Katie's Glimpse (The Glimpse Series)

by Keahey, Robin

  He chuckled and joined me in the hunt for something to eat. “Baby, you have got to buy groceries. It looks like we have a choice of chicken noodle soup or ravioli,” he said as he pulled the cans out of the cabinet.

  I ended up cooking both and making a salad with what little I managed to find in the fridge. After our pitiful dinner, Levi played with Asher so I could clean up the kitchen.

  When I was done, I leaned over the back of the couch. “He needs a bath. We’ll be back in a little bit,” I said and reached to take Asher from him.

  “Can I help you?”

  Oh, he really is awesome. “That would be great,” I replied.

  I ran water in the tub and showed him how to check the temperature with the inside of his wrist. When it was warm, I put Asher in and he immediately splashed water all over the bathroom and us. Levi laughed as he wiped the water from his face with the towel I had ready.

  “You can’t turn your back with him in the tub and be sure to get a good grip on him because he gets slippery. Do you want to wash him?”

  Levi took the rag and added baby wash. He wet his hand and put water on Asher’s face. He carefully washed his forehead and around his eyes. Bless his sweet heart. We’re going to be here all night at the rate he’s going.

  “It’s tear free wash so you don’t have to worry about his eyes. You aren’t going to hurt him. Just wash him like you wash yourself and don’t forget his hair too.”

  Levi relaxed and ran the rag over Asher’s head and face. He proceeded to wash every nook and cranny. “Wow, you’re pretty thorough there,” I said with a laugh.

  He chuckled. “I like to get the job done right.”

  I took a cup of water and poured it over Asher’s head to rinse away the bubbles. He sputtered causing Levi to tense, but when Asher giggled, I saw him relax. I did it once more to Asher’s delight. I got his towel and bundled him up. His lower lip quivered from the cold as we hurried to my room. I laid him down on the bed and dried him off before rubbing him down with baby lotion. He giggled the entire time.

  I went to pick up a diaper, but Levi beat me to it. “I think I’ve got this,” he said with a cocky grin.

  I smirked at him and gestured with my hand for him to go ahead. He stood over Asher studying the diaper for a second. I shook my head and grinned, knowing if he didn’t hurry, he was in for a wet surprise. You had to be quick with his diaper changes or he would get ya.

  I grabbed another diaper and opened it up. Just as Levi picked up Asher’s legs, he let loose and a stream of pee shot up in the air. I quickly covered him with the diaper I held. Asher giggled and Levi looked over at me with huge eyes. We both began to laugh.

  “Did he get you?” I asked between laughs.

  Levi looked down at his dry shirt and shook his head while still laughing. We got ourselves under control, and I helped him clean Asher up. I put a dry diaper on him before we wrestled him into his footy pajamas. I picked him up, held him close, and inhaled his sweet scent.

  It was his bedtime so I got a bottle from the fridge and sat down with him on the couch. Levi sat down next to us and stroked Asher’s head gently while I fed him. When the bottle was empty, I put him up on my shoulder and began to softly sing “You Are My Sunshine”. Levi leaned over and kissed my forehead as Asher sucked his thumb. I continued to sing until Levi nodded his head to let me know Asher was asleep.

  I took him to my room and gently laid him on his belly in his playpen. I brushed my fingers through his soft hair once before going back to the living room. I went to sit back down, but Levi pulled me onto his lap and cradled my face in his hands. He kissed me like he couldn’t make it one more second without his lips on mine. My heart pounded in my chest. When I put my hand on his chest, I felt his heart pounding too. I finally broke away from his kiss and looked up into his shimmering eyes. Levi rested his forehead against mine. “I was wrong before. That is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  That Sunday after church, Levi insisted on taking me to buy groceries. I hadn’t been out in public with Asher yet, so I was nervous. I told him the night before, while he helped me put away all the baby stuff, I wasn’t ready to take Asher to church yet and he understood.

