“Yeah,” I admit. “Magnolia. Does mom know?”
A slow smile spreads across his face. “About damn time, Levi.”
“What?” I grin, crossing my arms over my chest.
He runs his fingers through his hair, giving me a wink. “You’ve been in love with that girl since you were fifteen years old. I was wondering when you’d finally do something about it.”
My cheeks heat. “It’s complicated.”
“Life usually is.” He claps me on the shoulder. “But I’m happy for you, son. She’s a good woman. She deserves someone who’ll treat her right. And by the way, you’re mom thinks you’re still her little boy. You’ve never done anything that could make her look at you as a man,” he laughs.
I roll my eyes. “I just don’t wanna hear it from mom, ya know? And I’m trying to be that person she deserves.”
“You already are.” He gives me one more pat, then steps back. “But I’m serious about not wanting you to be alone. So if you say you won’t be, then I trust you. Just…be careful, okay? Cody’s going away for a long time, but men like him find ways to cause trouble even from behind bars. I’ve been there a time or two.”
There are times when I can remember as a kid that all of us would sleep in the living room, like we were having a sleepover. Now that I’m thinking about it, it may have been because he was worried about what might happen. Back then though? It never crossed my mind. “I will be. Thanks, Dad.”
I drive straight to my house, my hands shaking on the steering wheel. As soon as I pull into the driveway and see Magnolia’s SUV, relief floods through me.
She’s safe, she’s here, and none of this seems to have touched her today. Which is exactly what my hope was. That she wouldn’t have to deal with any of this.
Inside, I find her in the kitchen, pacing. As soon as she sees me, she runs, launching herself into my arms.
“Levi. Oh my God, Levi.”
I hold her tight, burying my face in her hair. “I’m okay. I’m safe. It’s over.”
“I saw them arrest Cody,” she says, her words muffled against my chest. “Molly and I were at The Café, and I saw them bring him in. He looked right at me, Levi. He said it was my fault. He said I’d pay for this.”
Anger surges through me, hot and fierce. “He can’t touch you. He’s going away for a long time, Magnolia Grace.”
She pulls back to look at me. “But this…this means he’s going to contest the divorce even harder now. He’s going to make this as difficult as possible. I saw Shelby, but I don’t know if I believe it. That all of this could help us.”
I cup her face in my hands, cutting off her spiral. “Listen to me. You need to listen to Shelby. With Cody facing federal charges for wildlife trafficking, this could actually help your case. No judge is going to side with a convicted felon.”
She blinks, tears spilling down her cheeks. “You think so?”
“I know so.” I press my forehead to hers. “This is good news, baby. This means you’re one step closer to being free of him.”
She lets out a sob, and then she’s kissing me, hard and desperate and full of relief. When we break apart, she’s laughing through her tears.
“Okay,” she says. “Okay, I’ll believe Shelby.”
She throws her arms around me again, and I lift her up, spinning her around the kitchen while she laughs.
“I love you,” she says when I set her down. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” I kiss her softly, then deeper, until we’re both breathless. “Now let’s celebrate. Just you and me.”
“Yes, I wanna give you everything,” she whispers, biting my lip.
I’m completely ready for that.
We make our way down the hallway, and once I lay her down, I walk from one side of the bed to the other, stopping at the foot and gazing upon the woman in front of me. My hand goes up to my mouth, and I cup it like I’m about to dig into the best motherfuckin’ feast I’ve ever had. Some men would say they wouldn’t know where to start. Truth is I do.
“Take off your clothes, except for the panties,” I tell her, as I start to get rid of mine.
When she’s done, the two of us look at each other, seeming to throw down a challenge. I’m ready to take it.
