by Burke, Dez
“Not where I’m concerned,” I reassure him. “Hopefully he’ll meet someone special one day. He certainly deserves it, if anyone does.”
“That’s for damn sure,” he says. “Especially after his no-good, piece-of-shit wife left him with a little girl to take care of all by himself. Every time I think about what she did, it makes me furious.”
“Does he ever hear from Sheila?” I ask.
“No, thank God,” he says, shaking his head. “Not a word since Lily was a toddler. If she ever comes around again, she won’t be welcome. Cole will kick her sorry ass to the curb in a heartbeat. He’s a great father to Lily. He would never let Sheila come back into her life and screw things up. Lily doesn’t even remember her mom. That’s a chapter in their life that’s shut for good.”
“People like Sheila never change,” I say. “She was a selfish, self-centered girl back in high school. Getting married and having a baby wouldn’t change her for the better.”
“You’re right,” he says. “All it did was bring out her worst qualities. I don’t know what Cole ever saw in her in the first place. I guess love is blind. Her leaving town was for the best. Otherwise she might’ve stuck around and made Cole and Lily’s life a living hell.”
“Maybe we should volunteer to take care of Lily and your dad one night to give Cole a break,” I suggest. “Or a weekend day. I’m sure there are things Cole needs to do or errands to run. He could use a night off to clear his head. I’d be glad to help you if you don’t feel comfortable watching after the two of them all by yourself. They might be a handful.”
“Thanks, that’s a good idea,” he says, nodding his head. “Cole needs a breather. Of course, talking him into taking the time away will be a whole other issue. We’re still trying to figure things out. Right now, we’re taking it one day at a time.”
Levi walks across the kitchen to peek at my backyard through the kitchen window over the sink. “Wow, Annie!” he says. “Your backyard is loaded with flowers too. How many kinds of rose bushes do you have? They’re beautiful. I can smell their sweet scent from inside the house.”
“More than a few,” I reply. “Gardening is my hobby. Being able to take a seed or a small plant and nurture it to life is fulfilling to me. I enjoy my flowers, especially the roses. They’re my hobby. Your mom used to grow old English roses by the side of the farmhouse too. They were pink and white. She always kept a vase full of them on the kitchen table.”
“You remind me of Mom in that way,” he says, turning back to look at me. “She always loved her flowers too.”
“I remember,” I say quietly.
“I like it here,” Levi says, sending a warm glow spreading through my heart. He moves around the kitchen, examining the cabinets and running a hand across the large wooden butcher block my dad made for me. “Your house is a real home. Full of bright sunlight and color. Maybe it’s because you live here. You always did light up a room like no other person ever could.”
“I’m glad you approve,” I say. “I always enjoyed spending time out at the farm too.”
“Dad told me to bring you around more often. He remembers you well, believe it or not. In his mind, we never aged and are permanently nineteen.”
“You mean we aren’t?” I joke. “That’s a bummer!”
“In my mind, we still are. Funny how things don’t feel as if they’ve changed much now that I’m back in town.”
He leans back against the sink and crosses his arms to study me carefully, then reaches out to touch a strand of my hair that’s fallen across my face. A shiver runs through my body at his touch, but I don’t pull away. I glance up at him and our eyes lock.
“I’m glad you didn’t cut your hair,” he says. “I always loved it long, loose, and free.” He lets a strand of my hair drift slowly through his fingertips as he talks. “Never cut your hair.”
“Taylor talked me into cutting it once to give me a more mature, professional style,” I say. “It wasn’t me, so I let it grow back out again. I thought I looked dorky instead of stylish with short hair.”
“Do you remember when I used to braid your hair?” he asks with a chuckle. “You made me practice on my horse’s mane and tail because you said I might need to know how to braid our daughter’s hair one day. If we had one. You seemed to think it was an important skill for me to learn. I’ve no idea why I did it. I never argued with you because I always knew you were the smartest one. If you thought I needed to do something, I did it.”
He reaches out with both hands and grabs two big strands of my hair. Quickly he braids them together into a long pigtail.
“Ha! See?” he says, clearly pleased with himself. “I can still do it. Turn around and let me do the other side. I’m on a roll here now.”
“No!” I say, laughing and backing away from him. “I’m not ten years old. Though I will admit your skillset is impressive,” I say. “What else can you do?”
“Watch out now,” he teases, a twinkle in his eyes. “Are you sure you want to know? Because I’m willing to show you what I can do. Just say the word.”
The sudden flare of heat in his eyes makes my stomach do flip-flops. Instantly the chemistry between us changes from teasing and fun to something else completely. In a flash, I remember exactly how it felt to make love to Levi.
From the smolder in Levi’s eyes, I can sense he remembers it too. He suddenly reaches out and pulls me tight against him. The abrupt movement catches me by surprise, and I clutch his broad shoulders to keep from stumbling.
“I can do this, for starters,” he says before leaning down. His lips lightly touch mine a split-second before he deepens the kiss.
Whoa.
