, to meet her, and I can see the magic of this place is having an effect on her. By late afternoon, we’ve seen everything, spent time in the local bookstore, Dot unintentionally giving Misty, the owner, ideas when she’s overheard sharing them with me. “You’re making a good impression wherever we go,” I tell her as we begin heading back to the garage, chuckling when she gets bashful.
“I need to keep my mouth shut, or at least make sure no one else is close when I use it.”
“Why? Both Penny and Misty loved your ideas. I heard Misty get on the phone before we left, excitedly telling her husband what you suggested.”
“I’m just not mdkljdjkdfj,” she mutters, looking down.
Cupping her cheeks, I tilt her head until her eyes meet mine. “What?”
Vulnerability flashes in her gaze, then she admits, her words just above a whisper, as she admits, “I’m just not used to people wanting to hear what I have to say.”
“No one?” I ask, finding that hard to believe.
“I don’t have a lot of friends at home, unless you count the characters in my books.” I remind her it’s quality over quantity that matters and she nods, though I’m not sure if she’s agreeing or letting me know she heard me. “CeCe does, but…” I wait her out. “This trip is to work on our relationship. We both let it suffer after Mom died, and doing what he did,” she says, referring to her dad, “showed us we can only rely on each other.”
“That’s not true,” I let her know. “Your uncle and aunt agreed to help you without any hesitation, right?” A nod. “My mom is letting you stay at the inn, and, unless I don’t know her as well as I thought I did, she’s not charging you either.” Another nod. “And you have me.”
She seems surprised by that fact. “I do?”
“Baby, how could you not know I’m attracted to you?”
Charlotte glances away, then returns to me, stares straight at me and tells me, “This is all new to me. I mean, I’ve found guys cute,” I growl and she rolls her eyes, “but in a generic way, not as if I wanted to do anything about it.”
“But you do this time?”
“I don’t think you’re cute,” she informs me, but I don’t miss the grin she’s trying to hide.
“Oh, you don’t, do you?”
“Nope. You’re hot.” And I have never felt more like a man, her man, than in this moment. “And I felt the connection the first time I saw you, I just didn’t know what it meant. I’ve only read about it.”
Is she implying what I think she is? As if she knows what I want to ask, she stops, waits until I’m facing her, then smiles and nods. “Do you trust me?”
“Completely,” she instantly answers. I’d say that sealed her fate, but that was done the moment she stepped foot in my garage.
Ten minutes later, we’re in my truck and on the way to my place. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell her where you’re going?” I ask, having no problem if she does for hers, and CeCe’s, peace of mind.
“When I said I trust you, I meant it. Plus, she’d think I’m crazy for doing this.”
“The woman we saw publicly locking lips with my brother?” She laughs and tells me I have a good point.
“Are you saying he believes in the legend, too?”
I need to word this carefully as it’s obvious the two are protective of each other, despite the shaky ground they’ve been on lately. I want her to know CeCe is safe with Mason, but I also don’t want to lie. “You need to know Mason is a science teacher, which means he’s all about facts, proof. And the stories don’t count in his opinion because he said people embellish. That means he’ll have what he deems a “reasonable” explanation for what he feels for your sister.”
“CeCe acts tough, but she wants to be loved, for someone to put her first. He never did that for either for us, just treated us as if we were guests that’d overstayed their welcome.”
I grit my teeth so I don’t insult the man, not that he doesn’t deserve it, simply because talking about it hurts her. Changing the subject, I ask, “Are you hungry? I could make dinner.”
“You cook?” She wants to know.
“I’m a big man.”
“Yeah, I noticed that right away,” she throws out with a giggle.
“What?” Then she tells me of her first impression and I bust out laughing. “Mason used to joke that I was a bear in the morning because I hated to get out of bed.”
That makes her crack up, then she runs her fingers through my hair and, as if soothing me, gently says, “A teddy bear maybe.”
“Only for you,” I inform her, not admitting most think I’m grumpy. “Want to cuddle and hibernate?” I ask with an exaggerating wag of my brows.
And then I about run off the road when she answers with a simple yet confident, “Yes.” Pulling into my driveway, my chest puffs out, not that it needed the help, when she lets out a sincere “oooh,” when she takes in my home. I’m tempting to throw her over my shoulder, rush inside, and never let her leave when she whispers, obviously a confession not intended for me to hear, “It’s the house I’ve always dreamed of.”
