She comes back with a coffee pot and fills his cup, then raises it to me, silently asking, if I’d like some. I flip over my cup, nod my head and she fills it with a smile.
“What’ll you have, darling?” she asks me with a southern twang.
“Pancakes and sausage,” I reply, close the menu, then hand it back to her.
She immediately smiles at Levi, takes the menu, then winks at him.
Our orders are delivered and she sets down two identical plates of pancakes and sausage.
After we finish our meals, Levi stops her and asks, “Can I have the check please, Tammy?”
“This one’s on me, honey,” she says, then places her hand on his and smiles.
Levi places a twenty on the table as a tip, takes my hand and we head outside. In the Explorer, he takes my hand and threads his fingers in mine. He holds it the entire way back to his house.
Once inside Levi goes into his room and takes out one of his black t-shirts.
“Here you might want to put this on, you might get dirty helping me,” he says, handing it to me.
I gladly put on his t-shirt and follow him out to the garage. He flips on the lights and uncovers a beautiful, shiny red, old Mustang. The hood is missing and there are two mats draped over the front fenders to protect the paint. He steps into a ratty, old, navy blue jumpsuit, then zips it up over his clothes. He grabs a red rag from the workbench and shoves it in his back pocket, then gets a few tools from the tool box and sets them on the ground next to the side of the car. He hands me a few tools, then lays down on a rolling backboard and slides himself under the car.
“Can you hand me what I just gave you?” he asks from underneath the car.
“Do you have an extra rolling backboard thingy, so I can get under the car with you?” I ask, placing a tool in his outstretched hand.
He rolls himself back out from underneath the car, looks at me, then laughs.
“What?” I ask.
“A rolling backboard thingy?” he repeats.
“Well, I don’t know what it’s called,” I tell him truthfully.
“It’s a creeper and no, I don’t have another one. I do have an empty five-gallon paint bucket you can sit on next to me if you like,” he says, pointing toward the side of the garage.
I grab the bucket, flip it over and sit next to the car while he works. I hand him different tools after different tools. I get about fifty percent of them correct the first time when I hand them to him. We talk about school and how I hope to graduate this spring. I tell him all about my plans and I have to say, working on his car with him is actually fun.
He finally rolls out from underneath the car. He has grease smeared on the side of his nose, and his jumpsuit is covered in black goo.
He stands up, wipes his hands down the front of his thighs and says, “Let’s give her a try.”
He opens the door, has a seat, places his foot on the gas, then turns the key. The car cranks over a few times, but doesn’t start.
“Come on, girl. You know you want to start,” he says, then tries to start it again.
“I’ve only got one more part I can possibly think of to replace, then she’s pretty much totally rebuilt. She better start after that. If not, I’m out of ideas, ” he says, leaning his head back on the headrest.
I pick up a few of the tools off the ground, wipe them off with a rag, then set them back in the tool box where I know he got them from. He steps up behind me and widens his stance. He places his hands on my elbows, then runs them down my arm. He wraps his arms around me and presses his body to mine.
“Thank you for helping me today,” he says. “Let’s get cleaned up, then we can grab some lunch, hit the store for some wrapping paper, then go back to your place.”
“Sounds good,” I confirm.
Levi
After shower sex with Quinn, she grabs Lucky and we head to the store. I wait in the car with Lucky, with the heat on while she goes inside to get what she needs.
“What do you think of Quinn?” I ask Lucky.
She cocks her head to the side and dances on her front paws.
“You like her. Right?” I ask.
She cocks her head to the other side and barks at me.
“Good, because I’m in love with her,” I tell Lucky.
She stands on all fours and barks at me again, as Quinn gets in the car with five rolls of wrapping paper.
“You have that many gifts to wrap?” I ask.
“Well, no, but I can’t wrap everyone’s gifts in the same paper,” she replies like I should know this already.
“You can’t?” I question.
She takes a roll, then gently taps me on the top of the head with it.
“No, silly,” she says, then giggles.
We drive through a drive-thru and pick up lunch, then go to her house. After we eat, she clears the table and brings out the bags we got when I took her shopping. I sit in fascination while I watch her look at a gift, then cut the wrapping paper to the size she thinks she needs. She places the gift on the paper, then wraps it with perfectly matching triangles on the ends. She sticks her tongue out as she reaches into a bag full of bows, then sticks it on the center of the package.
“There. What do you think?” she asks, holding up the gift.
“You’ve got some mad wrapping skills,” I tell her.
“Me? This is nothing. You should see my mother’s packages. They’re like a piece of art,” she says, placing the gift on the floor.
I take a bow from the bag and place it on Lucky’s head. She falls to the floor backward, then rolls on the ground until it falls off. Quinn straddles my lap, sitting her sweet ass on my thighs. She touches my face and outlines the smile on my lips. I kiss her finger, then take her hand in mine. I open her hand and kiss the inside of her palm. She leans down in my face, smiles, then kisses me. I stand up with her in my arms and push the chair away with the back of my legs. I carry her down the hall, then I make love to the woman that sets my heart on fire.
