He swallowed so hard his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yes, please.”
Without thinking, I placed my hand on his scruffy cheek. “It’s kinda sweet seeing you get all protective over Maisie.”
Levi released a stuttered exhale. “She’s everything to me.”
“I know.” I stroked my thumb over his skin. “And I’ll admit you came in at a tough age where she’s figuring out her independence, but you have to remember that even though you just got her, you have to let her spread her wings and fly. She’s going to stumble, and she’s going to fall—that’s part of the learning process. Your job is to be her safe place to land. Think you can do that?”
Eyes staring into mine, he rasped, “I’ll try.”
“Good.” I pulled my hand away and immediately mourned the loss of his warmth against my palm. “I’ve got to get to work. You going to be okay here all alone in your injured state?”
“Yeah. Gonna ice my balls and watch some film that my coach sent over via email.”
“Great. I’ll bring home dinner.”
I grabbed my briefcase and waltzed out of the kitchen, my mind already running through the showings I had lined up.
But try as I might, I couldn’t forget how nice it felt to share a moment of non-sexual intimacy with Levi.
The glow from that put a pep in my step for the rest of the day.
Chapter 18
Levi
“Thisplaceisahell of a lot nicer than where I went to school.” I surveyed the gym that looked as if it had been decorated by a movie production crew.
Arizona remained focused on placing cupcakes onto a three-tiered stand. “You pay more in property taxes than a lot of people make in a year. Are you really that surprised?”
I pursed my lips. “Guess I never really thought about it before.”
“Becoming a parent opens your eyes to a whole new world.”
Huffing a laugh, I agreed, “Yeah, it definitely does.”
“Okay.” She dusted her hands off on her dress. “This restock should buy us at least fifteen minutes before the hungry scavengers clean us out again.”
“Sounds about right. They’re burning a lot of calories out there.”
As music played by the DJ pumped through wall-mounted speakers, a throng of preteens congregated in the middle of the large space, dancing like they didn’t have a care in the world.
Maisie was surrounded by a group of girls, their hands in the air as they jumped around. You could tell even from this distance that she was having the time of her life. The giant smile on her face made my soul sing.
While my concerns about the boys had been for naught, I still kept a close eye on my girl, searching for any sign of discomfort from the vigorous activity. Her new prosthesis wasn’t due to arrive for another couple of weeks, and I didn’t want her to have another brush with what I’d since learned were stump sores.
My gaze tracked across the room to find Austin leaning against the far wall, arms crossed, his scowl firmly in place. It was impossible not to notice the shy glances darted in his direction by a gaggle of blushing girls.
I leaned closer to Arizona. “Look at our boy being all broody. The ladies are eating that shit up.”
She sighed. “I had to resort to bribery just to get him out the door tonight.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Oh yeah? What’d you offer him?”
“A visit with our mom.” Eyes closing, Arizona pinched the bridge of her nose. “He’s been begging to go for a while, but what he doesn’t understand is that he’s going to leave wrecked.”
I cringed. “That bad, huh?”
“Worse,” she breathed out. “Most of the time, she doesn’t recognize me. Austin is adamant that he can make her remember him, but I’ve been there, and it doesn’t end well. The trauma that comes with witnessing a near-violent forced sedation is hard to shake.”