My knees go weak and I instinctively cling tighter to him. Levi kisses me with a wild, unleashed hunger mixed with years of pent-up longing. His kiss hits me hard like an unexpected strong wave crashing over me from behind on the Gulf of Mexico, dragging me under, sucking me into the rip current and squeezing out every last breath.
The taste of his lips gives me a rush so powerful that for a moment I forget where we are or how we came to be here together again.
And I don’t care.
All I know is that I’m back in Levi’s arms again.
Nothing else matters.
Our breaths mingle as I close my eyes and eagerly open my lips wider. I hear his throaty growl of pleasure and sense how his muscled body hardens in response to my soft breasts pressed against him. I cling to him, feeling as if the world is spinning around us.
His hands slide down hungrily to cup my ass through my sundress, pulling me up higher on tiptoe. Without hesitation, I slide my open palms from his shoulders down the length of his back, feeling the strong, unyielding muscles underneath my fingertips.
Dazed with need, I press against his body. I’m melting into him, afraid my legs will fall out from under me.
Long minutes pass before he draws away slightly, just enough for me to try to catch my unsteady breath. His mouth moves to kiss along my jawline and continues lower to nuzzle the soft skin of my neck.
I close my eyes and sway closer against him. It’s been so long since a man made me feel this way.
Only Levi.
He bites down gently on my earlobe, causing a sharp intake of breath. After a while, he leans his forehead against mine and draws a shuddering breath himself.
“Do you have any fucking idea what you’re doing to me?” he murmurs. “What you’ve always done to me?” He lifts the hair from my neck and trails a line of kisses down to my shoulder. “You smell exactly the way I remember in my dreams. Like sunshine and yellow roses.”
He closes his eyes and inhales deeply.
“For years I’ve told myself that all I needed was time to get you out of my system, out of my mind,” he says. “I almost believed it too. Until I saw you again, and now I’m burning for you hotter than ever. Annie, I need to warn you about something.”
“Hmm….” I murmur, unwilling to stop the moment. I unconsciously sh
iver as his lips move up to touch the hollow behind my ear.
“If we don’t leave right now for that drive, I’ll have you naked and sprawled across your pretty dining room table in about two minutes flat.”
His words send an excited shiver through me. My eyes fly open and I stare up into the green pool of his eyes. I catch the glimmer of amusement in them.
Along with something else.
Something wild and primal.
A look of raw sexual need that I’ve seen many times before.
Levi and I could never keep our hands off each other for long. It would be nuts to think things would be any different now that we’re older and more mature. The crazy, insane sexual tension between us is as strong as ever.
My eyes stare blankly at him, my mind still muddled from his kiss. For a split second, I waver before coming to my senses. Reluctantly, I pull back slightly and slide my hands from his shoulders down to his forearms.
“Then we’d better get going on that drive you promised me,” I say. “I would hate to wrinkle my nice tablecloth. I just finished ironing the darn thing an hour ago.”
He chuckles and I resist the urge to move in closer again, to feel the vibration of his deep rumble against my breasts. He leans over and softly kisses my lips one last time then ruffles my hair playfully.
“Do you want a drink before we go or one for the road?” I ask, reaching for the refrigerator door. I could never resist Levi when he was in a sexy mood. My willpower only goes so far. “It will have to be a soft drink or sweet tea. I don’t have anything alcoholic. Taylor and I drank all my rum in our piña coladas last Saturday night.”
“No, I’m good,” he says.
“I saw that you’re driving a rental truck.”
“I thought it would be more practical,” he says. “Are you okay with going out on a date with me in a truck?”
“I can’t believe you’re asking me that. I drive a Jeep.”
“You do?” he asks in surprise. “Where is it?”
“Parked around back. No fancy cars for me either.”
“Well damn,” he says. “Maybe we should just take your Jeep then.”
“No way, buddy. You asked me out, so you’re doing the driving. That is if you can still drive? Or have you forgotten how since you have a limo and chauffeur now?”
“You know I can. Come on, let’s go. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone on a drive with my girl.”
“Your girl?” I joke, raising my eyebrows at him.
“Sorry, my woman,” he corrects.
I roll my eyes at him. “I wasn’t talking about the ‘girl’ part. I was talking about the ‘my’ part,” I say. “I didn’t know I was your girl.”
“As far as I’m concerned, you never stopped being my girl,” he says, suddenly serious again. He takes my hand in his and squeezes it. “Let’s blow this popsicle joint and take a ride.”
“Where are we going?”
“Wherever the open road leads us,” he says. “And as far away from people as we can possibly get.”
25
Levi
I open the passenger door of the truck and help Annie inside then go around to the driver’s side.
“Ouch! These leather seats are blistering hot,” she yelps when her tanned legs touch the seat. Quickly she pulls her bright yellow sundress down lower to cover as much of her legs as she can.
“You can always sit in my lap,” I offer with a chuckle. I slap my thighs. “Come on. There’s plenty of room.”
“Like I did when you taught me how to drive in the pasture?” she asks. “We were a little bit smaller then since we were only twelve. Both of us won’t fit behind the steering wheel now.”
