Chapter Twenty – Levi #2
Lord, please don’t let it all be too good to be true.
“Where do you want this box that’s marked ‘extra’?” Caden asked as he stood before me.
“Extra?” I asked, walking over and looking at what he was holding. “I don’t know what this box is. I don’t remember packing it.”
“Could your mom have packed it?” he asked, setting it down on a chair.
Taking out the box cutter, I opened the box and looked in. “This is Caroline’s stuff. How in the hell did it get mixed with mine?”
Caden let out a long breath. “Should I burn it?”
I shot him a non-humorous look. “No, let’s just put it in that corner. I’ll text her later and ask her what she wants me to do with it.”
Rhett came racing into the living room, his newest friend and our closest neighbor, Timmy, on his heels. I’d already accidentally called Timmy by Jimmy’s name, and vice versa. I was hoping his next friend wasn’t named anything close to either of those two.
“Don’t run, guys!” Emeline called out. “There’s stuff everywhere, and you’re going to trip.”
“Wow,” Caden stated with a smirk. “You sound like our mother.”
Emeline shot him a dirty look. “I do not.”
“Daddy! Daddy! Timmy asked if I could spend the night tonight.”
I officially got the keys to the house on August 1st, and Rhett and I set up the tent in the living room that first night. I made a fire, and we ate pizza and roasted marshmallows. It’d been so much fun, especially since it was just the two of us in our new place.
“I’ll call Timmy’s mom and talk to her about it,” I replied as I pulled out my phone. After a quick conversation, Timmy’s mother told me she’d be by in thirty minutes to pick up both boys.
“You keep working on bringing things in, I’ll help Rhett pack an overnight bag,” Emeline said with a smile. Her eyes sparkled, and I knew she was thinking the same thing I was.
Alone time in the new house.
Kissing her on the cheek, I winked. “Thank you, Em.”
“No problem. Come on, boys, let’s go pack up a bag.”
I watched as they headed up the half-log stairs to the three additional bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs. “Don’t forget your toothbrush!” I called out.
“I won’t, Dad!”
I sighed, and Caden laughed. “Looks like he’s back to calling you dad.” A swift slap on my back caused me to stumble forward. “Kid’s growing up. Come on, let’s keep unloading. We’re almost done.”
“I appreciate the help, Caden. I know your time is valuable and you’re busy at the ranch.”
He waved me off. “Gatlin’s got it covered. It’s a nice break, and a different way to use the muscles.”
He flexed his biceps, and I rolled my eyes.
Four hours later, everyone was gone, and it was just me and Emeline with take-out Mexican from El Rey’s.
“First thing on the list to buy—a kitchen table,” I said as I set my to-go container on my lap where I sat on the living room floor.
“I’m also surprised you didn’t have any furniture besides Rhett’s bedroom stuff.”
I chewed and swallowed my bite of chicken fajitas, then wiped my mouth. “I didn’t want any of the stuff I had with Caroline. I wanted to start fresh, but it wasn’t fair to Rhett not to bring his bedroom set. He got it last Christmas, so it’s pretty much still brand new.”
“What did you guys do with the rest of the furniture?”
I shrugged. “No clue. I left it all for Caroline. The house sold pretty quick, and the people who bought it didn’t want the furniture. I never asked her what she did with it all.”
She nodded and set down her Diet Coke. She glanced around the living room. “Once you get some new furniture, and get it all decorated, it’s going to be so cute.”
“I was hoping you’d help me with that.”
“Decorating? Or furniture?” she asked.
“Both. I don’t have an eye for that kind of thing. I mean, I know I want leather. I think it stands up better to Rhett and his friends.”
“I agree, leather’s the way to go. My parents have had the same sofa and loveseat since I can remember, and it’s lasted through at least three of their dogs and Moose. That last one says a lot.”
“Speaking of dogs, I was going to wait until Christmas, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to. Do you know anyone who has any puppies?”
She chuckled. “As a matter of fact, I do. Charlotte has a chocolate lab that had puppies about six weeks ago. They won’t be ready to go home for a few more weeks, but I think—I think—she still has a couple. Her last litter is where I got Moose from.”
A jolt of excitement ran through my body. I kept saying the puppy was for Rhett, but I wanted it probably just as much, if not more. “Are the puppies also chocolate?”
She nodded. “Yep. I’ll text her now and see if she has any.”
I did a fist pump. “That would be amazing. Thanks!” After I stood, I grabbed my to-go container and pointed to Emeline’s. “Done?”
She handed it to me. “Yes, thank you.”
I walked into the kitchen, which had more boxes than I’d expected, and dumped the containers into the trash. I opened the brand-new refrigerator and stared at nothing but a few bottles of water and three Diet Cokes.
Getting an idea, I headed back to the living room.
“She has one boy left!”
“Seriously? Tell her I want him! I’ll send her a deposit right now.”
Emeline smiled, then got busy texting. “The puppy’s yours. She said you don’t need to send her anything. They’ll be ready to go to their new homes in three weeks.”
“Three? Ugh, I don’t think I can wait that long.”
Her brow rose. “You can’t wait that long, or Rhett won’t be able to wait that long?”
Laughing, I pulled her up from where she was still sitting on the floor. She laughed, then quickly let it fall away as I dipped her. With my mouth inches from hers, I asked, “Do you know what I want to do right now?”
She exhaled a breathy sound. “Break-in the living room? I would say yes, but I’m pretty full.”
“Too full for ice cream?”
Her brows shot up. “Ice cream, you say?”
Laughing again, I picked her up and tossed her over my shoulder, giving her ass a good slapping. She let out a yelp before she started laughing as well.
In the end, we decided to go to the grocery store, buying ice cream and all the extras to make sundaes back at the house.
“Whose car is that?” Emeline asked as I pulled up to the house after our trip to the store.
“The better question is, how in the hell did they get through the gate without the code?”
Emeline leaned forward. It was dark out, and it was hard to see what kind of car it was.
“Looks like a black Lexus.”
My heart nearly dropped to my stomach. “It can’t be.”
“What?” Emeline asked as I pulled into the garage. The car was parked to the side of the garage. “Do you know who it is?”
Turning off my truck, I looked at Emeline.
“It’s Caroline.”