At seven we order pizza and eat it sitting on the couch. Quinn eats four slices of pizza, but leaves each crust sitting on her plate. I take the last slice out of the box, then from the couch, she throws a piece of crust into the empty box. It bounces out of the box and lands on the coffee table. I take a bite of my pizza and try not to laugh at her.
She looks at me, then hands me one of her crusts daring me to take it. I take it, toss it in the box and it lands dead center in the box. She takes another crust, then tosses it in. It doesn’t even touch the box, it slides off the coffee table onto the floor. Lucky quickly runs to the crust, stands it up between her paws and starts happily gnawing on it.
“Drats,” she says, snapping her fingers.
I take the last crust off her plate and throw into the box.
“Two points,” I say, then take another bite of my pizza.
“Show off,” she says, then quickly takes the piece of pizza out of my hand.
“Hey,” I say, reaching for it. “I wasn’t done with that.”
She holds it out of reach, then takes the last bite. She tosses it into the box, it bounces, then stays in the box. She raises her hands over her head, lifts her legs, and kicks her feet with excitement while she finishes chewing, then swallows the pizza.
I stand up, fly across the couch and gently tackle her to the cushion. She giggles and screeches as I tickle her. She squirms under me, trying to get me to stop tickling her. I stop and look at her beautiful, smiling face beneath me. She reaches up to my face again and traces the smile on my lips.
I bend down and take her lips, then thrust my tongue in her mouth. I pick her up off the couch, hike her over my shoulder, then take her to bed and show her just how happy she makes me.
Chapter 10
Quinn
Sunday afternoon, Levi and I head to Samantha’s house for family dinner. We walk inside, hand in hand into her crowded house. There are kids running around screaming, some of the guys are standing around th
e fireplace with beers in their hand, laughing and talking about their week. Willow and Amelia are in the kitchen helping finish dinner. Asher and Max are running around with kids, picking up a kid here and there, making them giggle. A few of the kids are standing in front of the Christmas tree pointing at the gifts underneath, trying to see which ones are theirs. Ava and Samantha are setting the table, but Samantha stops with a plate in her hand when she sees us walk in.
She sets down the plate and looks at the two of us holding hands. She looks at the smile on Levi’s face, then she clasps her hands together at her chest. Her face lights up brighter than the Christmas tree in the family room, then her eyes fill with tears. Levi lets go of my hand and walks over to Samantha. He places his hand on her cheek, then he kisses the other one.
“You never stood a chance,” Savvy whispers next to me, elbowing me in the side with a smile.
“Dinner’s ready,” Amelia calls, walking into the dining room, carrying a huge pan of pot roast.
“Give that to me,” Kyle says, jogging up to his pregnant wife.
Levi walks back over to me, takes my hand, and walks me to a chair at the table. He pulls a chair out, then waits until I’m seated to take his own seat next to me.
“Before we all dig in, there’s something I’d like to say,” Asher says, stands, then lightly clinks his full wine glass with a fork. “It’s been seven years now…man, it’s hard to believe it’s been that long. This is the seventh year that Willow has been cancer free. Each year I’m amazed by my wife’s strength and passion. She’s the glue that holds me together. She’s an amazing wife and mother to our three children. I just want to say on this seventh anniversary celebration, that I love you more today than I did yesterday and as hard it seems, I’ll love you more tomorrow and even more the day after that, for the rest of my life.”
He holds out a small box if front of Willow, who has tears in her eyes. She takes it, wipes a stray tear away, then opens the box. She gasps, then removes the charm from the box. It’s beautiful, and it sparkles in her hand. She holds it out to Asher while she unclasps her rope bracelet. She hands one end to Asher and he slides on the new charm. He then clasps it back on her wrist and she gives it a little shake as she admires it.
I think it’s beautiful that he gives her a new charm on each anniversary of her being cancer free.
Asher raises his glass to his wife and says, “To Willow,” then he leans down and kisses her on the cheek.
“Can we eat now? I’m starving and this roast smells amazing,” Adrian says, grabbing a serving spoon.
Everyone digs in and passes around the serving dishes. Parents help their children fill their plates, then they fill their own. I sit at the table, looking around and for the first time I see myself wanting this. Outside of my nieces, I’ve never thought about having a family of my own. I’ve always studied and pushed myself academically, sometimes to the breaking point. I look at Samantha and she’s looking at me. She smiles at me and gives me a slight nod. Levi grabs my hand under the table and I look up at him. He winks at me, brings my hand to his lips, then kisses my knuckles.
The next two weeks, Levi and Lucky mostly stay at my condo. Lucky stays with me while Levi goes to work. I’ve been working on wrapping up a few clients web designs, then I do my best not to cut my finger, or burn dinner. Levi texts me when he’s on his way home, so I know when to have dinner ready for us. This Sunday is the family Christmas exchange. Levi just sent a text and said he’s on his way. I still need to wrap his Christmas gift. I found some motorcycle paper with Santa sitting on it, wearing red boxer shorts and I couldn’t resist. I had to buy it just to wrap his gift.
I dig out the watch from my closet and quickly wrap it, then stick a shiny, metallic red bow on it. I hide it in my purse, so Levi won't see it. Just as I hang my purse on the back of a chair, Levi walks in the door with a smile on his face. Lucky runs to the door to greet him, excitedly wagging her tail. I walk to the door and give him a kiss, then he pulls a beautiful arrangement of white roses from behind his back.
