Chapter Eighteen – Levi
Levi
I pulled up and parked my truck behind my father’s. I sat there for a minute, taking in a few deep breaths.
“What’s wrong, Daddy?”
Glancing in the rearview mirror, I smiled at my son. “Your dad is about to take a big step, buddy.”
“I can help you.”
My heart nearly exploded. “Oh yeah? That would be great.”
He smiled and unbuckled his seat belt, crawling into the front of the truck. “What do you need help with?”
“Well, something big is happening in our world, Rhett.”
His eyes grew wide. “What?”
“Ms. Emeline.”
Rhett stared at me for a few seconds, then asked, “Huh?”
I laughed. “You like Ms. Emeline, right?”
He nodded. “So much. She’s really pwetty.”
“She is. She’s beautiful both inside and out.”
Emeline pulled up and parked behind me.
“Come on, bud, let’s go make some sundaes.”
Emeline walked toward us with a smile that seemed a little forced.
“My parents aren’t here.” A look of relief washed over her face, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Were you nervous?”
“I was,” she replied.
Rhett took her hand in his. “Come on, Ms. Emeline!” He practically dragged her into the house and to the kitchen.
“Do you have everything for sundaes?” she asked, sliding onto a barstool at the kitchen island.
“My mother has everything. I swear the woman is prepared for any occasion.”
A few minutes later, the kitchen island was covered with vanilla and chocolate ice cream, sprinkles, whipped cream, hot fudge, walnuts, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chocolate chips, and fresh strawberries.
“What ’bout the sour candy?” Rhett asked.
I looked at Emeline, who replied, “There are no rules! You can put whatever you want on your sundae.”
“Okay, then. Let me grab the sour candy.”
Rhett let out a whoop.
My son put so much on his sundae that we had to put it all in a big bowl. Then he topped it off with chocolate syrup.
“He’s going to be up all night,” I muttered before taking a bite of my own ice cream.
Emeline closed her eyes and let out a moan that went right to my cock. “Nothing is better than peanut butter cups mixed with chocolate ice cream and an indecent amount of chocolate syrup over all of it.”
I laughed. “Not to mention the whipped cream you put on top. How in the world do you stay so thin?”
She winked. “I run every day, and I don’t normally eat like this. But when I do, I make it worth my while.”
“Daddy, I feel sick,” Rhett said just minutes later.
“I wonder why,” I replied as I got up and took his empty bowl. “You actually ate it all?”
“It was so good, I had to!”
Emeline coughed to cover a laugh.
“I told you that was too much.”
Rhett nodded. “I know. But I wanted it.”
I rinsed the bowl out and put it in the dishwasher. “How about we take a bath, then read a story?”
Rhett smiled. “Can you read to me, Emeline?”
“Emeline might be tired, bud. It’s been a long day.”
“I don’t mind reading him a story. You go and bathe him, and I’ll clean up down here.”
I glanced at the packed island. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. If your mother comes home and sees this mess, you’re going to be in some trouble.”
Leaning down, I kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll come get you when he’s ready for the story.”
Emeline got up and put her bowl in the sink as I took Rhett’s hand and led him upstairs and to the bathroom. He was quiet as I filled the bathtub, and for a few minutes after he got in.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
Rhett frowned, then looked up at me. “I feel happy.”
Smiling, I replied, “That’s good.”
“But I feel bad about it, Daddy. I miss Brooke.”
My heart felt like it shattered. He felt guilty about feeling happy. “Buddy, it’s okay to miss Brooke and still be happy. She would want you to be happy and have fun with your friends.”
He nodded. “She’d like Ms. Emeline.”
“I think she would too.”
“Are you going to marry Ms. Emeline?”
I nearly choked. “What? Rhett, we’ve only just started dating. I think it’s a bit too soon to be thinking about that. Besides, we just moved here, and we have to get settled in and start our lives.”
“But you gonna keep dating Ms. Emeline, right? I really like her.”
“You’re going to, not ‘you gonna’.”
He nodded. “Yeah, that.”
I chuckled. “I really like her, too, and I hope so. Come on, let’s get you finished up so Emeline can read you that story.”
By the time I had gotten Rhett dressed, Emeline appeared at the door to his bedroom. “I followed the voices,” she said.
Rhett got up on his knees and held out a book. “This one, Ms. Emeline. It’s new!”
She sat down on the bed and looked at the book, reading the title. “Mr. Maple: A Guide Dog’s Journey, by Paul Castle. Sounds good!”
“Grammy bought it for me, and we haven’t read it yet.”
“She won’t mind if I read it to you?”
Rhett shook his head. “Nope! Daddy was gonna read it, but now you are.”
