Chapter 17 #2
Austin looked up from his cereal. “Saw the video. Absolutely brutal, bro.”
Levi grunted, and I took pity on him, passing over a couple of ibuprofen.
With a stern glare, I said, “No more mixing these with alcohol.”
He swallowed the pills dry, then gave me a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
Maisie tentatively shifted closer to her father. “Levi?”
His brown eyes lifted to meet hers. “Yeah, sweetheart?”
The girl chewed on her lower lip. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Come here.” Levi extended an arm, and she flew across the room, burying her face in his chest. His lips brushed against the top of her head as he spoke. “I’ll be just fine; don’t you worry. Just gonna be sore for a few days, is all.”
Muffled against his shirt, she said, “I’m sorry you got hurt.”
He hummed. “You and me both, honey.”
While I hated to break up this tender moment, I didn’t have time to drive the kids to school this morning if they missed the bus. Gently, I urged, “Why don’t you finish up your breakfast, Maisie? It’s almost time to leave.”
Reluctantly, she withdrew from Levi’s arms and went back to her bowl of fruit.
If I hadn’t been looking, I would have missed how Austin nudged her with an elbow as soon as she sat down, widening his eyes and jerking his chin in the direction of Levi and me. Maisie shook her head in response, whisper-hissing, “No way, you tell them.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “All right. What’s going on, you two?”
They both sat up straight, big eyes blinking at having been caught.
“Out with it,” I commanded.
“Um.” Austin glanced at Maisie before continuing, “Apparently, our new school requires a certain number of parent volunteer hours per student. Since we joined late and there aren’t many events left until the end of the year, they assigned you guys to chaperone the dance on Friday night.”
“They didn’t even ask,” Maisie cried. “They just said you had to do it!”
“And bring baked goods for the dessert bar.” Austin scowled, huffing, “I don’t even want to go to this thing.”
Maisie’s gaze dropped to the countertop. “It could be kinda fun.”
“Is that everything?” I asked.
“Mm-hmm.” Austin lifted his bowl and slurped the leftover milk.
I turned to Levi. “I think we can handle that, don’t you?”
He nodded. “I can stop by this cute little bakery near the rink and grab whatever treats you guys want to bring. They have all kinds of cupcakes, cookies, and even brownies.”
“Really?” Maisie’s big brown eyes lit up.
Sensing his daughter’s excitement, Levi doubled down. “Yeah, we can make a family night of it. Get all dressed up and go to dinner first.”
“I can do your hair and makeup,” I offered.
Her jaw dropped. “You’d let me wear makeup?”
“Nothing crazy. A little bit of natural eyeshadow, mascara, and lip gloss.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She got up and hugged me so tight it was hard to breathe, but I loved every minute.
I squeezed her back. “You’re very welcome. Now go grab your backpack; the bus will be here any minute.”
Maisie released me to give Levi the same show of gratitude before heading for the front hallway. Over her shoulder, she declared, “It’s going to be the best night ever!”
Austin groaned, sliding off his stool. “Great. Thanks, guys.” Sarcasm dripped from every word.
Levi grinned at the surly teen. “Come on, I bet there’s at least one girl that you wouldn’t mind cozying up with on the dance floor.”
A flush crept up Austin’s neck, and he shook his head violently. “Nope, not one,” he protested as he scurried from the room.
Once he was out of sight, I let loose a laugh. “Oh, there’s definitely a girl.”
The humor quickly faded from Levi’s face. “Wait, you don’t think there’s some boy who’s got a thing for Maisie, do you?”
I lifted a shoulder. “Probably. She’s cute as hell.”
“Fuck.” He groaned into his hands before letting them fall away to reveal the tortured look in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Arizona, you need to understand something. Boys that age, they only think about one thing.”
Cocking my hip, I shot back, “Only boys that age?”
His eyes narrowed into thin slits when I implied that adult men—himself included—were also completely obsessed with sex.
“Not funny,” he gritted out, jaw clenched tight.
I took a sip from my coffee mug, murmuring around the rim, “It’s true.”
A wounded wail split the air as he gripped two fistfuls of his dark hair and tugged. “She’s twelve! I’m going to have to kill any little shit who tries to put his hands on her.”
His mini meltdown was beyond amusing, as was the irony of Levi being downright indignant that a boy would take advantage of his daughter.
“Bit of a double standard, don’t you think? You were all for Austin having a dance partner, but Maisie can’t have one?”
Rearing back, he sputtered, “Th-that’s not what I’m saying!”
“It kind of is.” Moving around the island, I propped a hip against it when I came to a stop in front of him.
“Your concerns are valid, but I’ll remind you that this is a middle school dance, and we’ll be there as chaperones, so you’ll have eyes on her the whole night.
Nothing inappropriate is going to happen, but if it makes you feel any better, I can sit down and have a talk with her about informed consent and what to do if someone crosses a line or makes her uncomfortable. ”
He swallowed so hard his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yes, please.”
Without thinking, I placed my hand on his scruffy cheek. “It’s kinda sweet seeing you get all protective over Maisie.”
Levi released a stuttered exhale. “She’s everything to me.”
“I know.” I stroked my thumb over his skin.
“And I’ll admit you came in at a tough age where she’s figuring out her independence, but you have to remember that even though you just got her, you have to let her spread her wings and fly.
She’s going to stumble, and she’s going to fall—that’s part of the learning process.
Your job is to be her safe place to land. Think you can do that?”
Eyes staring into mine, he rasped, “I’ll try.”
“Good.” I pulled my hand away and immediately mourned the loss of his warmth against my palm. “I’ve got to get to work. You going to be okay here all alone in your injured state?”
“Yeah. Gonna ice my balls and watch some film that my coach sent over via email.”
“Great. I’ll bring home dinner.”
I grabbed my briefcase and waltzed out of the kitchen, my mind already running through the showings I had lined up.
But try as I might, I couldn’t forget how nice it felt to share a moment of non-sexual intimacy with Levi.
The glow from that put a pep in my step for the rest of the day.