Page 45 of Taken By Storm

Levi grasped her hand. “I was coming back anyway, so I’m driving.”

Kasi gave in, but not with a whole lot of grace. She narrowed her eyes, muttering, “You’re going to have to let me win some of the arguments.”

Levi chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The drive to his place was fairly quiet but not awkward as a country station played on the radio, Kasi humming along to the old Dolly Parton song, “Here You Come Again.”

When they arrived, Levi could see the smoke rising from the grill beside the house, Theo wielding his spatula like it was some sort of magic wand.

“Hey!” Theo called out as they walked toward him. “Glad you could join us.” Levi had texted his brother earlier to warn him he was issuing the invitation and to throw on some extra meat.

Mr. Mills and Theo shook hands.

“Great to see you again, Mr. Mills,” Theo said. “We’ve missed seeing you at the brewery. Sam’s about to launch his new pumpkin ale in a couple of weeks, and we were hoping you would come and sample it.”

Mr. and Mrs. Mills used to come to Rain or Shine Brewery once a month for a “date,” both fans of trying the new flavors.

“That sounds good. We’ll… I’ll, um…” It was clear that Mr. Mills recalled who his usual tasting partner was because he paused, blinking a few times, his eyes glistening.

Shit. They hadn’t been here three minutes and it was already falling apart.

Kasi quickly intervened. “We can do a tasting together, Daddy. Maybe for your birthday at the beginning of October.”

“That sounds like a great plan,” Levi added. “We can make a party of it. Throw in a couple of those fire-roasted pizzas my cousin Mila’s famous for.”

Mr. Mills nodded noncommittally, but Levi made a mental note to make sure that happened.

Theo glanced at all of them, obviously regretting his part in making Mr. Mills sad. Then his brother shared a confused look with Levi. He hadn’t gone into a lot of details about Mr. Mills’ mental state when he’d asked his brothers to help cover his chores this week. Instead, he’d simply implied the family had gotten behind after Mrs. Mills’ death.

Fortunately, Theo didn’t let the awkwardness linger. “How do y’all like your hot dogs? The right way, or burned to a crisp like this lunatic?” Theo jerked his head toward Levi.

Keith and Mr. Mills both chose what Theo considered the right way, but Kasi said she was Team Levi when it came to hot dogs, preferring hers burned to a crisp. If he didn’t already know she was perfect for him, that would have sealed the deal.

They stood around as Theo manned the grill, chatting about the weather and the ongoing grape harvest. Several of Levi’s brothers joined them, enjoying the cooler air. Today’s weather was an August unicorn, giving them a break in the ninety-plus-degree days by gracing them with this one, a mild seventy-five. Maverick arrived armed with beers for Kasi and Mr. Mills and a soda for Keith.

Once the food was ready, they piled into the dining room, all of them claiming a seat around the long walnut table. Levi saved Kasi a spot next to him, while Mr. Mills and Keith sat farther down the table, conversing with Sam and Theo, though it was his brothers who were doing the lion’s share of the talking as Mr. Mills listened, nodding a great deal and occasionally adding a comment here and there. Keith had mentally checked out, glancing down at his cellphone, which he’d placed on his lap under the table.

Despite being the only woman at the table, Kasi was at ease with his brothers, which wasn’t surprising considering she’dspent a great deal of time on the farm when she was younger. She and Jace—who was close to her age—started gossiping about kids they’d gone to high school with, reminiscing about pranks they’d pulled on teachers, and the day they’d both played hooky with Remi to go see the premiere of aStar Warsmovie.

When Mr. Mills chuckled at something Theo said, Kasi glanced at Levi, flashing him the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. Unable to resist, he leaned in close, kissing her. It wasn’t a long kiss, but it certainly couldn’t be mistaken as a platonic one when he ran the back of his finger over her cheek as she blushed.

In addition to Mr. Mills’ mental state, Levi hadn’t spoken to his brothers about his feelings for Kasi. Mainly because it had only been a few days, and he’d spent the majority of that time with her. It occurred to him now, as he looked around the table, that his brothers had interpreted his desire to work on Lucky Penny Farm as him being neighborly and helping a family friend in need. That impression was shattered with his kiss, and now he felt the weight of too many eyes on him.

Given the age difference between him and Kasi, and the fact that Levi had never paid much attention to her before this week, he understood his brothers’ expressions. Jace was curious, Maverick confused, and Grayson downright shocked.

Theo, of course, was amused, even going so far as to give Levi a wink.

Once dinner was over and the pie served, Levi and Kasi drifted to the front porch. They’d dawdled over dinner too long, so when Levi suggested they watchJeopardyhere with dessert, rather than miss it, Mr. Mills was quick to agree. Levi got the sense it wasn’t his love for the quiz show that kept him watching it religiously. In some ways, it felt like the man’s tribute to his late wife, or as a way to keep her alive in his heart.

Mr. Mills joined his brothers in the living room to watch as Everett, their resident brainiac, rubbed his hands with glee,bragging he was going to clean the floor with all of them. Trash talking ensued, even though Levi was certain no one would even come close to competing. Everett was a walking encyclopedia, but his brothers were nothing if not competitive. Jace volunteered to be the scorekeeper as they started figuring out how to make a proper game of their viewing, complete with their own set of rules.

Keith, uninterested in watching, opted to take a walk around the farm on his own.

Rather than watch, Levi and Kasi decided to enjoy the night air as they sat together on the front porch swing. He tucked his arm around her as they gently swayed.

“Thank you for tonight, Levi,” Kasi said. “I didn’t think… Daddy looked happy, didn’t he? I’m kind of hoping…” She was struggling to put her thoughts to words, but she didn’t need to. Levi knew what she was thinking. She hadn’t anticipated that her father would be able to hang in there the way he had without relapsing into his sorrow, and while it pleased her, there was a part of her that still didn’t expect it to last.

Kasi leaned toward him, placing her head on his shoulder. Even though she’d gotten plenty of sleep yesterday and last night, he could see she was starting to get tired. This morning, when they were baking, he’d suggested they double all their recipes so that she could take tonight off completely. He’d done so in hopes that she could get a full night’s sleep for once, but it didn’t hurt that it had also freed her up for his invitation to dinner.

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