“Dot, you can’t say things like that.”
“I’m so sorry.” Then her voice gets quieter and she mu
mbles, “Stupid, Charlotte.”
“Hey, don’t insult my woman.” Her head turns toward me so fast I’m surprised she doesn’t give herself whiplash.
“Yours?”
“For a woman so smart, you’re missing the signs.” When she just looks at me, I realize that’s not the case at all. She doesn’t believe someone could feel this strongly about her. If I could just have ten minutes with her father, I’d beat the shit out of him so hard he’d forget his name. Taking us inside, I lead her to the couch and sit beside her, needing to touch her without fear of causing an accident, and tell her, “The legend is real, sweetheart, and you’re the one I’ve been waiting for.”
Chapter Three
Charlotte
June 9th…
When Levi dropped me off last night, we’d stood outside the door of my room for at least thirty minutes, but we weren’t talking. No, our lips were too busy for that. After he’d dropped that information bomb on me, Levi had made a delicious dinner of grilled chicken salad, baked potatoes, and garlic bread. Then we watched movies, made out before he drove me back. Not once did he ask if I wanted to stay over, and while that might sound bad, as if he didn’t mean what he’d said earlier, I knew it was the opposite. Levi didn’t want to risk rushing anything. Instead, he was showing me I was worth waiting for, and that made me believe in the stories, in him, more than anything else.
“You were late getting in,” CeCe says, deceptively innocent. I’d been able to avoid her up to now, but it seems my time has run out.
“I was with Levi,” I tell her, unashamed.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m having fun. You remember what that is, right?” She glares at me, and I know what she’s thinking without needing our twin abilities. I’m the one that hid from fun, in her mind at least. What she’s never understood is that we have our own definitions of it. I like not being the center of attention whereas she craves it. We both have ways to become invisible, hers was just by hiding in plain sight, while mine was done within the pages of books.
“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” she tells me with a sympathetic expression, as if it’s already a foregone conclusion.
“Do you think I’m an idiot? That I can’t take care of myself or make my own decisions?”
“No, not at all.”
“Then why are you treating me like I am?”
“He’s older than you,” CeCe hedges.
“Yeah, so. A lot of people are. There are some younger, too. What’s your point?”
“Just that he’s experienced and probably expects certain things.” Wow, I think to myself, then again, CeCe likes to leap before looking. It’s one of the reasons she’s such a standout in track and field, but it doesn’t always translate well with her personal interaction. I don’t tell her, based upon what Levi said, how wrong she is. And that’s not me being naive or stupidly romantic, I’m following my gut, my heart, and it’s telling me to trust him.
Ignoring her, I put in the smoothing cream my hair requires, then dry it. Sweeping a brush through it to finish styling it, I put a light dusting of powder on my face, making sure not to cover my freckles since Levi likes them so much, then glance at CeCe out of the corner of my eye. She does not appear happy. “Would it be so bad if we didn’t go to Uncle John and Aunt Maggie’s? I mean, we need a place to stay. Why can’t that be here?”
“Are you insane?”
“Why? Because I like it here?” She doesn’t answer me, just continues to stare as if she’s never met me before. “What?”
“You’re different here.”
“Thank you,” I reply, taking it as a compliment. CeCe seems so frustrated with my reaction she steps closer and gives me a little shake.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to shake some sense into you.”
I slap her hands away and take a step back. “You’re acting crazy, not me,” I tell her.
“And you’re falling all over yourself the first time a guy pays you attention,” she states and her accusation hits its target, causing me to stumble a bit. I grab my purse, not even caring to make sure my room key and cell are in it, before I walk out. I hear CeCe calling for me, concern and a slight panic in her voice, but the one thing missing is what I want to hear most…regret.
Aimlessly wondering the streets, I don’t feel how tired my legs are, the ache in my feet, or the pain in my chest upon realizing how fragile my twin thinks I am. As much as I love her, and want to see my family, there’s something I want more. I want to belong somewhere, to someone, I get both here.
I’d started in the opposite direction from Levi’s garage, and avoided it with every circuit I made, but I knew the whole time he’d be my last stop. Which is kinda poetic, and perhaps its fate’s way of letting me know all roads lead to Levi.
“Charlotte!” Is shouted as I near the bay doors, a term I only know because of him, and he rushes toward me, scooping me into his arms. “Your sister is worried sick.” No, she just doesn’t like being left out of the loop, nor the fact I’m standing up for myself. And then I realize what he said, but I don’t care right now. All that matters is showing Levi I believe in us.
