by Mia Carson
They rolled and tumbled a moment, their hands clawing at each other as they grunted and hissed, before Levi popped to his feet, dragged Steve up by the shirt, and drove a brutal right into Steve’s stomach. Levi had used his back and legs for the punch, and the impact of his fist almost lifted Steve off the ground. Steve whooshed out air as he doubled over and stumbled back, his arms covering his stomach, but Levi wasn’t finished. He took two steps forward, grabbed Steve by the hair and hauled him upright.
“This is for raping Ella!” he snarled before driving another hard right into Steve’s gut. Steve dropped to the ground with a groan. Levi reached down and hauled Steve back to his feet. “This is for still fucking with her,” he growled before launching a left into Steve’s stomach. Steve stumbled back and fell before rolling onto his side into the fetal position, his arms tight around his stomach. He was clearly done, but Levi wasn’t. He rolled Steve to his back and knelt over him. Steve held up his hands, trying to block, but his movements were frantic and uncoordinated.
“Levi! No! He’s had enough!” I screamed, afraid Levi was going to kill him.
“And this is for lying about her for all these years,” he snarled before driving another right into Steve’s face.
“Levi!” I shrieked, hurrying toward him to prevent him from beating Steve to death.
Levi was starting to stand as I arrived. I grabbed his arm and pulled him away before he could hit Steve again. Steve rolled over and got to his hands and knees, blood pouring from his shattered nose and lips, clear he wanted no more of Levi. Levi shook me off, took the two steps to Steve, put his boot in his opponent’s side, and shoved him back to the ground.
“Stay down,” he growled.
Steve held up a hand in surrender and rolled over to sit in the ditch, wiping his face. Both men were covered in mud, beer, and blood, but Steve was clearly the worse off of the two.
Levi shook his right hand and flexed it as he grimaced in pain. “Stay away from Ella and Abby, or the next time I’ll kill you,” he snarled. He glared at Steve for a long moment before he turned to me. “Better call the police.”
I’d called Mom as soon as I hung up with the police. The police beat Mom and Dad here, but not by much. Dad must have put his foot down on his Chevy to get here so quickly. While Mom and Dad stayed inside in case Abby woke up, the police questioned all three of us, and Steve was facing assault and battery charges. He was sitting on the bumper of the ambulance as the paramedic patched him up. The medic recommended taking him to the hospital, in Abilene, but Steve had waved them off. Word was going to be all over town that Levi had kicked the shit out of him, and he probably didn’t want it said that Levi had put him in the hospital.
“You don’t want to press charges?” Officer Jordan Keno asked Levi for the second time.
“No, so long as he stays away from Ella and Abby.”
Officer Keno looked at me. “Do you want to issue a restraining order against him?”
I wanted to, oh how I wanted to, but I trusted Levi, and he suggested that I not. “No. Not unless he keeps harassing me.”
Keno nodded and glanced at Steve. Keno had joined the Hamlinton PD after Levi left for the Air Force, but Levi was a McCormick and everyone knew them. “You must have a punch like a gorilla,” he said with a smile.
“That has been a long time coming,” Levi said, glancing at the ambulance. “I tried to ignore him, and then I warned him, but Steve isn’t the brightest crayon in the box.”
Keno nodded. “While this was clearly self-defense, officially I have to warn you about taking the law into your own hands. You should have contacted the Hamlinton PD and allowed us to deal with him. Judging by his face, you probably won’t have any more trouble out of him, but if you do, contact us and let us handle it.”
“Unofficially?” Levi asked.
“Make sure you don’t kill him.” Keno grinned. “The paperwork is a bitch.”
I smiled as Levi chuckled. “Understood. Hopefully this is the end of it.”
“How’s your back and arm? You sure you don’t want the paramedic to check you out?”
Levi whirled his arm and twisted his back. I could tell he was in pain, but nothing was broken. “No, I’ll be okay in a couple of days.”
