There’s a lot of pressure on this situation, but I’m completely aware that the pressure is coming from myself.
Quickly I change into my favorite pair of sweatpants and t-shirt, then head back into the living room. Magnolia is bent over, pulling dishes from the oven, and I can’t help but notice how firm her ass is in the leggings she’s wearing. I’m not even sure what Cody was doing. He had the perfect woman, and he didn’t know what the fuck to do with her.
My stomach growls loudly, and we both laugh because it reverberated off the walls. She’s dishing up the food onto plates, and my damn mouth is watering.
“I hope this food lives up to that growl.”
“It’s going to, trust me.” I gratefully grab the plate and head over to the couch. Putting the plate down on the coffee table, I wait for her to come over. “Anything in particular you wanna watch?”
“I love comedy, drama, or trashy reality TV,” she says. “But I do love a long-running show too. One that has like ten seasons, and I can just binge.”
“I’m the same way,” I tell her, as I dig into the food in front of me. “What have you watched?”
She looks at me, chewing thoughtfully and then swallowing. “The Big Bang Theory, Schitt’s Creek, Gilmore Girls, Friday Night Lights, Grey’s Anatomy, Chicago Wednesday, every Law and Order. I like them all,” she says. “I’ve kind of always wanted to watch ER or Supernatural.”
“Oohhh ER? I’ve always heard people talk about that show, but it’s older, and I’ve never known anyone who wanted to invest that much time in it.”
She raises her eyebrows, and leans over, elbowing me. “Is that gonna be our show, Levi?”
I want anything that’s going to be ours, so I nod. “Yeah, that’s gonna be our show.”
It takes a few minutes but I find the streaming service it’s on, and queue up the first episode. This feels as if it’s one of those big moments in our relationship, where the littlest thing might mean more than either of us realize. Which is why I look over at her when the credits are on, because I want to remember this moment for the rest of our lives.
No matter how long she’s here, I’m going to enjoy the hell out of it.
Chapter 10
Magnolia
Sitting on the couch, eating dinner, and watching a TV show with Levi is exactly how I imagined being married would be. It’s desperately what I had wanted my life with Cody to look like. And it had, for all of a couple of months. It hadn’t lasted, which is why I’m wary of what this feels like with Levi.
But in my bones, I know this is different. The way he laughs at the appropriate places in the show. The easy way he’s flung his arm along the back of the couch, and scooted me into his body. It’s so comforting and simple. I’m not nervous, the way I was in my own home, and it doesn’t feel like he’s doing me a favor.
I begged Cody for affection and attention. Levi is out here just giving it. I’ve obviously been manipulated before, so I throw up a little prayer that isn’t what’s happening now. As the first episode ends, we look at each other.
“That was good,” he says with a grin.
It’s then that I’m struck with just how hot of a man he’s turned into. This late, the five-o-clock shadow has darkened into almost a light beard on his face. Cupping it like I wish my hands were. Allowing my gaze to roam his body, I catch a glimpse of tattoos that are both covered and uncovered by his t-shirt. There’s definitely more that I can’t see, and I want desperately to. “It was good. Are you a one episode a day guy, or do you like to do more?”
He tilts his head to the side as if he’s giving it a lot of thought. “I love a good binge, but not typically when I have to work early the next day.”
“I thought you were on nights.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, my cheeks heat. There is absolutely no reason I should know his schedule like this, even if we are kind of living together.
“Yeah, I was going to tell you about that. Seems like I’ll be here at night, rather than at work. This undercover operation will be done mostly in the day, at least on the front half. Are you okay with that? You probably thought that you’d be here by yourself for the most part. I’d be sleeping during the day, and then wouldn’t even be here at night. Is that gonna be a problem for you?” He scoots closer, turning so that he opens the side of his body up into mine.
God why did I have to ignore the kid who kept telling me he thought I was pretty, and that he had a crush on me? Our age difference felt like such a big barrier, but by the time he was twenty-one, it wasn’t that big a deal, was it? So when I answer, I do it with everything I’m thinking of. “Not at all. I was actually kind of hoping I wouldn’t have to be by myself here at night. When things were bad with Cody, they were always the worst at night.”
His face turns stormy, anger making his eyes dark. “Magnolia Grace, did he hurt you?”
No one has ever asked me the question like that before. It’s always been specific. Did he scream obscenities at you? Did he raise a hand to you? Was he just not nice? Did you fear for your life? No one has asked me if Cody hurt me. For some reason, this hits harder than it probably should, and tears pool in my eyes. I do my best to keep them from spilling over, but he notices it immediately and reaches forward, tilting my chin.
“You can cry if you need to, and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I’m a safe space for you.”
Immediately I’m hit with the need to know an answer to a question I’ve had for years. “Why do you call me Magnolia Grace?”
“It’s your name.” He smiles softly.
“No one else calls me by both,” I argue.