  I showed him how to put the car seat in his truck and we headed to buy groceries like a family. Once in the store, Levi grabbed a buggy while I carried Asher on my hip. We wandered through the aisles to find all the items on my list. He put a few extra things in the buggy that he liked too. I laughed when he picked up a box of Fruity Pebbles cereal.

  “Levi, you know that is nothing but sugar.”

  He grinned. “I know, but it’s so good. I’ll get some Raisin Bran to even it out.”

  I smiled as an image of Levi and Ash at the breakfast table eating Fruity Pebbles together popped into my head. We were about to head over to the baby aisles when I saw her, Angie, the woman that was determined Levi was going to be hers. I glanced over at him hoping we could turn around before she saw us, but it was too late. She was already coming our way. He gave me a reassuring smile, took my hand and squeezed it.

  “Levi, how are you?” she asked in her high pitched voice.

  “I’m great, Angie. You remember my girlfriend, Katie,” he said as he held up our joined hands.

  I had to bite my lip to hold back my giggle. He was trying hard for her to get the hint.

  She looked over at me and finally noticed Asher. “Is that your baby?” she asked with a smile that didn’t look friendly.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  She looked back at Levi. “Hmm, it looks like you’ve gotten yourself a package deal,” she said with a sneer.

  “I sure did, and I couldn’t be happier,” he replied with a sincere smile.

  She frowned, obviously not getting the reaction she wanted from him. “Well, when you get tired of dealing with that,” she said as she pointed at Asher, “then call me. I don’t have any excess baggage.”

  I felt my face get hot and took a step towards her. Levi shook his head and tugged on my arm. He looked back at Angie and she smiled sweetly. His harsh voice startled me. “Don’t ever speak about my future wife and son like that again. I have always been nice to you, but you just crossed the line. I was not interested in you in high school, I’m not interested in you now, and I never will be. Please don’t speak to me again until you can be respectful towards them.”

  Angie’s smile fell. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. She looked at Levi longingly once more, turned and walked away.

  I was livid. My heart raced, and my hands shook. Levi pulled Asher from my arms, leaned down close to my face and looked into my eyes. “I’m sorry she said those things. You have every right to be angry, but I promise I will never stand by while someone disrespects you or him.”

  I looked into his deep blue eyes, letting his words soothe some of my anger. “I’m okay now,” I said with just a slight shake in my voice.

  He kissed my forehead and snuggled Asher close to him. “Buddy, I’m sorry you heard that, even if you didn’t understand it.”

  As I watched Levi comfort my son, I knew he would always try to protect us from the ugliness of the world, and it made me smile. I made up my mind that I would not allow the trouble on aisle seven to ruin my day.

  He tugged on my ponytail. “I thought I might see some fists fly for a minute there.”

  I grimaced. “Sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me.”

  He chuckled. “I do. She insulted your son and you turned into a momma bear protecting your cub. It’s only natural to feel that way.”

  I smiled and changed the subject. I was done with that one. “Do you think I should get a crib today? I’ll have to move some things around in my room to get it to fit.”

  He looked at me with a sly grin. “Why don’t you just wait a little while? You might have more room soon.”

  “Huh?”

  He smiled and just shook his head. I let it go. Wi
th Levi, there was no telling what he was up to.

  We got everything I needed and made our way to the register. When the cashier told me the total, I pulled out my debit card to pay, but Levi pushed my hand away. He handed over cash from his wallet. I didn’t want to make another scene in the grocery store so I kept my mouth shut, for the time being. Levi knew what was coming and gave me a sweet innocent smile. I couldn’t help but smile back.

  He packed the groceries into the truck while I put Asher in his seat. I could tell he was tired. Levi climbed in and I turned to him and put my hand over his. “Thank you very much for paying, but I don’t expect you to buy my groceries. I don’t let my parents buy them either. I have money saved from working with my dad and my job at the nursery.”

  “I know you don’t need me to, but I want to. I love you and I want to help. Besides, I eat at your house almost every night, and you know I can put away some food.”

  “I understand and appreciate that, but a lot of those things were for Asher.”

  He looked at me and shrugged. “And.”

