Page 22 of Rescued Hearts
She arched a dark brow, eyes glittering with mischief. “And what flusters you?”
I wanted to remind her that I got so tongue-tied earlier that she called me Yoda, but I couldn’t risk it. I didn’t want to overwhelm her when I wasn’t sure how we could be together with me representing her. Or if she’d even want to be with me, for that matter. She might not have been ready for a relationship and would rather focus on herself and Luke for the time being.
Then there was also the unsettling fear that maybe she was ready, but didn’t want me.
“Typos,” I said before I could stop myself.Really, Levi? That’s what you’re going with?
She brought a hand to her face, laughing. “You’re so…unexpected.”
My head tilted. “How so?”
Tess shrugged, our pace slowing along with the song. “I don’t know. Just when I think you’ll say or do one thing, you do something else, and I always end up smiling.” She scanned the park, her eyes losing a little of their spark. “Jeremywas unpredictable like that,” she said, quieter. “But it was never good. Being with you is refreshing. It reminds me that spontaneity can be a good thing.”
Her eyes met mine, something in them that stole my breath. “I like being around you, Levi.” Her voice was soft. A shudder ran through my body, one I hoped she couldn’t feel. “You don’t treat me like I’m damaged, and Luke adores you. And you’ve already done so much for us.”
I shook my head, my throat tight. “Not enough.” I wanted them to have the world.
“More than anyone else has.” She licked her lips, looking around again. A soft smile spread on her face, and I knew she was looking at Luke. “I keep thinking about what Judge Blackburn said yesterday about me needing a job, but I don’t know what I’ll do. I haven’t worked in six years; Jeremy wouldn’t let me. But even then, I was just a waitress.” The worry in her eyes when she looked up at me nearly made my legs buckle. “Who’s going to hire me with a resume like that?”
“We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.” My grip on her tightened just slightly. “You aren’t alone in this,” I reminded her.
“I know. I’m lucky to have my family.” She swallowed, her eyes darting between mine. “And you.”
Always me, I thought, the words burning the back of my throat. But I only nodded, because saying it out loud felt like crossing a line I was already teetering over. She lay her head on my chest, and I wondered how much longer I could go on like this.
7
Tess
I was standing outside of Delilah’s apartment, my hand hovering over the door with my heart in my throat, when it flew open. She stopped short at the sight of me, dressed in low-rise baggy jeans and a crop top so tight it looked painted on that said ‘your dad is my cardio.’
Suddenly, I was second-guessing my decision to take Anna’s advice and talk to her.
Delilah arched a brow, doing a once-over. “Well, you’re not a Girl Scout.”
“Girl Scout cookie season ended in April,” I blurted, still stuck on her shirt.
She laughed. “A crime within itself if you ask me.” She then slung her tote bag further up her shoulder. “What’s up, bug?”
“Were you going somewhere? I can come back later,” I offered, even though I didn’t know whether that was true or not. I’d worked up every ounce of courage I could just to get myself here. I wasn’t sure I could do it a second time.
“I was actually about to head over to the ranch to go over the layout of my swanky new office with the hot builders.” She let out a blissful sigh. “Have you seen them? That one guy, Finn,with all the tattoos, isdelicious,” she groaned. “Love tattoos. It gives that bad boy, fuck you through the wall energy.”
My face felt like it was on fire. “I-I can drive you,” I choked out. Her head tilted, confused. I fiddled with Emmett’s keys. “Anna told me she’s been seeing you, and I wanted to talk about stuff…officially.” Then I added quickly, “If that’s okay with you, I mean.”
She straightened, her casual, flirty charm vanishing instantly. “Oh shit. Yeah. Okay. Let’s go.”
My stomach was in knots as we walked over to Emmett’s truck. Saying it all out loud to someone who wasn’t Levi would make it real in a way it hadn’t been before.
I stopped by the driver’s door, my eyes screwed shut. I was too nervous to drive, and Emmett would lose it if something happened to this truck. He’d spent two summers in high school rebuilding it with Daddy, and it was his prized possession.
I spun on my heel, wincing. “Can you drive, actually?”
Delilah slowed to a stop next to me, looking me over with mild concern. “Yeah…of course.”
I let out a shaky breath as I climbed in, reminding myself this was Delilah as we merged onto the main road to the ranch. The same girl who egged guys’ cars because they wronged her friends, who styled my hair into a mohawk when I was a toddler, who taught me how to tie a cherry stem with my tongue when I was eleven and made Mama cry over it. She’s not a stranger; she was practically my sister.
But maybe that’s what made it so hard to get the words out, and why we had been sitting in pin-drop silence for the last ten minutes.