“Take me home, make me yours.” He watches me and I let him look for whatever he needs to see. I have no doubts. It might seem like I’m doing this in reaction to what CeCe said, and maybe I am in some aspect, but Levi is what I want. “Please.”
**Levi**
“Oh, baby, the only time I ever want to hear you beg is when it’s for mercy as I’m making love to you.” Her sister’s call scared the shit out of me. I mean, logistically, I knew Dot couldn’t go far. But then CeCe told me she’d been gone longer than she’d assumed she would, as in two hours instead of the minutes she’d expected. CeCe then admitted she’d said something to her twin she shouldn’t have, though not what it was. It didn’t take long to read between the lines and figure out it had to do with me, nor was it hard to guess what it might’ve been. Charlotte had already shared that CeCe had doubts about the town’s history where my family is concerned, which means she had them about my intentions with Charlotte. “Danny!” I holler.
“What do you need, Levi?”
“Call Mason, have him tell his woman that mine is safe.”
He nods. “Anything else?”
“Yeah. That I got her.” I see his eyes raise at that, my meaning sinking in, and I know he’ll be sure my brother passes that on, too. Then, I scoop Dot up and don’t let her go until I’ve opened the passenger door and placed her on the seat. Buckling her in, I see the small smile crossing her face and immediately lean forward to kiss it off her, grinning when I see the satisfied one replacing it when I pull away.
As we begin the drive to my, our, house, her hand slowly creeps over and lands on my thigh and I jerk in my seat when she gives it a squeeze, picturing that grip on another part of my body. “I can’t believe this is happening,” I hear her whisper, almost as if in awe. I know exactly how you feel, sweetheart. When we arrive, I pull into my garage, then reverse the process I used to get her in, once more carrying her, and take her straight to the bedroom. It has only ever known the two of us. “Levi,” she says tentatively, her arms tightening around me before I can set her on the mattress. I look at her and the hesitation in her eyes stops me in my tracks. “No!” She immediately exclaims. “I’m not…That is,” her voice trails off and I swear I feel her spine straightening against my forearm. “I’ve never done this. I thought you should know in case that changes things for you.”
“Charlotte, there is nothing you could say or do that will have that happen. You’ve heard my family legend,” I remind her. She nods, telling me how sweet it is, how lucky we are, that we’re able to know so quickly. I just stare at her, wanting her own words to sink in, for her to get what that means for her and I. Watching her think, her eyes moving as if she’s reading everything to grasp it, to catch what she missed before, is adorable. She points at herself as to ask if I mean her and I chuc
kle. “Only you,” I assure her, and wait for my meaning to hit her, that this is new for both of us.
“But you could probably have any girl you want,” she states.
I shake my head in disagreement. “No, I couldn’t. Not only because I can’t, I wouldn’t even if I could. I may not have always trusted in the stories of my ancestors, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want it for myself. Once I got old enough to start thinking of girls as something other than being gross, it took a second to realize none impacted me like I’d grown up knowing they should, so,” I shrug, “there was no point being anything more than friends. And, when I did find the woman meant for me, I didn’t want her surrounded by my past.” Charlotte is just staring at me, mouth open in shock, and I’m feeling a bit vulnerable after my admission. I needn’t have worried though as she slams her mouth down on mine, maneuvering herself so her legs wrap around my waist, and she rubs against me.
“You’re even better than a book boyfriend,” she informs me with a grin after we regain the ability to breathe when she slowly pulls away.
“That’s high praise coming from you,” I say with a chuckle.
She agrees, “Indeed,” then continues with a teasing taunt, “Time for you to live up to it.”
Placing her on the bed, I stay standing and remove my shirt, her sigh causing my chest to puff out with pride. “Your turn,” I tell her, then do it for her. When she looks at me, surprised, I let her know I couldn’t wait.
“You’d just told me a second before you took it off.”
“Longest of my life,” I inform her with a pout.
“Poor baby,” she soothes me, her hands running up my back and moving to my pecs.
“Charlotte, I’m trying to go slow here, to make our first time special,” I warn her.
She places a sweet kiss on my lips, then murmurs against them, “It will be simply because it’s us, that’s what matters.” This woman is everything and more, and she has no idea what she does to me. Rolling so she’s looming over me now, I groan at the feeling of her center cradling me, wishing I could think our clothes gone.
