She puts the games away under her TV set, and the bright star lights hung on the walls are the only lighting in the room, making it hard to see. “Well, I was wondering if you’ve told her you love her yet?” I stiffen. Of course she noticed. It’s Kamila. She shrugs. “I might’ve not paid attention to you guys as much as I should’ve last year, but I know what being in love looks like, and you, sir, are madly in love with that woman. Question is, why the hell haven’t you told her?”
Running a hand through my hair, again, I look around, seeing Em and Jake preparing drinks. “I don’t know, okay? I know I’m falling for her, or already have, but something’s stopping me.” I try to find the right words. “Okay, the truth is, I feel like everything’s going too well, and whenever that happens, shit goes down and my relationships get ruined.”
Kami observes me for a moment. “Do you trust her?”
“With all of my damn heart,” I answer, not doubting it for a second.
My friend smiles and touches my shoulder. “Do you see a future with her?”
“Yes,” I respond immediately.
She rubs my shoulder. “Well then, when you know, you know. You’d better be damn sure before telling her.” I nod, agreeing. “I like her, Levi. She’s a good person, and good people are rare to find.She’sa rare find.”
My grandma’s words echo in my head along with her and grandpa’s story. “I know.”
Kami hugs me quickly. “All right then. Let’s go watch whatever movie these idiots chose.”
It takes me a second to move. I know she’s right.I’ll do it soon, I promise myself for the thousandth time, hoping it’ll stick.
Chapter Thirty-Two
STEVIE
“Happy birthday!” I yell as soon as Levi leaves his bedroom.
He rubs his eyes and tries to fix his tousled hair, looking adorably exhausted. He’s turning twenty-one, it’s a cause for celebration. Hell, his being born is a cause for celebration.
It technically started last night after I got back from my final day of tech week. It’s been exhausting, to say the least, but we open next Thursday and we got the weekend off since we’ve been working day and night. My dad’s set to fly out from Spain to see me on closing night, while my moms will try to make it to at least three of the eight shows. Meanwhile, Levi promised to be there every night and his—ourfriends will be there on opening and closing night. I’ve gotten closer to his—I mean,ourfriends, as well as Brad.
Even though I wanted nothing more than a shower and a full eight hours of sleep last night, I crawled into bed with Levi and gave him a blow job like I did the night I got my tattoo. Only this time, I let him take over. I never knew sex could be so much fun and stress-relieving before him.
Levi reaches the kitchen, and his eyes widen at the spread I’ve concocted over the past two hours, while listening to the entireRumoursalbum by Fleetwood Mac and then Banks’s best hits.
“Bambi, you did not have to do this.” Levi takes a look at the buffet, which includes scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, fresh orange juice, lattes, biscuits with butter, and finally, a coffee crumb cake with a raspberry drizzle and two candles smack-dab in the middle.
I tilt my chin up proudly. “I wanted to.”
He stalks around the breakfast nook, picking me up by my hips. I yelp and smile. His dark ocean eyes bore into mine. “I love you.”
My jaw drops open. “What?”What?That’s the first word to leave me after I’ve been waiting for almost two months for him to tell me. “I mean, are you sure?”
He kisses me deeply, our tongues touching for a second, before he sets me down on the counter and cups my face. “I love you, Stevie. So fucking much. I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.”
Levi looks at me, sureness gleaming in his gaze, and I grin. “It’s about damn time you caught up, Hotshot.”
I try to kiss him, but he stops me. “Why do I have a feeling you already knew?” One of his eyebrows quirks.
Shrugging, I tell him the truth. “I heard you that night at your grandma’s house. I was already falling for you, too. These weeks only solidified it for me, and I’ve been waiting for you to catch up to where I was.”
He scoffs. “You knew this whole time, and you didn’t say a thing?”
“I’m good at keeping secrets,” I whisper, and wiggle my brows. He opens his mouth again, and this time I put a finger to his lips. “Will you shut up so I can tell you that I love you, too?”
Levi lets out a chuckle and a tortured sound simultaneously. “Say it again.” He pulls at a strand of my hair and meets my eyes.
His look is so intense, I almost melt into his arms. “I love you.”
His lips envelop mine, his tongue parting them as we moan. The rest of the world disappears, and my mind becomes blank when he touches my nipple.
