11. Levi
CHAPTER 11
LEVI
Sheriff Lawson pushed through the crowd and had Kyle in cuffs before anyone realized what was going on. I pulled Brooklyn into my side and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, the need to keep her safe the only thing I could think about.
The cake was ruined. Kyle’s punch had swiped across the middle, taking out the front half of it and sending chunks of frosted flowers flying onto the floor. I was a piece of shit for pushing him, and now Lily and Brooklyn would pay for it.
“No, no, no…” Lily tried to press the cake back together with her palms. “What did you do?”
“I’m sorry.” I couldn’t fix this any more than I could fix what my brother had done to Brooklyn. It seemed like the harder I tried to handle him, the more people got hurt.
Brooklyn ducked out from under my arm and rushed over to help. The two of them talked in voices too low for me to hear as I watched Sheriff Lawson lead my brother out through the side door.
“This isn’t over,” Kyle called out.
“Yes, it is.” I couldn’t save the cake, but I could make sure my brother would never hurt Brooklyn again. With a last look her way, I followed him out to the parking lot. “Hold up a sec?”
The sheriff stopped. “I’m taking him in. Not sure how long I can hold him for intentionally sabotaging the event, but I can definitely charge him for a public disturbance.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” Kyle argued. “I’ll get my lawyer on this and be free as a bird within an hour.”
“Do you mind if I take a minute with him before you haul him away?” I asked. Sheriff Lawson didn’t owe me a thing, but he must have sensed my need for closure.
“You’ve got sixty seconds,” he said. Once he got Kyle stuffed into the back of his cruiser, he walked about twenty feet away, giving us as much privacy as he could.
I leaned into the window of the car and stared at my brother through the bars. “I’m only going to say this once, so you’d better pay attention. You’re going to leave Brooklyn alone. I don’t care what charges are filed and if they hold up or not. When you get out, you’re going to pack up your shit and leave Mustang Mountain for good.”
“You think you’re going to be calling the shots now?” Kyle smirked. “I’ve got too much invested in this town to think about leaving.”
Clearly, he wasn’t getting the message. My instincts urged me to wipe that smug smile off his face with a well-landed uppercut to his jaw, but I’d missed my chance for that. “I am calling the shots, at least with this. Like I said, you’re going to leave town, and I’m going to make sure you never contact her again.”
“And how do you think you’re going to do that?” Kyle narrowed his eyes. He’d never responded well to threats.
I lowered my voice so the sheriff wouldn’t overhear. “I know you fucked with the scaffolding. Did you even think to check for a camera? With all that expensive equipment sitting around, I didn’t want to take a chance on someone stealing it.”
I was bluffing, but Kyle didn’t know that. Based on the way his jaw clenched, he believed me. “You’d turn in your own blood over some chick?”
My blood boiled. If it weren’t for those damn bars… I glared at him. He had no idea the lengths I’d go to for Brooklyn. “She’s not some chick. I love that woman.”
“She deserves a hell of a lot better than you, Levi.” Kyle let out a sharp laugh. His words cut me to the bone, but they were true.
“That’s the only thing you’ve ever been right about. She deserves better than either one of us.” I’d made peace with that. It would hurt like hell to let her go, but I wouldn’t hold her back. Being around me would be a daily reminder of my brother. She deserved to be free from her past.
“And you’re going to take the fall for the scaffolding bit? For what? Getting me out of town?” Kyle shook his head. “You’re even dumber than I thought.”
“Time’s up.” Sheriff Lawson walked over. “Anything else you need to say to him, you can say it during visiting hours at the county jail.”
I stepped back, my heart splintering into a million sharp shards as the car pulled away. Kyle might pretend not to care about being exposed, but I knew him better than that. His image was the only thing he’d ever really cared about and the one thing he’d try to protect at all costs.
At least Brooklyn would be free even if I ended up taking the heat for the scaffolding disaster. With my business going to shit, there was no way I’d ever be enough for her. Guilt had me hanging my head as I turned to head back into the building. I needed to get to the hospital to check on the guys on my crew, but I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to Brooklyn.
She stood just a few feet in front of me. “Did you mean what you said?”
“How long have you been standing there?” I tensed, wondering how much of the conversation between me and Kyle she’d heard.
“Long enough.” The wind picked up and blew her hair around her face. She reached up to tuck it behind her ears, and I saw the tears on her cheeks.
“Sweet girl, don’t cry.” I covered the distance between us in a couple long strides and pulled her into my arms. “I’m sorry about the cake. I shouldn’t have pushed him like that.”
“The cake is alright. We turned it around, so people won’t see the damage. Lily’s upset, but at least they got pictures of it before Kyle took a swing.” She sniffled and tilted her head back to look up at me. “Tell me, did you mean what you said?”
I could have bought myself some time by asking her which part, but the truth was, I meant all of it. “Every single word.”
“So, you love me?” Her eyes locked on mine and strength radiated out from her as she held my gaze.
As much as I wanted to lie to her and make things easier to let her go, I couldn’t. “Yeah,” I said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come to this.”
She shook her head. Her hair floated around her face. She was so fucking beautiful, it hurt to look at her.
“The only thing you need to apologize for is for not telling me how you feel.” A tear rolled down her cheek. I didn’t think my heart could break into any more pieces, but the way she looked at me crushed it. “I love you too, Levi.”
