The Apple Tree

by Kara Jimenez

  “Now I feel underdressed.” He glanced down at his jeans.

  She ran her hands up his back and then whispered in his ear. “You always look sexy.”

  “Good God, girl! You’re driving me crazy!” He planted his lips on hers again, squeezing her tight. This time, he pulled away before he lost control. “It smells like bacon.” His brows rose.

  “Oh, the pancakes! They’re probably burning.” She ran for the kitchen.

  He followed, stopping short when the table came into view. A lace tablecloth had been spread underneath fancy white dishes that held pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit salad, orange juice, and coffee. A vase of yellow flowers stood in the center. He’d died and gone to heaven. Finally.

  “Well, these two are burned, but I’ve got lots more.” She stood over the stove, scooping a black cake with a spatula.

  “Did you make all this for me?”

  She tossed the burnt pancakes into the garbage under the sink. “Yes. Is it too much?” She bit her lip, keeping her eyes on the food.

  “It’s perfect, I just… I’m surprised. Nobody’s ever done something like this for me before.” He sat down at the table and she joined him, carrying a pretty glass jar of syrup.

  “Well.” She picked up her fork, twisting it between her fingers. “I like you.”

  How could everything be lining up so perfectly? What had he done to suddenly have this amazing woman sitting across from him professing to like him? He’d never in his very long life ever had a moment like this, ever had this kind of soul filling happiness. Maybe this was the plan all along, maybe he had to stay alive all this time just so he could meet her.

  “I like you too.” Like was too weak a word, he loved her, but he didn’t want to scare her off by saying it. “A lot,” he said, instead.

  They both smiled and she handed him the plate of pancakes. “Eat up.”

  Bianca cut the pancake with the side of her fork. “So, last night I couldn’t stop thinking about this whole thing, the apple tree.” She twirled a piece in maple syrup and brought it to her mouth.

  Levi glanced up at her, between scooping food onto his plate. “I don’t blame you. I’d never believe it either, if it wasn’t my life.”

  She chewed, considering which of her questions to ask next. “Where did the tree come from? It just happened to be there when you got the land?”

  He took a sip of his coffee. “Yeah, it was just on the land. I don’t know anything about where it came from or how it works. I’ve tried to figure it out though. The best theory I’ve come up with is possibly the roots feed from an underground stream, something like the fountain of youth.”

  “I guess that makes sense. There are legends about it so why couldn’t it be true?” She shrugged.

  “It’s only a theory. I wish I would have thought of it before I planted the other trees around it, but so far those other trees are normal. Maybe their roots aren’t deep enough yet?” He took a bite of his eggs and swallowed. “Every time we’re together we eat eggs.” He chuckled.

  “We had pasta at the café,” she said. “Should I have made something else?”

  “No, sorry, I didn’t mean, I don’t like eggs. Love them actually and this breakfast is fantastic.” He grinned and stabbed a bit of pancake, holding it up. “Is there something weird in these though?”

  She laughed, placing a napkin over her mouth until she finished chewing. “No, they’re just regular pancakes.”

  His grey eyes gleamed as he brought the fork to his mouth and rubbed his stomach theatrically.

  She imagined jumping across the table to kiss him again. But she also had more questions. A deep breath calmed the giggles. “If you’re so worried about Peter getting a hold of the apples, why don’t you just cut the tree down?”

  His smile fell and he took a sip of coffee before answering. “I’ve considered it, but I’m not sure what will happen to me if I do that, or everyone else who’s eaten an apple. We shouldn’t be alive right now. If I kill the tree will that kill us? I just don’t know how it works.”

  The thought of something bad happening to him made her stomach drop. “Don’t do it then. It’s not worth the risk.” She placed her hand on his.

  He gazed at her from across the table and the grin returned to his face.

  “Marry me,” he said.

  Bianca stopped chewing her food and stared, her face blank.

