Page 55 of Levi

As they entered the house, his cellphone buzzed. Removing it, he saw a text from Tara wishing him Happy New Year. He shook his head, and put the phone back into his pocket.

Chapter Ten

Kinley pulled her car out of the driveway and was relieved to see that the roads were clear. Mr. Barton never seemed to let his age slow him down when it came to plowing their roads after a snowstorm.

As she drove home, she couldn’t help but smile as she thought about Levi.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about last night, and Cody and Addison not having any alcohol because of Levi. They were an amazing couple and she loved them both.

Despite everything Levi had been through, Kinley believed in him and knew he would never intentionally hurt anyone. She had faith that he would never hurt her, but she needed to convince him.

As she pulled into her driveway and parked her car, Kinley hurried inside to escape the cold. Tootsie, her cat, greeted her with a glare from the sofa.

“I know, I know,” Kinley sighed as she removed her hat and coat. “But I wanted to stay with Levi.”

Tootsie hopped off the sofa and marched into the kitchen with her tail held high. Smirking at her cat’s attitude, Kinley made sure Tootsie had food and water before heading out of the kitchen.

“I’m going to take a hot bath to get warmed up. You can come with me or stay here, it’s up to you.”

As she climbed the stairs to her bedroom and grabbed her sweatshirt and sweatpants. Tootsie followed her into the bathroom and perched on the edge of the tub as Kinley turned on the water and Tootsie swiped at it with her paw.

“I guess you’ve forgiven me.” Kinley chuckled. Just as she was about to step into the warm water, her phone buzzed on the counter. She saw that it was Addison calling.

“Hi there,” she answered cheerfully.

“Are you home or still at Levi’s?” Addison asked.

“I’m back home now. Levi told me that Mr. Barton cleared the roads again.”

“That old man is such a sweetheart,” Addison remarked. “He even plowed our driveway again too.”

“He loves doing it,” Kinley agreed. “I think it keeps him young at heart.”

“I agree. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Last night was fun.”

“It was. I had a great time. Thank you for not serving alcohol,” Kinley said with a catch in her voice.

“I didn’t want to make Levi uncomfortable. Kinley, I feel so bad for him. He’s had a rough life. I could kill his father myself.”

“You and me, both. When he told me, I cried.”

“I did too when Cody told me. How can anyone do that to a child? I don’t mean just beating him but hitting his mother in front of him.”

“He loved his mother so much. She was the only good thing in his life until he met Mr. Brown. I’d love to meet that man and thank him.”

“He sounds like what Levi needed in his life.You should try to contact him.”

“I might do that.”

“Levi loves you. I could see it anytime he looked at you.”

“I love him too. So much, it scares me.”

“You’ll be fine. Oh, I hear Cody calling for me. I’ll see you Monday. Love you.”

“Yep, back to work. I’ll see you then. Love you too.”

After placing her phone back on the counter, Kinley stepped into the hot water, and sunk down into it, moaning at how good it felt. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, then sat up and listened.

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