Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
ANDY
I didn’t doubt that we’d be able to get everything ready for Thanksgiving, but we got it done a lot faster than I expected, all thanks to the people who came to help. Some could only stay for a little while as it was getting late, and they had their own Thanksgiving preparations to do, but we were thankful for any help we could get.
The community here was something I’d never experienced before. It wasn’t like this in New York, where everyone was their own personal island. Here, there were no such things as strangers. People were willing to do what they could to help, as seen by everyone bringing their folding tables and chairs to lend us and then staying to help get everything ready.
It was late by the time we finished, but Levi’s friends, Austin, Jim, Felix, and his boyfriend, Bruce, all stayed until both the dining room and the outside tent were set up and decorated.
This was the first time I’d met Felix and Bruce. Felix was apparently Levi’s best friend who had moved away last year. I could tell they were close as they chatted animatedly while they worked.
They glanced my way a few times, which made me wonder if Levi was talking about me. And by the smiles and cute blush that graced Levi’s skin when he peeked at me, I hoped it was something good.
“Were you talking about me with your friend earlier?” I asked Levi later that night as we slipped into bed. Levi took his spot snuggled by my side, his head resting on my arm—or at this rate, it was quickly becoming his arm.
“Maybe,” Levi hedged with a grin. “Felix says he’d love to go on a double date with us before they leave town. He wants to get to know the man who makes me incredibly happy.”
I rolled him over so he was half on top of me, making my body as warm as my heart was feeling right about now.
“I make you happy?” I asked. His pops had mentioned something about that before, but I couldn’t be sure that I was the source of Levi’s happiness.
“You do. You make me so happy,” he admitted, eyes shining with joy. Levi had always worn his emotions on his sleeve, and right now, he was showing just how much he felt for me, and fuck if it wasn’t tugging my own feelings to the forefront.
“I love you,” I blurted out, and those sweet dimples appeared on Levi’s face. I hadn’t meant to tell him that now since we should be sleeping. Especially if we didn’t want to be running on only a couple of hours of sleep for the event, but it felt right. Levi was always so honest about his feelings, and he deserved that I gave him the same.
“I love you,” he said, pressing the words into my mouth, and it was everything.
I almost told him right then and there that this was what I wanted. To be with him. Here. But I didn’t want him thinkingI was only saying it because I was caught up in the moment .
I’d been thinking about it for a while. I kept telling myself, Levi, and everyone else that I was leaving once my time here was up. I had big dreams that led me back to New York, but these days, when I thought about the penthouse in the city, all I felt was the coldness of being alone.
When I imagined working in some fancy restaurant, making my name known, it suddenly didn’t seem as fulfilling as the heartfelt compliments from the guests who’d visited our tiny restaurant these past few weeks.
Staying in Wintertown hadn’t been the plan, but neither was falling in love with Levi. Now, however, these two things were all I could see myself wanting. So I held Levi tight as I drifted to sleep, planning to tell him tomorrow that I wanted this life with him.
If he’d have me.
We knew the Thanksgiving event would be packed, but the turnout was beyond our imagination. It felt like there was an endless stream of people coming as soon as the event started.
I was so busy in the kitchen that I didn’t even have time to take a peek outside, but from what I heard from Levi, the dining room, living room, and the tent were at max capacity, yet there were still more people wanting to stay for dinner. So they’d had to set up chairs in the lobby for guests.
It was only hours later, when new guests finally stopped showing up, that I got a chance to look around. Henry and Peter had helped me in the kitchen earlier, but they were now sitting with a group of familiar faces from town, finally getting a chance to have their Thanksgiving meal. Guests who were staying the night at the B&B were mingled with the Wintertown residents, chatting like they were old friends .
Levi came to my side and tucked himself under my arm.
“We did it,” he whispered, looking around at all the happy faces. Singles, and even couples who would have spent the holiday by themselves, had all come together to enjoy the evening as a community. “It’s beautiful, and none of this would have happened without you.” Levi faced me, happiness blooming on his face.
“No. We made this happen. It wasn’t just me,” I replied and plopped a kiss on each of his sweet dimples.
Levi laughed but sobered not long later. “You say that, but without you, we wouldn’t even have any food to feed everyone. I don’t know what we’re going to do next year.”
“Well…I might know someone who’s willing to cook for next year’s holiday event and maybe even all the ones in the foreseeable future,” I stated with a grin.
“Who?”
“Me.”
Levi flapped his mouth open, closed, and then open again to ask, “Are you saying you’ll come back for the holidays just for the events?”
I pulled him into my arms, chest against chest, and breaths mingling as I said, “No. I’m saying I want to stay here with you. I don’t want to leave when my contract is up. In fact, I was hoping we could make a more permanent arrangement.”
The utter shock on Levi’s face had me smiling with amusement.
“But what about your goals? Your dreams back in the city? You can’t give all that up for… me .” Levi’s voice cracked at the end, and it broke my heart to hear.
It was obvious Levi’s exes had made him feel like he wasn’t someone worth choosing, and that couldn’t have been more wrong. Levi said I made him happy, but he also brought more happiness into my life than I ever could have imagined. He loved me when I felt unworthy of it.
He saw me . And he cared.
Levi’s exes were fools to have let him go, but I was thankful to them because now he was mine . And I would never take him for granted.
“Staying here doesn’t mean I’m giving up my dream. I wanted to make something of myself, to prove that I was worthy. I found that here every single day with you and the small-town residents who acted like my food was the best thing on this damn Earth.” That made Levi smile. “So, staying here with you? Working at the B&B? I consider that a dream upgrade. Because now, I get to do everything that feeds my soul with the man I love by my side. I choose you and this life.”
Levi’s eyes were bright as he looked at me. “I think I fell in love again just now.”
Laughing, I kissed him right there in the middle of the dining room. Hoots and hollers rang in my ears, and the people who were focused on their food now had their full attention on us, but I didn’t care. Levi didn’t seem to either, and deepened the kiss, giving everyone a show.
There were stars in his eyes when the kiss broke. “Should we join my dads and get some food too?”
I groaned. “Oh god. I totally forgot they were here. They saw us kissing just now, didn’t they?” I said and peeked at where Henry and Peter were sitting. They were, indeed, watching us with amusement. I tried to hide behind Levi. “I can never show my face to them again.”
Levi chuckled and pulled my hand. “Now I can’t have that, because I plan to keep you around for a long time, and that means you’ll be seeing them a lot.”
“A long time, huh?”
“Yep. Told Felix you’d be my silver fox one day. ”
Something settled inside me at the thought of being with Levi long enough that our hair was more gray than anything else. To have a relationship like his dads, supporting each other and being there for one another.
I wanted it all.
“So I’ll be your own personal Gomez?” I asked teasingly.
“No.” He stopped and spun around, looking me right in the eye as he said, “You’re my Andy. I don’t want anyone else but you.”
There he went, surprising me and stealing my heart once again. And I had a feeling he’d keep doing that.
Forever, if I had my way.