Page 25 of Life After Levi

“I can scream really loud,” Vinnie boasts.

He laughs, shooting a glance at Emerie who nods, then he replies, “I’m sure you can. Be sure to stop at the photo booth at the end to look at your pictures. Have fun!” He then spins the raft before giving it a push so it gets onto the waterway… and away we go!

I laugh while Emerie screams and Vinnie throws her arms up, pumping her fists while cheering. This thing is a whirlwind but I’m happy to see that outside of getting wet, which is expected on a water slide, Levinia remains securely in place. Right now, Em’s in my arms as she alternates between hysterically screaming and laughing, which keeps me going.

Man, if you meant her for me, thank you, I think.

When Em looks up at me, I can’t help but lean forward and kiss her. It’s no more than a peck on the lips considering Vinnie’s with us, but the moment is perfect as far as I’m concerned. While I wish I could deepen it, we come around another curve and a man-made water feature pours water over our heads, causing Vinnie to burst into giggles while she points at us.

“Mr. Damien! Mama! You look funny,” she exclaims as I wipe the excess water from my face. I turn to see Em doing the same thing with a huge smile. When she grins up at me, I know she was okay with me kissing her.

“Just wait, little girl, your time is coming,” Emerie replies. I look ahead and see one that’s due to spill over just as we go under it.

Vinnie screams in shock as the cold water washes over her then starts laughing while clapping her hands. “Now I look funny, right, Mama?” she asks.

“You look beautiful, like a little drowned rat,” Em tells her.

The same attendant is there when we finish the ride, and he smiles down at Vinnie. “Did you have fun?” he asks as he starts unbuckling her.

“Yes! I got very wet,” she tells him as I reach down and pick her up, placing her on my hip. This was our last ride for the night, and I can tell she’s drooping a bit.

Once we’re all safely off, I capture Emerie’s hand in mine while keeping Vinnie in place, smiling at the little girl as her eyes fight to stay open. “You were a big girl to ride that ride, Vinnie,” I tell her, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead.

“Thank you, Mr. Damien,” she sleepily mumbles. “It was a good day, Mama.”

“Yeah, it was, pumpkin. I think, since you’re so tired, me and you will take a shower together, okay? We just really need to rinse off this water and chlorine, so it doesn’t dry our skin out.”

“M’kay, Mama.”

I glance down at Emerie and chuckle. “I think you’re going to have to hold her up, Em.”

“She’ll wake up long enough for that, but not for me to brush and braid her hair. I normally don’t do that at night, but it’ll be wet and if I don’t, we’ll have absolute chaos in the morning.”

“You can always dry it,” I suggest.

“It’ll dry pretty quickly even though it’s thick. She’ll be okay.”

We make it to the hotel and are back in our room in no time at all. While Emerie showers with Vinnie, I order the two of us one of their movie snack packs, which comes with a huge bucket of popcorn, several soft drinks, and two boxes of candy. Should Vinnie manage to rally enough to watch a movie with us, there’ll be plenty for her to choose from as it’s for a family of four. If not, well, then Emerie and I will have a date of sorts.

I see Emerie struggling to carry a sound asleep Vinnie and rush to her side to take the little girl from her. “Thanks,” she whispers. “She went out like a light while I was braiding her hair, then I moved weird and tweaked something in my shoulder.”

“Just pull her covers down, I’ll put her in bed,” I reply, already walking to the bed that Vinnie claimed when we entered the room the first time.

Once I have her settled, I move to my duffel bag to pull out the topical pain salve I have so I can tend to Emerie. She leans in, smooths the flyaways away from Vinnie’s face then kisses her on the forehead. “Love you to the moon and back again, Levinia,” she murmurs before she pulls the blankets up. When she turns to face me, she asks, “What’s that?”

“My pain salve. Come over here and point to where it hurts. This stuff is miraculous,” I reply. “Then, we’re going to watch a movie because I have snacks coming up from room service.”

“Ooooo, it’s like a date,” she says, clapping her hands while grinning at me. “Granted, I’m in my pajamas, my daughter is asleep in the bed I’ll be crawling into in a few hours, and we’re not quite alone, but I’ll take it.”

* * *

Em doesn’t makeit halfway through the movie, so once it’s over, I walk over to the other bed, scoot Vinnie over, then pick Emerie up and lay her down next to her daughter. As I straighten the covers, I whisper, “You’re gonna be my end game, Emerie, because I’m falling in love with not only you, but your precious, precocious daughter, as well as Levi’s parents. I’m positive once I meet your folks, I’ll feel the same way.”

ChapterFifteen

Emerie

I wakeup to the sounds of a horrific rolling thunderstorm going on outside and know that it’s going to disappoint Levinia that we won’t be going on any outdoor slides today. Rolling over, I see her and Damien with their heads pressed together as they pour over what I suspect is the room service menu.

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