“I think I’m done here. I’ll have a little chat with your buddy over there and explain to him how the only reason this isn’t going bad for him is because you’re choosing not to make it bad for him. If he has more than two brain cells to rub together, he’ll get the message.”
Levi nodded. “Thank you, Officer.”
Keno nodded at us. “Mr. McCormick. Ms. Johnson,” he said before he turned and made his way toward the idling ambulance.
Mom and Dad were watching through the window as we approached. Levi was still a mess, and he smelled like a brewery. He was going to need a bath before he climbed in my bed.
“Everything okay?” Mom asked as we stepped into the trailer.
“Yeah.”
“Is he going to jail?”
“No,” Levi said.
“Why not?” Dad asked.
“Because we didn’t press charges,” I said.
“Why not?” Mom asked.
“Because I didn’t want to give him anything to complain about, and I wanted him to owe me one. I kicked his ass, and if he’s smart, that’s where it’ll end,” Levi explained.
Dad nodded, his lips pursing in understanding. “You showed him you were tired of his shit, and now you’re willing to let it go.”
Levi nodded. Mom and I looked at each other and I rolled my eyes. Men were strange creatures sometimes.
“You’re not hurt, are you?” Mom asked. “You look the mess, and you stink of beer.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m a little sore where he hit me with the bottle, but I’ll be okay.”
Mom’s lips thinned. “I hope this ends it.”
I nodded in agreement. “I hope so too. Is Abby still asleep?”
“Yeah. I closed her door so the flashing lights wouldn’t wake her,” Mom said. “You want to come home with us?” She looked at Levi. “You’re welcome too, of course.”
I shook my head. “Thanks, but no. Steve’s not going to try anything else tonight, Levi made sure of that.”
“Then we’re going to go,” Dad said. “Thank you again for taking care of Ella,” he said, taking Levi’s hand and shaking it, adding a slap on the shoulder. I saw Levi wince, but he didn’t say anything.
“I’d give you a hug, but…” Mom said with a smile.
Levi chuckled. “I completely understand. I’m hopping in the shower as soon as you’re gone.” As soon as they were out the door, Levi sagged. “Shit,” he murmured.
I felt a surge of panic. “Levi? What’s wrong?”
“My back where Steve hit me with the bottle hurts like a bitch! I’m starting to stiffen up.”
“Why didn’t say something, or let the paramedic take a look at you?”
“Nothing anyone can do. Nothing’s broken, it just hurts.”
I clenched my jaw in annoyance. “And you had to be the tough guy. Men!” I mocked. “Let me see.” I helped him get his shirt off, hissing in sympathy at the nasty bruise already forming. Not only did he have the bruise on his shoulder and back, he also had several scratches and abrasions from where Steve was clawing at him. Steve may have gotten the shit kicked out of him, but Levi hadn’t gotten off scot-free. He was clearly feeling it, and he was probably going to be sore as hell tomorrow.
He went to the bathroom and started the shower. I joined him as he undressed, helping him get his pants down so he didn’t have to bend too much, which apparently hurt. Like his shirt, they were a cold, wet, muddy mess. Undressed, he stepped into the tub, and after a moment’s thought, I began to undress as well. I’d been itching to shower with him, and while this wasn’t what I had in mind, I was feeling incredibly close to him right now. I pulled the curtain back and stepped in. He was standing with the water running over his back. I stepped
in close and gave him a lingering kiss.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“For what?”
“For protecting me, standing up for me, for…being here.”
“I’ll always be here for you.”
I lay my head against his chest. “I know.”
We stood under the water for a moment before I washed him as gently as I could. As I washed him, he surprised me by getting an erection, and an impressive one too. I’d always heard that sex masked pain, and I considered taking him into my mouth, but as I began to kiss lower, he pulled me back up and into his arms.
We stood under the water until it began to cool. After a long, slow kiss, he released me and turned the water off before we stepped out of the shower. I dried him first, shivering with the cold, before drying myself. I was still shivering as we moved to the bedroom and crawled into bed, one of us much slower and more gingerly than the other.
