Page 51 of Glad You're Here

“Yep. Does that turn you on?”

Thea shrugged. “Yeah, a little.”

I laughed and kissed her forehead. “I want to do a cross-country national parks road trip that takes an entire year, starting in Olympic National Park and then heading east.” I pulled a folded sheet of paper from my back jeans pocket to show her the route I’d mapped. “See? All of the most beautiful places in the country and some of the best hikes in the world. I mean, I have to get that Junior Ranger’s National Parks pass filled out, right?”

Thea’s expression remained blank, and my heart raced. What if she didn’t want this? I opened the trailer door and waved her inside. My palms began to sweat. I bought the trailer second-hand, but it was still relatively new and hardly used. It had a bedroom, bathroom, full kitchen, and a stacking washer and dryer. On the small dining table, I’d laid out a canvas and an array of acrylic paints and brushes. Thea’s eyes went straight to it.

She stepped forward and ran her hands gently over the tubes of paint. “This is an amazing brand. I only buy it on Black Friday when it’s thirty percent off.” Thea glanced at me with a half-smile. “Are you taking up painting, Levi?”

Why did she look so sad?

“I…what?” I frowned at her.

She rolled her eyes, and I could have sworn they were welling up with tears. “The paint, bro. You’re taking paint on your trip.”

My confusion reached its peak. “That’s for you. I thought you’d like painting the Redwoods and Old Faithful.”

Thea blinked several times, hand still resting on a tube of black paint. “Oh.” She closed her eyes and sighed. When they opened again, her gorgeous green eyes were clear. “You want me to come?”

“What? Yes. Didn’t I say that?”

Now, Thea laughed. “No, you didn’t. Damn you. I thought you were leaving me. I thought you showed up on my doorstep at 5:00 am to tell me goodbye before taking a year-long trip.”

I gave her a blank stare. “Why would I do that? I’m in love with you. I love you.” It came out of my mouth so matter-of-fact, like it was the only truth I was sure of in this world.

Thea’s eyes widened and then softened. “I love you, too,” she almost whispered. She hugged herself tightly and averted her gaze. It hurt my heart that her fear of abandonment still took over sometimes, even with me. How could she have thought I’d leave her? I hoped I could reassure Thea that I would never willingly go.

I closed the distance between us and pried her arms open so that she’d let me in. “You don’t have to protect yourself from me, Thea. I’m not going anywhere.”

She let out a sharp breath and hugged me with all her strength. “I know that. Realizing how much I love you made me panicky and insecure.” Thea gazed directly into my eyes, then slowly and deliberately said, “You won’t leave me.” Then she buried her face in my chest. “Ask me.” Her words were muffled.

I smiled. “Ask you what?”

“Ask me if I’ll go on this stupid trip with you.”

“Thea, will you go on this stupid trip with me?”

Thea shrugged, still holding onto me tightly. “A whole year? You might annoy the shit out of me.”

I laughed. “I’ll do everything in my power to annoy the shit out of you. You might drive me insane.”

Thea nodded against my chest. “Yeah, okay. I’ll go with you, but I have to do a few things first.”

twenty-four

Thea

“Okay, so I had Levi put together this three-person bunk bed for the boys in my art studio. It’s treehouse-themed. Do you think they’ll like that?” I pushed open the door to my art studio to show Jo what I’d been working on all week. All of my easels, tables, and art supplies had either been packed for the trip or put into storage, and now, the best room in my house had been transformed into a kid’s wonderland.

Lenny paid for the furnishings because she’s a damn saint, and she said she’d always wanted to buy toy trains and race cars. She and I picked out the bunk bed, a tree-shaped bookcase, a drawing desk, and a LEGO building table. Then Levi and I painted the room to look like a jungle.

Jo gazed around the room and covered her mouth with a single hand. “Whoa, Thea. You did all of this?”

I shrugged. “Me, Lenny, and Levi.”

Jo blinked back her tears. “I think you might be one of the best people I’ve ever met. Thank you.” She hugged me, and I let her. I might have even hugged her back. Who knows? “My kids are going to lose their minds over this room.”

“Good. Crazy people are my favorite.” I stepped away from Jo’s embrace. Feelings were getting a bit easier for me, but they still weren’t in my comfort zone. “I’ll be out tomorrow morning, and then you and your boys can move in.”

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