  Levi panicked. A minute ago he’d been afraid to say ‘I love you’ and now he’d blurted that out? He didn’t regret it. The idea made perfect sense. His life shone brighter and happier than ever with her in it. The desire to care for her and give her everything overwhelmed him. And they only had a relatively short time before she passed. It seemed pointless to waste it by dating when she was the only woman he had ever or would ever love.

  Dropping his fork with a clatter, Levi stood. He walked around the table, took her hand and kneeled in front of her.

  Her mouth hung open and she stared at him with wide eyes. “Are you being serious right now?”

  He nodded, his heart racing. There was no going back now. This would either be the best day ever, or she’d run off screaming. “I know, it’s crazy. I should have planned this whole thing out and done something romantic, but I love you, and I want you to be my wife.”

  She blinked and her hand began to shake. “This is the first time you’ve said ‘I love you’ and you’re asking me to marry you at the same time?”

  “This is the first time I’ve said it, but I’ve been thinking it since I met you.” He placed his other hand on top of hers in an effort to calm her nerves.

  “I… I… You do realize this is completely insane?” A sob broke through her. “This is so stupid. Yes. Yes I will, but this is so stu—”

  He kissed her, pulling her off the chair and into his arms. Joy radiated through his body and forced his lips into a giddy grin. They fell back on the floor and he pulled her on top of him until she straddled his waist.

  “I love you, too,” she said between kisses. “This is crazy!”

  “It’s crazy, but it’s so right.” He lingered on her mouth, taking all of her in, before he pulled away enough to look at her. “I’ve never been surer of anything.”

  Her hair draped over his head like a curtain, shielding him from the outside world and his hands rested on her waist. The thin fabric of her dress did nothing to conceal the sensation of her hips under his hands. He refused to entertain the idea that he could easily slip under the skirt and touch the bare skin of her thighs. Not yet. He wanted to deserve her, to treat her with the respect that he should.

  She kissed him again, her soft lips teasing him, driving him crazy and filling him with absolute joy at the same time.

  “Wait.” She sat up. “I’m going to get old. How can you marry me if you’ll always look like this?” She waved her hand over his body. “And I’ll get old and wrinkly. You won’t want me forever.”

  He used his arm to push himself up and then pulled her closer. “I will always want you. Do you think this is the first time this occurred to me? I’ve been thinking about it for days. I only have sixty or seventy years with you, I want to enjoy every second and I don’t care about wrinkles.” He ran his fingers along her cheek. “I only wish I could grow old with you. I can’t think of anything better than sitting on the porch beside you, an old couple, both of us covered in wrinkles, but I’ll sit on the porch with you regardless.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. I don’t believe you, but I’m selfish and I want you.” She brought her lips back to his.

  He groaned, moving his mouth with hers as he ran his hands through her gorgeous fiery tresses. What would it be like when it turned gray? Beautiful. He’d still want her, he was sure of it.

  Bianca was still in shock as she started clearing the breakfast table. Yesterday, she didn’t even technically have a boyfriend and today she was engaged. Everyone was going to think she’d gone off the rocker. Married! She picked up a plate and gl
anced over at Levi, who smiled. There was no point in waiting to start their life together. Nothing had ever felt more right. This was absolutely the most insane, stupid thing she’d ever done, but it was right. It was real and it was perfect.

  “I’ll get you a ring.” He walked across the kitchen and placed a stack of dishes into the sink. “I should have done that first.”

  “I don’t need a ring, I just need you.”

  “But I’ll get you one, all the same.”

  “Okay, I lied. I do want one.” She grinned, set the dishes down and wrapped her arms around his waist. “But I want you even more.”

  He laughed. “I’ll go to the jewelry store today.”

  Her head rested on his chest and she slid her arms up his back. Was he really hers for the rest of her life? “Levi,” she whispered. “My dad left and I saw how it crushed my mom. I’ve always told myself that when I get married it will be forever and this is happening so fast, are you really sure?”

