28. Levi
‘What’s that?’ Levi asked as he brought Alexis a drink of water.
She’d turned up at his door looking like she’d seen a ghost. He hadn’t asked questions then, but now that she’d calmed down a bit, he wanted to know what happened.
Alexis took a long swallow of the water before speaking. ‘It’s a photo album,’ she said, not looking at him.
‘A photo album?’ Levi took a seat beside her at the table. ‘From Evelyn’s apartment?’
Alexis shook her head. ‘No. It was at my house… or rather, my dad’s house.’
‘You went to your father’s house?’
He didn’t like the thought of her going there alone. He didn’t know the details of why she wasn’t speaking with him, but it had to be bad for her to break all communication with him.
She didn’t answer right away, instead biting her lip as she caressed the cover of the album. ‘I wanted to get some of my stuff. He wasn’t supposed to be home.’
‘Your father was home?’
‘Not at first, but he arrived while I was still there. This photo album was one of the things I grabbed. Along with this.’ She pulled out the teddy bear.
Levi took the bear from her hands and smiled. He remembered it. He couldn’t remember where he got it or who gave it to him—that wasn’t important. What he remembered was that this was the bear he’d slept with when he was little. He believed it could chase his bad dreams away. He finally remembered it was why he’d given it to Alexis all those years ago. She’d looked so sad, and he thought the toy could chase away her sadness.
‘I loved this bear,’ he murmured.
‘So did I,’ Alexis replied softly. ‘He helped me through a really rough time.’
They shared a smile, and Levi was relieved to see she was no longer freaked out by the run-in with her dad.
Levi laid his hand on hers. ‘And the album? Is it special to you?’
Alexis shook her head. ‘I’ve never seen it before. When I heard my dad coming, I just grabbed it and ran.’
Slowly, she opened the cover and stared at the title page. It wasn’t a normal photo album filled with just photos; it was more of a memory book. There were photos, of course, but it was decorated with cut-outs and writing.
‘I didn’t know my mum was into scrapbooking,’ Alexis said, running her finger over some handwritten script. She turned to the next page. ‘This must have been before Mum and Dad met.’ There was a group of women in one photo, and they all looked to be in their late teens or early twenties.
‘You look just like her,’ Levi said. He’d picked her mother out at first glance. Although not identical, the resemblance was uncanny.
Alexis sniffed and slowly kept turning the pages, lingering over the photos of her mother and her friends.
‘I wish I knew where she was.’
‘Aren’t you angry with her?’
‘Sometimes,’ Alexis admitted. ‘Mostly I’m just… confused. I want to know what happened. I want to know why she hasn’t contacted me.’
‘Your father never said anything?’
Alexis shook her head. ‘Nope. I wasn’t even allowed to mention her. I understand he was hurt, but…’ She shrugged.
‘I doubt she abandoned you,’ Levi said, although he didn’t really know for sure. He didn’t know Alexis’ mother, so he couldn’t speak to her character, but abandoning a child was extreme. ‘Maybe your father wrote something into their separation papers? He’s a lawyer, so maybe he got full custody of you?’ It was a stab in the dark, but he thought it was a far better reason than being abandoned.
‘I wouldn’t put it past him,’ she muttered before pausing over one particular photo. ‘I wonder if any of her friends know what happened.’
Alexis was looking at a blonde woman smiling wide for the camera. She had her arm thrown around Alexis’ mother and was holding a glass of what looked like champagne. They were both dressed in sparkling dresses with big hair and lots of makeup. The decoration around the photo declared it to be New Year’s Eve 1990.
‘That was the night Mum and Dad met,’ Alexis said. She flipped forward a few pages, but there were no photos of her dad. She turned back to the New Year’s Eve page and focused on the other woman.
‘Tamra,’ Alexis said, reading the caption. ‘Tamra Blake.’ She turned to Levi. ‘Her name sounds familiar. I think my mum mentioned her once. Was she a doctor? I’m not sure why I think that.’
‘Google her,’ Levi said.
‘What? I can’t do that.’
‘Sure you can. If she’s a doctor, she is bound to have a profile on LinkedIn or something. She might know how to contact your mother.’
Alexis hesitated. ‘What would I even say to her? What if she doesn’t remember me or my mother?’
‘What if she does?’ Levi said it gently. He wanted to help Alexis find her mother, even if it was just to get some closure.
Reluctantly, Alexis picked up her phone. Levi wanted to take it from her hands and do the search himself, but it wasn’t his place. If this Tamra was a doctor, then he could probably find her through his own networks, but he also knew it was important for Alexis to be the one directing this search. As much as it chafed at him to sit back and watch. He was a rescuer and a fixer, and he wanted to fix this for Alexis.