I watched as Rhett got snuggled in next to Emeline. As she read, they talked about the drawings, and Rhett asked questions about what a guide dog does. Happiness welled up in my heart as I watched the two of them.
The sound of the garage door opening caused me to carefully slip away and head downstairs.
Mom was putting a to-go container into the fridge.
“How was dinner?” I asked before leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.
“Lovely. How was the Mexican restaurant?”
“It was great.”
My father walked into the kitchen. “Where’s Rhett?”
I wasn’t entirely sure how my parents would react to the news of me dating Emeline. I had a feeling I would get the it’s-too-soon speech, or maybe they’d even think she was too young for me.
Looking up at the ceiling, I replied, “Emeline’s reading his new book to him.”
Both of my parents stopped what they were doing and turned to look at me. My mother smiled. “Emeline’s here?”
Nodding, I said, “Rhett wanted to make sundaes, and he mentioned how Emeline made such great ones. He asked if she could come back to the house, so that’s what we did.”
My parents exchanged a knowing look before returning their attention to me. “So is this official?” Mom asked.
“Is what official?”
She folded her arms over her chest. “Don’t play that game with me, Levi Tucker. Are you two dating? I mean, she went out to dinner with you boys, then came home for sundaes?”
I sighed. “We’re dating, yes.”
“What happened to not dating anyone and just spending time with Rhett?” my father asked.
A prickly feeling of annoyance danced across my skin. “Are you saying I shouldn’t be dating?”
Dad held up his hands in defense. “I’m not saying that at all. You were the one who said it.”
I shrugged. “Things changed.”
My mother smiled again. “I’ve always adored Emeline, you know that. I say you follow your heart.”
“It’s not like that, Mom. My heart doesn’t have anything to do with it.”
She raised a brow. “I see. So, it’s a purely sexual thing for you then. Does she feel the same?”
I let out a disbelieving laugh. “Did you seriously just ask me that?”
Dad nodded. “I believe she did. Does Emeline know this is purely physical?”
I scrubbed a hand down my face. “I didn’t say it was like that at all.”
“You said your heart wasn’t part of it, so that tells me it’s physical. I see how that young lady looks at you, so I think she should know if this is one-sided,” Mom stated.
I stared at my parents. “Mom, I don’t want to label it anything yet, that’s all. We literally went on our first date tonight, and Rhett was with us.”
“Where were you last night?” she asked, attempting to hide the smile she was fighting to hold back.
My gaze bounced between them. “Why are you treating me like a sixteen-year-old right now?”
“Because this involves Rhett also, Levi. If this is some kind of itch you want to take care of, you probably should consider not involving your son. He’s going to get confused,” Dad said.
“And I don’t want to see Emeline get hurt,” Mom added. “It was painfully clear to everyone that she had a crush on you when she was in high school, and it’s even more clear now that those feelings still exist.”
I rubbed at the back of my neck. “It wasn’t clear to me.”
“You were too wrapped up in Caroline to notice anything or anyone else,” my mother said, turning and opening the freezer. She took out the chocolate ice cream and told my father to get two bowls.
Glancing behind me to make sure Emeline wasn’t there, I focused back on my mother and father.
“This isn’t just physical, Mom. When I’m with Emeline, she makes me feel alive in a way I’ve never experienced before.
When I talk, she pays attention and treats me like I’m the only person in the world at that moment.
She isn’t worried about something on her phone or what her hair looks like.
She’s present. And seeing her with Rhett… ”
My mother smiled softly.
“Something inside of me is sparking, and I thought I didn’t want a relationship right now—and hell, I probably shouldn’t be in one. My divorce isn’t even final yet. But I find myself thinking about her nearly all the time.”
Dad cleared his throat. “I hate to tell you this, son, but your heart is very much in this.”
With a giggle, my mother nodded. “You deserve happiness, Levi. Don’t try to keep your heart out of this relationship. Follow it and let it help guide you. With Caroline, you followed your head and did what you thought was right. This time, let your heart be part of the journey.”
I walked over and hugged my mother, kissing her on top of her head. “Why are you both so wise?”
She laughed. “It’s called experience in our old age.”
“Nonsense, you’re not old.”
Pushing me playfully on the chest, she said, “Go check on poor Emeline. Rhett probably has a row of books lined up for her to read before he’ll let her leave.”
Hugging her once more, I headed back upstairs, where Rhett did indeed have four more books lined up for Emeline to read.
Emeline leaned against her car and smiled at me. “I had fun tonight.”
“I hope my parents talking you into playing dominoes wasn’t too much. I told them you were most likely tired after the long day and week.”