Page 46 of Leviticus
“What was the second request, lovely one?”
“Oh, right. I would like to borrow a book, but I would like you to choose it for me, if you would.” His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. One second I was sitting in my seat at the kitchen table and the next moment his hand had grabbed hold of mine and he was pulling me off towards the study.
“I have the perfect one. You’ll love it.”
We sped off towards the study, laughing like school children and — for the first time since we had uttered “I Do” I felt like this would be a marriage worthy of those written in books.
CHAPTER13
LEVITICUS
She was beautiful. When she walked into the kitchen a few hours later, my breath caught. She wore a simple floral print dress with an oversized cream cardigan over it. Something about the blue hues of the tiny flowers of her dress combined with the soft, thick cardigan she was almost curled up into made her seem even more feminine, softer. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a long braid that curled over one shoulder. The picture, all together, made me want to hold her close and protect her.
“Levi?” she asked, and I shook my head, realizing I had missed whatever she had said as I stared at her. It was like I was seeing her for the first time. Not the ‘her’ that I had thought she was; not the woman that Zion had made her. I was seeing her as who she was. As Ruth Temple. A woman who was strong, kind, giving, and funny underneath it all. Not that anyone in Zion would actually know that. Her journals had opened up the truth about her.
“You look absolutely breathtaking, lovely one,” I praised, walking to her side and kissing her cheek. “Are you ready?”
She nodded with a smile and we made our way out of the back door, the picnic basket tucked into the crook of one of my arms, her hand tucked into the other.
I had spent hours combing through her journals, digesting her words like a starving man with his last meal. She was insightful, inquisitive, and sharp. Reading through those journals showed me everything I needed to see. It showed me that I could be honest with her, that I could open up to her. More importantly, it showed me that I needed to stop treating her like a daughter of Zion and treat her like I would any other person; any other person I met at Abditory. She was deserving of my time and my honesty. And I couldn’t wait to get to know her. To truly get to know her.
“How far away is this spot?” she asked as we walked out across the backyard towards the treeline.
“Not far. I only have about five acres here, most of it timber. We’ll head straight through the treeline there. Just a little ways in there is a beautiful spot. I can’t wait to show it to you.” It was work to not only take my walls down around her, but to keep them down. But it was imperative. I wanted her to feel safe with me, to know that she could be her authentic and true self around me. I didn’t want the Ruth that the rest of Zion saw. I wanted to see, to know, the woman in those journals. To do that, I needed her to see the Levi that only my brothers saw.
She smiled up at me and the hope shining in her eyes nearly stopped my breath. We cleared the treeline and headed deeper into the wooded portion of my property. Up over some tangle branches and weaving through the trees for a few minutes until we finally crested the small incline. What lay below was one of my favorite places in the world. It was the edge of my property, where the Earth jutted downwards on a somewhat steep decline, but what it overlooked — that was the real beauty.
“Levi,” she whispered in awe.
“I know, right?” I whispered back, the grin spreading over my face as I looked over the various hills and valleys of the mountains that lay beyond.
“It’s incredible! I… I had no idea…” she trailed off, her hand escaping the crook of my arm as she walked further out on the crest.
“This is one of my favorite places on Earth,” I explained, setting the basket down. I pulled the blanket from where I had lain it across the top of the wicker and began to spread it out over the grass. It was chilly, but not terribly so for as late in the year as it was. For a late September day, it was perfect for a fall picnic. “Come join me.”
She sat beside me on the soft blanket, her smile mirroring my own.
“I don’t even know what to say. How do you ever go back to the house after seeing something like this?”
“It’s not easy, but I manage,” I laughed lightly. “I found this place shortly after I had started building. I knew there was timber on my property but I hadn’t explored it much when I purchased the land,”I explained, taking items out of the basket and laying them out for us to eat.
“How did you find it?” she asked, helping me to unpack the items. “Levi, I think you packed too much food,” she chastised teasingly.
“Hush. It’s perfect. This is perfect.” Her eyes met mine and I swore I saw her take in my meaning. She was perfect. “I found this place during the building process. I had just discovered Abditory in the prior weeks and, well, basically when I returned to life at Zion …” I trailed off, looking for words.
“It didn’t quite feel the same?” she offered, understanding far more than I had expected.
“Yes. It was different and not exactly in a good way. I wanted to be the man I had only begun to discover. Suddenly the way things are done at Zion felt completely backwards and off. It’s not that I hated it, or that I hated my family. It’s more that —”
“That you needed to be you. The real you,” she interrupted. My hand found hers, our fingers twining easily as I smiled.
“Yes. Exactly. So, one night, my father and I had a long discussion surrounding the expectations on my shoulders as the eldest Temple son and, well, I couldn’t take it. I left as soon as I could. I had intended to go to the dungeon, but instead, as I drove, I found myself stopping here. Malachi had begun the construction but it was essentially nothing more than studs and basic flooring at that point.” I spoke the story I knew by heart, making us a plate of meats and cheese and fruit to share as we sat and talked.
“I paced the floors, weaving in and out of what would one day be the walls of my home. The weight of the world hung on my shoulders and I felt trapped, imprisoned in the duties I was bound to fulfill to my family and my church. The weight of it became too much and before I knew it, I was running. Running out into the yard and past the treeline. I ran the path I just took you on until I ended up here. I almost went too far, and would have fallen down the steep decline here,” I explained, gesturing to the sloping hill before us. “But, the light of day was just beginning to fade and the sunset— Ruth, the sunset that night was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. It took my breath away.”
“Oh, you must bring me back for sunset! Please!” she pleaded. It took everything I had not to capitalize on the moment. The way her dark, deep eyes pleaded with me; those begging words falling from her lips. I couldn’t stop the small sound of approval I let slip.
I leaned forward towards her, noting how she stilled as I neared, but not in fear. My cheek barely brushed hers as I brought my lips towards her ear.