Alexis typed the name into the search bar and then scrolled through the results.
‘It’s not a very common name, but there are still so many,’ she said, biting the tip of her thumb as she scanned. ‘Oh…’
‘Did you find her?’
Alexis turned the screen to show Levi. The woman was older, but there was definitely a likeness to the photo.
‘She’s not a doctor, though,’ Alexis said, tapping on the link and reading the Facebook profile page. ‘She owns… Mary Jane’s Herbarium… is that what I think it is?’ She looked at him with wide eyes.
Levi grinned down at the shop’s Facebook page. ‘Um, well, if the logo is anything to go by, then…’
The logo was a stylised marijuana leaf. It was classy and yet… cannabis was still illegal in Australia without a prescription, and CBD oil was only available for medicinal use. He supposed there was nothing wrong with using the leaf as a logo but…
‘It’s in Nimbin,’ Alexis said. She turned to look up at him. ‘Fancy a road trip?’
‘A road trip?’
‘To Nimbin. To go and see her.’
‘You could try calling her first,’ he said slowly. ‘She might not know anything.’
‘Yeah, but turning up out of the blue means she won’t be able to avoid me.’
Levi frowned. ‘Do you really think she would try to avoid you?’
‘I haven’t seen my mother for more than two decades. Someone has to be hiding her. If they know I’m coming, I could miss my chance.’
‘Maybe… sleep on it?’ Levi cautioned.
Alexis stood. ‘I don’t need to sleep on it. I’ve missed enough time with her. Now that I’ve decided to look for her, I don’t want to waste any more of it. I’m going, whether you come with me or not.’
Levi followed Alexis as she headed for the door. He reached out for her hand and pulled her to a stop. ‘You’re not leaving this second, are you? What about Evelyn? What about Tofu?’
Alexis growled. ‘Damn this stupid house-sitting job.’
‘Hey,’ he said, turning her around to face him. ‘It’s not all bad, is it? You got to know me.’
Alexis relaxed against him, pressing her face into his chest, and taking a deep breath. He slid his arms around her and held her close. After a long moment, she tilted her face up to his.
‘I suppose it does have some perks,’ she said with a grin.
‘I’m a perk?’
‘Hmm… maybe you’re a little more than a perk,’ she whispered.
Levi lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss was slow and languid. Decadent. It wasn’t a word he would have ever thought to describe a kiss, but it was what came to mind. Her lush lips were soft and inviting, and he deepened the kiss, wanting more. Wanting more of her.
Her fingers curled into his shirt, and she tugged him closer. They stumbled, moving together toward… he didn’t know where. The closest horizontal surface, probably. Instead, they bumped into the wall. Good enough. Levi pressed his body against hers, and she moaned, tilting her hips to meet his. He ran his hands down over her hips, and she raised a leg, wrapping it around him. Taking the hint, he lifted her, keeping her pressed against the wall as she twined her legs around his waist. He opened his mouth to ask if she was okay with it, but she pulled his head back to hers and kissed the words off his lips.
‘Bedroom,’ he mumbled, not willing to break the kiss again.
She hummed in agreement, and he braced his hands under her thighs, turning toward the bedroom.
‘Levi! Open the door!’ A voice boomed from the intercom.
They froze. Alexis blinked up at him, and it took a moment for his brain to re-engage.
‘We could ignore him,’ Alexis whispered.
Levi nodded. ‘Yes,’ he agreed, lowering his mouth to hers again.
‘I know you’re home, and if you don’t let me in, I will put that photo of you from graduation on my Instagram feed.’
Levi groaned and pressed his forehead against Alexis’. Reluctantly, he put her back on her feet and held her until she regained her balance.
‘I think I need to see that photo,’ Alexis said, straightening her clothes.
Levi looked at her forlornly. Maybe it was worth a little embarrassment to finish what they’d started.
‘Levi! You do know I have over a million followers, don’t you?’
‘Fucking Theo,’ he muttered and strode over to unlock the lobby door.
‘Should I… go?’ Alexis asked.
Levi shook his head. ‘I don’t want you going anywhere.’
She flushed and nodded. ‘I might just… um… freshen up.’ She scurried toward the bathroom, and Levi sighed, tugging at his hair in frustration.
Theo tapped on the door, and Levi swung it open. ‘You better have a bloody good reason for disturbing me,’ he grated out.
‘Why? Do you have a woman here?’ Theo peered into the apartment, a crooked smile on his face.
‘Hi,’ Alexis said, stepping out of the bathroom.
Theo looked at her and then swung around to look at Levi, a sly smile on his face. ‘Busted,’ he mouthed before turning back to Alexis with a charming smile. ‘My beautiful Alexis,’ he cooed. ‘What an absolute pleasure to see you.’
Fucking Theo.