Page 92 of To Keep A Wolf
“You think he’s okay?”
I hesitate and then say, “No, but I suspect it’s something he has to work out on his own.”
“I think you’re right.” He sighs and then lowers his voice to whisper, “Can we be done here yet?”
My lips quirk. “Political events not your thing?”
“Not exactly.”More like you’re my thing, he adds through our mental link.
I do my best to keep a straight face.We need a rule about no dirty talk while in public.
I hate rules unless I’m breaking them, Quinn. You know that.
Touché.My mouth twitches with an almost smile.
Speaking of rules, we make them. So, let’s decide we’re done here. I want to take you home and get you naked.
Home.
It still sounds strange even after all these months. Levi and I bought a place a few miles from here in a part of town neither of us ever lived in before. It feels fresh, like starting over. And it feels like home for the first time in my life. I suspect that has more to do with the person I share it with than the walls themselves. Every time I leave though, I can’t wait to get back there.
We’re supposed to give a speech,I remind him.
Again with the rules.
I snicker.
“You could make your mom do it,” he says aloud.
“Make your mom do what?”
The sound of her voice startles me, and I realize she and my father have snuck up on us while Levi and I have been wrapped up in ourselves.
“Levi doesn’t want to give the speech,” I tell her.
She leans into my dad, and his arm tightens around her. They’ve only been together about a month now after circling each other for the first six months before that. It’s been kind of hilarious to watch—if it weren’t for the weirdness of them being my own parents.
“You want me to do it?” she asks, arching a brow. “Because I will, though I should point out my version lacks compassion and warmth where this wretched family is concerned.” She eyes the placard nearby with Marilyn’s name on it.
I shake my head. “I’ll do it.”
My mom offers me an approving look.
“We’ll see you out there, kid,” my dad says, squeezing my shoulder before he and my mom move back toward the party.
The gardens are done up nicely, considering the season’s lack of color. Ribbons and tulle for texture. Evergreens for color.
“Is this too much?” Levi asks low in my ear when we’re alone. “Being back here?”
“No, it’s just… It looks like a different garden now.”
“Or we’re just different people.”
I consider that. “You’re definitely different from the guy who ghosted me in high school,” I tell him.
“Don’t forget the guy who led a rebellion,” he adds.
“Or the guy who kidnapped me and locked me in a closet.”