“That’s too damn bad,” I say, shaking my head in regret. “In that case, slide on over here closer anyway. That’s my favorite thing about trucks. A big old bench seat without a stupid console in the middle to keep me from touching my girl. You’re too far away over there hanging onto the window pretending like you’re afraid of me. Don’t worry. I don’t bite. Get over here.”
Annie gives me a shy smile and slowly slides closer. I drape my arm down on her left leg just like old times.
“You still fit,” I say, giving her leg a gentle squeeze.
“What do you mean?” she asks, giving me a curious glance.
“Your body always fit against mine as if you were made exactly for me. We were two parts of a whole. Even now, after all this time, when you lean against me, it seems as if it’s the only place you were ever meant to be.”
She leans her head against my shoulder with a contented sigh. I pull out of her driveway and onto the main road.
“I know,” she says, snuggling closer under my arm. “How is that possible after all this time?”
“Some things never die,” I tell her. “All we did when we broke up years ago was hit the pause button. We never ended. Hell, I can’t even tell you exactly what happened to us.”
“Maybe we needed time to grow up apart,” she says. “We were always together and assumed we always would be. Maybe to mature into individuals, we needed to go our separate ways. You weren’t meant to go off to college with me and I couldn’t follow you to Nashville. It was inevitable our relationship would change at some point.”
“No, I damn sure wasn’t going to college.” I can’t help chuckling at the thought. “And you sitting in smoky bars watching me sing wouldn’t have been right either. Those were no kind of places for a lady.”
“I’m glad you came back to Monroe, Levi.”
“Me too,” I say, reaching over her to turn on the radio. “Do you still love country music?”
“I’ll never get tired of it,” she says.
26
Levi
We spend the next hour driving around Monroe to revisit old sites. Our first stop is the high school still perched on the top of a steep hill with a stunning view of the town below. I slowly drive through the parking lot then around the back of the building where the smokers used to hang out.
“I see the stadium bleachers are still as raggedy as they were when we were here,” I say, pointing to the football stadium. “It’s a wonder someone didn’t fall through the rotten wooden slats. How did the football team do this year?”
“Pretty good,” she says. “They won about half of their games.”
“Sounds about right,” I say. “Monroe was never known for its sports teams.”
“With the factories shutting down, the players can barely come up with enough money for uniforms. On Saturdays, they do fundraisers selling donuts on the town square. One of the Booster Club moms told me they didn’t have enough money to send the players to camp this year for the first time.”
“Damn! That sucks. No wonder our teams lose. They’re not playing on equal footing due to lack of funds.”
“The economy is bad here,” she says. “It was never great, but after the textile mills shut down, it changed everything.”
I motion toward the stadium’s ticket booth. “Look at that piece of crap. The door is almost falling off the hinges. It doesn’t seem fair how the big city schools receive all the state’s funding for fancy stadiums when the little towns struggle to pay for simple uniforms.”
“That’s rural America for you,” she says. “We can’t be the only small town that’s hurting.”
“And here I am, buying a big mansion in Nashville, being an asshole when my local townspeople are hurting. I need to talk to my manager about doing a benefit concert or something. There must be a way for me to help out. The longer I’m in town, the worse I feel.”
“You’re not responsible for solving Monroe’s problems,” she says. “Though I’m sure nobody would turn down a benefit concert or help of any kind for that matter.”
I continue driving around the parking lot until I find my old assigned parking spot. The number fifty-four painted in dull yellow is barely visible.
“This spot brings back memories,” I say, cutting off the ignition and pu
lling Annie closer against me. “The day the principal’s office assigned me my own parking spot was one of the highlights of my life.”
“Why was that?”
“It meant I could pick you up for school in the mornings instead of both of us having to ride the damn school bus with the little kids.”
“I didn’t mind riding the bus,” she says with a smile. “The first thing I did every time I stepped on the bus was search for you. You always saved me a seat. Sometimes, I volunteer as a chaperone when the kindergarten class goes on a field trip. Once or twice, I’ve caught myself still searching for you when I step on the yellow bus. It’s crazy.”
“I know the feeling,” I say. “Sometimes I’ll catch a hint of a fragrance. Maybe wild honeysuckle blossoms growing alongside the road or freshly cut hay. The smell will trigger a memory of a moment with you as strong as if it happened yesterday.”
Annie laughs softly and snuggles closer under my arm. “I’m afraid to ask why the smell of hay reminds you of me. Was a barn loft involved in that memory by any chance?”
“Probably. Our first kiss was in the barn loft,” I reply. “How old were we? Twelve? Thirteen? I’m not sure who was the most shocked when it happened.”
“And then you didn’t kiss me again for almost two years,” she reminds me.
“I know. I didn’t want to take the chance of losing my best friend by trying to turn what we had into something else. Besides, we were just kids back then. There was plenty of time later for the kissing stuff.”
Annie bursts out laughing.
“Was kissing me that bad? Jeez! You make it sound like another chore.”
I smile and squeeze her hand. “You know what I mean. We were innocent kids. Twelve-year-old children shouldn’t be kissing in barn lofts. That’s how kids get into trouble before they’re old enough to handle the responsibility of sex.”