Chapter 34
Levi
I reread the last line of the email that I just received from Claire. And then read it all again.
You should know that I’m already here.
I scrubbed at my eyes as the growing realization hit me. I sat up in bed, only in boxers. When I left her last night, I drove throughout the night and slept most of the day. It hadn’t even been twelve hours since I left her. And she was here?
I reread the email again.
As fast as I could, I pulled on pants and a jacket, tripping over a confused and cranky Ripley. She barked but followed me as I made my way to the front door, sensing the growing excitement in my clumsy rushing.
I bolted out of the house and flailed down the hill. Parked in front of Little Cabin was Claire, standing out in front of a rental truck. She wore the same clothes she had on last night and leaned against the truck, arms crossed, a soft smile on her face and tired but happy eyes. The sun was just coming over the trees behind her, glowing like a beacon in front of Little Cabin.
I skidded to a stop in front of her. “Claire.” I said her name like a sigh.
“Hi,” she said, gifting me with her dimples.
“You’re here.”
“I am.”
It took everything in my power not to reach for her last night, not to hold her and beg her to come back with me. But it had to be her choice. She deserved to feel in control and choose the life she wanted. Only in my deepest, most secret wishes did I think she’d come straight here.
The same desire to hold her to my chest consumed me now.
“I decided to extend the lease. I assume you saw the email I sent?” she asked with a tilt of her head.
I swallowed. She’d said she loved me. She said she wanted to be here with me. “I did,” I said with a throat that felt too dry.
“And that all works for you?” she asked.
I nodded. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too.”
“And you’re sure that’s what you want?” There was part of me that worried this was all out of desperation. Her father couldn’t make it to help her. Her crazy, delusional ex showed up. I wanted her with more certainty than anything I ever wanted, but I needed to make sure it was the same for her.
“It’s what I want. I wanted to stay before when I realized I was falling in love with you.” She shrugged.
“God, I’m so sorry about that. I was so wrong to push you away.” I balled my fists at my side.
“I wasn’t exactly easy myself. But as long as we stick to the rules, I think we will be okay.”
I stepped closer. “And have room to change them as needed.”
“Of course. What’s the point of having strict guidelines if not to adjust them.” She said it sarcastically but pulled me closer by the front of my jacket. “Can we kiss now?”
“God, yes.” I pulled her into my arms, holding her as tight as I could, my mouth on hers. Her arms trembled slightly as she held me back, pouring so much into our kiss. She must be exhausted physically and mentally, but I couldn’t let go of her, not yet. I was too relieved to have her back in my arms. I leaned back, breaking our kiss, to look at her. My jaw clenched as my gaze moved over her beautiful face. “I’ve missed you so much,” I said.
I studied her dark slash of brows, the line of her cheeks, and the deep dimples on either side of her wide, luscious mouth. She licked her lips as I watched.
“I’ve missed you too.”
I dropped my forehead to hers. “Let me help you unpack.”
“Okay,” she said.
“You need to sleep and eat. Maybe not in that order.”
She closed her eyes and nodded against me. “You’re probably right about that. ”
“I’ll take care of the stuff I can while you rest.”
She yawned, and I lifted her into my arms. “Eep! You don’t need to do that.” But she didn’t fight me.
I carried her over the threshold to Little Cabin. There was no anxiety or hesitation as I stepped into the house. It only felt right bringing her in here, laying her back onto the bed, and sliding off her coat and shoes. With her tucked in, I kissed her forehead. She was asleep before I pulled the blankets over her. Ripley curled up into a ball in the throw blanket at her feet.
As those two slept, I unpacked the rest of the rental truck. It took some maneuvering to get the bed and desk, and I smashed my finger in the doorframe, but it was worth it.
“You did it all?” she asked, gobsmacked as she sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes, hours later.
“It wasn’t so much,” I said, still panting.