“Oh, they're beautiful. Thank you,” I say and give him another kiss.
His lips are cold, so I leave mine on his to warm them up for him. He removes his leather coat and hangs it on a hook just inside the door.
“Dinner smells good,” he says.
“Smell and taste may be two different things,” I warn.
He sits down at the kitchen table, leans over and pets Lucky, while I bring over two bowls of chili.
“I got the recipe from Amelia. She said she serves it over noodles, but that just seems strange to me,” I tell him, taking my seat.
“I don’t know, it sounds kind of good,” he says, picking up his spoon.
I watch as he takes the first bite in anticipation.
His lips come together and he says, “Mmm, this is really good.”
I pick up my own spoon and take a bite. It’s actually really, really good. I’m glad it’s Friday. I’ve come to really enjoy spending weekends with Levi.
“I have to work tomorrow for a bit, but I was thinking when I get home, maybe we can catch a movie and dinner,” he says, then takes another bite.
“Sure, that sounds great. Maybe I’ll see if Ava and Jax can come,” I reply.
“Sounds like a date,” he says, digging into the chili.
It doesn’t escape my own private investigating skills brain, that Levi called my condo home.
Levi
I feel bad for lying to Quinn about working tomorrow. I don’t have to work, In fact, Max practically ordered us not to come in this weekend. I want to go back to my house and work on the Mustang without her. I’d love to finally get her running.
Early Saturday morning I wake up, make coffee, then bring a cup into the bedroom and set it on her nightstand. I kiss her on the cheek, then she rolls over and looks at me.
“What time is it?” she asks in a soft whisper.
“It’s early,” I reply, petting Lucky on the head who’s curled up in the crook of Quinn’s stomach. “I brought you some coffee. I’ll be back after lunch. Did you get a hold of your brother about tonight?” I ask.
“Yeah, they’re in. They’ll meet us at the movies at five. Jax reserved a table for us at his restaurant after the movie,” she says.
“Great. I’ll see you later,” I say, kiss her one more time, then get up.
I watch her sit up, then she takes her coffee. Lucky curls up in her lap and rests her chin on Quinn’s leg. God, they’re such a pretty sight first thing in the morning.
I softly close the front door, then get in the Explorer and head to my house. I open the front door and instantly feel the chill. I haven’t been here in weeks, but it feels like I haven't been here in years. Honestly, after Shannon and Ivy died it stopped being a home to me.
I check the mail, then put away a few clean dishes stacked in the sink. As I look out into the family room, I spot the picture of Shannon, Ivy, and me. I walk into the family room and pick it up.
That was a really fun day. It was the day of Ivy Rose’s fifth birthday. We had a petting zoo come to the house for her birthday party. She loved the ponies so much, she was practically in tears begging for me to buy her one. She eventually got over it when she saw the pigmy goats dressed in pajamas. Then she wanted a goat. She had such a fun day with all her friends. God, I miss her.
I set the photo down and walk down the hall to her bedroom. I haven’t opened this door in seven years. It’s always been this heavy thing sitting in the center of my chest. Even though I stopped going inside, I never pass it without at least touching it.
I stand in front of it and rest my forehead on her name on the door. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and put my hand on the door handle. I turn the knob and push the door open. I open my eyes and a flood of memories come rushing back. I don’t know what I expected when I opened her door, but as I take a step into her room, I smile. I’ve missed seeing her things. I’ve missed feeling this close to her. I miss the weig
ht of her sitting in my lap while I read her a book, and I miss her sweet little voice when she’d call me daddy. I miss the way she’d wrap her fingers around my index finger and drag me into this room to play dolls with her.
But as I sit on her bed and pick up her favorite doll, I realize that since the day she died, I let all of these memories become clouded with anger. I was so angry thinking about all the things that were stolen from me, her first boy crush, her teenage years, the inevitable eye roll, that I blocked out all the good memories we created while she was still here. I don’t understand why she was taken from me, but I was blessed to have her here on this earth with me for seven years. It only seems like the blink of an eye now, but as I let go of the anger, I start to remember all the good memories.
I bring her doll to my face, then I wipe away the tears. I understand now how hard this all must have been for Shannon. I always said that I didn’t blame her for what she did. But honestly, I think I did. I was angry at Shannon for not being strong enough to stay with me, for leaving me here by myself to deal with two deaths. I close my eyes, tilt my head up, and finally fully forgive Shannon.
Filled with love, a free heart, and seven years of good memories, I place her doll back on her pillow, stand up, leave the room and her bedroom door open, then get to work on my car.
Chapter 11
Quinn
As I step out of the shower, my cell phone rings. I look at the display and see that it’s Savvy.
“Hey,” I answer cheerfully, wrapping a towel around me.
“Hey, what do you have going on today?” she asks.
“Nothing until later. Why?” I ask.
“Do you want to go to the mall with me?” she asks.
“You want to go to the mall the last weekend before Christmas? Are you insane?” I ask.
Running Into Love - The Complete Box Set Page 112
