Chapter Fifteen – Emeline
Emeline
“Meow.”
I glanced down at the five-month-old kitten who was rubbing against my legs.
I’d found Luna as a premature kitten in the barn, all alone.
I’d taken her in and bottle-fed her. She was white and gray and the cutest thing I’d ever seen.
Moose had treated her like his own baby from day one.
Cleaning her after each feeding and letting her lie on him while she napped.
“I know you’re hungry. If you give me two minutes, I’ll have your food ready for you, my queen.”
“Meow!”
Her cries of hunger grew louder, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
I hadn’t even had time to get changed before she greeted me at the door to tell me she wasn’t happy at all with my absence this week.
Moose had somehow made his way home with my mother and father, so I only had one furbaby to tend to this evening.
I was okay with that, since I knew Moose would want to go for his usual nighttime walk.
I was exhausted and just ready to relax.
“Tomorrow’s the last day for a few weeks before I get busy again,” I said as I opened my phone and found my Spotify app. “Let’s listen to our girl, shall we?”
Pressing play on “Landslide,” I smiled when the familiar notes began. Hearing Stevie Nicks always brought up memories of my childhood and my mother having her music on blast. It didn’t matter if we were in the car or in the kitchen, Stevie was playing any chance Mom got.
Luna reached up and clawed at my legs.
“Excuse me, I’m not a scratching pole.”
Once I got her food, I walked over and set it in her spot. She quickly dove into the wet food. And by dove, I mean she was standing inside the bowl, eating.
“Enjoy yourself while I go get changed.”
By the time I got out of the shower, threw on a pair of Caden’s sweatpants and Gatlin’s oversized Denver Broncos sweatshirt—items that I’d stolen from both of them—Luna was sitting on my bed, bathing herself.
I bent over, grabbed my hair, and threw it up into a haphazard bun.
Tonight it was going to be all about me.
No one asking me for anything or giving me advice on what to do with the camps.
This was my time before the emotions of tomorrow would have me in tears all day.
I always spent the last night of camp tucked away in my cabin by myself.
It was my way of decompressing after the long week of nonstop activities.
My only regret was not finding Levi to tell him I’d be leaving early.
I had sent him a text and wondered if he had gotten it.
It was strange he hadn’t responded back.
Picking up Luna, I held her against my chest while she purred. “How was dinner, my little princess?”
Her answering meow made me laugh. “That good, huh? I think I’m going to make chicken quesadillas as a snack. How does that sound?”
“Meow.”
“Okay, quesadillas it is.”
Twenty minutes later, I was sitting on my sofa with hot tea on the coffee table, along with a glass of ice water, my dinner, a warm blanket, and the Hallmark channel. Luna was, of course, sitting next to me, waiting so patiently for me to share my dinner with her.
“Okay, you don’t have to judge me. I know I used the giant tortillas, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach.”
Luna winked, then began to clean herself once again.
Before I could get totally settled in, someone knocked on my door.
I froze, as did Luna.
“Who in the world could that be?” I asked the kitten, who jumped off the sofa and followed me to the door.
I picked her up so she wouldn’t run out as I opened the door.
I was fully expecting to see one of my siblings.
Or even my mother standing there, coming to give Moose back because he’d gotten into something.
I wasn’t expecting to see Levi.
My heart did a weird swoop of excitement—before it dropped with dread.
“Levi. Is everything okay? Rhett?”
He held up his hands. “Everything’s great. I thought I’d stop by really quick to just say…” His voice trailed off.
“To say?” I asked, feeling giddy as I smiled up at his handsome face.
“Well, what I have to say doesn’t use any words.”
He cupped my face and kissed me.
It started sweet and slow, but when he walked me backward into my house and kicked the door shut, the kiss changed. It turned passionate and hot, and I forgot everything except for how amazing that kiss felt.
I lowered my arm, letting Luna drop the remaining few feet to the floor, then I wrapped my arms around Levi’s neck. She, of course, meowed in protest. My fingers laced through his hair, and he moaned deeply into my mouth. My entire body caught fire.
Suddenly, he drew his head back. “Something’s climbing up my leg.”
I took a step back to see little Luna clawing her way up Levi’s jeans. “Luna!”
Levi laughed and pulled the little stinker off his leg, holding her up. She let out another loud meow as she swatted at his face.
“Aren’t you full of spit and fire.”