He hissed, sucking air in between clenched teeth as he slowly settled back on the bed. I kept my distance, my eyes brimming with tears, tears he couldn’t see in the darkness. After a moment, I sensed the tension slowly leaving his body.
“That’s better,” he sighed and beckoned to me.
As carefully as I could I snuggled in. He hissed once, but when I tried to move away, he held me in place until I relaxed. I kissed him on the chest. The bed was cold, but he was warming me nicely.
“You think it’s over?” I whispered.
“I hope.”
“Me too.”
I lay still, listening to the thudding of his heart, the heart he’d given to me. I smiled and kissed his chest again. He kissed me on the head. I wanted to taste his lips, but I was afraid to move, afraid I’d hurt him again. I didn’t move, content to lay in his arms for as long as he’d hold me. There would be plenty of opportunities to kiss him in the future.
With a sigh of profound contentment, I closed my eyes and dreamed of what could be until the darkness of sleep took me.
25
Levi
Six months later…
Planting season was a real bitch. Dad and I worked until we were too tired to continue, usually around 9 p.m., when we’d shut off the tractors and call it a day. We’d go home, tumble into bed, and start again about six the next morning. I didn’t mind the work, but I did mind it was taking time away from my family. I pulled to a stop beside Ella’s Escape and stepped out of my truck with a groan. Abby was probably already in bed.
I opened the door and stepped into the trailer Ella and I shared. “Daddy!” Abby cried.
Like Ella telling me she loved me, no matter how many times I heard Abby call me Daddy, I never got tired of it and it always made me smile.
Three days after I’d beaten the shit out of Steve, I ordered a home paternity test kit. Abby and I swabbed the inside of our mouths, sent them in, and waited on the results. We didn’t tell a soul what we were doing, and we’d told Abby we were checking her teeth for cavities.
I still didn’t understand how it happened. My best guess was the condom had leaked, but Abby was my little girl. Ella and I kept the results secret for another couple of days as we planned what we wanted to say to our families, and to Abby.
“Hey, Munchkin. Miss me?”
“Uh-huh! Mommy said you could read my story tonight.”
“I can do that. Let me say hi to Mommy first, okay?” I kissed her on the cheek and put her down.
We decided it was only fair to tell Abby I was her father first and then announce it to our families at the same time. That had been a little tricky. Ella and I had reconciled with our parents, but we weren’t sure our parents had reconciled with each other yet, so we decided to meet on neutral territory, Dolly’s.
Dolly didn’t have a private room we could rent, but Ella arranged to hold the small section for our use to give us as much privacy as possible. I arrived at eight with Abby, and Ella and I sat down and told her I was her daddy. She was too young to understand what we were telling her, but she was a smart girl and would figure it out over the next few months as I became an enduring part of her life.
While our announcement to Abby had been a non-event, I couldn’t say that about our parents. They’d agreed to meet us at 8:30, which gave us a half-hour before Dolly’s closed. We’d planned it that way in case the announcement went off the rails. Our parents were polite but cool to each other when they arrived, still unsure of where they stood, but clearly wanting to patch things up, for our sakes. If what we were about to tell them didn’t do it, nothing would. As Abby ate a cookie, Ella and I, hand in hand, broke the news.
My mom’s squeal of excitement could have been heard in Abilene, and Helen actually turned her chair over in her rush to hug me. The commotion brought Dolly, but it was clear the disturbance was excitement and joy, not anger. Mom couldn’t seem to stop hugging Ella, or touching Abby, and Helen must have touched me fifty times over the next thirty minutes. Mom had two grandsons, one by Rebecca and another by Kamron, but Abby was her first granddaughter.
Abby was put off by the whole affair and clung to me or Ella. I could tell Mom was dying to hold her, but she understood Abby needed some time. Abby’s family had suddenly doubled in size, and it was going to take her a few weeks to adjust.