“No.” I wasn’t going to hold her back. With Kyle out of the picture, she’d finally be free to follow her dreams and become the woman she was meant to be.
“What do you mean ‘no’?” Her mouth tipped up at the corners in an almost-there smile. “I just told you I love you, and I heard you say you love me too. Neither one of us expected this, but how is it a problem?”
I pulled back and slid my hands down her arms until I caught both of her hands in mine. “Kyle won’t bother you again. Now’s your chance to be free. I’m not going to stand in your way, sweet girl. You’ve spent too much time focusing on making other people happy. It’s your time now.”
“Oh, I get it. You think I won’t want you now that I don’t need you to protect me? Is that it?” Her eyes narrowed and she squeezed my fingers together.
“That’s not what I mean. Damn, Brooklyn. I can’t find the right words.”
Her palms moved to my cheeks. I wanted to pause time and spend the rest of my days just like this… with her hands on my skin, close enough to have the intoxicating smell of her perfume surrounding me and staring up at me with more love than I ever thought possible shining in her bright blue eyes.
“You don’t need to find the right words. There are only three little words I want to hear from you right now, but only if you mean them.” She stilled, waiting to see if I had the balls to say it to her face.
“I…” Fear tightened its cold grip on my heart. It was one thing to tell my brother how I felt about her, but I’d never said those three little words to anyone except maybe my mom when I was still a kid.
Brooklyn tilted her head back and arched a brow. It was now or never.
“I love you, Brooklyn.” Nodding, I lifted my hands to cup her cheeks as well. “I’ve never felt this way before, and I don’t know what the fuck to do about it.”
“You silly, silly man. All you have to do is let me in. Let me love you and love me back in return.”
She made it sound so easy. “But Kyle was right. You do deserve better. I’d be a selfish prick for holding you back.”
“Hey, don’t talk that way about the man I love.” Her hand slid behind my neck, and she pulled my head down until our lips touched.
Kissing her before was surreal. Kissing her now—after we’d both admitted how we felt about each other—took everything to a whole new level. There weren’t enough years left in my lifetime to get my fill of her.
The side door to the building slammed shut, and I reluctantly dragged my attention—and my lips—from Brooklyn to look up.
“There you are, sugar.” Ruby waved us over from where she’d stopped right outside the door. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
I didn’t know if she meant me or Brooklyn, but when Ruby summoned someone, it was always in their best interest to give her their attention. With my arm resting on Brooklyn’s shoulders, we headed her way.
“I heard about what happened at the bank building this morning,” Ruby said.
“Yeah,” I scrubbed my palm over the back of my neck, prepared to take the heat. “I’m not sure what happened, but I’ll be looking into it.”
“Lucky for you, I know exactly what happened.” Ruby pushed her glasses back up on her nose. “Don’t think for a second I’m going to let you take the fall for your brother.”
“But…” I had questions. Like how the hell did Ruby have any idea what went down on a jobsite after hours.
She smiled. “Just because that building isn’t used as a bank anymore, doesn’t mean they disconnected the cameras. You’re a good person, Levi, but a terrible liar. I’ve got Kyle and some other unidentifiable man on video replacing those bolts last night. I’m prepared to show it to the sheriff and anyone else who wants to accuse you of cutting corners.”
Brooklyn shrugged off my arm and wrapped Ruby in a hug. “Thank you, Ruby.”
Stunned, I struggled to pull myself back together. With actual proof of Kyle’s involvement, I wouldn’t lose my job or my reputation. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll stop by the Merc tomorrow morning. I’ve got a proposition I want to show you from a very good friend of mine. He’s interested in providing the financing for you to strike out on your own. We need someone we can count on to help us fight against that developer trying to take over our town.” The sun peeked out from behind a cloud and Ruby lifted her hand to shade her eyes. “Well? Will you stop by?”
Brooklyn nodded. “He’ll be there.”
“Good. I need to get back in there before Orville sneaks a second piece of cake. I love that man with my whole heart, but he has the willpower of a gnat when it comes to sweets.” She patted my arm. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Around eight?”
I finally found my voice. “Eight works, but nine would be even better if that’s not an imposition.”
“Nine, then. See you tomorrow.” She waved before disappearing back inside.
“That was unexpected,” I said.
“Why?” Brooklyn put her palm over my heart and stepped into my arms.
It was hard to explain, but I’d vowed to be honest with her, so I tried my best to find the words. “No one’s ever had my back before. Kyle and I grew up competing, not supporting each other. I don’t know how I’m supposed to react to someone wanting to help me.”
“You’re driven, skilled, and super talented. Plus, Ruby has a good reason for wanting to see your business take off. Why would you be surprised someone wants to support you?” Brooklyn asked.
“I’m not used to it.”
“Neither am I, but we’ll have to get used to it together.” Just like everything else, she made it sound so easy. For once in my life, I stopped trying to find reasons to doubt and decided to put my trust in the people who loved me. Especially the woman I planned to spend the rest of my life with.
She cocked her head, studying me through heavy-lidded eyes. “I just have one more question. Why did you move the meeting from eight to nine?”
That was a question I didn’t mind answering. “Because I wanted an extra hour to stay in bed with the woman I love.”
Her eyes softened and she rose up onto her toes. “Well, I can’t think of a better reason than that.”