  “Absolutely.” He placed his hands around her head and lifted it so she could see into his granite eyes. “I’ve never been surer.”

  She kissed him, gently, her lips brushing against his like the flutter of a butterfly’s wing. Her fingers ran over his cheekbone and down his jaw, enjoying the prickly, masculine feel of him.

  When she pulled away, her gaze dropped to the floor at Owen’s toy train. She gasped. “What am I thinking? I can’t leave. I have to help my mom with Owen. You saw what happened the other night.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Stop making excuses. We’ll figure something out. You can’t put your life on hold for them forever. We’ll talk to your mom, let her know she needs to be more responsible and if that fails, I guess, they can live with us.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “You want to live with my mom?”

  He shook his head. “No, I want to live with you and I’ll put up with your mom if that’s the only way.”

  She leaned against his chest again and closed her eyes. “Stop being so perfect.”

  A deep chuckle vibrated through his body. “I’ll drive you to work. Do you need to change first?”

  Her arms dropped. “I guess I do.” It was impossible to think about something as ordinary as work after a morning like that. “I’ll be right back.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek before bounding up the stairs.

  When she returned, Levi had finished the dishes.

  “You didn’t have to do that.” Besides her mother’s strangely responsible behavior the last few days, no one cleaned the apartment but her and she found herself caught off guard.

  His eyes rolled. “Don’t be ridiculous. Come here.” He opened his arms and she slid into them. “I don’t want you to go. I want to spend the whole day with you.”

  “Me too. I’ll text you when I go on break. Can you come in and eat with me?” She sighed. “Never mind. It’s too long a drive from your house. I don’t want you to have to come all that way.”

  He kissed her cheek. “I’ll come in. I have errands to do around town anyway, so I’ll be nearby.”

  Levi dropped Bianca off at work and then pulled back on the highway and headed toward downtown. As he passed the dog park, a silver car appeared in his rear view. He groaned, wishing Peter would just skip town and leave him alone.

  The Ferrari honked. Once, twice, three times. It was probably better to just get this over with.

  Levi pulled his pickup into a parking space along the side of the road and hopped out to see what kind of threats Peter had up his sleeve today.

  “Why were you at Bianca’s house again?” Peter said, as soon as he’d stepped out of the car.

  “It’s none of your business.” Misty rain drops fluttered down on the men as they faced each other. The wind blowing their jacket sleeves.

  Peter stood just inches from him, his eyes cold and fierce. “She’s mine!”

  Levi crossed his arms, a smug smile on his face. “Actually, she’s mine. We’re getting married.”

  Peter dropped his arms. “What did you say?” Cars rushed past them on the road, muffling his words.

  “You heard me, we’re getting married. So, you need to stay away from her.” Levi took a step forward, pointing at Peter and narrowing his eyes.

  Peter took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Then he laughed. “You honestly think she won’t notice when you don’t grow older? You think this could turn out any different than Edith?”

  “She already knows.” Levi clenched his jaw, unwilling to break his stare.

  Peter narrowed his eyes. “You told her?”

  “There was a mountain lion. If I didn’t jump on it, it would have killed her.”

  “You healed in front of her?” Peter took a step back and threw up his hands.

  Levi scowled. “Would you rather she died?”

  “Fine, she knows.” Peter ran a hand through his hair and then stepped closer to Levi. “But, she still wants me. You didn’t see the hungry look in her eyes when I had her pressed against the kitchen counter. You didn’t feel the way her hot little body responded to mine on the dance floor.”

  Levi squeezed his eyes closed and took a deep breath through his nose. “I saw her push you away at the farmer’s market. But, regardless, she’s agreed to be with me now. And since she has, you aren’t going anywhere near her.”

  A scoff escaped Peter’s lips. “We’ll see about that.”

  “She will be my wife and you will stay away from her.”

  Peter shook his head. “If I can’t have her, I will use her against you. I will use her to find the origin of the curse. Just remember that you’re the one who brought her into this.” He pointed his finger at Levi and then turned and walked back to his car, yanking the door open.

