Chapter 52
FIFTY-TWO
“It’s too fucking early for this.”
I turn and hold out a travel mug of coffee for Levi, where he stands in the kitchen with the hood of his hoodie pulled over his head, mid-yawn.
“As always, you can go back to sleep,” I say as he takes it, and I move to the door to put my shoes on.
Levi groans as he drags his feet towards the door and shoves them into his sneakers. “I don’t like being in bed without you,” he mutters.
I smile at him, and he immediately squints at me.
“But you’re too perky in the mornings,” he says.
“And you’re too cranky in the mornings,” I say right back.
We stare at each other for a moment before I step into him and press my lips to his, keeping him against me in a soft kiss until I feel his body relax.
“Better?” I ask.
His lips tilt up softly. “Always.”
I pull the door open with a smile, and Winston darts out into the driveway to start sniffing everything in his sight.
Levi groans quietly as we step outside, like just the act of moving this early in the morning is too hard on him. But he’s doing this to himself, and he does this every morning. He doesn’t have to, but… I like that he does.
I slip my hand into his as we walk, threading our fingers together, and he squeezes it tight.
The morning is calm and carries a bit of a bite now that we’re into September, with soft fog hovering over the field beside us, catching the first rays of sunlight as it rises.
It looks like the entire surface of the field is glowing, and I pull in a deep breath as I just take it all in.
Everything is still, quiet, beautiful, and perfect.
“Morning!” Papa calls from his seat on the porch of my grandparents’ house as we approach.
“Morning,” I say, and Levi just lifts his coffee in greeting as he yawns.
Papa chuckles, picking up his own mug as steam curls up from the top.
The door opens, and Mama steps out in her housecoat and slippers, with two paper bags in her hands. “Hi, boys.”
“Hi, Mama.” I walk up the steps, and Levi follows as Winston bounds ahead of us with his tail wagging a mile a minute.
Mama hands a bag each to me and Levi with a smile, then reaches into her housecoat pocket to pull out a treat for Winston. He immediately sits and lifts his paw, holding it out for her like he does every morning.
“What’s the plan for today?” Papa asks from his chair.
I shift my gaze over the farm. “Harvesting for the west field begins tomorrow, so I’m doing some maintenance around the farm today.”
“Fixing the fan in the storage shed first?” he asks.
I narrow my eyes at him, letting my gaze drop to his plaid housecoat, slippers, and coffee mug. “Just when I think you’re actually taking the steps to retire.”
Papa gives me a confused look. “Silas, how many times do I have to tell you? I’ve been retired for years.”
I roll my eyes as Mama chuckles and swats his shoulder.
Papa shifts his gaze to Levi next to me, who is halfway through another yawn.
“And you?” Papa asks.
Levi blinks a few times and looks between us. “What?”
“What’s your plan today?” Papa asks, lifting his mug to his lips with a chuckle.
“Oh.” Levi nods. “I’m working on optimizing storage ventilation and outbound logistics scheduling. Trying to line up airflow consistency with shipment timing so we’re reducing loss and holding quality longer.”
The words float over my head, and I try to hold on to them to make sense of it. But I just let them go and don’t even bother, watching as Levi yawns yet again. Even half asleep, he’s brilliant.
“Sounds easy enough,” Papa says with a smirk, reaching down to scratch Winston as he leans against his legs.
I huff out a laugh and slip my hand around the back of Levi’s neck, giving him a small shake as he looks like he’s about to fall asleep standing up. “Let’s go.”
Mama kisses both of us on the cheek before we head back down the steps and towards the farm, Winston leading the way, stopping every few feet to investigate something only he finds interesting.
When we reach the yard, we head right for the storage shed where I had already left my tools to start working on the fan. And not because Papa suggested it.
The inside of the storage shed is filled with long, sloped piles of potatoes, with each variety held in its own bay between wooden dividers.
We walk towards the middle of the long shed, stopping in front of the massive pile of russet potatoes and one of the large ventilation fans mounted high along the wall.
It isn’t pushing air the way it should, so airflow is uneven across this pile of potatoes.
And with this much product sitting here, it won’t take long for that to turn into a problem.
Levi drops onto the concrete near my toolbox and pulls out both fried egg sandwiches Mama made, handing one to me. Winston plants himself between us, and his eyes quickly dart between our hands as he waits for something to fall.
