“Taking you to our cabin. You and I have some making up to do.”
Chapter Eighteen
The ride to the cabin was a quiet one, only the radio filling the silence.
Kasi suspected Levi, like her, was relishing the closeness.
Once they arrived at the cabin, Levi opened the door of the truck for her, like he always did, and they walked inside hand in hand.
Kasi stood awkwardly, waiting for him to make the first move.
Levi closed the door, then pushed her toward the couch. “Come on. I can see you’ve got some things on your mind that you need to get out.”
Kasi nodded, all too aware that while Levi had swooped in and fixed her family’s problems, she hadn’t done anything to repair what she’d broken.
She dropped down on the couch, turning to face him when he sat next to her, their thighs touching.
“I hurt you yesterday.”
Levi started to shake his head, but she wouldn’t let him lie to her just to spare her feelings. “I know you would never hurt me or my family. I have no good excuse for accusing you of that, forthinking the worst, other than Scottie snuck in when I was down and almost out. I shouldn’t have let him in. I’m so sorry.”
Levi leaned forward and gave her a soft, sweet kiss. “Forgiven.”
He leaned back, his arm resting on the cushion behind her. “Why didn’t you tell me about the tax bill?”
She lifted one shoulder. “Because I knew you’d try to fix things, and I’d already let you do too much for me and my family. I didn’t want to keep imposing on you.”
Levi scowled. “Imposing on me?” He twisted until one leg rested bent on the cushion between them. “Asking your man for help isn’t an imposition, Kasi.”
“I…” She’d known from the start that it was taking her longer to adjust to their new relationship status than it was Levi. It was the main place her inexperience stuck out like a sore thumb. But he also had to give her some sort of leeway. After all, it had only been about three weeks since their first kiss, for God’s sake.
“It’s not that easy for me,” she tried to explain. “Ever since my mother died, I’ve been taking care of things on my own. It’s what I’m used to. So handing control over to you, for things I felt like I should be doing, was hard.”
“Do you trust me, Kasi?”
She nodded her head without hesitation. “Completely.”
“If I came to you in need of help, would you give it?”
“Of course,” she replied, understanding where he was going. “But?—”
Levi pressed his fingers on her lips. “There’s no but to it. You wouldn’t hesitate to help me if I was in trouble, right?”
She grimaced, then admitted defeat. “Right.”
“So why is it wrong for me to want to help you when you need it?”
She folded her arms over her chest. “It’s not, but—” she tried again.
“But nothing.”
“But I’m doing it too much!” she exclaimed. “My life is a hot fucking mess, and I’m sorry, but it’s too much to ask you to keep working long hours, bail us financially, and catch me every time I pass out.”
Levi grasped her hips, pulling her until she faced him, straddling his lap. “It’s not too much at all. There’s nothing in the world you could ask for that I wouldn’t move heaven and earth to get for you. I love you, little bear. I want to take care of you, and I want you to take care of me. For as long as we both shall live.”
“You love me,” she whispered, though it wasn’t a question. She’d felt his love from the moment she opened her eyes after fainting in his arms.
Levi untucked her T-shirt, his fingers drifting beneath the soft cotton so that he could stroke her skin. “I’m head over fucking heels in love with you. And since you’re still struggling, let me lay things out for you so there’s no more confusion. You belong to me, Kasi, which means I want it all. Your heart, your body, your problems, and your trust. I want my ring on your finger, you in my bed, and my baby inside you. What I feel for you isn’t some lukewarm affection. It’s not a mistake or a misunderstanding. It’s an unstoppable obsession. Do you understand?”