Page 74 of This Baby Business
“I am angry,” he said calmly.
How could he tell?
He wasn’t asking for an explanation or an excuse, but I still wanted to give him one. Give him something. Because I wanted him too much. “It’s not you, Levi. I—”
He put out a hand to stop me. “Babe, let me stop you there. No one likes a sentence that starts that way.”
I got flustered. How many times had I heard that coming out of a guy’s mouth? And now here I was saying those ridiculous words. The problem was, I meant them. I was the problem. Not him. I’d thought he was the playboy pilot, the single father on the prowl. The commitment-phobe.
But maybe that was me.
“That’s not where I was going with this. I’m not…not turning you down.”
“No?”
“I just need a little time. To think. I’ve screwed so many things up in my life because I didn’t take the time to think before I leaped.”
“Sometimes thinking is overrated.”
“You don’t believe that.”
“Guess not.” He gave me a long look. “The important thing is whether you regret the other night.”
“No! I have no regrets. But we said no one would get hurt in this.”
“I remember. And no one is getting hurt.”
Easy for him to say. He could keep those pesky emotions controlled and locked up tight. Separated and compartmentalized. I could not.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I plan.”
It was my decision to say no tonight, and I needed to slow this train down. Because Levi was sort of perfect in so many ways. Strong but kind. Funny. I wasn’t the type who could separate love and sex like some of my girlfriends could.
But I couldn’t say that I’d completely given up on trying. “Can we revisit this sometime?”
He smiled. Easy. Relaxed. So self-assured and calm I wanted to fall into him. Because it would be easy.
And easy is not what I need right now.It was hard not to reach for him, but I didn’t.Not a good idea.
“Anytime. Anywhere. You know where I live.”
CHAPTER29
Levi
Levi had sofar enjoyed an email moratorium from Mr. Lane. While the nasty emails might have ended, Levi didn’t want to leave the situation this way. Unsettled. One would think that the fathers of two daughters, each forever connected to the other, would have something meaningful to discuss. He’d spend more time on that, but now it was up to Mr. Lane.
Irene had done her part to make Levi feel comfortable around her. He’d trust her with Grace in a heartbeat. She was a good woman, interested in Grace’s welfare and well-being above all else. His perfect idea of a grandmother. Irene would be a great addition in Grace’s life. But there was someone else missing from this equation, someone who could tell Grace all about her mother. What she was like when she was a little girl. Everything she’d someday want to know. Until Mr. Lane fought his own demons, Levi didn’t know if he could help.
Meanwhile, he could help a certain woman who had burrowed under his skin. She had secrets she still wouldn’t share with him, but he was a patient man. One who understood holding people at a distance. He more or less had a graduate degree in the sport. That she’d chosen to put up a wall with him didn’t feel right, but he’d deal with it. When her eyes were filled with heat mixed with what resembled fear and uncertainty, she killed him twice. He didn’t know if her distrust was directed to all men, or simply him. But it was there, and she couldn’t fool him. She held back from him, not because she didn’t want him. But one thing was clear—she didn’t want to feel the way she did.
It was Wednesday before Levi had a chance to connect with Eric Taylor.
Levi had first met Eric at a wounded warrior event. Eric had been in special forces at one time, but when Levi met him he was using a wheelchair. Two years later, Levi caught up with him after the total hip replacement. He still walked with a slight limp, but he’d married. Found work. Let the bitterness go, and Levi knew that hadn’t been easy. He hadn’t been there in the trenches with Eric, watching him bust his balls every day to learn how to walk with his new hip. But he’d certainly heard about it.
When Levi finally tracked Eric down, he’d interrupted something loud. In the background he heard the distinctive sound of squeaky shoes against a polished wood floor. Very familiar to a former high school guard
“What’s up?” Eric said. “I’m at the kid’s basketball game.”