Her little paws batted at him relentlessly as he smiled. I wasn’t sure what it was about that picture in front of me, but it warmed my heart. He kissed the kitten on the head and set her on the back of the sofa before turning to look at me.
“Hi,” I whispered like an idiot.
He chuckled. “Hi.”
“Um, I was about to eat a snack. Would you like to join me, or do you need to get home?”
He shook his head. “I’m in no hurry. I also just saw your text when I decided to head this way.”
Smiling, I asked, “Do you like quesadillas?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Let me go grab another plate, take a seat on the sofa. I have beer, water, and soft drinks.”
“I’ll take a beer, please.”
My cabin had an open floorplan, with the L-shaped kitchen to the right upon entering and the living room to the left. There was a small table in a nook that overlooked the west, which I never used for eating. Since it was just me, Moose, and Luna, the sofa was my choice for meals.
I quickly made my way to the kitchen, grabbed a plate, silverware, and a beer for Levi. My heart pounded in my chest. I stopped and took a deep breath.
Levi is in my house.
The man I had naughty dreams about for years was currently sitting on my sofa, with my kitten on his lap. And he’d just kissed the ever-loving shit out of me.
“This is a charming cabin, Em.”
His voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Thanks,” I replied as I walked back into the living room. I handed him the plate and silverware, then set his beer on the coffee table.
I sat down next to him, ignoring the heat of his body against mine. I cut the quesadilla in half, put his share on his plate, and handed it to him.
“I hope you don’t mind sitting on the sofa to eat. I’m not much of a formal person. Most meals are eaten right here.”
“Woman after my own heart. If it were up to me, all meals would be eaten this way. My mother insists on eating at the dining room table for every meal except breakfast. That one, we can eat at the breakfast nook.” He shook his head and smiled. “I really need to find my own place, and soon.”
“Have you started looking?” I asked before taking a bite of food.
“Not really. I wanted to get Rhett settled in the town a bit more before I started looking for a place. He’s really enjoying living with my parents at the moment. My mother is spoiling him rotten, doing everything she did for me when I was growing up. She’s a far cry from my ex.”
Frowning, I said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”
He shrugged. “There were times when I wondered if Caroline even had a maternal bone in her body.”
“I can honestly say I had the best mother growing up.” I smiled. “Now, as well. I know if I needed anything from her or my father, they’d drop everything for me.”
Levi nodded. “That’s how my parents are. I guess that’s why I was so surprised by Caroline’s lack of motherly love. Don’t get me wrong, I believe she loves our kids; she just doesn’t know how to show it. At least, that’s what the therapist tells me.”
“Rhett did so good this past week. He thrived here at the camp, and it looks like he’s made a few friends.”
Levi smiled. “He has. You have no idea how much this has helped, Em. He’s now looking forward to starting school. Before, he was really worried about not knowing anyone. He’s moving from a large school to a much smaller one, and you know how kids can be. Especially in a small town.”
I let out a soft laugh. “Yes. I remember a few moments in my own childhood where some kids bullied me.”
He turned and stared at me. “Who bullied you?”
With a one-shoulder shrug, I replied, “Just a few kids in elementary. By the time I got to middle school, I’d learned not to take anyone’s shit.”
Levi let out a bark of laughter. “That sounds more like a Wilde kid.”
Smiling, I replied, “Ensley most certainly taught me to stand up for myself, and that hurting people are the ones who hurt others. I really took that to heart. So if someone is rude or mean to me, I try my best to ignore it, since I have no idea what the person is going through.”
Levi’s eyes searched over my face. The intensity of his gaze made me look down at my food and take another bite.
Pointing his fork at Luna, he asked, “So, who is that little beast, and where’s Moose?”
I giggled. “Moose is with Mom and Dad. That is Luna. She’s a rescue kitten.
I found her in the barn, no mother around at all.
She was only about three weeks old at the time, so I took her in and bottle-fed her.
Now she’s stuck to me like glue. I do think she believes she’s a dog, though. She latched onto Moose as well.”
“She’s cute.”
“That’s one word to describe her.”
We ate in silence, until I couldn’t take the suspense any longer.
“Levi…what brought you here tonight?”
He glanced at me. “The kiss wasn’t a hint?”
The memory of the kiss caused my cheeks to heat. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it very much.”
Wiping the corners of his mouth, he set the napkin down, drew in a long breath, then released it. “I didn’t want to be alone tonight.”