  I laughed. “And nothing I guess.” I leaned over and gave him a kiss. “I love you, Levi,” I whispered.

  “And I love you,” he whispered back.

  ***

  He stayed at my apartment the rest of the day. We cooked dinner together and when we were finished eating, I sent him into the living room with Asher so I could clean up the kitchen.

  I had just turned off the light when I heard Levi groan. “What is that smell? Oh, buddy, that’s terrible.”

  I laughed loudly when I came around the couch and saw Levi holding his nose as Asher giggled on the floor. “Katie, I’m not kidding. He must be sick or something because that is rank.”

  I couldn’t stop laughing but managed to shake my head. I finally got my giggles under control. “Nope, that’s just his normal dirty diaper. I guess you haven’t had the pleasure of dealing with one of those yet.”

  His eyes grew wide when he heard that. “Please don’t make me change him. I don’t think I can handle it.”

  I laughed again because he actually looked afraid. This 6’4, 240 pound man was scared of a poopy diaper. “Levi, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to but eventually, you’ll have to change a dirty diaper. What if he’s with you, and I’m not around to change him? I’ll do it. You just watch me this time so you’ll at least know how.”

  He watched Asher squirm in his dirty diaper and sighed. “You’re right. I need to know how.” He bent down, picking him up, but held him straight out in front of him.

  I couldn’t wrap my mind around his squeamishness. “You own a nursery and work with fertilizer. It’s the same thing.”

  He looked at me with a raised brow. “No fertilizer I use smells like this.”

  I put a few towels down on my bed before he laid Asher on them. “That’s never a good sign if you need towels for this job,” he said with a frown.

  I grabbed the wipes and a clean diaper. I reached for the tape on Asher’s dirty diaper. “You ready?”

  He stood beside me with a serious look on his face and nodded his head. I undid the tape and pulled the diaper back. I had to admit, the smell was pretty intense. Levi had a look of horror on his face as he clamped his hand over his nose and mouth. I heard his groan from behind his hand. I quickly cleaned Asher up, put powder on his backside, along with a clean diaper, and looked up at Levi. “See, that wasn’t so bad now, was it?” I asked, trying to keep a straight face.

  Levi nodded his head. “Uh huh.”

  “You can pick him up now.” I snickered, as Levi still looked a little unsure.

  He picked him up and looked down at his face. “Buddy, you’ve got to work on holding that in until Momma is around.” Asher giggled as Levi kissed him on the head.

  I grabbed the dirty diaper, double bagging it before I threw it in the trash. I went to the bathroom to wash my hands when Levi called out, “You may want to wash your hands several times.”

  I laughed, shook my head, and made sure I washed my hands thoroughly. When I was done, I found Levi on the couch giving Asher a bottle. I flopped down next to him; he looked down at my hands warily, so I rubbed them all over his arm. He gave me a horrified look, but I knew he was just kidding. I curled up against him. “I don’t want you to go home, Levi,” I whispered.

  He looked down at me. “Me either, baby,” he whispered, but after a while he did.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I had just finished loading the dishwasher and heard a knock on the door. “It’s after eight. Were you expecting someone?” Levi asked.

  I shook my head. I had no idea who’d be knocking on my door. He got up from the couch and opened it. “Can I help you?”

  “I’m looking for Katie Crane. Is she here?”

  I couldn’t see who it was from the kitchen, but I recognized the voice and froze. “Uh, who are you?” Levi asked sounding concerned.

  “I’m Seth Turner. Now, is Katie here or not?” he asked in a hard voice.

  I backed up a few steps and bumped into the kitchen table. Levi subtly glanced over at me. I held up one finger. I can do this.

  “Give me a second to find her,” he replied calmly. He closed the door and locked it.

  “Hmm, so that’s Seth. What do you want to do, baby?” he asked as he walked towards me and took my hand.

  I didn’t want to do anything. I just wanted him to go away and never come back, but I knew that wasn’t realistic. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Just let him in. He’s not going to try anything with you here. I knew this was coming and a part of me is surprised it took him a week to show up, considering how fast the gossip spreads in our hometown,” I said, knowing I sounded bitter.