  Levi stood on the side of the road, scowling, as Peter drove away.

  Bianca strolled through the door of Papa’s Pizza in a daze. The smell of garlic and baking crust welcomed her and helped to shift her mind into work mode, but excitement still coursed through her veins. Everything had changed so fast. They were getting married! She grabbed her timecard and dropped it into the punch clock. Every morning she’d wake up next to Levi. Her stomach fizzled with anticipation as thoughts of him and her— in a bed— filled her mind.

  Kate walked into the room, chewing on her fingernails.

  “Hey, Ka—”

  She grabbed Bianca’s arm and yanked her out the back door where they stood next to the industrial sized dumpsters and recycle bins.

  “Why are we out here?” Bianca asked. Did Kate find out about the engagement? She was probably about to get a lecture on marrying a stalker, but how did Kate know already?

  Kate bit her lip and took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”

  Bianca blinked. That was so not what she was expecting. “Oh, Kate. Come here.” She wrapped Kate in a hug. Somehow, ‘Congratulations’ didn’t seem like the right thing to say, but neither did ‘I’m sorry.’

  “I can’t believe this is happening to me! I haven’t even finished school yet.” Kate laid her head on Bianca’s shoulder and sniffled.

  “Are you sure? I mean how do you know already? Didn’t you and Jeremy just start dating?”

  Kate stood up straight and pulled a tissue from her jacket pocket. “We only just became official, but we’ve been… you know, for a couple months now.”

  “Have you told him yet?” It was scary to think of Jeremy as a father, but there was no way Bianca would say that out loud.

  Kate rubbed her forehead. “No, I just took the test this morning. He doesn’t work today, thank God, but I’m going to tell him tonight.”

  Bianca put her hands on Kate’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “You can do this. I practically raise Owen, and it’s hard, but he’s so fun. Trust me. You’re going to love this baby.”

  The door swung open and Faustino appeared, his brown eyes darting back and forth between the women. “Is everything okay out here?”

  They nodded.

  �
��Then you need to get to work. There’s a crowd of hungry people in there.” He motioned inside. “Hustle!”

  Bianca and Kate trudged toward the kitchen and got busy. Between the two of them, they burned four pizzas, made two with the wrong toppings and dropped one order on the floor. Faustino huffed around the kitchen, his face red, mumbling under his breath and apologizing to customers.

  Bianca took a deep breath and tried to focus as she sprinkled cheese across a medium sized dough circle. She was getting married! To Levi! Images of everything that entailed floated through her mind until she realized the ticket in front of her said no cheese. Geeze, who ordered a pizza without cheese anyway? She tossed it aside and grabbed a new dough circle.

  Faustino narrowed his eyes at her from across the room and then stomped over. He lifted the order ticket, glancing between it and the pizza in front of her. “What is with you girls today?” His shoulders fell and he closed his eyes for a moment. “Just go on break, Bianca. And when you return, I expect your full attention.” He reached for a handful of pepperoni to finish the order.

  She nodded and ran to the back so she could send Levi a quick text: Break time! As she tossed two personal pizzas into the oven for Levi and herself, the front door swung open and he entered. Prince Charming had nothing on Levi. A soft brown leather jacket clung to his broad shoulders and a wide grin centered between high cheekbones and an angular jaw.

  She leaned over the counter and gave him a quick kiss. “Missed you. Our food will be ready in a few minutes.”

  He winked. “I’ll wait for you at the table then.”

  Their life together would be very happy indeed as long as he kept winking. It drove her crazy. She smiled and walked over to the oven to check their pizzas. When the food was done, she carried it out to their usual table by the fireplace.

  “I made you something new today.” A wicked grin crossed her face. “Chicken teriyaki.”

  He rolled his eyes. “On pizza?”

  “Yep.” She sat and motioned for him to try it.