I nod as a tear rolls down my cheek.
“And I know you chose this. You chose PEI. And I know you chose me.” He gives me a soft smile. “I’m never in the dark with you.”
Another tear falls as I lean in, my lips meeting his in a gentle kiss, as I’m overwhelmed by his strength.
He’s right. I’ve always loved him.
And now, that love means more than it ever did.
FORTY-FIVE
Winston sprintsacross the garage after his ball, skidding against the concrete as he pounces on it, then fumbles it between his teeth before finally getting a grip and racing back to Levi.
Levi chuckles under his breath as he finishes typing something on his laptop at my workbench, then leans down, picks up the ball, and throws it again. Winston tears after it, sliding along the floor to the far side of the garage and scrambling to turn himself around.
I shake my head and turn back to the bearing assembly on the tractor, working the puller into place so I can ease the worn bearing off the shaft. “Is he ever going to get tired?”
“Nope,” Levi says simply, typing away.
Rob laughs as Winston drops the ball at his feet, where he sits at one of the other workbenches.
“Alright, let me see.” He bends down to grab it and throws it across the garage.
Winston spins so fast his back end nearly wipes out, then he bolts after it and slams into a shelf before correcting himself and grabbing the ball as it rolls across the floor.
Dad steps into the garage through the open bay doors with a stack of folders tucked under his arm, and Winston perks upas he spots him. He charges over to Dad with his ball in his mouth, his tail wagging furiously like he can’t believe his luck that everyone is here to play with him.
“Hey, bud,” Dad says, leaning down to ruffle his fur as Winston leans against his legs and stares up at him with his ball in his mouth. Then Dad looks up and smiles as his eyes flick between me and Levi.
He tosses the ball for Winston, then continues over to us. “Hey, guys.”
“Hey,” I say, prying the bearing free and tossing it onto the workbench, while Levi looks up briefly from his laptop with a smile and a nod, not stopping his typing at all.
Dad chuckles quietly, returning the nod before stepping closer and tipping his chin towards the exposed spindle on the tractor. “How’s it going?”
“Hm.” I look over the shafts and the housing. “It has some pretty deep grooves, so I probably need to replace the shafts.”
“Alright.” Dad nods. “We should have some, but if not, let me know, and I’ll run out and grab them.” Then he narrows his eyes at me. “Tomorrow. It’s the end of the day. You should be wrapping this up.”
I nod and roll my eyes. “Yeah, I know.”
Dad then shifts his gaze to Levi. “You too.”
Levi doesn’t respond, so I look over my shoulder at him to find him laser-focused on his screen as he continues to tap away at his keyboard.
Eventually, he notices us looking at him and he pauses, glancing between us. “Huh?”
Dad snorts and steps past me, patting Levi on the shoulder as he heads towards Al’s office. “You boys haven’t changed one bit.” He keeps walking as he waves a hand at us in dismissal. “Now go have some fun.”
I meet Levi’s eyes, and he smirks at me.
I’m sure we could find something to do that’s… fun.
But then his eyes flick towards his laptop. “After this?” he asks.
My own gaze flicks towards the open bearing assembly on the tractor with only half the bearings removed, and I nod. “After this.”
A laugh sounds from across the garage, and Rob pushes to his feet, shaking his head as he heads for the exit. “Oh, to be young and eager.” He lifts a hand to wave it without looking at us. “Have a good night, fellas!”