“You are amazing. And ridiculous. Ridiculously amazing. I was going to help.” She yawned so hard that her jaw cracked. “What time is it?” Her hand drifted to scratch Ripley, who had rolled onto her back, paws straight up in the air, tongue hanging out, begging to be scratched.
“Now you don’t have to do anything. It’s time to eat.” I helped her out of bed.
The sun was almost down as we made our way up to Big Cabin.
After we ate, we washed dishes and cleaned up. Claire slid the last plate onto the shelf as I wrapped her in a hug. Her head fell back onto me. Soft music played over the speakers as my hands drifted over her hips and stomach. I kissed her neck and lower .
She sighed, rocking to the slow tempo, as she lifted her sweater over and off her head. I pushed her bra strap off her shoulder to brush my lips over the soft skin there. She reached one arm up to run her hands through my hair, and I shuddered. Her other arm brought me closer as we continued to rock to the tempo. My hand reached into her bra and cupped her breast as she gasped out. She turned in my arms to meet my gaze. She held my face in her hands, and little did she know, she held my entire soul too.
“I’m so sorry I made you doubt my feelings. I’m sorry I doubted them at all.” Her gaze moved over my face with a sadness that made my heart clench.
“I couldn’t believe my feelings at first either. They felt so big, too big to be possible. But there is no doubt for me, Claire.”
“There’s no question for me either.”
“It’s a miracle that you found my listing and came into my life.”
She nodded, stepping on her toes. Our mouths met and kissed until we were both panting.
I laid her out on the carpet in front of the fire and devoured her. I brought her to her peak and luxuriated in her taste. When I slid into her again, we were both unmoored and out of our minds. She held my face as I moved in her. This time, she never closed her eyes as we whispered our love for each other. We took our time, bared our souls, and lost ourselves.
A few hours later, stomachs and bodies satisfied, we lay on the floor half-naked in front of the fire. I meant to take her to the bedroom, but we didn’t make it .
Her head was on my stomach as she watched the flames. My fingers gently brushed through her hair. Outside, the snow fell, and Ripley snored softly from under her pile of blankets. I lazily played with the strands of her hair, thinking about how beautiful she was. How much I loved her. How thankful I was that she was here. I told her so.
“I love you too. I love it here. It feels so right,” she said.
“I’m glad you feel that way. You feel like home to me.”
She rolled her head to kiss my chest, and I pulled her up to be shoulder to shoulder with me.
“No place has felt like home before I found you.”
I kissed her gently but pulled away before my body wanted to start round three. Four?
We fell into silence for a while before she said, “I heard from my editor.”
“Oh?”
“It sounds like the paper is close to folding. She said she might go elsewhere and will try to get me in. Maybe Denver.”
“Yeah? Is that what you want?” A wave of panic threatened to ruin the moment, but I had to trust that no matter what happened, we would find our way through it.
“I don’t know. I don’t feel like I used to. I want to help people, but I am tired of throwing pebbles at barricades. I like telling individual stories. I feel like maybe that’s the direction for me. There was this mom I met when I was writing that article. I thought that I needed to help her by getting justice for the money she lost to that evil man, but I think I could focus on these incredible ceramic beads she makes instead and her awe-inspiring life story. All that she has done for her kids.”
“I think that sounds great.”
“Are you happy about the shop?” she asked me.
“I am. I wasn’t sure I wanted the store, but after I talked with people in town, I realized that it wasn’t them I was afraid of. It was always my issues. I like being in town. I mean, not all the time. I’ll still only be open a few hours a day during peak seasons. But it’s a start.”
“I love it. I can’t wait to see it.”
“I can’t wait to show you.” I sighed. “I think Mom would like that it’s not about just her art either. I think, if anything, she’d want it to be an opportunity for others too.”
“Amazing, Levi. I’m so happy for you.”
“I reserve the right to change my mind about being in town that often.”
She laughed softly. “I will help you too if you want.”
“We’ll figure it out together.” I grabbed her knuckles and kissed them. “After all, it’s a rule.”