  Just then there was a loud knock on the door. “Katie, let me in. I just want to talk,” Seth said through the door.

  Levi leaned down, kissed me gently and said, “Okay, but he’s not coming near you or Asher, and I’ll try to control myself so I don’t hurt him for what he did to you.”

  He opened the door and stood protectively in front of me while he motioned for Seth to stand by the kitchen counter. I openly stared at him and noticed that he hadn’t changed at all. He was still that cute guy with the forest green eyes I knew in high school.

  He gave me a smile but it wasn’t friendly. “Imagine my surprise when my mom called and told me that the baby your mom had was really ours.” He shook his head and sighed. “Did you really think I wouldn’t care? That I wouldn’t want to know him? Well if you did, you were wrong. He’s my son, and I have the right to see him. I know he’s here with you so go get him.”

  I looked into his eyes and saw the same Seth that used to push me around and pull my hair. I glanced over at Levi, and his hands were fisted at his sides as he glared at him. “No, he’s asleep, and I did know that you would come. I’m not hiding him anymore. Do you even want to know why I did to begin with?” I asked in disgust. He shrugged his shoulders but said nothing. “Well I’ll tell you anyway. You hurt me over and over, and I was scared that you would hurt him too, but I realized I couldn’t let my fear rob him of his mother. He needs me and I need him too,” I said and took Levi’s hand.

  Seth sighed. “Look, I know I have a temper and I’m sorry I hurt you, but I’m different now. I would really like to see my son. I’d never hurt him.”

  Levi squeezed my hand, letting me know he didn’t agree. “I’ll think about it, really. Now, why don’t you just go home? I’ll call you soon,” I said, surprised my voice didn’t shake.

  He laughed. “Yeah right, I’ll be waiting by the phone. I have a court order that says you will submit yourself and my son for a DNA paternity test this Wednesday at the hospital lab here in Jackson. I told my attorney I didn’t need the test because no other guy was stupid enough to mess with what was mine, but since you denied that you were Asher’s mother, it has to be done this way. Now, you are welcome to get an attorney and fight this, but you won’t win and it wil
l cost you a lot of money.” He stopped and looked around the apartment. “Money that I’m sure you don’t have,” he added with a sneer.

  He looked down at Levi’s hand in mine and clenched his jaw. “I see you’ve already moved on. Do you tell him you love him, Katie? Do you show him you love him like you once showed me?” Seth gave me a cocky smile. He knew just what to say to make me feel so dirty again.

  I felt Levi tense and knew he was barely containing his rage. He dropped my hand and before I could stop him, had Seth pressed against the kitchen counter. He leaned down close to his face and in a deceptively calm voice said, “You will never speak to her like that again. You bullied her into sleeping with you. That’s all it was and you know it.”

  Seth tried to shove him away but couldn’t budge him. His face paled before Levi finally took a step back.

  Seth turned to me. “Katie, you know that’s not true. You loved and wanted me. I didn’t bully you into anything!” he said as he stared into my eyes, willing me to agree with him.

  I’m done with him and all the lies too. “Yes, you did. You had my head and heart so messed up with your manipulation and abuse. I didn’t even know what real love was until I met Levi.”

  Seth narrowed his eyes and lunged for me, but Levi stepped between us. He threw Seth to the floor before he could lay a hand on me. “If you bother Katie or her son again, I will call the police and have you arrested,” Levi spat out.

  Seth picked himself up and brushed off his pants. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. He threw it at me, and I watched as it fluttered to the floor at my feet. “Wednesday, Katie, and you better show up and you,” he said, pointing at Levi, “don’t get any ideas about playing daddy. That kid is mine,” he growled out.

  He looked at my face once more, turned and walked out the door. I shook all over as I bent down to pick up the paper.

  “That guy is insane,” Levi hissed.

  I agreed as I read the paper before handing it to him. He read it and let out a slow breath. “I don’t care how much it costs. He’s not coming anywhere near Asher.”