As we’d hoped, the news had almost instantly healed any rift that remained between our families, and by the time we left Dolly’s, everyone was chattering excitedly as plans were made for the upcoming holidays.
“How’re you doing?” I asked as I gave Ella a quick kiss.
“I got an ‘A’ on my biology exam!” she said, beaming in pride.
“Congratulations! That deserves a little something extra I think,” I said as I leaned in and kissed her more fully. She placed her hand behind my head and held me in the kiss before slowly drawing back.
“As soon as someone goes to bed, I think you and I need to examine the workings of the human reproduction system, don’t you?”
I smiled, my exhaustion disappearing in an instant. I was like that around her. No matter how tired I was, I was never too tired to make love to her. “You know I’m always willing to help you study.”
Her eyes sparkled as she smiled at me and drew her hand along my face. “And I appreciate it more than you know.”
Two weeks after our announcement, I’d moved out of my parents’ home and into the trailer Ella was renting. It wasn’t much, but I didn’t need much. It wasn’t where I lived, it was the two women that I was living with that made the small trailer home. Ella and I talked about moving into another place, but the trailer was the only home Abby knew and we didn’t want to disrupt her life any more than it already was.
The day after I moved in, Ella turned in her two-week notice at Dolly’s. Word had traveled around town that Abby was my child, so I don’t think anyone was surprised that I’d moved in with Ella, or that she was quitting Dolly’s.
She was still working at Goodall Equipment, but she spent her evening at another job, taking online classes for her BSN. In a year or two, she would have to attend college for the hands-on portion, but for now, she could take all her prerequisites online and get those out of the way. Once that was complete, we’d figure something out. It was only two hours from Hamlinton to Wichita Falls. Maybe she’d go there for a few days at a time and then come home. We didn’t know, but we knew, somehow, we’d make it work.
“Let me go get one of my girls in bed, and then I’ll see what I can do about getting the other in bed.”
Ella smiled. “I predict you’re going to have more trouble with one than the other.”
I snickered and kissed her again before I turned to the back of the trailer. I found Abby sitting on her bed ‘reading’ to Theodore and Shnoodle, a bright blue, plush elephant.
“What are we reading tonight?” I asked, as if I didn’t already know.
Abby held up the book she was ‘reading.’ Goodnight Moon had been replaced by Silly Sammy and his Jammie Whammy as the bedtime story of choice. The book,
a story about Sammy and all the trouble his independent minded pajamas got him into, was much more advanced than Goodnight Moon. It might still be children’s book, but I found Sammy’s problems almost as funny as Abby, and the illustrations were fantastic. It had taken weeks before I could get through the entire book without chuckling, and there were still sections that made me snicker if I studied the illustrations.
I tucked her in before I sat down on the edge of her bed and began to read. She didn’t even make it to the part where Sammy’s Jammies dumped his milk on the dog’s head before she was out cold. That was too bad because I nearly always chuckled at the look on the dog’s face.
I gave her a soft kiss. “Goodnight, Abby,” I whispered before I snuck out and switched off the light.
Ella was in the kitchen, putting away dishes as quietly as she could. That was the worst thing about living where we did, the walls were paper thin. At least we had the bathroom and small utility closet between our bedroom and Abby’s so we didn’t have to be dead silent when we made love. Good thing too, because we sometimes absolutely wrecked each other with pleasure.
I stepped up behind her and kissed her on the neck and shoulder. “You ready to study your biology?”
She ignored me as she put away the two glasses and turned in my arms, her smile charging me up like a battery and starting my cock hardening. “God yes,” she breathed. “I didn’t think you were ever going to get home.”
Our kiss was explosive as I pinned her against the kitchen counter, her soft moan of desire making my blood run hot and fast. When she was randy like this, usually after a success like making an ‘A’ on an exam, I’d have to labor long into the night to satisfy her, but I relished the challenge.