I take a bite, then set mine down on the paper bag out of Winston’s reach before opening my toolbox and pulling out a screwdriver.
“At least sit and eat first,” Levi says, watching me with a smirk as he chews.
“I am eating. And basically sitting,” I say around a mouthful, pointing to my mouth, and then gesturing to my crouched position.
He rolls his eyes and takes another bite, but continues to smile at me.
“Hey, boys.”
I look over my shoulder as Dad walks towards us, his gaze moving over the piles of potatoes.
Winston abandons his hope for fallen sandwiches and bounds towards him, circling his legs as Dad bends to give him a quick pat.
“Hey,” I say, pushing to my feet.
“Morning,” Levi adds around a mouthful, lifting a hand in a lazy wave.
Dad chuckles and nods down at him, then steps in beside me and looks up at the fan, its housing rattling as it struggles to push air across the bay.
“Thanks for getting on this first thing,” he says. “That russet pile is starting to lock up, and it’s stacking too high on this side.” He tips his head towards the mound behind us. “So this uneven airflow is becoming a bigger problem.”
I glance back at the tall pile of potatoes.
He’s right. The slope is too steep, so sections are packed tight where they dropped in instead of settling like they should.
And that’s how heat pockets form and result in rot or damage, especially if it’s not receiving proper airflow from the ventilation system.
“I’ll have it fixed this morning, and I’ll knock that section down,” I say.
Dad smiles. “Thanks.” Then he looks at Levi, who has his head tipped back against the wall, looking half asleep as he lazily chews his sandwich.
“Why do you keep doing this to yourself?” Dad asks with a small smirk.
Levi slides his gaze to Dad. “Because my boyfriend’s a farmer.”
Dad huffs out a laugh, then reaches out to squeeze my shoulder. His hand lingers as his expression softens, then he gives it another squeeze. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will,” I say.
I watch him with a smile as he leaves the shed, then I drop the screwdriver back into my toolbox and turn towards the russet pile behind me. I bend down to pick up a potato and turn to face Levi.
He watches me for a moment, then his eyes flick towards the pile and back to me as a smile slowly spreads across his lips. He pushes to his feet and comes to stand next to me, bending down to grab a potato of his own.
When potatoes need to be dislodged, the best way to do it is to throw more potatoes at them.
We turn at the same time and launch them into the centre of the looming pile, sending a small cascade of potatoes tumbling down.
The sound of our laughter mixes with the soft thuds of potatoes rolling, the humming of the fans, and Winston’s excited barks as we keep going. We grab more potatoes and throw them, watching the pile loosen and settle, becoming the perfect reflection of the feeling inside me.
I pick up another one and turn to face Levi, tilting my head as I observe him.
He meets my eyes with a smile, but then it slowly falls.
“No.” He holds up a finger and backs up a step.
I just nod, stepping closer to close the distance. “Yes.”
He glares at me… but I see the flicker of excitement in him.
And that crisp grey hoodie could use a little dirt.
So I launch the potato at him and hit him right in the stomach.
“Ow!” He folds over and grabs his stomach, glaring up at me.
Winston jumps between us with an excited bark as I laugh.
Until one hits me in the same spot.
“Fuck!” I place a hand over the spot that is definitely going to be a bruise and shoot daggers at him. He threw that harder than I did.
Levi just stares back at me with his shoulders tense and his hand open at his side, like he’s ready to grab another potato if he needs to.
Yeah, he’s going to fucking need to.
I move fast, quickly crouching down to grab another potato and throw it at him before he can react. It just clips his arm, and he grunts as he scoops one up from the floor and fires it at me in one swift motion. It catches me on the hip as I try to dodge it, and fuck… these things hurt.
Winston runs back and forth between us with happy yips and barks like this is the best thing ever, while we hit each other with potatoes in the same game we played as kids, that’s full of both laughter and competition.
But eventually Levi grabs me, pulling me into him with a smile as he wraps his arms tight around my waist, and presses a kiss to my nose.
“I love you, Si,” Levi says softly.
I stare into the eyes I’ve loved from the day I first saw them, and fall deeper into the ease, familiarity, and comfort I live in with Levi.
These moments that were once something I felt like I had to hold on to and was afraid of losing, I now have forever.
And I’ll continue to take every single one as if it’s the most special thing in the world. Because every moment with Levi is.
He’s the light in my darkness and the missing piece that makes me whole.
He’s my everything.
“I love you, Vi.”